Chapter 31
31
M om and Max insisted I stay with them a few more days while my body healed from the ordeal I’d been through. I didn’t argue, either, since my inability to walk easily had me in a foul mood and I didn’t want to be in a position where I needed to run for my life just yet.
To my surprise, although the other boys all returned to school, Nate stayed. I found him in the kitchen on my second morning, half asleep and making coffee…wearing nothing but a pair of loose pajama pants. His toffee-colored hair was all messed up like he’d been running his hands through it and?—
“I’m not making you coffee, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” he informed me, making me snap out of my little daze.
I’d been staring. At Nate . Was I concussed? Maybe.
“Why not? A real man would,” I clapped back, fighting the blush creeping into my cheeks as I grabbed a coffee mug out and parked it beside the machine. Daring him.
He glowered, but after pouring his own cup he moved the pot to mine and filled it. “Black, like your soul.”
I scoffed, taking my mug back. “If that’s not the pot talking to the kettle…” I grabbed out some cream and caramel syrup, tweaking the bitter coffee to suit my sweet tooth while Nate stared in horrified fascination.
It was harder than it should have been to not look at his body. But fucking hell it was right there in all its washboard glory.
“Why are you still here?” I asked, finding a distraction. “Didn’t your friends go back to school yesterday?”
He hummed a sound of affirmation as he sipped his black coffee, leaning against the counter like he had nowhere better to be. “It’s quieter here, and I need to focus on my coursework for a few days. Carter has a dog in our apartment…”
I grinned, loving that Nate sounded very anti-canine. “I’m aware.”
He glared daggers. “Yeah well, it’s constantly whimpering and begging for belly scratches which is counterproductive when I’m trying to work on my PhD thesis.”
Confused, I tilted my head. “Your PhD thesis? I thought you were in a master’s program, but…you’re working toward a doctorate?” Actually, now that I said it out loud, I vaguely remembered he’d told me that before. I just either didn’t pay attention or didn’t believe him at the time.
He met my gaze with a flat stare. “What, like it’s hard?” His lips curved up in a slight grin and he started to leave the kitchen then paused. “I guess you can keep the hoodie…seeing as you seem to like it so much.”
Then he was gone, and my face burned with mortification realizing I was wearing his hoodie again. It was insanely comfy and it’d been right there beside my bed when I woke up so I’d just put it on…but in my defense I had thought he was gone. Damn it.
Then something else occurred to me, and it was possibly one of the most shocking things I’d realized in a long time.
Nathaniel Essex had just quoted Legally Blonde to me.
“What the fuck ?” I whispered aloud, then took a gulp of my coffee. Maybe I was still half asleep and imagining things? Yeah. That.
After that weird encounter with Nate, it seemed like he was everywhere. I couldn’t go anywhere in the house without running into him and it was driving me up the fucking wall. For a guy supposedly working on his thesis he sure didn’t spend much time at a desk.
Four days after being discharged from hospital my feet were healed enough that I gave my thanks to Mom and Max, and relocated back to my dorm on campus.
“You’re back!” Carly squealed with excitement when Max’s driver dropped me off in front of the dorm. I’d texted her on my way and she’d been waiting for me to arrive, the adorable human. “I missed you.”
I laughed, accepting her hug. “You could have visited,” I argued. “It’s not that far from here.” In fact it was only an hour drive on the opposite side of Lake Prosper.
“Mmm yeah not while Nate was there, thanks,” she replied with a short laugh.
I grimaced. “Yeah, good point. Sorry that’s…uncomfy.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is, and honestly with the beauty of hindsight I can see that I dodged a big old bullet with him. I don’t have the patience for his diva mood swings.”
I chuckled at that description, but for some reason all my mind could conjure up was the memory of him relaxed and casually sipping his coffee…shirtless…with that little smile on his lips.
“Well, anyway, I’m back and I officially want nothing more to do with DBs so there’s absolutely no need for our paths to cross with Nate or any of his friends again.” I made the declaration firm, convincing myself as much as I was her.
Carly gave me a skeptical squint as we rode the elevator up to our floor. “Uh-huh. Except for the fact you have a massive crush on my cousin and you spent a romantic weekend in Paris getting dicked down by his sexy British hothead friend, and then there’s Royce…”
I wrinkled my nose, stepping out when the doors slid open. “What about Royce?”
“Uh…” Carly gave me a puzzled look, then shifted her gaze to my door.
A pool of dread filled up in my belly and I shoved my door open to find the blond philanderer himself unpacking a bag into my dresser. “Hey roomie!” He grinned his shithead grin and grabbed me in a hug. “This will be fun. How do you feel about bunk beds?”
“Absolutely not. Royce, what the hell? Get out of my room!” I shoved him off me—quickly noting that he’d been quite gentle in his hug—and pointed a shaking finger to the open door.
He shook his head. “Nope. You’re stuck with me for at least the next five nights. I thought you’d be grateful.”
I spluttered, tripping over my words as I tried to make a dozen thoughts connect. “Grateful?” I finally managed to squeak. “For what ?”
Royce sat his ass up on my bed, then scooted back against my pillows to get comfortable and I noted his feet were bare. His shoes were neatly placed by the door. That was…oddly polite and far too intimate.
