Chapter 3
three
“Well, Kelsea, I think your first day has gone remarkably well.” Malcom stands in front of the counter I’m leaning on, his eyes fixed on the small amount of cleavage I’m showing in this shirt.
I make a mental note to keep the girls fully covered whenever I know he’s going to be here.
I can feel his slimy gaze dragging across my body, and I have to fight the urge to gag.
I back up to put even more distance between us. “Yeah, it’s been great. Maggie has been so helpful.” I give him my best pageant smile, perfected over two decades of coaching.
“Magnolia, yes. She's a good worker. Young, but that’s what brings in the customers, eh?” He gives me a creepy sneer and it’s all I can do not to roll my eyes at his smug expression.
“Yeah. Thanks for giving me a shot here. I think this is a good fit for me.” I do my best to change the subject and end this conversation, but he continues his obvious perusal of my body.
Since my attack, my self-confidence has taken a colossal hit.
I can’t stand to see myself naked. I do all I can to avoid seeing the scars that mar my skin.
They’re just a constant reminder of what I may never have.
I never gave much thought to having children.
I always assumed I would some day, but it wasn’t something I craved.
When I applied to Duke’s Civil Engineering program, I think I always believed it was a long shot that I’d even be accepted.
I didn’t tell my parents I’d applied. My mother was pushing me to enroll in the University of North Carolina and meet some handsome, pre-med future husband.
I know she expected me to follow in her footsteps, going to college long enough to secure a wealthy husband, then dropping out to become a housewife.
Nothing against that life, it’s just not for me.
I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
The day I got my acceptance letter to Duke was the first time I actually felt like I was on the right path, my own path.
“Malcom, I think the inventory lists for last week are off,” I hear Maggie say from the doorway that leads to the back room. I send her a silent thank you for taking his attention off of me and she gives me a soft smile.
“Impossible. I did them myself,” he says as he follows her into the office. Pompous, arrogant men disgust me. As if he could never make a mistake.
My mind carelessly drifts to the man who haunts my every waking thought. Everett Blake, my knight in black armor. The man is the definition of drool worthy. Truly, every woman’s daydream. Thinking back to the first time I ever saw him, I’ve always had a physical pull to him.
I knew I had left my sociology textbook in Ember’s apartment when we were studying together the night before.
If I hadn’t needed it for my class in 30 minutes, I wouldn’t have even bothered trekking across campus to her place.
It was an exceptionally rainy day in a string of rainy days.
My dark skinny jeans and red chuck Taylors were already soaked through, so why not trudge my way through the puddles?
I ran across campus as quickly as I could, fishing in my backpack for my spare key to Ember’s place in the process.
Letting myself into the building, I made the climb up to the third floor, my body soaked and dripping water through the halls.
I knock on the door, not wanting to scare her in case she's home. No answer. I let myself in and drop my bag on the floor just inside the door. After the first month of our friendship, it was as if I’d always known Ember.
She was my soul sister in every way. Especially in the way that sisters share clothes.
I stripped my soaked clothes off in layers and did my best not to make a gigantic mess on her floor as I walked back towards her bedroom.
My shirt is so drenched it’s practically glued to my body. I attempt to peel it up over my head, but it gets tangled in my hair. I let out a frustrated grunt as I fight with the fabric.
“Well, I usually learn a girl’s name before they strip for me, but I’m not complaining,” I hear a deep, masculine voice say in front of me.
I let out a shriek and attempt to pull my shirt back down, but it’s a lost cause.
If this guy is a burglar, I might as well already be dead.
In the struggle, my wet shoes slip and I fall right onto my ass, shirt half on, half off, in front of a strange man, in an apartment that isn’t even mine.
How delightful. “Who the hell are you?!” I yell, finally wrangling my shirt over my sheer lace bra. I’m sure I gave this guy a great show.
“Um, shouldn’t I be asking you that? I know you don’t live here, yet you’re getting naked in the living room,” he laughs, propping his hip against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.
I take in the man in front of me. He is 100% all man, that’s for sure.
He’s obviously over six feet. I see dark ink staining his skin all the way from his fingertips, up his left arm, across his chest and collarbone.
His dark blonde hair is longer on top, with the sides shaved short.
It’s mussed in that sexy, just-woke-up way guys always seem to pull off.
His piercing green eyes are instantly familiar to me.
I see them every day on my best friend, only his have beautiful flecks of golden brown swirling through them.
“Holy fuck, you scared the shit out of me!” I yell at him as I scramble to my feet. “You must be the twin,” I say, righting my clothes and trying to tame my wild mane of hair.
“That I am.” He gives me a cocky grin, and I want to hate it. But damn, this is a sexy man. “And you must be Kelsea.” The way he says my name sends a bolt of white hot electricity straight to my core and I do my best to shake it off.
“Yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.” I reach out my hand towards him and he stands in place, staring at it. After a beat, he takes my hand, and the connection sets my skin on fire. He drops my hand quickly, and I wonder if he felt it, too.
“Definitely nice to meet you too,” he says, his expression suddenly guarded. “Not exactly what I expected when Em told me about you, but I think this is the best introduction I’ve ever had to any of her friends.”
I roll my eyes at him and push past him, walking into Ember’s room and shutting the door to change.
After I’m mostly dry and almost late for class, I emerge from the bedroom and find him sitting on the couch watching baseball.
I spy my textbook on the table in front of him and I edge my way around the couch to grab it.
“Looking for this?” He snags it before I can, holding it up in the air.
“Yeah, thanks. I really need to get to class.” I reach for it, but he holds it just out of my grasp. I give him my best annoyed expression and scoff at his immaturity. “Uh, I really need to go, dude. Can I have my book?”
“What’ll you give me for it?” He asks playfully. Typically, I might be a little flirty, but today I’ve already had a shitty morning and I really need to leave.
“Whatever, just keep it,” I say, turning to walk out the front door.
“Here, goddess,” he says, holding the book towards me. I brush off the pet name he calls me, not liking the way it makes my stomach flutter a little more than I want it to. “Feel free to stop by anytime.”
I snatch the book, shoving it in my back and giving Everett an uncomfortable smile. “Thanks, it was… interesting… to meet you,” I laugh.
“Same to you.” He shoots me that sexy, cocky grin and my insides melt a little. We stare at each other for a few seconds longer than we really should before my phone pings with a text from my sociology partner, wondering where the hell I am.
“Shit! Bye!” I wave over my shoulder as I walk out of Ember’s apartment, confused and uncomfortable with how my head and body reacted to him.
The sound of the bell ringing above the door brings my mind back to the present.
Who would have known that meeting with Everett would develop into the comfortable friendship we’ve built?
That undeniable attraction has always been there and probably always will be.
But he’s not a one woman man and I won’t ask him to change for me.
I make my way over to the mother and daughter, who are browsing the racks at the front of the store.
Hopefully, this last hour will pass quickly.