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  I went to talk, but all that came out were a few stuttered sounds. He walked over to the computer and plugged in the flash drive. Our presentation popped up on the overhead: Similarities between the Pop Art Movement and The Renaissance Era. He stood up, taking his position in front of the screen.

  His gorgeous eyes landed on mine and he cocked an eyebrow. I snapped out of my stupor and headed to the other side of the screen.

  My mind was focused on the flash cards in his pocket, wondering how the hell I was going to do this without them when he started talking.

  “All artists have a method and motivation from which they draw from. Both eras pulled from their culture as well as the current events of their time.” Confidence oozed over his words. His body mimicked the exact same poise. I envied him and watched in awe as he continued his part without once looking at a single note.

  He finished up his slides and he introduced me to the class. It was my turn and I still wasn’t exactly sure how to start or where to start for that matter. I had it all written out on my cards that were currently hanging out in Jaxon’s back pocket. I wished I could crawl in there and hide.

  Jaxon came up beside me to switch places and lowered his head to mine in passing. “You got this,” he said and I don’t know if it was his words or the way the warmth of his breath gave me a much needed jolt, but something in my brain clicked.

  I pointed to my slide and without a single note, I gave my perfectly planned out presentation. My eyes made contact with the professor as well as my classmates instead of being buried in my written words. I stood like Jaxon, confident and spoke with the self-assurance I didn’t think I possessed, but somehow he knew I did.

  It felt amazing. Jaxon ended the presentation and we got a standing ovation from the professor. Jaxon draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me tightly to his side in celebration as we walked back to our seats.

  Before we sat down, he reached into his pocket and retrieved my flashcards. He held them out to me, and when I went to grab them he pulled back just as I did to him earlier. With a cocky smile he said, “Told you so.”

  I snatched them from his hand and rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I’m not amused.”

  “I just wanted you to believe in yourself for once.”

  “I believe in myself,” I grumbled.

  “You don’t. But you should.”

  I glanced over to him, my gaze catching his. I was about to ask him what the heck he was talking about. Why he would even think that? It’s not like he knew me. A few presentations together didn’t make him an expert. But before I could get a single word to come out, the professor dismissed the class and Jaxon was gone.

  FOUR

  Dee flopped onto her bed and crossed her legs, a big smile on her face.

  “What do you want,” I asked, knowing that smile didn’t come without a favor.

  “I want you to meet Cole.”

  “Wow, that serious, huh?” It had been not even a week since Dee went on that first date with Cole, but they’d spent every day together since. I was seeing her less and less which sucked, but prepared me for tomorrow when we would said goodbye to our home for the past four years.

  Dee bit her lip and couldn’t hold back her ridiculous grin. “He’s amazing and we have so much in common. Oh! I haven’t seen you. Guess what?”

  “What?”

  Dee scooted to the edge of her bed. “I got into Michigan.”

  A loud squeal flew out of my mouth and we both jumped up and down until we were holding each other and bouncing together. “I told you, you’d totally get in. I didn’t doubt it for a minute.”

  “You didn’t and I love you for that. You kept me sane the past few months. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”

  “Exactly what you’ve been doing all along. And like you said the other night, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll still have our Sunday movie night; we’ll just do it on Skype.”

  “I’ll keep my Sunday nights open for you.”

  “Now what about Cole?”

  Dee smiled even bigger, if that was even possible. “It turns out he applied to the program at Michigan too and he got in.”

  “Shut up,” I said, smacking her shoulder.

  “I never believed in fate, but…” She shrugged. “Maybe there is such a thing.”

  “I like to think there is.”

  We hugged again and I looked around our small space. “Maybe we should pack,” I said and we both busted out laughing.

  “Tomorrow. Tonight you and Kyle are coming out and meeting Cole.”

  “Are we now?”

  “Yes. He and his friend will be at O’Malley’s at nine which means we have two hours to get ready.”

