CLASS MOVED AT a slower pace than normal. Madi twisted in her chair, feeling uncomfortable from his last smoldering kiss. As her professor wrote notes on the projector, Madi scribbled in her notebook, her mind reviewing the events of the last few days. She’d gone from being deeply in love, to completely lost, to totally broken and full of doubt, and back to head over heels.
Her head popped up as people around her began to gather their things. She quickly transcribed the notes from the screen as the professor explained the paper due before the end of the semester. She needed to focus. She needed to do well in this class if she wanted to keep the internship she had scheduled in January. This class was required for the next one. The internship was key to graduating and building her resume. She had to think about her future, even now that it seemed Jake was back in it.
After class, she stopped by the grill to grab some food. She figured he must have been starving; they hadn’t eaten since last night on the way home. Rob ordered something as well. As she waited for her food, she approached him.
“Have you gotten any sleep?” she asked.
“I did. You?”
She nodded then bowed her head. “The other day you heard what was supposed to be a private conversation between Kendra and me…”
He held up his hand and interrupted her. “No worries. I’d never break a trust like that. She’d lose it if she knew I heard that, wouldn’t she?”
Madi sighed. “Yes, she would. It took her four years to tell me, and we’re practically sisters. She’s not the type to want sympathy, but she’s also not as tough as she acts, you know?”
Rob nodded his head as his brows furrowed. “She’s a lot tougher than most people probably give her credit for. Although, maybe not physically.”
Madi remembered how easily he’d twisted her arm in the hall, and Kendra was strong. “Most people haven’t had your training,” she reminded him.
“I count on that,” he said as his eyebrows flitted up in agreement.
“What was that thing you did anyway?” Madi asked.
“Jiu-Jitsu,” Rob stated matter-of-factly.
“Jiu what?”
Rob glanced over her shoulder. “It’s mixed martial arts. I could teach you a couple of moves that, if done correctly, could take down a man three times your size.”
“Really?” Madi asked excitedly. “Will you? I hate feeling like a weakling all the time. I’d like to be able to protect myself.”
“I’d be happy to. I think it would be a good idea, considering your situation.”
Madi smiled briefly as her name was called to pick up her food order.
As she and Rob walked back to the dorm, she reached into her purse and pulled out the pen. “I’m turning this off for a while, okay? No rushing the room?”
Rob glanced down and gave her a single nod.
She fumbled with her keys outside her door, balancing her backpack and the bags of food in her left hand. Once inside, she found him fast asleep in her bed. She smiled as she gently closed the door, careful not to wake him. She stuffed the food into her mini fridge and removed her coat. As she slid off her boots, she studied him, wondering what he dreamed about. His mouth was framed by his trademark dark stubble. She sighed as she visually devoured him. Even though she liked to tease him about his looks, he was unbelievably sexy. Heat radiated off of him like a furnace. He didn’t even have to try. He walked, talked, sang and breathed sex. His dark eyebrows and slender nose were truly a work of art. Her eyes explored the muscles of his arms. One was bent behind his head, the other rested on his chest. She took a small step forward and placed a hand over her mouth as she stared at his hands and his fingers. It was then that she noticed a bruise and gash on his knuckles. Her lips pursed as she wondered who or what he’d hit to do that damage.
She glanced up briefly to see his eyes jetting around under their lids. He must have been dreaming. He lay on top of her covers with his legs crossed at the ankles. His long legs hung off the end of her twin. He must have been so uncomfortable. Madi giggled briefly as she thought how big he looked in her small bed, like Goldilocks in reverse. For some reason, her eyes flicked to the bulge in his jeans, and she suddenly felt a noticeable need for more air. His chest, his thighs, him… Her eyes darted up and down him as her desire for him shimmied through her.
Rubbing her arms, she slowly dropped into her chair as her eyes fixed on the laptop at her desk. The thought that he had touched another woman still burned around the edges of her mind. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, the fact that the bitch, who’s name she couldn’t even say in her mind without clenching her jaw, saw him naked and touched him, sent her spiraling into rage. He was hers. It was one thing when girls swooned in his presence; it was another when they actually undressed him with more than their minds.
She felt possessive as she watched him sleep. She turned and examined herself in the mirror. Then she turned to gawk at Jake. She couldn’t see her appeal to him. He could have any girl in the world, yet he was here in her dorm room, waiting for her to return from class. She didn’t know why he wanted her, but she was damn happy he did.
She bit her lip as she considered how to wake him. She removed the twist from her hair and let it slip down her shoulders. She shook it out and slowly opened her desk drawer, applying a light gloss to her lips. She didn’t need to pinch her cheeks; she was flushed just thinking about him. She wanted him. What would be the best way to ensure he wouldn’t resist her? A devious smile crossed her lips as she lifted her sweatshirt from her arms and tossed it to the ground, then removed her socks and jeans. She stood in front of him and bit her lip as she reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, letting it slide down her arms. Even though she knew he wasn’t watching, undressing in front of him gave her a wild thrill and added fuel to the already burning fire within her. She carefully slid into bed next to him and scooted up against his warm body. Her skin was chilled from the cold air and her pounding desire. He warmed her instantly in more ways than one.
His eyes flickered awake as he lifted his arm to embrace her and glanced at her face. “Hey, baby.” He smiled briefly before his eyes widened, immediately noticing her lack of clothing. He shifted in the bed to get a better view as his gaze fell from her face to her breasts. Madi glanced down to follow his eyes. Apparently she was, indeed, still cold. His gaze flew to her eyes as she watched the familiar look of desire fill his face.
“Fuck,” he said as he ogled her body.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a whisper as his fingers trailed down her bare arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
“I’m lying naked next to my boyfriend. At least, I think you’re still my boyfriend.”
