I’m so stunned when Gage goes crashing out of his own apartment that all I can do is stare at the door. Not just at his complete lack of gratitude over my first aid, I’m a little stunned by how he affects me. Being so close to him while I bandaged the cut he got due to me being so clumsy was disconcerting. Strange. I’ve never felt so flustered being close to a man before. I mean, it’s not like there’ve been a lot of men in my life to be distracted by. Gage is the only one I’ve ever been that close to without being related to them. I guess I just didn’t expect to be that unnerved, especially because he’s been kind of a jerk so far.
Of course, it could be because he’s so handsome. Pretty people can have that effect on anyone, I guess. But Gage might be too distracting, since I can still feel his strong, rippling shoulder muscles under my palms. And he smelled intoxicating, actually making me feel a little legless with his soapy clean aftershave. Maybe he could be the one after all?
No. I can’t get involved with him. That has bad idea written all over it; I can’t afford to lose valuable study time in the evenings by chasing after a man. More importantly, he’s doing me a solid by letting me stay with him until I get my dorm room issues figured out. Him being a jerk just makes it easier to walk away from him next week, if I’m being honest.
Even after I put all the books in a stack, I’m still too worked up to sleep. I’m worried the credit card my parents gave me won’t work, so I gather up all my cash, which isn’t much, and walk down the street to a little corner store we’d passed in the car earlier.
After taking longer than necessary to choose some snacks and a drink, I eventually drag myself back to Gage’s apartment, not sure if I want him to be there or not. The flash of disappointment when he’s not is quickly replaced with relief that I can shower in peace.
Once I’m clean and in my pajamas, I curl up in a ball on the couch with a blanket I snagged from Gage’s bed. Remembering I have to update Wren, I grab my phone and consider what to write. Nothing’s gone to plan today—I didn’t bother trying to study after the shelf incident—but I don’t want to worry her or seem like a downer, so I tell her everything’s great.
The door starts to creak open, and I stuff my phone into the couch cushions, pretending to be fast asleep. I wish I was turned away from the door so I can hide my face, but there’s no rolling over now that he’s inside. I keep my eyes shut and my breathing slow and even. He leaves the lights off, a small bit of consideration for me, so I feel safe in checking him out through my lashes.
However, it gets very difficult to keep my breathing under control when he suddenly removes his shirt. Even in the dim light coming through the window, I can see how shredded he is. So, he not only cares about his grades and has an amazing internship, one that may lead to having a job lined up before he’s even graduated, but he also finds the time to work out. He’s what any other girl my age would call boyfriend material.
But I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now. I just needed a place to sleep for the next few days.
He starts to unbutton his jeans, and I know I can’t see what’s under them without giving myself away, so screwing my eyes tightly shut, I roll over, burrowing into the cushions. My blanket slides off, and I almost groan. I certainly can’t reach for it, but I feel miserably exposed. There’s no possible way I’ll fall asleep like this, with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen stripping just feet away from me. Why does he have to be so darn unpleasant? I can’t ever give him the satisfaction of knowing I find him attractive, so I force it out of my mind. It’s going to be a very long night.
