Swimming For Seduction (Sexy As Sin)

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ricki

“I don’t know what has been going on in your head this past month, but you need to get rid of it!” Coach Sheila snaps after I place third in the 50 meter freestyle.

If only it were that simple , I think as I wrap my towel around myself and stalk toward the locker room. Coach is right; my head has been a mess this past month.

After the two mind-blowing orgasms Tyler gave me, I realized that finding a stranger to get him out of my head wasn’t going to work. I don’t know how it’s possible to hate someone and crave them at the same time, but here I am, fantasizing about the way his hands and mouth felt on my body while wishing I could have punched the smug look right off his face when he demanded that I attend his family’s Christmas dinner.

I’d climbed off of his motorcycle ready to apologize for my bitchy words. My snarky shield is my go-to defense, but I was willing to try to do better for him. I still didn’t want a relationship, but friends I could do. Friends with benefits would be even better.

Then, I found out that the whole night was just another game to him. Get me into a compromising position, make me break the law, and use it drag me to another miserable outing. The thing is, our previous ‘dates’ haven’t been miserable at all. I’ve enjoyed having someone to talk to who I don’t have to impress. But the one he’s forcing me to attend next month could very well shatter my world.

I let out a heavy sigh when I exit the locker room to see Tyler talking to my swim coach. Since he’s in uniform, I’m hoping his reason for being here doesn’t have anything to do with me. I turn the opposite direction, hoping to make it around the corner before they notice me.

“Ricki,” my coach yells, thwarting my attempt to get away without facing my enemy. I square my shoulders before turning to walk back in their direction. “Deputy Sheppard just informed me that it looks like someone broke into your dorm building. Since you’re the only resident still on campus this week, he wanted to escort you home to make sure they didn’t get into your room.”

“But we have the team meeting…” My words are cut off by her sharp scoff.

“I’ll call you later with the team stats if you want, but you need to go while you have on officer with you in case the burglar is still in your building.” She gives me a pointed look and I know there’s no use arguing.

After promising to let her know that my dorm is safe, I follow Tyler to the parking lot to see his cruiser parked behind my Escape. Escape…Ha! Apparently, there is no escape when it comes to Tyler Sheppard.

“I didn’t want you to leave before I found you to let know about the break in,” he says abashedly, and I wonder if I said my inner words out loud. “I’ll follow you to your building and escort you inside,” he says more confidently, but there’s a tightness around his eyes that makes me uneasy.

“How serious was the break-in?” I continue without giving him a chance to answer. “I mean…it’s probably just a fraternity prank or something since most of the students are gone, right?”

“It’s possible…” He shakes his head. “But not likely. The back service door was busted in and the housing office was ransacked. There are other deputies there, doing a sweep to make sure none of the rooms were broken into, but…” He swallows before he admits, “I wanted to make sure you didn’t get blindsided by the scene when you got home. Especially knowing you’re the only student staying in the building this week.”

“I’m surprised you’re not trying to find a way to pin it on me,” I say jokingly, trying to ease some of the tension that’s always between us. “Then, you could force me to your family’s Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.”

It’s probably stupid of me to be giving him ideas like that, but since I haven’t done anything wrong today, I guess it doesn’t matter. I hate to admit how relieved I am when his smirk replaces his grim expression.

“If you’re looking for invite to dinner, you’ve got it, firecracker. ” He laughs at my eyeroll as I fight to hold onto my scowl. “But first, let’s go make sure your dorm is safe.” He gets into his car and backs up for me to pull out.

Tyler

I follow Ricki to her dorm, wishing we were on friendly enough terms for me to convince her to stay at my apartment until her building has been thoroughly swept and the damage to the back door fixed. Hell, I’d even sleep on the couch and let her have my bed just for the peace of mind. But knowing that she will never agree to that, I’ll be sleeping on the floor in her hallway instead. Because there’s no way I’m leaving her alone in that building until it’s proven safe.

I see Becky standing on guard at the front door as we exit our vehicles, so I try to keep a respectable distance between myself and Ricki. Not that she would let me stand too close anyway, but I also put a mental distance between us to remain professional while I’m in front of other deputies. Especially one as intuitive as Rebecca Crawford.

“I’m sorry,” Becky says, blocking Ricki when she attempts to step around her to enter the building. “The dorms are closed until Sunday.”

“Closed?!” Ricki spins around to face me. “You didn’t tell me that,” she accuses.

“I didn’t know that’s what had been decided,” I admit before looking at my colleague. “She’s the only resident on campus. Can I at least escort her to her room to pack a bag?” I ask. Even though I outrank her, this is her post.

Becky eyes me suspiciously, and I see the moment she puts the pieces together. Thankfully, she’s as determined to earn her badge as I am. So, she simply agrees and steps aside without calling any attention to the fact that I’m entering a crime scene with my self-declared ‘explosion.’

As soon as we enter the building, my hand instinctively goes to the small of Ricki’s back, erasing the distance I’d placed between us. The situation must be bothering her more than she’s let on because she relaxes under my touch instead of pulling away like I’d expected. She leads us to her room in comfortable silence and I can’t help but to preen at the fact that my presence seems to be a comfort to her. It’s all I’ve wanted these past few months. When we enter her room and she turns to look up at me with teary eyes, the rest of the mental barrier I’d erected crumbles.

“Talk to me, Ricki,” I say as I lift my hand to cup her cheek. “I know this must be scary, but we’ll make sure everything is safe.”

“It’s not that.” She shakes her head and takes a step back. “I don’t have anywhere to stay. My work study job barely pays enough for my necessities. So, I definitely don’t have the money for a hotel room. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I haven’t exactly made any friends close enough to ask to crash with them on a holiday.”

“You can stay with me.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

“Yeah, right,” she scoffs when I don’t take them back. “You live in the same building as…”

“Brady,” I say, cutting her off. “He’s in Virginia Beach this week with all of his friends. They won’t be back until Sunday.”

“Oh.” She seems to think about it before rolling her eyes at her own thoughts. “Well, it’s not like we are friends.” She waves her hand between us. “I can’t just stay with you.”

“You wound me, firecracker ,” I say as I slap a hand over my heart, only half-joking. When she just stares at me blankly, I shrug. “Friends or not, you don’t have a choice. I’m not letting you spend the next four nights sleeping in your car.”

I can practically see the wheels turning in her head as she searches for another option before she finally lets out a heavy sigh.

“Fine.” She points a finger at me when I let my grin spread across my face. “But only because I don’t like you enough to care about ruining your holiday.”

She’s lying. I know it. She knows it. I just have to find a way to make her admit it.