She didn’t know what it was. The heat? The hunger? The exhaustion? Whatever it was, it caused Farrah to lose her usual control over her reactions. Her eyes flicked toward Leo, who was paying for his food while the rest of the group mulled over their choices.
Farrah caught herself and averted her gaze.
Too late.
Blake’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. You’re in love with Leo.”
“I am not in love with him.” Farrah fought to keep her expression neutral even as panic raced through her.
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m—oh, forget it,” she fumed. “You’re insufferable.”
Farrah had thought he might not be so bad after their conversation in the library last week. Clearly, that was a mistake brought on by copious amounts of delicious food and a dash of late-night exhaustion.
Blake Ryan was the worst.
“I saw the way you looked at him just now. Contrary to what some people think—" The way he said “some” indicated he was talking about Farrah. “—I’m not stupid. You want to bang him.”
She glared at him. “Do you have to be so crude?”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“You already are.” Blake’s dimples flashed again. “I can give you pointers from a guy’s perspective. People would pay for my advice. It’s that good.”
“No, thanks. Leo is taken, remember? He’s with someone named, oh, Courtney?”
“Ah, that is a complication.”
“It’s not a complication, it’s a dealbreaker.”
“So you are in love with him.”
Farrah realized too late Blake was baiting her into a trap. The smugness on his face indicated he knew she knew what he was up to.
“Fine,” she said. “I may have a tiny crush on him, but I’m not in love with him. And I’ll never do anything about it.”
“Girl code. I respect that.” Blake nodded.
Farrah thought that was the end of it until Blake leaned closer, his eyes swirling with curiosity and something else she couldn’t identify. “So, what’s the draw? Is it the nice-sensitive-guy facade?”
“It’s not a facade. I know it’s difficult for you to understand but nice, sensitive guys exist.”
“They’re one in a billion. Most guys use the whole sensitivity schtick to get into a girl’s pants. Trust me. I’m a guy, and I know how the male species operates.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Exactly!”
“This conversation is over.” Farrah scrolled through her phone, not because she was looking for anything but because she didn’t want to talk about Leo anymore.
Blake was wrong. He may be a player, but not every guy in the world was like him.