Chirp(95)
Maggie sucked in a deep breath and frowned again. She gathered her books, shoved them into her backpack, and attempted to look unconcerned. An old familiar burn started in the pit of her stomach, rose to her chest, and squeezed the air from her lungs. A sensation she hadn’t experienced since age sixteen while crushing over Daniel Radcliffe in a Harry Potter marathon movie weekend. She swallowed the knot in her throat. “We’re done for tonight. As I explained in the e-mail, this was a meet-and-greet. I’m doing this as a favor to your professor, so if you can manage to be on time next Monday, we’ll have a regular session.”
Jace stood and leveled an incandescent gaze. “I’ll try not to let it happen again. You want me to walk you to your car?”
She tried to match his stare but couldn’t pull it off, so as a diversion, she rummaged in her purse, produced a business card, and snapped it toward him. “Well, in case you have another flat, here’s my number. I’d appreciate a call.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “And no, I don’t need an escort.”
He accepted the card and stuffed it in his jeans pocket. “No problem.”
She walked away.
*
At nine fifteen, Maggie dropped her backpack onto the floor and strolled into the kitchen. Still upset about her new student, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and downed half of it in one gulp. She’d watched him play football plenty of times but had never taken a close look until she’d googled him. Roommate Sarah Henderson interrupted her thoughts.
“So what’s your opinion of Jace?”
“Not much,” Maggie replied.
“Whattaya mean?”
“I mean, I wasn’t surprised. He came in late and made an excuse, but I’d be willing to bet he was with a groupie.” Maggie slid the band from her ponytail and shook it loose. “I admit he’s gorgeous. As a matter of fact, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” She stared into space and spoke in a far-off voice. “He’s like a box of candy—and every girl in the room wanted a piece.” She snapped from her trance. “It was pathetic.”
“Come on, Maggie, just because your mother sucked at the choices she made doesn’t mean every man in the world is a jerk. But in this case, Jace is a charmer, so you should be careful.”
Maggie walked past her into the living room, plopped onto the sofa, and folded her feet under her hips. She took another swig of water, then held the bottle as if toasting. “He’s not my type.”
Sarah broke into a full laugh. “My God, you’ve been on three dates in your entire life. I’m not sure you know what your type is, or if you even have a type.”
Maggie grimaced. Sarah was right. She didn’t have any experience with men in the dating arena for sure, and not many role models. “From the looks of fans who came over to talk, unless I have gargantuan breasts and big-bar hair, I should have said I’m not his type.”
Her friend crossed her legs Indian-style, and Maggie expected a lecture, but instead Sarah said, “Sam tells me Jace has never had a long-term relationship. He sleeps with a girl a few times, and he’s done. That pretty much makes him a man whore. Will the interruptions be a problem?”
“Not for long. While I waited I made a decision.” She finished off the water, replaced the lid, and picked at the label. Sarah’s warning wasn’t necessary. Maggie realized the moment she’d seen Jace, he’d be trouble. “I’ll meet with him a couple more times and call it quits. That should satisfy Dr. Adams. I agreed to try tutoring and made it clear if Mr. Football Superstar didn’t apply himself, I’d end it.” She wadded a piece of the label into a small ball and rolled it between her fingers. “For the record, I can already tell. Jace Sloan will be a total waste of my time.”
*
Jace crossed the room in three long strides and dropped his bag onto the floor, still thinking of Maggie. She was a strange one. All business.
His roommate, Sam Morgan, glanced up from his book. “Hey, man, you’re cutting it kind of close to curfew. How was the tutor?”
“Plain with a brain.” He sat on the edge of the bed and retrieved his notes.
“Definitely not your usual sort.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t go for the smart ones, and you seem a little pissed. What’s wrong? She wasn’t dazzled by your charm?”
The dorm reeked of dirty socks and burly football players. Jace toed out of his boots. “We got off to a bad start. I showed up late. It went downhill from there.”
“How come? You left in plenty of time.”
“Yeah, well, I stopped by the store where the new cheerleader works.”
“How was she?”
“Flexible. Very flexible.”
Sam grinned and widened his eyes. Jace knew he wanted details, but he wasn’t in the mood.
“I guess it’s a good thing teacher isn’t hot. At least you’ll be able to keep your mind on the subject and out of her pants.”
“I said plain, not ugly.” Jace wasn’t about to admit his new tutor didn’t seem to be impressed with him. He tapped the index cards on his leg, then flipped through them.
“She’s got wild red hair and beautiful green eyes, but she had on sweats two sizes too big, so I couldn’t tell much about her body.”