  “Two hours? How will I ever get ready in such a short amount of time?” I joked.

  “Not all of us wake up beautiful, bitch.” Dee grabbed the dress she’d be wearing for the night and headed to the bathroom.

  I picked up my phone and texted Kyle.

  Lyla: Going to O’Malley’s with Dee to meet her new boyfriend. Meet us there at nine.

  I tossed my phone on my bed and went over to the closet. Outside of these walls it was hot and disgustingly humid. Jeans were completely out of the question. I reached for the mini skirt Dee made me buy, but I never wore. It was black and shorter than anything I’d ever think of going out in public in. But it was our last night together and I was in the mood to party. Not too much since we had to pack in the morning, but enough to always remember the night.

  It was going to be epic.

  Two hours later, Dee and I strutted into O’Malley’s in our equally short skirts and equally high heels. Our arms were linked as we searched the crowd for Dee’s man. She spotted him in the corner and waved before guiding me through the sea of people.

  She wasn’t kidding. Cole didn’t just wear glasses. Oh no. He rocked them. The thick black frames accentuated his blue eyes and gave him that studious look. His dark blond hair had the perfect wave that border-lined windblown and styled. Dee unlinked her arm from mine and threw her arms around Cole’s neck.

  A bright smile spread wide across his face as he dipped his head and kissed her. She pulled back, biting her lip as if she was savoring the moment.

  “Cole, this is Lyla. Lyla this is Cole,” Dee said.

  Cole reached his hand out to mine and I accepted it.

  “It’s nice to meet to you,” Cole said. “Dee has told me so much about you.”

  “Likewise. My boyfriend should be on his way soon,” I said, feeling the need to acknowledge why he was late.

  “No problem.” Cole nodded over my head. “My friend is running a little late, too.”

  “Since when are the girls on time?” Dee joked and we all laughed.

  “Let me get you guys a drink.” Cole held his hand up to the bartender and after pouring shots for a group of guys, she came over to us. “I’ll have the IPA on tap, she’ll have a glass of pinot, and Lyla what would you like?”

  “A glass of pinot is perfect, thanks.”

  Cole handed us our drinks and told the bartender to put it on his tab.

  “So I heard you got into the program at Michigan as well. Congratulations,” I said when Cole grabbed his drink and turned back to us.

  “Thank you. I’m really excited.” He snaked his arm around Dee and kissed her head.

  “You should be. It’s a hard program to get into.” I gave Dee a wink. “I think this calls for a toast.” I held my glass up. “To a successful future,” I said and clinked Dee’s glass then Cole’s.

  “To success,” they repeated and we all took a sip of our drinks.

  Cole cut his sip short and gave a curt nod. “There he is.”

  I turned, glass still on my lips, to greet Cole’s friend and nearly choked on my wine. I tried to keep my eyes from popping out of my head. Tried to control my racing heart. Tried to ignore the heat shooting straight to my core. But it was useless.

  Jaxon Reed just had that effect on me.


  FIVE

  “Girls, I’d like you to meet—”

  “Jaxon,” I said as he approached, cutting off Cole’s introduction.

  “Lyla,” Jaxon said his voice as silky smooth as it always was. His eyes travelled down my body, skimming over my tiny skirt and then back up. I meant to avoid his gaze, but momentarily blinded by the shock, I caught his eye. We stood there staring at each other, neither one saying anything.

  “Wait. You know Jax?” Cole asked and I snapped my attention away.

  “We’re in Art History together,” Jaxon said.

  Dee’s eyes widened then she laughed, and I knew she figured it out. I had mentioned the hot guy in my class a few times. Her hand shot up and so did that stupid smirk of hers. “This is the uh…” I elbowed Dee in the side and she turned an evil glare on me, and I silently pleaded with her.

  “The what?” Jaxon asked with an amused grin. He leaned his arm on the bar, his biceps bulging against his tight white t-shirt as he signaled to the bartender.

