there’s no logical reason they turned me down. I could snap my fingers and go to Harvard with that score.”
“Then why not go to Harvard?”
I shake my head. “My father’s entire family went to Vandy.”
He scowls. “These are the people who think you’re not good enough for them?”
“Yes, and I want to prove I am. Plus, it’s also one of the top law schools in the country and I want to move back to the South…where I fit in.”
“You fit in here,” he says.
“Do I?”
His gaze drifts over my face. “Yes.”
Oh. I glance down at his books. “I know the idea sounds crazy, and I’d be happy to help you with whatever you need in exchange.”
“Anything?”
“Not that,” I say.
He smirks. “There are other things you can do for me. Let’s figure it out.” He takes a seat at the table and indicates I should do the same. I sit and watch as he grabs a notebook from the chair and opens it, turning the pages. “I think we need to get some ideas on paper, establish some rules. Sound good?”
My stomach flutters with excitement. I like where this is going. I nod. “Rules?”
“Yeah. We need parameters, what you’ll do for me, etcetera.” He taps the pen against the paper and watches me. “First, going out of town—that’s like asking me to give you a leg. I hate to travel, and Coach will be pissed if I miss any postseason training sessions.” He thinks for a moment and then drops his bomb. “I want you to be the girl of the month, starting today and going for four weeks, which technically puts you in the middle of February.”
I shake my head. “I’m not having sex—”
“So you’ve already insinuated—”
“Because I’m not.”
His face looks unsettled. “No reason to remind me you don’t even like me.”
I sigh. That really isn’t true. He brought my coat to me, and I enjoyed our banter in class, and I think…I think I see kindness in his eyes now as he looks at me.
“I do like you,” I say.
“And you did bring a pie, although I can’t eat it.” He gives me a sheepish grin.
“I had no intention of bringing up the fake boyfriend thing until you asked,” I add with a sigh. “If we set up an arrangement, what do I have to do for you?”
“Hang out in public, spread the word that we’re together—that kind of thing.”
Really? “Why?”
He leans in over the table. “I need to focus on my game and training. Women are constantly finagling their way into my life, and honestly, I need a break.”
“Poor you.” I shake my head.
He laughs, and I take him in, enjoying how he looks with a smile curling his lips, the way his hand rakes through his hair. “I want a championship.” He glances down at the pile of textbooks, and I see our poetry book. “And I could use some help in our class.”
“That class is easy!”
“I’ll be missing it for hockey reasons and I may not be back.” He shrugs. “The TA is helping out, but you can keep me updated.”
Oh. Disappointment hits at the news that he won’t be there.
“No fringe benefits?” Geeze. Does part of me want him to ask for “extras”?
Another grin. “I wouldn’t throw you out. Whatever happens between us will have nothing to do with our agreement.”
“Fair.” My heart flies at the prospect of him being inside me again, his hands in my hair, his lips on mine—
Stop the madness. I clear my throat.
“So, let’s proceed, then?” His lids have lowered, and I wonder what he’s thinking.
I nod, feeling a little dizzy with excitement, the idea growing. This…this can work.
“Want me to write it?” I ask, leaning over to watch him scribble. “Contracts are exciting to me.”
“I’m in charge,” he murmurs, his head bent over his paper. I hear a little bit of command in his tone, a wisp of authority—and it makes me hot.
What is wrong with me?
He looks up. “I want you to kiss me in public at least a couple times a week—just so everyone knows.”
“What?” I feel flushed. “That’s like eight times.”
His pen stops. “May I write that down?”
I inhale. “Yes.”
“I’ll also need you to attend parties with me. You didn’t seem thrilled about the Kappa house.”
“How about one party?”
He drops his pen. “I want all the parties.”
I hold my hands up. “No! Wait—okay, yes, but I have to study too. Just remember that.”
He gets this triumphant look on his face and scribbles away.