6. Savanna
Savanna
Forcing myself to focus on classwork and get my assigned reading done is almost impossible, but I’m not about to let my grades slip after how hard I’ve worked to get them so high.
I want to see where this goes with Niki, and I need to be able to balance school and dating a guy.
I’m not sure if this is considered a date or not, but I’m going to say it is because I really, really like the idea of dating Niki.
I end up having to reread a few passages, but I finally get the reading done with only thirty minutes to spare.
I spend every second of that time trying to make myself look as good as possible.
I decide on skinny jeans, a red off-the-shoulder top, and a really cute pair of sandals since I just painted my toes pink the other day.
I keep my hair down and loose because I’ve caught Niki staring at it before, and I think this is how he prefers it.
Five minutes before seven, I debate what bag I should bring.
After several seconds, I take my wallet out of my purse and shove it into the leather messenger bag next to the slim laptop and head downstairs.
Before I’ve even hit the large living room, I hear Niki’s deep voice and then Miss Francis’s laughter.
Right as I turn the corner, I hear her say, “You mean I can do everything with just this one remote?”
Niki hasn’t noticed me yet, so I take the opportunity to secretly watch him. He grins down at her and says, “Yes, ma’am. You just need this one.”
Miss Francis beams up at him. It’s no secret around here that our house mom is addicted to any reality TV show she can find, the more scandalous, the better.
She’s usually juggling three different remotes while she switches between cable and all the streaming subscriptions we have. Niki has obviously just blown her mind.
My eyes take in the sight of him. He’s in his usual wardrobe of jeans, black boots, and hoodie, with his own messenger bag’s wide strap slung across his chest, and I love that about him.
He never looks sloppy because everything fits him well, and he has the kind of muscular body that ensures he’ll never look hunched over.
He may spend all his time on his computer, but he doesn’t look it.
His dark hair looks like he’s recently run his hand through it, and I’m dying to know if it’s as soft as I think it is.
He’s shaved, so his face is smooth, and when he darts his eyes over to me and I see the corner of his mouth quirk up, I realize I was wrong.
He’s known I was here the whole time, probably clocked me as soon as I stepped into the room.
I’m guessing not much gets by a guy like him.
I walk over, smiling at the way our Kappa house mom is so clearly smitten with Niki. I’m glad she’s not judging him by his tattoos and nose ring. Miss Francis doesn’t care for the Alpha boys across the street, and I was afraid she’d assume Niki was just like them. I’d underestimated her, though.
“Savanna,” she says, when she notices me standing next to her, “your boyfriend is an angel.”
My eyes dart to Niki’s, wondering how he’s going to react to being called that, but all I see is amusement in his eyes as he lifts a dark brow and says, “Did you hear that, sweetheart? I’m an angel.”
I laugh and then smile at Miss Francis. “He certainly is. He’s a lifesaver. He’s helping me to get better with computers.”
Miss Francis surprises me by reaching out and playfully patting Niki’s arm. “Well, I taught her how to load a dishwasher, so you’d better hang on to this one. She’s sweet and smart and knows how to clean the dishes.”
“The full package,” Niki agrees while I shake my head and laugh. “She’s definitely a keeper, and I don’t plan on letting her go.”
My eyes widen in surprise while my face heats up, and I try really hard to not do something stupid like squeal and text my bestie about what just happened.
Miss Francis huffs out a soft laugh before grabbing her universal remote and looking ridiculously happy at not having to wrestle with multiple clickers.
“You two have fun,” she says while she walks over to the couch. Before she sits down, she adds, “I like you, Niki. Use the front door, okay? Don’t risk your life climbing up that old, rickety ladder.”
My mouth drops open in surprise as Niki laughs and says, “I will, Miss Francis. Thank you.”
She gives me a wink. “You girls think you’re so sneaky. That ladder’s been hiding behind those bushes since I was a student.”
Too stunned to speak, I manage a laugh and a quick goodbye before Niki is guiding me out of the house and down the brick path to the street in front of us.
“I’m relieved I won’t need to scale that ladder again,” he says. “I’m not crazy about heights. I’d do it to see you again, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that I won’t have to.” When I don’t say anything, he adds in a quieter voice, “That’s assuming you want to see me again.”
“I do,” I quickly say.
