Boyfriend Bargain (Hawthorne University #1)(59)

His face shutters, and he looks off, as if what I’m saying isn’t what he wanted to hear. He swallows and looks up at the sky, as if looking for answers.

“Are you upset, Z?”

I need something from him.

He rubs a hand through his hair and his brow pulls down. “Who said I was ever pretending anyway? Go out with me—just me. Not for law school.” His hand reaches out to me but then drops. “Can’t you just give it a shot?”

There’s something in the way he looks at me, hope mixed with fear, as if he’s hanging on a thread, waiting for me to respond.

I shake my head. “You’ve never had to work hard for a girl, have you?”

“No.”

“You just send flowers and everything’s okay. You don’t call and everything just goes back to normal and they jump right back in with you.”

He chews on that bottom lip. “Usually.”

“I’m not that girl.”

“I know.”

“I don’t have sex like that and not expect you to call me. I’m worth more.”

He closes his eyes. “I know. Shit. I’m sorry. I wish I had. I really do. I just…get in a zone when a game comes up. I have to focus…it doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you. I was.”

Somehow we’re standing closer, and I don’t know who came closer, me or him. He reaches up and pulls my scrunchie until my hair spills all around me. He sighs, his eyes roving over me. “Will you at least do one thing for me?”

“What?”

“Come with me. Now.”

My body flares. “Every time you say come with me we end up having sex until I can’t think.”

“The truth is, sex is how I express myself because words don’t always do it for me.” He tugs at a strand of my hair, rubbing it between his fingers. “Come anyway.”

I throw my gaze around the path we’re on, seeing that he’s pulled us over to the side near the trees so our conversation is private. “Why?”

“I want to be alone with you. I—I miss you.”

My gaze flies up to his. “I’m pissed that you didn’t call me. That doesn’t just go away.”

His hand trails down my shoulder and ends at my hand. He laces my fingers with his. “You could have called me too.”

“Nope. And don’t send me flowers again. I don’t care if they’re from some special greenhouse in Antarctica and come with a live penguin. In fact, I think I hate all flowers now.”

“Done.” He tilts my chin up. “Will you come with me?”

“Goddammit, I’m not having sex with you.”

“Okay.”

I sigh. “So what are we going to do?”

A flash of a smile crosses his face. “I’m going to show you how to ice skate. You don’t know jack about hockey and you need to learn.”

“Why?”

“You just do.”

He wants to show me something about him, and I feel myself softening. “I have a class.”

He plays with my hand. “I promise not to stuff you in a closet.”

“Don’t bring that up to make me weak.”

“I’d do it again. I’d wait for you anywhere.”

I chew on my lips. “Will this be worth missing astronomy?”

A small grin. “Miss Ryan, I can show you the stars all right.”

“No sex,” I snap.

He tosses an easy arm around me, keeping some distance between us, as if he’s afraid I might run off. “Fine, fine, whatever you say.”

Dammit. What am I doing with him? Why am I so weak? A long exhale comes from my lips. “Lead the way.”

We take off across the quad and I know people are staring at us, but I ignore them completely, not caring that he’s all that and I’m just…me. The world is topsy-turvy, and even though I don’t know which way is up or down, I do know that my heart is having a hard time telling him no.





28





Zack





“Thank you for the skates. It’s kinda freaking me out that I have shoes on my feet—with blades.” She gives me a wide-eyed look. “What do I do now?”

“Just hang on to me,” I say as I lead her around the rink in small glides, my hand in hers as she touches the boards on the side. Her feet slip around, and she sends me an unhappy look. She hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it, but her determination coupled with her infuriation makes me laugh.

I grin. After getting her fitted at a sporting goods store, I bought her a pair of good skates, thick socks, warm gloves, and kneepads. She claimed she had gloves in her dorm, but I didn’t want to wait, afraid she’d change her mind if we made too many stops. I screwed up when I didn’t call or text her. I wanted to, God I did, but…

I hold on to her waist as I ease her away from the side. “Always lean forward slightly, bend your knees, and keep your weight forward. Leaning back can cause you to fall backward, and we don’t want that. Pretend you’re riding a scooter, and when you’re comfortable with the scooter steps, try alternating scooter steps. Go slow to start.”

“Oh, it will be slow.” She gives me a grim face. “These skates are heavy.”