can bitch and complain about that.
Instead, his gaze remains focused on something in the distance. He’s like a bird dog who has spotted, well...a bird. Normally, Beck is a laidback kind of dude. Nothing riles him up, and he’s not one to take life too seriously. I’m pretty sure his father, Archibald, attempted to beat the nonchalance right out of him, but it didn’t work. Beck is who he is, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
“If you want to get out of here,” I mutter impatiently, “then let’s move.”
“You know what? Go on without me. Baker is over there with Reinholtz and Collins. I’m gonna see what they’re up to.”
That’s when my gaze lands on a table full of our teammates. My guess is that they’re here, getting study hours in. By all the joking and laughing going on, it doesn’t look like that’s happening. And Baker...that guy needs all the study time he can get. “Whatever, dude. I’ll swing by after I find what I need.”
Beck saunters away with a wave of his hand. “Take your time.”
Honestly, I’ll probably get this wrapped up a lot faster without him in tow. Just like I suspected, it takes under five minutes to locate the books I’m hunting for. With a big breath, I blow off the dust covering them before pulling each one out and thumbing through the pages. One peek at the table of contents is enough to confirm this project will be every bit as excruciating as I originally suspected.
Fucking economics.
With the books in hand, I swing around, ready to find Beck. As I retrace my steps through the second floor of the library, I spot Alyssa sitting at a table buried in a corner of the business section. It’s not exactly the most popular place for obvious reasons, but I guess if you’re looking for a quiet area to work, this would be it. For a long moment, I take her in. Her long blond hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a shirt that hangs off one shoulder. There are black glasses perched on her nose.
A zip of unwanted attraction ricochets through my heart. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alyssa wear glasses before. She looks all kinds of sexy in them. And studious.
Fooling around with her after high school graduation had been a mistake. One I regret. If I thought it would help evict her from my head, I was sadly mistaken—more like the opposite. One taste was never going to be enough.
Instead of giving in to my urges, I’ve steered clear of the west end of campus, where the fine arts building, and her dorm, are located. If I catch wind that she’ll be at a party, I hit a different one. That’s been my tactical plan ever since.
Has it helped to stomp out my feelings for her?
Not one damn bit. When we do happen to run into each other, the intensity is like a tidal wave crashing over me, threatening to suck me under. Instead of cautiously backing away, I take an unconscious step in her direction. Before I can think better of it, more distance gets eaten up between us. Even though my brain is shouting at me to turn around and walk away, instinct takes over, propelling me forward.
This is the one girl who continues to override my feelings of self-preservation. I’ve never understood how she’s managed to circumvent the walls I’ve thrown up. Alyssa stirs emotions inside me that I’d rather not experience. There’s something about her that draws me like a moth to a flickering flame. As much as I want to forget about her, I can’t. She’s always there in the back of my head. When I’m with other girls, it’s Alyssa I envision. She’s the only one capable of making me feel something which is precisely why I continue to deny myself.
It’s all kinds of fucked up, and I know it.
When Alyssa flashes a smile across the table, my gaze shifts, and I realize she isn’t alone. I straighten to my full height, only now noticing the guy parked across from her.
Jamison Daniels.
He’s one of my teammates.
What the fuck is she doing with him?
His lips hitch at the corners as he reaches across the smooth surface that separates them and brushes his fingers across her knuckles.
Oh, hell no!
That is so not going to happen!
Before I realize it, I’m stalking across the space. It only takes a handful of