The Matchmaker's Replacement - Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,55
thighs nearly collided with my head. I pinched his ass. He jerked out a strangled cough.
“Uh . . .” I strained to hear what came next, but apparently Ian wasn’t saying anything. I wished I could see what he was doing. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Great,” Lex said, a little too cheerfully. The idiot sounded so guilty, I had a hard time not groaning out loud. “Did you say you had a quick question?”
“Yes.” Ian sounded suspicious. “I just wanted to talk to you about Gabs for a minute.”
“Or”—Lex started coughing wildly—“we could just—” Another two coughs. “Sorry, man, not feeling well.” He pounded his chest. Meanwhile, I rolled my eyes and flicked his knee.
“Last night you said to make a decision, and I made one.”
My ears perked up. Say what?
“I paid Gabs’s last few days’ prorated rent, and in exactly one hour I’ll have a moving truck at her place.”
“O-o-okay.” Lex drew it out slowly. “Did you find her somewhere closer to campus?”
“Yeah.” It was Ian’s turn to sound guilty. “About a mile closer, and safer, and . . . cheaper.”
“If it’s cheaper, how the hell is it safer?”
“Bodyguards,” Ian said simply.
“And it’s cheaper?”
“Technically, it’s free.”
“Huh?”
“Anyway, just thought I’d let you know. Okay, see ya later!”
“Wait!” Lex yelled after him. “Come back here . . . What’s the address of this glorious free place?”
Ian didn’t answer.
I had a bad feeling.
I nudged Lex in what I thought was his leg but which ended up being something else completely, and he let out a low curse that Ian must have thought was directed at him, because he immediately started apologizing.
“Look, it’s only for the next four months! We only have a bit of school left, and then we’ll help her figure something out.”
My brain wasn’t working as fast as Lex’s, because by the time my entire body went rigid with warning, Lex yelled.
“HERE?”
I pinched him hard in the thigh.
“You want her to live here?”
“It makes sense!” Ian shouted. “And it’s already done!”
“What the hell makes you think we can keep the peace if we live within the same house?”
“You guys have been doing just fine,” Ian said defensively. “Even you said you were worried about her.”
“The way you worry about a dead raccoon when you drive by it!” Lex was sweating; his legs were actually sweating. “You don’t save the raccoon, Ian! You let it go to raccoon heaven where there are shiny toys and . . . food!”
“You got me worried, man.” Ian lowered his voice. “Look, if you are on something, there’s help.”
“Dear God,” Lex grumbled. “It’s not . . . Fine, if you want the French and the English hanging out in the same damn territory, that blood’s on you. All on you.”
Silence fell. What was Ian doing now? Had he left? A cough came from the doorway, so apparently not. “I hid the knives, so . . .”
“Oh great, Ian,” snapped Lex. “Good. You removed the knives. Do you hear yourself?”
“She’s staying. That’s final. Even you admitted something was going on, but you apparently care more about your damn computer keyboard than Gabs.”
“Unfair!” he roared. “You know I care about her!”
“Bullshit!”
I rubbed my hand up Lex’s leg. He froze, and then I moved it higher, making little tiptoeing motions with my fingers. Curiosity killing the cat . . . Ugh, see? Bad omen. He’d called me a kitty, and there I was . . . exploring.
My fingers grazed him.
His entire body went slack.
“Dude, did you just have a stroke?” Ian’s voice was laced with concern. “I’ve never seen a person’s face do that before.”
“What is this hell?” Lex voiced aloud, then started rocking against my fingers. I quickly figured out what felt good and gripped harder. “Shi-i-i-it, I’m going to burn.”
“Oh, I hid the matches too,” Ian said reassuringly.
“Just. Great,” Lex said through clenched teeth. “That’s just . . .”
“You look . . . strange.”
“Go!” Lex shouted. “Just . . . I need time to . . .” He exhaled a curse. “Think.”
The door slammed. I wasn’t sure if I should stop. My answer came when Lex pressed his hand against mine and urged me on.
What was I doing?
And why did it feel good, even though he wasn’t even touching me?
Lex’s entire body tensed as his hips bucked off the bed. He quickly grabbed the sheet and wiped off his legs, then pulled up the blanket and stared at me, his face completely flushed. His shoulders rose visibly with each gasp for