Obligation, page 21
Bradley grabbed the library door and held it open for her. She tossed him a flirty look as she stepped inside. A blast of cold air hit him when he entered behind her. Having grown up in Texas, he was used to both the heat and the subsequent shock of cold air upon entering a building.
“Did you just accuse me of cheating?” she whispered.
He fell into step beside her as they made their way to the copy room at the back of the library. “Just want to protect my interests,” he said.
Carissa strode to the biggest copier in the room, loaded the papers into it, then pressed several buttons. As soon as the machine whirred to life, she turned, leaned against it, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“So, how are we going to do this?” He set his backpack on the long table pushed against the far wall, then hopped up to sit on the table. “I don’t know where you keep your most treasured possessions, so I have no way of knowing if you’re truly hiding the shirt somewhere safe.”
“First, that shirt is not one of my most treasured possessions. And second, I’ll give you unbiased information.” She eased her phone from her back pocket, and then she held the phone out, screen up.
A second later, Tiffany’s voice rang out from the speaker. “Please don’t tell me you can’t figure out how to use the copier. Is that what’s taking you so long?”
Carissa laughed. “No. I got, um, sidetracked. I’m making copies right now and will be back soon. Promise. But I need your help with something.”
“What?” Tiffany asked.
“Can you verify where I keep my box of memories that I don’t want to get rid of?” Carissa glanced up at Bradley.
He tilted his head, waiting for Tiffany’s answer. He gripped the edge of the table and leaned forward so he could hear better.
“That is probably the strangest question you have ever asked me,” Tiffany said around a laugh. “You know where you keep your own stuff. Did you fall and hit your head or something? Do you have amnesia?”
Bradley covered his laugh with a fake cough, and Carissa narrowed her eyes in his direction.
“I’m trying to prove something to someone. Can you please just answer the question?” Impatience filled her voice.
“In a clear tote that you hide under your bed. You bought it and decorated it with stickers and glitter the summer before our freshmen year of high school.” Tiffany paused. “Now want to tell me what this is all about?”
“Later,” Carissa said, dropping her gaze back to her phone. “Thanks, Tiff.” She ended the call abruptly and shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Happy now?”
Bradley nodded.
“Good. If I’m right—and I am—that shirt won’t be in the tote.”
“Fair enough.” He straightened and studied her for a moment.
He couldn’t put his finger on what was different about her, but she’d changed since the last time he’d seen her. She appeared happier, more confident. Freer, somehow.
Bradley crooked his finger at her. “Come here.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carissa’s heart slammed against her ribcage, and then banged around in her chest like an out of control ping pong ball. Why did he want her to go over there? Better yet, why was she holding herself back from doing so? She no longer had a boyfriend; she was free to do whatever she wanted. Granted, she’d told Danny she would be around for him, that he could rely on her for support. But that didn’t mean she had to sit around and wait for him to fix himself.
Still, getting too close to Bradley would undoubtedly end with them lip-locked and her insides on fire. And knowing she was on an official TOP errand had her hesitating. She needed to make copies and get them back to the sorority house so the rest of the pledges could finish their part of this project. Yet, her curiosity got the better of her.
With a deep breath, she pushed away from the copy machine and slowly walked toward Bradley. She stopped directly in front of him. “You beckoned, my lord?” she teased.
“My lord?” His lips twitched into a grin. “I could get used to that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, don’t. I’m not calling you that.”
He laughed, then reached for her, his hands clutching her hips. His touch sent an electric spark through her body, and she fought back the urge to shudder with delight. The fact that she could do this now, that she could let him touch her without fear of Danny finding out that she was doing something wrong, was empowering.
Gently, he tugged her closer, and she didn’t resist. “What’s going on with you?” he asked, his expression matching his concerned tone.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re different today. What I can’t figure out is why.” He tilted his head, his brow furrowed in concentration. “You disappear for days, don’t return any of my calls or texts, and now you’re acting like a different person.”
“Different how?” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat.
He shrugged. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
She planted her hands flat on his chest. “You really are confused today, aren’t you? I’m the same person I’ve always been.”
In fact, she was more herself today than she had been in months. The girl Bradley met at the TOP party wasn’t her, not truly. But that’s the girl he’d become used to. Would he like the real her? What if he didn’t? What if he liked the other her better? The her who lied and cheated and constantly put up a fight at every turn?
Dread filled her. She wanted him to like her—the real her—not the version of her that was guarded and pretended to be someone she wasn’t. She hated that girl and refused to ever be her again.
“You said we were friends, right?” he asked.
She nodded, fighting to keep the hurt at bay. She had told him that more than once, when she was still Danny’s girlfriend, and she hadn’t realized how hurtful that must have been for Bradley—until now. Hearing him call her a friend was like twisting a knife into her gut.
They were more than friends. At least, she thought they were, because friends didn’t kiss like they did. Friends didn’t generally have sexual tension so thick other people choked on it.
