I sucked in a breath. Who was this man, and what had he done with my statue-like Tristin?
“So true,” he replied to Susan. “I would hate for Thea to miss out on the chance to dress up and dance the night away.”
She giggled. No, that wasn't a joke—there was no other way to describe the sound coming out of her mouth than as giggling. “Whoever said chivalry was dead never met a Sharpe man.”
Oh. My. God.
Had someone transported me to an alternate universe when I wasn't looking? One where Tristin still had a heart and Susan was the kind of woman who giggled and flirted? That seemed like a more reasonable explanation than this scenario happening in the world I was accustomed to.
Tristin’s mouth pulled up in a full smile then, and I could...not...stop...staring. Seeing him smile was such a rare occurrence, it was like encountering a talking tree. He almost looked his age, which usually seemed closer to twenty-five than eighteen.
“You’ll have to save me a dance, Susan. If Gerard doesn’t mind.”
If possible, the older woman smiled even wider. “For a dance with you, sweetie, I don’t care if he minds.”
Yep. Alternate universe—that was the only explanation.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Thea
The next few days passed in a blur of coffee, reading, memorizing, neck aches, and a couple of shifts at The Grind. Thankfully, Susan was keeping me supplied with a steady stream of “study fuel,” as she put it. Instead of munching on M&M’S or Twizzlers like my classmates, I’d had apple slices with peanut butter, a cheese platter, veggies with hummus, fruit salad, and every kind of nut and dried fruit I could imagine.
I’d wondered what it was like to have a kind-hearted grandmother, and her presence answered that question for me. She’d always gone above and beyond for her boys, and it warmed my heart that she did the same for me.
A knock sounded on my bedroom door Sunday morning, and I called, “come in,” not bothering to look up when the door opened. “Please tell me you brought coffee.”
While I’d been in study mode, Leo had practically become my own personal caffeine fairy. As much as I’d liked the idea of disappearing to The Harbor Inn with him for days, I had a feeling we would have spent more time in bed than out of it. And I really did want to do well on my midterms.
So, we’d compromised. We’d stay at the mansion, as long as I promised to devote all of my study breaks to my boyfriend. Not exactly a difficult concession.
“Sorry. If I’d known coffee was required for entrance to your lair, I would have brought two.”
I froze mid-highlight and looked up to find Tristin hovering in the entrance to my bedroom, studying the furnishings with an impassive expression on his too-handsome face. “Something wrong with my lair?”
He slowly turned his head toward me. “No. I just didn’t get a chance to take it in the last time I was in here.”
Because we’d spent half the night having sex.
Heat rushed to places it shouldn’t at the memory, and I squeezed my legs together. I couldn’t think about that. Not now. Not ever. Our...whatever it had been was in the past, where it belonged.
“Right.” I put the cap on my highlighter and sat up straighter. “What can I do for you?”
Did that sound overly formal? Probably. But having Tristin all up in my space was making my brain malfunction.
“I made plans for us to meet Greg for lunch. I hope that works for you?”
I glanced at the clock. How had it gotten to be almost noon already? According to my study schedule, I should have already moved from sociology to French.
“Now?”
“Yeah. We need to leave in about ten minutes.”
Taking note of my T-shirt and pajama bottoms, I hopped up. “Oh. I need to change, then.”
I strode to my closet and quickly picked out a pair of skinny jeans and a lightweight sweater. Throwing them on my bed, I started to remove my shirt when I realized Tristin was still standing exactly where I’d left him.
“Do you mind?”
His lips twitched. “Why would I mind?”
I shot a glare his way. “You can wait outside.”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.”
Hell, yes, he’d seen it all before. He’d observed every inch of me, in fact, when he’d kissed up and down my body on the very bed I stood in front of.
Fuck me. Except, not literally. That wasn’t allowed.
He wasn’t supposed to affect me like this anymore. Not