Liar (Madison Kate #2)(65)

Also, her steady stream of gossip and chatter was better than any studying soundtrack I'd ever tried, so by the time SGU campus opened the following day, I was confident in my course materials.

"Miss Danvers," someone called out as I climbed out of Kody's royal blue Maserati before my first exam of the day. Thanks to the two snow days, I'd ended up with three back-to-back exams, and I'd just finished my third strong coffee of the morning.

I looked around and spotted my criminology professor heading in our direction, so I gave him a small wave. "Professor Barker, hi."

"I'm glad I caught you, Madison Kate," he replied, tucking his briefcase under his arm and peering at me with an intense gaze. "You missed a lot of lectures this semester; are you sure you're up for taking this exam?"

I gave a small, confused frown and laughed lightly. "Uh, I didn't know it was optional."

He nodded, seeming distracted. "Of course, no, it's not. But if you really weren't feeling up to it, I'm sure there is some arrangement we could come to. The dean has informed the faculty of your situation, and I'm more than willing to work with you to recover your grades."

Something about the tone of his voice made me uneasy, and I took a half step backward. "Um, that's really kind of you, Professor Barker—"

"Roy," he interrupted me. "You can call me Roy."

"Uh..." I narrowed my eyes, getting definitely creepy vibes from him. Thankfully, Kody had finished his phone call and came around the car to sling his arm over my shoulders.

"Sorry, babe, that was Jase rescheduling yesterday's meeting. Hi, Professor Barker, right?" He held his hand out to Roy and pulled me in closer to his body, protectively.

My professor glowered at Kody, his eyes flicking to Kody's pink hair. But shook his hand briefly—like it hurt him to do so—then turned his attention back to me. "Like I was saying, Madison Kate, we can come up with an extra-credit project that can help you out if this exam goes badly. Just come and see me in my office at the end of the day."

He gave me a smile that was all too friendly, then continued across the parking lot to the administration building without giving Kody another glance.

"Uh... is it just me, or was that a bit weird?" Kody asked me, wrinkling his nose. His arm was still around me, and I didn't shrug it off. The professor had given me some hard-core creeper vibes, so I reached up and tangled my fingers with Kody's and snaked my other arm around his waist.

"Majorly weird," I agreed. "I get the feeling Professor Barker has been abusing his position of power with the female students."

Kody gave a dramatic shudder, his breath fogging in the freezing air. "That's next level gross. I'll get Arch to look into him."

I shook my head, walking with him toward the lecture hall where my first exam was to be held. Kody wasn't starting his until the afternoon, but had offered to drive me so Archer didn't antagonize me right before my exam. It had been a fair point.

"Alright, ignore that letch," Kody told me as we reached the door of my lecture room. "You got this, babe. I'll have coffee and food waiting when you get out."

He clamped his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me to him for a deep, heated kiss, then released me and smacked my ass. Fucker.

"Thanks, Kody," I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat as some other students filed into the room past us. "Check on Steele for me?"

He nodded, walking backward away from me. "I'm on it, babe. You go kill that stats exam!"

I snickered, rolling my eyes as I went into my psych exam. Kody was quickly working his way into my heart, and I already dreaded the day he was going to break it into pieces. Because that day was coming, as surely as the sun rose every day. Whatever they were lying to me about, it was undoubtedly going to ruin us all.

So for now, I'd close my eyes to all the hints and enjoy the bliss of ignorance.





The remainder of the week flew by in a haze of multiple-choice questions and essay answers, but by the time Friday evening rolled around, I was done.

"We need to celebrate," Bree announced as I collapsed in a heap in the vacant chair she'd held for me in the library. She'd finished her last exam a few hours earlier but texted to say she was waiting for me. "Let's go out."

I gave her a flat stare. "Uh... stalkers and hired killers hunting me, remember?" But I really did want to go out. I wanted to get dressed up and drink and dance and forget I was Madison Kate Danvers for the night. Still, I'd learned my lesson the hard way about making dumb-shit, girl-in-a-slasher decisions, so I shook my head. "Nope, I think my celebration is going to consist of watching Netflix in bed."

Bree's lips curled in a grin. "Oh yeah? Whose bed?"

I bit back a laugh. "Perv." But she wasn't wrong; my mind was already wandering to whose bed I could "Netflix and Chill" in for the evening. Steele’d had his bandages removed during my morning exam—he'd sent me a thumbs-up picture, seeing as apparently none of us were adhering to the no-phones rule at SGU anymore. So, depending on what his doctor had said... tonight could be all kinds of fun.

"Come on," Bree groaned with a pout. "I never get to see you anymore. Please, can we just have a fun night out? You worked so freaking hard on those exams; you deserve to cut loose."