“Then as your friend, you can talk to me,” he said.
“Danny and I broke up,” she said before she lost her nerve.
Bradley’s eyes widened. “You broke up?”
“Yes.” Her heart thundered in anticipation of his response.
Not that she cared what he thought—his opinion wouldn’t change her mind about Danny. Yet, she had this need for Bradley’s approval. She needed to know how he felt now that she was single. Would he still pursue her? Or did he enjoy sneaking around knowing she wasn’t free to be with him?
“When?” His voice was raspy with an emotion she couldn’t pinpoint.
“Sunday.” She shifted on her feet, bringing her closer to him. He flexed his hands on her waist. “When I left so fast, I was going to meet Danny. He apologized for a lot of stuff and said he was going to get help for his temper.”
She stopped short of divulging the rest of their conversation. Her miscarriage and the subsequent unhealed grief wasn’t any of his business. Not yet, anyway. Maybe someday in the future.
“You believe him?” Bradley asked.
“I do.” She nodded as she spoke. “We agreed to take some time apart to deal with our own issues before trying to deal with ours as a couple.”
Bradley’s eyes narrowed into slits. “So this break up is temporary? You’re going to eventually get back together?”
She chewed on her bottom lip and shrugged. That’s what she’d led Danny to believe, but she wasn’t sure that would be the outcome. Too much had happened between them, and she wasn’t convinced they could move on from all the hurt they’d caused one another.
“Well then.” Bradley eased her back a step, away from him, and then he slid off the table. He didn’t release his hold on her, though. “Guess I need to kick my master plan into high gear.”
“You have a master plan? Do I want to know?” She grinned.
“I don’t know. You tell me. Do you want to know?” He moved his hands up to cradle her face. “Whether you know or not isn’t going to change what I’m planning to do.”
His palms were incredibly warm and comforting, and her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment. And in that moment, she imagined what his hands would feel like on the rest of her body. An involuntary shiver shook her, and she lifted her gaze to his.
“Yes, I want to know,” she whispered.
His wickedly sexy smile had another shiver working down her back. He lowered his face so his mouth was poised above hers, and then he whispered, “I’m going to steal you away from Danny. For good.”
And then his lips landed on hers. She whimpered, wrapped her arms around his neck, and welcomed his kiss in a way she hadn’t before. A way that was free and uninhibited and packed full of the desire she’d been trying so hard to fight. A desire she could now fully give into.
Bradley’s groan was low and throaty, and she could feel it rumbling from deep within his chest. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her from her feet as if she weighed nothing, and she gasped with surprise, but he didn’t give her the opportunity to draw in any sort of breath before spinning her around and setting on her the table where he’d been sitting a second ago.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked the heels of her feet under his ass so he couldn’t get away—not that he was trying. In fact, he pressed closer, and his arousal was hard and thick between her thighs. She’d seen him shirtless, wearing nothing more than shorts slung low on his hips, and he was in fantastic shape, every muscle well-defined and carved to perfection. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how he must look below the waist. But damn if she didn’t want to find out. Even if they never got in any sort of relationship, she wanted him in the worst way—just once—just to know what being with him would feel like.
She arched her body just right, the movement so perfect his bulging denim-covered erection rubbed against her in the spot where she most needed and wanted. She moaned, and he slammed his hands on the table on either side of her body, his kiss hotter, deeper, hungrier.
“Ahem! This isn’t a brothel,” a stern voice scolded.
Carissa jerked her mouth from Bradley’s. Mortification swept across her face, heating her cheeks and neck. She buried her face against Bradley’s chest, too embarrassed to see who had walked in on them.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Bradley said and cleared his throat. “We’ll gather our things and get out of here.”
“Yes, I suggest you do. Sooner rather than later.” The woman huffed, the sounds of her heavy, disapproving footsteps becoming fainter with each step she stook.
“Oh, my God.” Carissa giggled. “That wasn’t embarrassing or anything.”
Bradley laughed, eased back, and once again took her face into his hands. “Let’s get your copies and then get the hell out of here, huh?”
She nodded and took a deep breath to calm her erratic heartbeat. When Bradley stepped back, she eased off the table, but her entire body was like heated rubber, and she honestly worried she might not be able to stand upright on her own. How on earth did he do that to her? Even in the very early days of her relationship with Danny, she’d never reacted this way.
Carefully, Carissa walked over the copy machine, her entire body throbbing with need, and gathered her copies. “I have to drop these off at TOP first. Then I’ll prove you wrong about that stupid shirt.”
Bradley had his backpack slung over one shoulder, looking as cool and collected as he had when they’d walked in. Was he not the least bit affected by what they’d done? She’d felt his erection—no way he wasn’t as flustered as she was.
“Or you’ll prove me right.” He winked.
She rolled her eyes. “C’mon, playboy.”