  “The guy in my Art History class,” I blurted out then took a huge sip of wine, hoping it would wash the embarrassment away.

  “So you talk about me,” Jaxon stated and I hated the cockiness that exuded from him, but more than that, I hated how much I liked it.

  My internal temperature skyrocketed to a new high as I tried to come up with a response. “I don’t. I mean. We did a lot of projects together this year, I might’ve mentioned it.”

  “Sure,” he said, turning to the bartender to order a beer. He gave her a panty-dropping smile, and she giggled when she walked away to get his drink.

  “How do you know Cole?” I asked, trying to gear the discussion as far away from me as possible.

  “We went to high school together,” Cole said as Jaxon took his beer from the love-struck bimbo behind the bar.

  “Did you really?” Dee asked and Cole nodded. “That’s awesome. How’d you guys wind up at the same college? Was it planned?”

  Jaxon laughed. “No.”

  “Just a coincidence?” I asked.

  “You could say that,” Jaxon replied.

  “I applied for academic reasons,” Cole explained.

  “And why’d you apply?” I asked Jaxon.

  He took a swig of his beer and shrugged. “It was the farthest place I could go to get away from home.”

  His words hit me like a slap to the face and resonated deep inside of me. Part of my decision to come here was to run away. My parents overbearing ways were too much to handle. Defying them and picking the school of my choice was a major turning point in the way they controlled me. I severed the cord and took off, never looking back and there was nothing they could do about it. Well, except for cutting me off financially. But I managed on scholarships and the random jobs here and there.

  I went to ask Jaxon another question to get him to elaborate when a hand landed on my shoulder. I spun around to find Kyle behind me. “Hey!” I said and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back with one hand.

  “Guys this is Kyle,” I said, and when Jaxon’s dark eyes met mine I added, “My boyfriend.”

  “Hey,” Kyle said and gave a curt wave then rested his hand on my elbow. “Can we talk?”

  Dee gave me a strange look, but I smiled it off.

  “Sure. We’ll be right back,” I said then followed Kyle to the far corner of the bar.”What’s going on?” I asked as he pressed against the wall. He ran a hand through his light brown hair and I could tell this wasn’t going to be a “sneak away to have a few kisses” moment.

  “So you know how Aaron and Scott are going to Europe?” he asked.

  “Yes, what about it?”

  “I decided, I’m going to go. We’re not going to renew the lease on our apartment.”

  My eyes practically fell out of my head and my jaw might as well have hit the floor. “Excuse me?”

  “This is our last chance to do something big, and I’m sick of sitting around and not taking any chances. I want to do this.”

  “I don’t understand.” We had a plan. This summer, I was moving in with him and we were going to look for a place together. We were going to start our lives. He was supposed to propose.

  “Of course you don’t. You’re not spontaneous. You don’t believe in the unexpected because you plan and overanalyze every little thing. You can’t just let go and have a good time.”

  “Yes, I can.” What the fuck was he talking about? Just the other day I showed up unexpectedly at his apartment to have sex. That was spontaneous and fun.

  “No you can’t. And that’s fine. But that’s not what I want.”

  A vice grip wrapped around my heart and squeezed. “What are you saying?”

  “You want a white picket fence and a perfect family and I don’t. Not now and I don’t know if ever.”

  The room became unbearably hot and he kept talking, but his words blended together. I didn’t want to hear any more. I didn’t want him to tell me how bored he’s been and how the life I thought was in my grasp wasn’t even in my view.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  I shook my head. He didn’t get to apologize. If he was sorry, he wouldn’t be running off to Europe. He wouldn’t be leaving me homeless and alone.

  “Fuck you,” I said and ran off before he could see a single tear.

  As I passed Jaxon, I grabbed the shot he just ordered out of his hand, and downed it.

  Jack Daniels. Figures.

