“No, not really. Olivia was dancing with this guy, and he got a little more handsy than she wanted, so I came over to try and rescue her.” I laughed humorlessly at how dumb I sounded. In hindsight, it was stupid to think I was going to make a difference. “Thank God for some of the guys we knew there. They stepped in after my rescue attempt failed.”
I shook my head, recalling the night. Frustrated with how it all had played out. “There were so many people who did nothing. Just stood there as he threatened to-to rape her.”
His hand clenched around my arm, and I jerked. “Ow.”
“I’m sorry. So, sorry,” Dr. Pierce said. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He was taking heavy breaths, looking like he was trying to collect himself. When he noticed me staring, he grabbed a Band-Aid, refocusing his attention. “You should report it.”
Another humorless laugh. “There’s no point. Nothingactuallyhappened, and no one would be able to do anything.” I furrowed my brows at the sad truth. “That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.”
I looked over my shoulder again. He looked up as he stretched the last Band-Aid on my arm. His eyes shot through me, so intense with how close we were. So blue, I could drown in them. The Band-Aids were in place, yet he hadn’t moved away. My heart beat double-time, pumping a fiery heat through me.
“If you ever find yourself in a situation like that again, you can ask me for help.”
His eyes flicked to my lips as I slicked my tongue across them.
“Thank you,” I said on a breath, dropping my eyes to his mouth. Maybe if I leaned in a little closer, he’d meet me halfway. My eyes slowly closed—my mouth drawn to his.
He jerked back, turning away to clean up the trash. He cleared his throat. “That’s going to be sore tomorrow. Have a friend help change out the Band-Aids and keep it clean. Should be better soon.”
“Yeah.” The word barely escaped. My eyes dropped to my lap to hide the building tears.
What the fuck was I thinking? What had I been doing? Fuck, I was so dumb. So fucking dumb.
The self-ridicule kept coming, and I couldn’t deny any of it because I felt like a predator. There was no hiding my attraction now. How was I going to spend the rest of the semester with him after this?Fuck.
Embarrassment seared through me. When he left to return the first aid kit, I quickly put my jacket back on and tried to leave before he came back, not wanting to face him. I got as far as the front office door before he came back.
“Wait for me. I’ll walk you to your car.”
I couldn’t turn and look at him. With my hand on the knob, I said, “You don’t have to do—”
“I do. Please.”
I kept my distance and eyes down on the walk to the parking lot. At my car, I muttered a quick thanks and tried to get in, but a hand pressed the door back closed. Finally, I turned to look into his eyes. I tried to read them, tried to understand what he thought of me, of what had just happened.
They looked. . . regretful?
“Here’s my number, should you ever need it.”
I took the card he extended, taking in the masculine handwriting.
“Thank you.” I looked at him again, trying to find the regret again. Trying to find out if I was right or just crazy.
Maybe hewasjust as attracted to me as I was to him.
He was just so much smarter than me to not act on it.9
chapterthirteen
Callum
Oaklyn walkedinto the office the following Monday with a timid smile. Probably unsure of exactly how I’d act after Friday night.
That night…that night split me open. Seeing her jump when I said her name. Seeing the lingering fear and frustration in her eyes. Then seeing her arm. I didn’t know how I’d kept a lid on my anger. To find out it was from some asshole threatening to sexually assault her and her friend? My stomach churned remembering the wave of nausea that hit me when she’d said it. I’d managed to hold it together enough to take her upstairs and take care of the wound. As I’d bandaged her arm, I salivated over the feel of her flesh beneath my fingertips. Even if it was just her arm.
There was nothing sexual about what I’d been doing, but the tension had crackled between us, heating up the room. She’d turned to look at me, so close, her deep golden eyes fused onto mine. Her tongue had peeked out to slick across her lips, pulling my gaze to the soft pink flesh. I’d wanted to lean in, taste them, flick my own tongue across them. I’d been so entranced by the way she’d leaned toward me. I’d thought of nothing else but moving closer too. I’d watched her eyes drift close, and was ready to say fuck it and give in.
Then the alcohol pad seeped through my pants, the cold tickling at my thigh. It’d been minor, but enough to snap me back to reality. It might as well have been a bucket of cold water doused over my head.