“Playboy?” He grinned, his dimples flashing. “Hmm. I like that better than my lord.”
“Of course you do.” She tossed him a flirty smile over her shoulder, then exited the library.
From the quad to Greek Row was only a ten minute walk. The sun was high in the sky, the air warm. Carissa strolled at a leisurely pace and enjoyed the weather, something she hadn’t done in far too long. Bradley was in step beside her.
“So, you have a sister. Younger or older?” she asked.
“Older. I have an older brother, too. I’m the baby of the family,” he said.
“Do you get along with them?”
Bradley nodded. “For the most part. I’m not as close to my sister as I am to my brother, but we don’t hate each other.” He chuckled. “What about you? I mean, I know you have a twin brother and an older sister.”
“Yeah. Cory gets on my last nerve, but I love him.” She smiled wistfully. “And I’m really close to Cayla.”
“That’s good.” He shifted his backpack to his other shoulder, then reached down to take her hand, lacing their fingers.
She glanced down at their joined hands, then back up at him. “Is this part of your master plan, too?”
His grin was downright devilish, and his eyes sparkled in the sunlight. He lifted their clasped hands. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, warmth spreading up her arm.
“Good.” He kissed her knuckles before lowering their hands. “So, what’s it like having a twin?”
“Annoying as hell.” She laughed. “We don’t have that weird twin thing everyone always talks about, though.”
He raised a brow, amusement playing across his face. “Weird twin thing?”
“Yeah, you know. Having that weird connection where you know what your twin is thinking or feeling before they do. Or you can feel their pain.” She tilted her head in contemplation. “I mean, I know him very well, so I can always tell what he’s thinking or what kind of mood he’s in, but I guess I could say the same about Tiff.”
Bradley nodded as she spoke, but he never once interrupted or tried to cut her off. He simply listened, which was refreshing.
“Sadly, you’ve seen firsthand what my relationship is like with my father. But what about you? Do you get along with your parents?”
“Yes. My mother has lived in Texas her whole life, so she lives and breathes southern hospitality. She’s the nicest woman anyone will ever meet—until you cross her. Then watch out.” He laughed. “And my dad… he’s incredibly smart and fair. He taught me everything I know about business.”
Carissa loved listening to Bradley talk about his family. The love, respect, and adoration he had for them rang through clearly in his voice. She wished she had a better relationship with her father. She used to, before Danny. Maybe her and her father could repair things now that Danny wasn’t in her life anymore.
“That’s awesome. Are your brother and sister in business, too?” she asked.
Bradley shook his head. “Not the same business as Dad. Beth, my sister, and her husband own a ranch that caters to at-risk kids. My brother… he’s still trying to find himself. He’s jumped around from job to job, but I think he finally found something he loves.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Efficiency consultant.”
“A what?” she asked around a laugh.
“Companies hire him to go in and find ways to make the company more efficient and profitable.” Bradley shrugged. “He’s damn good at it, too. He saved my father’s company millions by streamlining a few processes.”
“Wow.” Before she could ask another question, the TOP house came into view. She released Bradley’s hand. “I’ll be right back.” She took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back to him. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” His southern drawl was thick and quite clearly intentional.
Carissa couldn’t stop smiling as she rushed inside the Theta Omega Pi house.
Chapter Thirty
As soon as Carissa came bounding out of the sorority house a few minutes later, Bradley took hold of her hand again, and they headed toward her residence hall. Ditching class today had been the best decision he’d made in weeks. He still couldn’t believe she and Danny had broken up, but that was a dream come true for him. Now all he had to do was convince her not to go back to that asshole—and he’d pull out all the stops to make sure she didn’t.
“Okay, so I know what your sister and brother do, but what are you going to do once you graduate?” she asked, picking up their conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted by her errand.
“I’m planning to work with my father. I know the business well, and I do enjoy it. But as the owner’s son, I get treated like that’s the only reason I have a job waiting for me. I want to prove that I’m just as qualified as anyone else.”
“That makes sense,” she said.
“What do your parents do?”
“My dad is an attorney. He has a very exclusive clientele, mostly celebrities, and my mom doesn’t have a paying job. She does volunteer for a lot of charities, though, and she was very involved in the PTA when us kids were in school.”
From the second Bradley met Carissa, he’d known she came from a wealthy family, and now he understood more of her situation. Money wasn’t a deal breaker for him, but knowing she wasn’t after his was a huge selling point. He’d had his fill of women who actively searched for a wealthy husband.
Moments later, they arrived at Carissa’s residence hall. She scanned her key card to get into the building, then led him up to her room. She unlocked the door and walked in. He followed.
Being in her room, in her private space, was highly intimate. His nerves raged in his stomach, and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He was here to settle a bet. Nothing more. Not like they were going to make out again. Though, if they did, there wouldn’t be any interruptions like last time.
