My body fell limp as my legs dropped to the mattress and let out an exaggerated breath. A sexy little smirk crossed his face as he looked down at me. “Now, that’s my kind of wake-up call.”
“Mine, too. I’m glad I thought of it.”
He chuckled as he lowered himself onto the bed and pulled me to his side. I rested my head on his shoulder and listened to the rapid beat of his heart. Grayson’s arm curled around me, pulling me closer. “You got a big day ahead?”
“Oh, my God.” Panic shot through me as I tossed the covers back. “What time is it?”
“Almost eight.”
“What! You’ve gotta be kidding me!” I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. “I can’t believe I forgot!”
“Forgot what?”
Without answering, I turned on the shower and got in without giving the water a chance to warm up. I quickly rinsed my body, then rushed to dry off and get dressed. I was pulling on my jeans when Grayson asked, “Where’s the fire?”
“I have class in less than an hour, and I haven’t finished studying for my test.”
“Need me to do anything?”
“Nothing you can do.” I raced back to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. After I pulled up my hair, I darted to the living room, grabbed my bag, and ran out the door as I shouted, “I’ll be back in few hours!”
Without waiting for his response, I bolted towards my car and raced to campus. Thankfully, I made it to class before most everyone else and grabbed my usual spot. Once I was settled, I had just enough time to go over my notes and study before the rest of the other students started streaming into the room. Doing my best to ignore their mindless chattering, I continued to cram for my test and was so focused that I never noticed Drake coming into the classroom or that he was sitting right next to me. “Heyyy, Kiersten. How’s it going?”
“What?” I glanced over to the desk next to me and found him giving me one of his creepy smiles. “Oh, hey, Drake.”
“You ready for the big test?”
“Not as ready as I’d hoped to be, but I’ll be okay.” As much as I wanted to use this last bit of time to study, I didn’t have that luxury. I cleared my throat before asking him, “I was told that you were looking for me the other day.”
“Yeah, I, uh ... I came out to see if you wanted to grab some pizza and do a little studying together. You know, to get ready for this test and all.”
“Oh, well, you could’ve asked me about that in class.”
“I know. I—I,” he stammered. “I just didn’t get the chance, so I came out to your place to ask you.”
“But how did you know where I lived?”
“I kind of followed you out of class.” He shifted nervously in his seat. “And then I followed you out to your car. I was trying to catch you before you left, but I didn’t get there in time.”
“So, you followed me all the way to my house?”
“Yeah, but then I felt stupid about it and left.” He shrugged. “I waited a couple of days, and when I finally got the nerve to ask, you weren’t even home.”
While his story was a little odd, it seemed like a reasonable excuse, especially considering it was Drake. He’d been creepy from day one, and I didn’t have any reason not to believe him. But that didn’t change the fact that I had an unsettling feeling about the guy. It was time for me to put an end to this thing with him once and for all. “Look, Drake. I don’t know any other way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. It’s not okay for you to follow me out of class. It’s not okay for you to follow me to my car, much less to my house. I need you to hear me when I say I don’t want to go out with you or eat pizza and study with you, okay? I’m seeing someone, and I want you to leave me alone.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” He started gathering his things and stood. “But one day, you’re gonna regret not giving me a chance.”
I was too relieved watching him move to a different spot in the classroom to even think about his warning—not that I would’ve ever given it much thought. Drake wasn’t like Grayson and his brothers. He was a science nerd and not even remotely intimidating. Once he was seated across the room, I turned my focus back to my notes and studied until the professor started passing out our tests. As soon as I got mine, I immediately started and was pleased to find that I knew all the material covered in the assessment. When I finished, I grabbed my things and stood. I was on my way up to the professor’s desk when I noticed Drake had already left. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to face him again, I turned in my work and headed out to the parking lot.