on thin fucking ice.
When her cell phone went off in
the living room, she jerked in my arms. With a sigh, I pushed myself up and
stalked into the next room, snatching her phone from where I had tossed it onto
the couch. I looked down at the Caller ID.
Julie . Again trying to ignore a raging hard-on that had been
plaguing me practically since the moment I first saw Alex, I walked back into
the bedroom where she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked
shell-shocked as she took the phone from me. After another second, she stood up
and walked out. I ran a hand through my hair and tried to get a grip on my
self-control. Finally I crept into the kitchen and stood listening to the
one-sided conversation going on in the other room.
“I’m fine … Yeah, I went to look
for you, but you weren’t … No, Tony’s nuts … I’m fine. I’m at, well, you know …
Julie! Yes, I’m still a …” She suddenly went very quiet. “Do you know if Brit’s
in the room? … Good … No! God! I’m coming back to the dorm! I’ll see you a
little later … Thanks for checking up on me.”
When I opened the back door, my
dog ran right by me and into the living room. By the time I followed him, I
found Alex kneeling in front of him scratching his neck.
“Alex, I’m sorry.”
She looked up at me like she had
expected something else—probably for me to continue acting like a dick.
“Was that your girlfriend?
Earlier, I mean,” she mumbled meekly.
“No, that wasn’t my girlfriend.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
I didn’t have the energy to explain my sordid history with Gretchen Mueller.
“Oh. Well, she’s really pretty,” Alex said, looking down at Finn again.
I growled, aggravated by the
insecurity in her tone. All I could think of was the girl kneeling in front of
me, and she couldn’t seem to get that. After several seconds she looked up at
me again.
“I’m sorry for coming over here
randomly. I mean, I shouldn’t have. I don’t know what
I was thinking. When you didn’t show up, I just … I guess I figured I
would—”
“Test the limits of my severely
battered conscience?” I finished dryly.
She smirked, a glimmer of her
usual attitude resurfacing.
“Oh, yeah. Like I’m so irresistible. You want me to spell it
out for you? Not one date in high
school, and the guys in my dorm think I’m invisible. So, I don’t know what
you’re smoking, Professor Bennett. Viagra possibly?”
I watched her carefully, but her
eyes hadn’t actually traveled down to the source of my enduring discomfort. Professor Bennett . I was really
beginning to believe that this girl was my karmic punishment for past
indiscretions. Having impure thoughts about Alex was one thing, but acting on
them while she was in Robertson’s class was—like I told
Jess—unethical. And that wasn’t even taking into account how
inexperienced she was. What really bothered me now, though, was that I didn’t want to just fuck her and forget her,
which meant the only rational choice was to take her back to her dorm and look
her up in five years.
Five years .
My jaw clenched at the thought of
someone else touching her—being her first. What the fuck? Where had this
proprietary bullshit come from? Then I realized what it was. I couldn’t fucking stand the thought of some asshole
with worse intentions laying a hand on her—some asshole who didn’t give a
shit if he made her come. Of course, this was unassailable proof that I had
officially lost my fucking mind. I gestured toward the couch.
“Alex, sit down and let me explain
the male psyche to you.”
She rose grudgingly from where she
had been kneeling in front of Finn. I glanced at my dog, who was staring up at Alex worshipfully. He would probably bite my arm off if he
thought I posed a risk to his new best friend. Ungrateful animal. I took Alex’s
jacket from her, and frowned at Finn as he made himself comfortable at her
feet. Thinking about my dog’s complete freedom to
When her cell phone went off in
the living room, she jerked in my arms. With a sigh, I pushed myself up and
stalked into the next room, snatching her phone from where I had tossed it onto
the couch. I looked down at the Caller ID.
Julie . Again trying to ignore a raging hard-on that had been
plaguing me practically since the moment I first saw Alex, I walked back into
the bedroom where she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked
shell-shocked as she took the phone from me. After another second, she stood up
and walked out. I ran a hand through my hair and tried to get a grip on my
self-control. Finally I crept into the kitchen and stood listening to the
one-sided conversation going on in the other room.
“I’m fine … Yeah, I went to look
for you, but you weren’t … No, Tony’s nuts … I’m fine. I’m at, well, you know …
Julie! Yes, I’m still a …” She suddenly went very quiet. “Do you know if Brit’s
in the room? … Good … No! God! I’m coming back to the dorm! I’ll see you a
little later … Thanks for checking up on me.”
When I opened the back door, my
dog ran right by me and into the living room. By the time I followed him, I
found Alex kneeling in front of him scratching his neck.
“Alex, I’m sorry.”
She looked up at me like she had
expected something else—probably for me to continue acting like a dick.
“Was that your girlfriend?
Earlier, I mean,” she mumbled meekly.
“No, that wasn’t my girlfriend.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
I didn’t have the energy to explain my sordid history with Gretchen Mueller.
“Oh. Well, she’s really pretty,” Alex said, looking down at Finn again.
I growled, aggravated by the
insecurity in her tone. All I could think of was the girl kneeling in front of
me, and she couldn’t seem to get that. After several seconds she looked up at
me again.
“I’m sorry for coming over here
randomly. I mean, I shouldn’t have. I don’t know what
I was thinking. When you didn’t show up, I just … I guess I figured I
would—”
“Test the limits of my severely
battered conscience?” I finished dryly.
She smirked, a glimmer of her
usual attitude resurfacing.
“Oh, yeah. Like I’m so irresistible. You want me to spell it
out for you? Not one date in high
school, and the guys in my dorm think I’m invisible. So, I don’t know what
you’re smoking, Professor Bennett. Viagra possibly?”
I watched her carefully, but her
eyes hadn’t actually traveled down to the source of my enduring discomfort. Professor Bennett . I was really
beginning to believe that this girl was my karmic punishment for past
indiscretions. Having impure thoughts about Alex was one thing, but acting on
them while she was in Robertson’s class was—like I told
Jess—unethical. And that wasn’t even taking into account how
inexperienced she was. What really bothered me now, though, was that I didn’t want to just fuck her and forget her,
which meant the only rational choice was to take her back to her dorm and look
her up in five years.
Five years .
My jaw clenched at the thought of
someone else touching her—being her first. What the fuck? Where had this
proprietary bullshit come from? Then I realized what it was. I couldn’t fucking stand the thought of some asshole
with worse intentions laying a hand on her—some asshole who didn’t give a
shit if he made her come. Of course, this was unassailable proof that I had
officially lost my fucking mind. I gestured toward the couch.
“Alex, sit down and let me explain
the male psyche to you.”
She rose grudgingly from where she
had been kneeling in front of Finn. I glanced at my dog, who was staring up at Alex worshipfully. He would probably bite my arm off if he
thought I posed a risk to his new best friend. Ungrateful animal. I took Alex’s
jacket from her, and frowned at Finn as he made himself comfortable at her
feet. Thinking about my dog’s complete freedom to