to my core. It continues in a sweep that hardens my nipples while Stone holds me against him. He leans over, grazing his lips across my cheek. I close my eyes, suddenly fully aware of how Meghan felt a second ago. His lips trail up the line of my cheek to my ear. “You...” he whispers. “…are so much better than them.”
He releases me, and I fall back to my feet. I blink. Stone’s already ten strides away, heading toward the exit of the cafeteria. Meghan looks like she wants to murder me, and the cafeteria is about as quiet as a church. I grab my new tray from Lucille while she’s still shocked and turn away from all of them. Wyatt’s laughter cackles through the room.
I don’t fight Lucas on wanting to eat outside now. In fact, I lead the way. We head toward a circular table that’s away from everyone else, and I sit, setting my tray down, but ignoring the food all together. Fuck me. I wanted Stone to kiss me. Me—my body—practically everything down to the cellular level, wanted him to do it. To just kiss me right there in front of the whole cafeteria.
My face burns. I’m sure what I looked like to everyone else. A dazed sex toy puppet, perhaps?
Lucas sits, which catapults me back to reality. He ignores his food, too. Instead, he runs his hands through his disheveled hair and levels me with a stare.
“What?” I ask, my voice coming out hollow. I’m astonished, turned on, and confused. It’s an interesting mix.
“I don’t think you understand how fucking sexy that just was.”
“What?” I ask again, though this time my voice is pitched much higher because he’s fucking crazy. No one has ever put me and sexy in the same sentence.
“You,” he says. “That pink in your cheeks. That stare.” He stands briefly, lips pressing together, and if I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure he rearranges himself. “Fuck,” he groans, breathing in deeply. “Do you know how much longer you might hate me for? Because I certainly don’t hate you.”
I sigh. “Lucas, don’t.”
“No, I’m serious,” he says. He pushes his tray aside and slides over to my small bench. He straddles it, and it’s impossible not to see the pitch in his shorts. My body reacts to his in turn. Suddenly, I’m all too aware of him. Shallow breaths make my breathing falter. He reaches his hand up to cup my cheek. “Jesus, Dakota. You’re—”
“Am I interrupting anything?” Wyatt drops his tray to the table, and it clatters.
I jump, breaking the connection between Lucas and me. “Yes,” Lucas says, eyeing his friend like he’d love to stab him with the cafeteria-issued butter knife.
“Oh.” Wyatt shrugs with a huge grin. “Well, I actually don’t care. I was just trying to be nice.”
He plops his ass on the seat across from us. Sighing, Lucas pulls his tray over, and we all bite into our food like it’s the only thing we want to be doing right now. For me, it’s only a distraction about what’s just happened in the past ten minutes.
It isn’t until I’ve polished off both slices of pizza that I understand the buzzing coursing through me is just the high of finally sticking up for myself. I’m living every dorky girl’s dream right now. The bitches actually got what was coming to them.
I smile as I sip my Lucille-bought chocolate milk. Can I get an amen for dorks everywhere?
18
The last class of the day, I share with Lucas. I get to the room first, but when he comes in, he sits next to me, pulling his desk close to mine, ignoring when the teacher tells him to move it back into his row. Miraculously, the professor doesn’t push it. She rolls her eyes like she has more important things to do than tell a twenty-something year old where to put his desk. Which, let’s face it, she probably does.
However, despite her airs, she plays a video during class. It’s a mythology class, so I guess that makes sense. Five minutes into it, though, it’s apparent that Lucas is either bored or has no apparent interest in a three-headed beast.
Slyly, he moves his desk even closer to mine. “Don’t ignore me, Dakota,” he whispers.
I glance over at him as if I’m bored when I’m far from it. Ever since he cupped my face earlier, staring into me with those deep brown eyes, I haven’t been able to get him out of my head.