A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(42)

It belonged to my midnight visitor, to Caroline. I didn’t want him touching it.

“I knew something was off about you lately,” he murmured, nodded his head. “You haven’t been as annoying and crude as your usual self. I should’ve known a woman was involved.”

Well, he was close. Just not close enough. “You’re delusional, man.” Pissed that I wasn’t getting her necklace back, I stood and slung one strap of my book bag over my shoulder. Then I tossed the last of my sandwich in a nearby trash can. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to this shit. I don’t want Blondie. I have no plans of stealing Ham’s woman. And I have been as perfectly crude and annoying as usual.” To prove that last part true, I kicked his foot as I passed him and leaned in to call him the dirtiest, most offensive thing I could think of.

And then I was out of there.

But as soon as I stepped into the April air, I felt even more claustrophobic than I had inside. The panic crowding my chest sucked the oxygen straight from my lungs, until I was nearly gasping for breath. I turned in a slow circle, trying to focus on the blurry images of buildings and trees around me. But I just felt like passing out.

Blindly, I pulled my phone from my pocket, and then I drew in a few deep breaths before I could concentrate enough to focus. After scrolling through the contact list, I shook my head, mystified. I still had Caroline’s number in my address book, and it was a different number than Midnight Visitor’s.

See, they couldn’t be the same person.

Caroline had just gone into my room at some point and dropped her necklace, and that was all. Not that I knew what the hell she would’ve been doing in my room in the first place, but it was plausible...except I’d felt it on Midnight Visitor last night and even asked her about it. And she hadn’t told me about its importance because, Jesus, it’d been a gift from her brother, my best goddamn friend on earth.

Oh, f*ck. My vision went black around the edges as I took in the possibility that it really had been Caroline. Stone hard, my dick twitched in my pants, and my skin buzzed with awareness.

Had I f*cked Caroline?

The best sex of my life. The way she’d called me Oren. The way she’d sparred with me and gotten into my head.

Jesus, I was so stupid. No one got under my skin the way she did. Why had I even entertained the notion that two different women could affect me the same exact way?

Probably because I’d wanted to believe she was someone else, someone I could actually be with.

I buried my face into my hands and concentrated on breathing. But my body was on fire, I was afraid I might come in my pants. I needed answers, more answers, good solid answers, or I was going to drive myself insane.

Logging into my phone again, I texted Midnight Visitor. Tonight.

She replied almost immediately, which made my blood race to watch a message from her pop up. What? No ‘please’? I don’t feel very inspired to say yes.

Damn, that was such a smart-ass Caroline retort. Why had I not let myself realize that?

My cock pulsed hard. I wanted it to be her so bad, and then again, I didn’t. Everything would change if she was Caroline. It’d no longer be fun, meaningless hot sex. But then, it was already more than that, wasn’t it? This woman had captured my complete attention without me even realizing what was going on. And I still wanted more from her.

Gritting my teeth, I began to type.

I’m already throbbing for you. Don’t wear panties unless you want me to rip them off in inventive new ways, because I’m going to take you HARD as soon as you step into my room. You wanted it dark. Well, prepare for the darkest, grittiest, most sinful sex of your life.

After I shot that note off, I waited, chewing on my bottom lip. When she answered, I blew out a relieved breath.

Okay, I’m inspired.

I grinned. Prepare to be sore tomorrow. Lick you later, baby.

She didn’t respond, and I didn’t want her to. I was too busy scrolling back up to the C’s in my contact list. When I pulled up Caroline’s information, I typed in a new message. What’re you wearing…I mean, doing?

If she was Midnight Visitor, she’d already have her phone open, unless she had two phones. I shook my head. Nah. She’d probably just gotten one of those Google Voice numbers.

And, shit, why the hell hadn’t I thought up that idea before?

Twenty seconds passed and disappointment filled me. Maybe Caroline wasn’t Midnight Visitor after all.

Shit. I’d just been getting into the idea, too.

But then my phone dinged, and my heart lurched.

Why? she said.

“Because I’m about to figure out all your secrets, woman.” A smile slipped onto my face. But instead of telling her that, I wrote, I’m bored.

I envisioned her reading this and giving an irritated sigh. My delight grew.

I’m at the library with Zwinn.

Zwinn?

Quinn and Zoey. You know...Zwinn.

Hmm. I liked that name shipped for them. Jealous I hadn’t thought it up myself, I started toward the library even as I keyed in a reply. A threesome? Kinky.

A typical smutty Oren answer? Unimpressed.

I laughed. Damn, I loved her smart-ass wit. Give me twenty-four hours, and I’ll find a way to impress you. Guaranteed.

Not interested, she wrote back.

“Oh, but you will be,” I murmured. Pocketing my phone, I bounded up the steps to the front door and pulled it open. I’d never been in the campus library before, so I wandered aimlessly for a minute before I found her and the two love doves cozied up at a study table together. After approaching her from behind, I leaned in and whispered into her ear. “Too late, little girl. Prepare to have your mind blown.”