He gives me a relieved smile. “Miss Francis will be very happy to hear that. I think she has her heart set on me fixing all future tech issues within the sorority house.”
“She’s a smart lady. She knows how to get free help.”
“Well, I am a sucker for a woman in her sixties who’s baffled by modern technology. Gets me every time.”
“I’ll remember that,” I tell him when we get to the curb. I’m secretly thrilled that he drove his motorcycle tonight. It gives me an excuse to wrap my arms around him.
He grabs the extra helmet and hands it to me, smiling again when he eyes the messenger bag I’m wearing. He doesn’t comment on it, but I know he likes that I brought it.
“I’m used to helping my family with stuff like that,” he says, nodding back at the house. “I don’t mind doing it.”
“You don’t ever get annoyed with it?” I ask.
He grins and shrugs a broad shoulder. “Depends on who’s doing the asking, I guess.”
“I’ll remember that, too,” I tell him.
Before I can put my helmet on, he reaches out and stops me. His fingers are light on my arm, and the soft touch is in complete contrast to the intense way he’s looking at me.
“You could never annoy me, Van. I’d help you with anything, anytime.”
“You might regret saying that,” I tell him, knowing myself and how many questions I’ll probably be asking him.
Instead of looking worried, he gives me that adorably sweet smile of his and says, “Try me. Ask me as many questions as you need or want. I guarantee you’ll never see even a slightly irritated look on my face about it.”
“Okay.” I lift my helmet, but before I slide it onto my head, I say, “I’m really glad you said that because I already have a few things I need to ask you about, but first we need to eat. I’m starving.”
“Deal,” he says, pulling his own helmet on.
I’m not sure where he’s taking me, and I don’t care.
I just know that for the next several minutes our bodies are going to be smushed together and at the end of it there will be food.
That’s good enough for me. After he’s sitting, he turns his hidden face to look at me and motions for me to get on behind him.
I’m sure he’s laughing behind that tinted visor at my eagerness, but I can never seem to play it cool when I’m around him.
Within seconds, I’m on the bike with my arms wrapped snuggly around his impossibly hard abs and my chest pressed as tightly against his back as I can get.
For one horrible moment I worry that I’ve gone too far, but instead of prying my fingers apart and demanding space, I feel the heat of his skin against mine as he squeezes my hand.
The touch is slow and lingering, a brush of his thumb along my skin like he’s savoring the feel of me, and when I squeeze his finger like I did before, I swear I feel his body relax even more against mine.
He gives me one more caress before starting the bike and pulling out onto the road.
I hadn’t even noticed the small crowd outside the Alpha house, but when we pass by, all eyes are on us.
I ignore them. I have nothing but bad memories associated with the frat, and I’d love it if I could go through life without ever seeing any of them again.
When I think about how close I’d come to being roofied by one of the bastards, a shudder runs through me followed by a massive wave of guilt at the fact that Cindy accidentally took the drink that was meant for me.
Sasha got to her in time, but it was close, and I’ll never stop feeling guilty about it.
Niki’s hand rests on mine again, giving it a reassuring squeeze as if he can sense everything I’m feeling, and that small touch is enough to get me to relax.
All through the ride, every time his hand is free, he’s touching me, and by the time he turns off the busy road, I feel drunk on him.
Completely and absolutely intoxicated by this man.
I’m so focused on him that it takes me a second to realize we’re pulling into an underground parking garage to an apartment building and not into the parking lot of a restaurant.
He pulls into a reserved spot near a corner elevator and cuts the engine. When he gives my leg a little pat, I get off the bike and as soon as I’ve pulled the helmet free, I look around and ask, “Where are we?”
Pulling his own helmet off, he gives me a crooked smile and says, “I know this looks bad, but I thought we could order in.” He gestures around us. “I live here.”
“You brought me to your home?” I ask, smiling when he gets embarrassed and runs a hand through his hair.
“I just thought it would be easier, you know? You said you had questions, and this way I’ll be able to answer them.
” I swear he blushes a little bit when he adds, “Plus, I kind of already ordered the food and it’ll be here in fifteen minutes.
If you’d rather do something else, though,” he starts to say, but I quickly cut him off.
“What did you order?”
“Two steaks, loaded baked potatoes, and a couple of house salads.”