I swear Granger isn’t breathing as he stares after her with pain sketched on his face. What was that about? I know he’s hiding something from me, but I didn’t think it had to do with her… Does he still have feelings for her? Why does that make my chest tighten painfully?
“What is she talking about?” I place myself in front of him so I can look him in the eye, but inside, I feel like I’m slowly dying.
His head snaps down to gaze at me, and he shakes his head like he’s trying to get rid of whatever is going through his head.
“Fuck,” he grunts before grabbing my hand. He starts fast walking to the other side of the campus in long strides while my shorter legs run to keep up.
“Captain! Stop just for one second please.” My steps slow, and he glances over his shoulder to see me having a hard time keeping up.
He suddenly stops and glances up at the sky, his throat straining as he grinds his teeth. Why does he have to be unbelievably beautiful? Did God decide one day to create this gorgeous man and place him right in front of my path just to torture me? I want him, but at the same time, I feel like I can’t truly have him. I’m a hot mess, and I don’t even know how to have a real boyfriend. I’d destroy it in seconds, just like everything else in my life.
“My life, Kat, it’s not fucking perfect by a long shot, and we all have things we are ashamed of. I regret the moment Victoria walked into my life and ruined a piece of me,” he whispers, then sighs before looking down at me with his gorgeous eyes pinning me in place.
My throat clogs because I’m falling, falling deep into his eyes that say so much without words. What did she do to him to cause so much pain?
“Did you love her?” I glance away as I ask, because I’m scared—terrified, really, of his answer.
He blows out a breath before answering me. “Never love, just contentment for the time we were together, at least for a while.” He nods his head towards my building where my math class is, and we start walking again in silence.
He tucks his hands into his pockets, and he keeps glancing down at me like he wants to say something, but then just shakes his head before looking straight ahead. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, just trying to sort out our thoughts.
Crossing the sidewalk, I notice students walking up the steps into the building and staring at us while they whisper to their friends. I sometimes forget that Granger is like a god around here. The guys want to be him, and the girls want to get into his pants. It makes me a little uncomfortable with the attention we’re receiving, but he hardly notices as he turns to glance down at me. He grabs my hand to tug me closer and whisper in my ear, his hot minty breath making my legs tremble.
“I’m not ready to talk about it, but one day, I will be. Just wait for me, Princess.” His deep voice pleads with me to understand he needs time, and I can understand that.
I can only hope he will share with me, because we’re heading in a direction that scares me shitless, but also makes my heart skip a beat. I know he feels this too, but our shit is too complicated right now to start anything. I need to work on me and find myself, and he needs to heal from whatever gives him that sad look in his pale green eyes.
“Captain, the thing about me is, I’m a patient woman. I have to get to class, and so do you,” I say with a pat on his bicep and pull out of his arms, turning to walk up the steps leading to the main double doors.
I get two steps away, and suddenly, I’m tugged into a hard chest with a muscular arm wrapped around my waist, grazing just under my boob. My body relaxes into him without hesitation, absorbing the warmth he radiates, and I know it’s going to be okay. He gives me strength, and I like to think I give him a piece of myself in return. He takes a deep breath from the crook of my neck before giving me one more squeeze. His soft lips skim my neck as he talks in a husky voice.
“You drive me crazy, but a good crazy. I forgot to mention that watching you walk away from me has my hand twitching to smack this luscious ass until you're begging for more. I’ll see you after class. I have a surprise for you. Have a good day, Princess, and think of me,” he growls in a thick voice and skims a palm over my ass just as he lets go.
I turn around slowly, blinking rapidly from my daze to see him jogging across the sidewalk, but he glances over his broad shoulder at me still standing there in shock as a blush spreads across my face. He winks at me before disappearing around the corner, heading to his business management class.
My heart is pumping madly, like it might leap out of my chest and chase after him. Why does it feel like his palm is still on my ass cheek? And does my surprise later involve a spanking?
Um, why does that excite me?
15
Granger
As I sat through business management class, I wanted to bang my head against my desk repeatedly. What the fuck was I thinking, telling her I’m going to smack that delicious ass of hers? Would she even like that? Her pulse was racing right under my lips as I placed a feather of a kiss on her swan-like neck. Maybe she would, but what if that sets her back? Fucking hell,
