Scared of Beautiful (Scared #1)(26)
I finally leave her dorm just before sunrise. Scholarship students shouldn’t really be caught with their pants down in an all-female dorm. Flashbacks of Maia biting her bottom lip and gripping my neck fly through my thoughts as I walk back to the car, and I smile quietly to myself, remembering what only I know.
Chapter 13
Maia
Holy hell! Jackson is one skilled man, I’ll give him that. I lay in bed, wrapped in my comforter, inhaling the scent that he and I have left on the sheets. My thighs squeeze together involuntarily as I remember how he felt. My hero, my Superman. My heart seizes slightly when I remember the night’s events before we came back. I was impressed with my composure at the grill. Truthfully, my stomach bottomed out, and my world spun when Jackson told me about his ex and daughter. The insecure part of me invades my thoughts with what ifs. What if seeing his daughter reminds him how much he loved Shana? What if I’m not what he wants after all? What if my f*cked up life is not something he can handle? I should be mad, and I need to be careful. There’s a very real possibility that this could all go to shit, and fast. There is a solution: keep my distance emotionally, that way he can’t unintentionally hurt me. All of a sudden, my blissful bed becomes a cocoon. and I pull the blankets tighter around me. Thank god it’s Saturday, so no classes.
I must have dozed off, because I open my eyes to a rustling on Jade’s side of the room. Still completely unclothed I sit up in my bed and squint my eyes against the offending light of day. Only it’s not Jade, it’s… Morgan? “What the hell?” I ask, my jaw completely hitting the floor as I see Morgan and a suitcase perched on Jade’s bed.
“Yes,” she breathes out, bored. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered who my new roommate was.” Roommate?
“I am not your roommate, Jade is my roommate. And I can guarantee you it won’t be pretty when she comes back to find you in her bed,” I reply sarcastically. Then again, Morgan might be Jade’s type. In spite of the situation, a small laugh bubbles in my chest.
“Well, princess, I don’t know about that. All I know is that admin called me last night to say that a dorm space had opened up for this semester,” she answers, already over this conversation.
I’m so confused by this. Where the hell is Jade? And why is she not going to be back ‘til next semester? And more to the point, how am I going to get this bitch out of my space?
The door swings open, and in walks a pair of legs and a box. “Babe, where do you want this?” Bryce’s irritating voice fills the room.
He lowers the box, and glances at a very clothing deficient me, gaping at him. His lips curl into a seedy smile. God, how I hate this guy. Morgan clears her throat dramatically and he immediately averts his eyes back to her. “Meet my new roomie,” she says cattily.
Hey, your man is a dog, which is clearly obvious. I chose to let him go. Why the hell hate on me? But Bryce, in true * form, walks over to my bed and extends a hand. “Bryce, nice to meet you.” I look at it as if he has leprosy. “Morgan should have warned me that her new roommate sleeps in the nude.”
I pull the covers tighter up my neck. Just the sight of Bryce makes me feel dirty. As I open my mouth the retort, a soft knock interrupts me and the door slowly opens. I have never been so thrilled to see Jackson in my life. Standing there in a white V-neck tee and grey jeans, holding two coffees, his golden god-like features make Bryce look like a pasty-faced school boy.
He examines the situation slowly, clearly baffled.
“Out!” I say to Bryce and Morgan. “I’d like to change.” Morgan opens her mouth to protest, but Bryce grabs her hand and they walk out the door. I slump onto my bed as Jackson walks over to kiss me gently on the forehead. Taking my coffee from his hand causes my cover to slide down, and Jackson’s eyes fill with lust as he offers me a cheeky grin. Like me, he’s probably replaying last night in his mind.
“What was that about?” he asks, gesturing towards the closed door where the banes of my existence had recently exited.
“I have a new roommate apparently,” I say still shocked by the turn of events.
“So, Jade’s staying in Atlanta, I’m guessing.” Jackson’s eyes fall to the floor.
“I’m sure it’s just for this semester, that’s what Morgan said.” I gesture to the offending door. “But now, I need your help,” I continue, standing and letting the covers slide to the floor.
Jackson’s eyes widen as he takes me in and leans forward, grabbing my hips. “Happy to oblige,” he grins, still not looking up.
“Hmm, sounds tempting,” I say running my fingers over his head and down his neck. “But I need your help apartment hunting.”
Jackson finally looks up. “Now? That’s expensive, and I doubt you’ll find a lease mid-semester in this area.”
He’s probably right, unless... I grab my phone and dial my investment firm’s number for the elite clients 24-hour service. After a few quick checks on apartment listings and the arrangement of funds, the investment adviser gives me the okay to go ahead.
Jackson eyes me suspiciously. He thinks that my money comes from daddy like the spoiled brat waiting in the hall. I have yet to tell him my actual net worth.
“You’re buying an apartment? Just like that?” he asks, astounded.