Tamed (Torn #5)(6)

He was still asleep the next morning when I crept from his bed and got dressed. I gave him one last look and headed for the door. I wasn’t sure whether I should be happy or sad over the fact that I felt absolutely nothing for the man I’d had sex with hours before.

I decided on being happy. This, whatever it was I’d shared with Alex, was much easier to walk away from.



I looked up when Alex sat down next to me in class. I was surprised to see him in another one of my classes, but I was even more surprised that he’d decided to sit by me again after he’d gotten what he wanted.

“Where did you disappear off to last night?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I went back to my dorm this morning to get ready for class.”

He nodded. “You should’ve let me know that you were leaving.”

“I didn’t want to bug you. Besides, it wasn’t like I had to walk far. My dorm is close to the fraternity house.”

He stared at me, his hesitation clear. “Listen, Amber—”

I held up my hand. “You don’t have to give me the whole it-was-just-for-fun speech, Alex. I already know that.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you do, but that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

“Oh?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We had a lot of fun last night, and you seem like you’re not the type of girl who gets clingy after sex. I wanted to know if you’d like to hook up again tonight?”

“Again?” I asked, completely shocked. When I’d slept with him last night, I’d gone in knowing that it was a one-time thing, and I was totally okay with that.

“Yeah, again. Maybe even more than once, if you’re up for it.”

“You want me to be your f*ck buddy?” I asked.

He grinned. “I guess so. It sounds bad when you say it like that though.”

“You want just sex. No relationship, no dates, nothing besides sex, right?”

“Well, we could be friends if you want.”

I stared at him, debating on what I should say. Part of me was offended by his offer, but the other part—the majority part—thought that this was a brilliant idea. I wanted sex, and Alex could give it to me, free of any emotions.

“Would we be exclusive? Sexually, I mean,” I asked.

He stared at me for a moment. “If you want to be, then sure. I’m okay with just f*cking you for a while.”

I grinned. At least the guy was honest. “All right, I’m cool with this if it’s just the two of us.” I felt like I should shake his hand to seal the deal, but I refrained.

“I knew you’d be down for it.” He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. “I’ll see you tonight then.”

“I can’t tonight,” I lied. “I have plans.”

I didn’t, not yet anyway, but I also didn’t want to spend two nights in a row with him. I didn’t want this to feel anything like a relationship.

“Tomorrow night?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure.”

Just then, the professor walked in, effectively ending our conversation. I stared straight ahead for the rest of class, refusing to look at him. I should have felt embarrassment over agreeing to something like this, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what that said about the person I was becoming.

I did know that I could never tell Chloe or Logan about my agreement with Alex. Neither of them would understand. I hated that I would have to keep a secret from them, but I couldn’t stand the thought of the judgment and disgust I would surely see in their eyes.

When class ended, Alex handed me a piece of paper.

“Call me tomorrow night before you come over,” he said before standing and walking away.

I clutched the note in my hand as I threw my things into my bag and stood.

Welcome to your new life, Amber, I thought as I headed for the door.





Two Months Later—October

Morgantown, West Virginia

I’d spent the last two months loving every minute of college. I hated the actual classes, but everything else was amazing. I’d always felt held back by my parents when I was in high school. Now that I was a couple of hours away from them, I no longer had to live by their rules. Instead, I did what I wanted.

I still spent most of my time with Chloe and Logan. Unfortunately, things had slowly—emphasize on slowly—progressed romantically between the two of them, and I had forced myself to take a step back from our threesome. They always tried to include me in things, but I felt like I was intruding on their lives.

The guy Chloe had mentioned to me on the first day of class, Drake, had ended up not being an issue for Logan. After I’d dropped a few subtle hints about Drake to him, Logan had seemed to realize that he was about to lose Chloe without any fight at all. After more than four years of secretly loving her, he’d finally come clean. The two of them were well on their way to a permanent relationship.

Drake would still hang out with us but only as a friend to Chloe. At least, that was what he’d claimed to be, according to her. I didn’t buy it. More than once, I’d caught him staring at her with lust-filled eyes. The guy wanted her even if she was with someone else. I just hoped she would have enough sense to turn down his advances if he tried anything with her.

I’d ended my relationship with Alex after only a few weeks. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the guy because I did. I’d realized that he wasn’t an * like I’d expected. In fact, he was a truly nice guy. We’d become friends, but we’d barely hung out outside of his bedroom.