  SIX

  My heart ripped to shreds as the future I had planned fell along with my tears. Kyle was supposed to propose to me after graduation. We were going to move to the suburbs and start a family. And now…now I was alone, crying in a back alley of a bar. I was pathetic.

  I sniffed and swiped my nose across my arm.

  “This might work better,” a deep, sexy voice said.

  I glanced up past the tissue being held out to me, and into the dark mysterious eyes of Jaxon. He towered above me, gaze locked on mine. An animalistic hunger passed through those beautifully dangerous irises, and I focused my attention on his outstretched hand.

  “T-Thank you,” I stuttered, taking the tissue. My finger skimmed his and I pulled back, trying to ignore the tingle shooting through my body.

  He shifted, his tall figure casting a shadow across the bare skin of my legs. “You okay?” he asked.

  I tugged on the bottom of my skirt suddenly feeling exposed, completely aware of the sex on a stick standing in front of me making unnecessary small talk.

  “Other than the fact that as of tomorrow I’ll be homeless, I’m just perfect.” I didn’t mean to say that out loud and when the realization sunk in, I retorted with, “I’m fine. You can go back inside.”

  “You don’t seem fine,” he said, and sat next to me on the small step. “Want me to beat someone up for you?”

  My mind drifted back inside to Kyle. I always thought he was a big, strong guy who could protect me against the world, but now sitting next to Jaxon, his body consuming the small space, the heat radiating off him, I knew he’d wipe the floor with Kyle.

  “I can fight my own battles. Thanks for the offer though.”

  His hand rested on my knee and he gave it a squeeze. I froze at his closeness, at the way his grip on my bare skin elicited more pleasure than any touch from the man I was currently crying over.

  “So that was the boyfriend.”

  “Was being the key word,” I said and wiped the tissue under my eyelids.

  “He’s an idiot,” Jaxon said.

  “How do you know?”

  “Only an idiot would let you go.”

  “You’re just being nice.”

  “No, I’m just being honest.”

  I looked up, catching those damn eyes. They were darker than usual, and if I didn’t break the hold they had on me, I would succumb to the intensity. But would that be so bad? Kyle just accused me of being no fun and not knowing how to let loose.

  Whether it was to prove Kyle wr
ong or to finally do the one thing I had been dreaming about since the day I laid eyes on Jaxon Reed, I reached my hand out to his cheek, running my thumb along the strong curve of his jaw and then I pressed my lips to his.

  They were softer than I imagined and tasted of the beer he just had. His large strong hands gripped either side of my face, and I was lost. Chills coursed through my body with a vengeance while heat exploded in my core, wanting and craving all of him.

  His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and his fingers got lost in my hair. I leaned back, pulling him with me. My back hit the hard cement of the steps, and I reached for Jaxon’s t-shirt. He stopped me, resting his hand on mine.

  “Stop,” Jaxon said.

  My sex haze cleared and heat spread up my neck. Mortified, I climbed out from under him and tried to keep the blush from taking over my face.

  “I didn’t mean…” Jaxon smiled. “Do you want to get out of here? My place is just across the street.”

  He stood up and held his hand out to me. It took me all of three seconds to make a decision. I slipped my hand in his and followed him to his building.

  His apartment was a brick walk up on the corner. The air was thick with humidity and a gleam of sweat glistened on my skin. Made my hand slick against his, but he never let his hold on me go.

  He took out his key as we approached. We walked into the small lobby and bypassed the elevator, taking the stairs to the fourth floor.

  “Do you always take the stairs?” I asked, feeling the need to fill the silence.

  “I like the exercise.”

  Of course he did. There was nothing soft about him. All hard lines and lean muscle. We reached his apartment door, 203, and he unlocked it. His hand strong and large gripped mine and he yanked me inside.

  The door shut as he pressed my body against it, taking my face in his hands and devouring my lips with one passion-fueled kiss. My legs all but gave out, and I grasped his shoulders to keep myself from collapsing onto his hardwood floors.