“Well, it was going to be Carter playing babysitter but then he said something to Heath, and it turned into a, uh, physical altercation which resulted in a stalemate and so…here I am. The compromise. You’re welcome .” He patted the bed beside him. “Come sit, let’s work out schedules.”
Frustrated, I turned to Carly for help. She just spread her hands helplessly. “Sorry, girl. He said you knew…and honestly I’m not mad about Operation Protect Ashley.”
“Mmm that name is a work in progress,” Royce added. “But technically you did know. We discussed it the other day. Sort of.”
Another strangled noise escaped me in lieu of words.
Carly checked her invisible watch dramatically. “Oh, is that the time? I need to go…umm…wash my hair. See ya!” And disappeared.
“Traitor!” I yelled after her, even as her door shut quickly across the hall. I sighed and turned my attention back to Royce. “Seriously, get out.”
His smile was more sly this time. “No can do, Squirrel. Shut the door and come chat with me.” He patted the bed beside him again and a ripple of uncertainty chased through me.
I wet my lips, folding my arms over my chest. “No thank you. I’d like you to leave, Royce. My room isn’t big enough for the both of us.”
He drew a breath, smoothly sliding off my bed and leaning past me to shove my door shut. “Nonsense. I don’t take up much space.”
Frustrated, I clenched my jaw as I glared up at him. Damn these guys for all being so much taller than me, it was really hard to achieve threatening when I had to crane my neck for eye contact.
“Royce…I don’t need?—”
“Hush, Squirrel. I’ll spell it out for you. Either you accept my generous offer to play roomie, or I can ask Nate to do it. But either way, you will have a buddy attached to your hip twenty-four seven until we can find whoever is trying to frame us for trying to kill you. Clear?” His smile was cold, and the implication was clear. He wouldn’t be moved on this.
“Why Nate?” I argued, refusing to give up so easily. “Why not Heath?”
His eyes sparkled with amusement. “How curious you didn’t suggest Carter. Methinks something happened in Geneva between the two of you.”
“Paris,” I corrected, and he just smiled wider. Shithead.
“Same thing. And the answer is that Heath and Carter are clearly not thinking with their brains when it comes to you, otherwise they wouldn’t have come to blows over this little arrangement. So…what’s it going to be, little Squirrel? Me or Nate?”
Bloody hell. He really wasn’t going to back down on this issue and I had a strong feeling that no matter how hard I complained, no one would forcefully make him leave. Royce, for all his sly teasing, had a darkness to him that I definitely didn’t want to encounter head-on. I couldn’t blame others for steering clear.
Jaw clenched tight, I sighed. “Fine. But you’re sleeping on the floor and if you snore, I’ll smother you with a pillow. Clear?”
His lips tilted in a lopsided grin. “Deal. Now, let’s compare schedules so we both don’t skip too many classes. After all, failing out of Nevaeh University would be a hell of an embarrassment for our families.”
Frustrated, I pushed him aside and glanced around at all my things he’d been rearranging. He’d cleared out one of my drawers and made it his own…pushy prick. “I have a lot of coursework to catch up on and no laptop so I hope you like hanging out in the library.”
“Ew. Let’s just go buy you a new one,” he countered. “You need it for taking notes and turning in assignments anyway.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m well-aware. But that means…” I trailed off, not wanting to explain that buying a new laptop would dip heavily into my savings. Which meant I needed to get a job to replace that money. But Royce wasn’t wrong about needing to get one sooner rather than later.
“I need to get a job,” I said with a sigh.
His brows lifted with surprise. “I’m assuming you intend to be stubborn about this and not let me simply buy you a new computer?” I nodded and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Very well. What kind of job would you like?”
“Ideally working at a day spa. I’m fully qualified as a massage therapist and it pays a hell of a lot better than coffee shops. Even without inappropriate propositions from entitled rich boys.” I gave him a pointed look, and he just shrugged…totally unapologetic. “Max mentioned there’s a spa at Prosper Country Club. Maybe I’ll try there?”
Royce nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s a good option. Shall we go now?”
I hesitated, then realized I had nothing else to do for the day—aside from catching up on studying which would go smoother with a computer—so nodded. “Fuck it, may as well. Uh…let me just see if I can get some makeup to cover up the worst of my face first.”
“Maybe a change of clothing…if I might suggest?” Royce gave my attire a long look and I screwed my eyes shut with regret. Stupid Nate and his stupid cozy hoodie.
“Yep.” I agreed, quickly pulling the offending garment off and tossing it aside. “That.”
Royce made himself comfortable reclining on my bed and scrolling his phone while I sat at my little study desk to fix my face. Ultimately, there was fuck all I could do where the gash in my cheek had been stitched but I managed to cover the bulk of the bruising with a thick layer of foundation and concealer.
When I was ready, Royce hopped up and put his shoes on. “My car or yours?” he asked, holding the door open for me to exit ahead of him. He followed me out into the hall and locked my door with his own key …what the fuck?
“Um, mine,” I replied, scowling at the key in his hand.
He grinned, pocketing the key and ignoring my glare. “Awesome. Can I drive?”
“Fuck no,” I scoffed. “Not in your wildest dreams, Royce D’Arenberg.”
He shrugged and tossed me one of his utterly disarming smiles. “We’ll see.”