Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
That will be me tomorrow rushing from my humanities class in one building to physics in another.
“This for me? How thoughtful.”
My gaze snaps to the hand of the man grabbing the extra coffee I bought off the picnic table, but without having met Ryan, I know it isn’t him.
It can’t be, because I’ve heard that voice before.
My brain already knows, but I turn my head to look up at him for verification anyway.
And sure enough, the man taking a sip of the hot coffee isn’t Ryan.
It’s Aiden.
Chapter Seventeen
Brynn
My brain registers danger and my body knows how to respond to it—by throwing my hot coffee in his face and running—but for some inexplicable reason, I’m frozen and I can’t move at all.
Aiden steps up on the bench of the picnic table, then turns and takes a seat on the tabletop so he can look down at me while also keeping an eye on the foot traffic coming up behind me.
“Miss me?”
“No.”
He cocks a dark eyebrow as if in surprise. “Really? You paged me three times. I thought for sure that meant you missed me.”
My stomach bottoms out when he takes a phone out of his pocket and I recognize my case. Gasping, I grab it right out of his hands. “My phone.”
“Mm-hmm. I charged it for you, too.”
I stop short of hugging the thing, but just barely. Instead, I look back at Aiden. He’s slippery and can’t be trusted; I need to keep my eye on him.
“Am I supposed to thank you?” I ask with acerbic sweetness.
He smiles, and I see the memory of that night dancing in his dark eyes. “Sure. I can think of a few ways I’d let you thank me, but I think your Blue Blood boyfriend might take issue with all of them.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I state, since Killian’s advice about this was basically to play dumb. “I don’t know any Blue Bloods.”
“Oh, sure you do. I’ve clocked you hanging out with at least two of them. Actually, I’m guessing three and Shane’s one too, since he beat Hex to your apartment last night.”
Only his friends call him Hex is right on the tip of my tongue, but it’s not worth taunting Aiden to express any kind of familiarity.
“That’s insulting, isn’t it? Why Shane? He doesn’t seem to fit the mold.” He shakes his head, but doesn’t linger on it too long. “Anyway, I’ve got your purse back in my room and your car hidden away, and while I’m sure Killian will immediately hatch a plan to break in and retrieve the purse for you, no one’s going to find that car unless I lead them to it. I can save them a little trouble and the effort of breaking and entering, if you’d prefer it.”
“I’m listening,” I state coolly.
“I want a meeting with Hex.”
My eyebrows rise. “Why?”
“Don’t worry about why. Can you arrange that, or do I need Killian to do it?”
“Killian isn’t going to lift a finger to help you with anything,” I state.
“Why? Is he mad I can kiss his girl better than he can?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You wish.”
“Come on. Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.”
“You had to manhandle me and tie me to a table in order to get your mouth on me. I assure you, Killian doesn’t have to work that hard.”
Aiden smirks. “I bet he doesn’t.”
“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” I tell him, my tone blasé. “Killian won’t let me drive the car now that the filthy hands of a Rho Kappa have had access to it. And the purse was cheap, you can keep it. All I needed back was my phone, and I have it.”
He scowls, and I flash him a bright smile before tucking the phone in my bag so he can’t grab it back.
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Aiden.”
I slide my burner phone into the back pocket of my jeans and slide my bag strap over my shoulder, then I stand and grab my coffee.
Aiden climbs down off the picnic table. I’m hoping he’ll get the message that this communication is over and fuck off since I don’t want to stray too far from the coffee cart, but instead he falls into step beside me.
“Sorry, little virgin. Our business hasn’t concluded.”
“What makes you think I’m still a virgin?” I ask, wanting to float the idea that I’m not just in case they are still trying to do that stupid ritual in the woods.
“Personally, I don’t care if you are or not. I’m not interested in Kyle’s mock society. I want to be in a real one.”
I stop short, looking over at him. “You want to be a Blue Blood?”
His eyes twinkle and he nods. “Yep. It was an oversight not to tap me. I’d like a chance to convince them.”