Crazy in Love - Lane Hart Page 0,34
busy to try and salvage a passing grade so you can graduate?” he grates out softly between his teeth.
“I’ve decided to take a more…indirect approach,” I say, code for I’m not touching him again, even if I want to so badly that my hands are grasping fistfuls of my long, burgundy dress to keep from doing just that.
“Why didn’t you let me know that yesterday? I sent you a message, and you never responded.”
“You did?” I ask in surprise, making the mistake of looking up into his eyes. And they seem honest. Well, too bad they weren’t honest about his wife.
“What’s going on, Reagan? Talk to me,” he says before he closes his eyes and shakes his head. Turning around to head back to the front of the class, he adds, “Not right now but after class.”
“No,” I say to his back, causing his feet to freeze. He doesn’t respond, just moves to the podium and starts the lecture. The whole class period I keep my head bowed, taking notes without looking at him. Today’s the last class before the final exam and projects are due next Thursday.
Giving up on him, on us, is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Not only do I feel miserable about the thought of being lonely, but I worry about what Josie will say when I don’t fulfill my responsibility for the love potion. She and Lawson are solid together, so I just don’t see that falling apart because I can’t make a man sleep with me.
The longest hour of my life is physically painful until Gage finally dismisses class. I wait until one of the other girls has his attention before I try to sneak past. Unfortunately, he stops me.
“Reagan, wait!” he calls out. “See me during office hours,” he tells the girl. She hurries around me to leave the room and he grabs my elbow to stop me from doing the same.
I swear I feel his damp lips brush my cheek before he says, “I’ve missed you.” Three words and my heart beats triple time while goosebumps race up and down my arms. Glancing around belatedly to see if anyone else witnesses it, the room is emptying with everyone facing the door and not us.
“Shouldn’t you be saying that to your wife?” I whisper.
“What?” he asks, dropping my arm. “You don’t understand, Reagan. In all the years we were married I never felt for her what I already feel for you.”
“Then why was she at your house kissing you?” I ask, turning around to face him to see his reaction.
“Because she won’t give up for whatever reason…Wait. How did you know?”
“I stupidly showed up to your house, but when I saw you two together I realized just how crazy I was to think…” I stop the insane words from escaping my mouth before I make an even bigger fool of myself. God, I’m so tired of trying to force something that isn’t gonna happen. “Never mind. I’m working my ass off on the paper and studying for the final so that I’ll hopefully pass. Either way, don’t do me any favors.”
“You’re so fucking clueless,” Gage says, his fingers tugging on a chunk of his thick hair in frustration. “You never had anything to worry about because I’ve been head over heels for you since I first saw you sitting underneath that tree months ago.”
“If that’s true, then you have a shitty way of showing it because all I’ve ever been to you is your dirty little secret,” I tell him before I walk away.
Gage doesn’t call out to me or try to follow me. He just lets me leave, telling me all I needed to know.
I was wrong about him. Even worse, I was wrong about us.
…
Gage
Having never been an angry or aggressive man before, it was difficult to come to grips with the emotions raging through me after Reagan walked away. What I wanted to do was throw her over my shoulder, drag her back into the empty classroom and fuck some sense into her. No, I wanted to fuck her until she wouldn’t have a single doubt about the way I feel about her. I’m tired of pushing her away or only sampling her when I want to feast on her. Shit, maybe I’m going insane just wanting what I can’t have. No, it’s definitely more than that with Reagan.
There has to be something I can do to fix whatever the problem is between us, but I have