I have a few heartbeats to wonder at his strange reaction before he opens the driver’s door and slides in. He fills the space so thoroughly, I find myself shrinking in my seat. I wrap my hand around the top of the croissant bag in my lap.
He buckles his seat belt, then his eyes flick over me. “Buckle up for safety, Cleo.”
“Right,” I murmur. I pull the belt across my lap, feeling self-conscious as I snap it into place. What’s wrong with me? I need to screw my head on straight.
Kellan shifts the car into reverse, and as he looks over his shoulder, his gaze flickers down to a to-go coffee cup between us.
“For you.” His blue eyes find my own. “A café mocha.”
My pulse picks up, ridiculously, and again I struggle to exude a calm, cool vibe. “Good call.” I smile. “Chocolate is a win with me.” I pick it up and take a long swallow as the car glides backward out of the space. “Damn.” I exhale slowly. “There was whipped cream in here, wasn’t there? It must have melted, but I can totally taste it.”
His mouth curves a little, and I thump his muscular forearm. “Aren’t you full of surprises?”
He doesn’t reply, and I notice we’re driving up the ramp instead of down.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Your car.”
I rifle in the croissant bag as we drive out of the shadows and onto the top story of the deck. “You know where I’m parked? Wait a minute... how’d you find me here in the first place?”
“I went to the Tri Gam house, and one of the girls—Steph, I think—told me you weren’t there. I checked around and saw your car here.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
He brakes behind my Miata, and his eyes meet mine head-on. “Why do you think, Cleo?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
“Yes you do.” His hand encases mine, just briefly, before releasing it. “Give me your keys and I’ll get it out of your car.” It being the brick.
I fish my keys out of my bag, refusing to meet his eyes as I hand them over.
“You got anything else in there? I’d like to leave your car here until later.”
“Why?” I ask suspiciously.
“You worried I’m being shady?” He smirks.
“Yes.”
“I’m not. At least not in a way that’ll bother you.”
I wonder what the hell that means as I hand him my keys. “Get the books out... and the canvases.” For some reason, I don’t like the idea of him looking at my art again. It feels too personal. Everything about this new arrangement does. Do I like it? Do I hate it? Do I have a choice? I can’t tell. That worries me.
Kellan disappears inside my car, emerging a minute later with the laundry basket, my favorite three paintings, and a small mountain of paperbacks. He packs the items carefully into the rear seats, and I watch the ripple of his back and shoulders in the rear-view.
I must be insane, planning to spend any time at his place. I must be looking for trouble. I must want... I don’t know. Bad things. Also, money. I roll my eyes at myself.
When he slides into the driver’s seat, his lips are pulled into a teasing smile that makes my neck flush, only emphasizing the trouble that I’m in. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of e-readers.”
I square my shoulders and give a haughty little sniff as he starts driving. “E-books are good for reading in class or bed, but in every other scenario a paperback is superior.”
His smile broadens. “Did I see Fifty Shades of Grey beside The Sound and the Fury?”
My lips twitch. I press them flat. “And if you did?”
“I’d say you’re a... ?” He lifts my shawl up and frowns at the symbol on my shirt. “Smurfin?”
“Smuffin,” I say primly, taking my shawl from his hand and smoothing it back down. He looks like he’s about to tease me—eyes mischievous, lips working themselves into a joke—and suddenly I feel a little too exposed. “Where are we going?” I ask before he gets a chance to say anything more.
“You’ll see.” He pulls onto one of the roads that cuts through central campus.
“I have a class in twenty minutes.”
He strokes his fingertips over my knee, casual, as if he’s been doing it for years. “I’ll get you a note.”
I work to breathe around the weight of his hand on my knee. “Why do I need a note?”
He slides his gaze to mine. “You don’t want an