“Stop looking at me.”
I huffed a laugh. “You’reon me. I don’t know what you thought would happen.”
“I thought you’d see how ridiculous you were to hijack the chair I’d rightfully claimed and find a different spot. I underestimated your level of asshole.”
My hands slid down to the curve of her upper thighs. “I have to admit, I was taken aback when you first planted yourself on my dick, but I’m seeing the light. Now I’m not sure why I’d ever move.”
She twisted so she could look at me. “Again, your bitch of a girlfriend. Or do you not care what she thinks?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a girlfriend. If you’re referring to Abby, I’m wondering why you think she’s a bitch. Do you know her?”
Abby Fitzgerald wasn’t my favorite person anymore, but she had a good reputation. She wasn’t overly kind, but she didn’t go out of her way to be mean. At least, not that I’d ever seen. Then a-fucking-gain, she’d blindsided me near the end of our relationship, so I guess I could have missed it. It seemed I’d missed a lot with her.
Helen’s teeth sank into the corner of her bottom lip, and her nose scrunched. “I’ve heard she’s not very nice. I’m not going to throw my source under the bus, though.”
I studied her big brown eyes and ruby lips. Up close, Helen was something else. God, she was fucking gorgeous. The last thing I needed was an attraction to this girl, but there was no denying it. Trouble was looking at me like I was dinner, and all I wanted to do was offer myself on a platter for feasting.
Then, my brain kicked into gear again, and it occurred to me what she was saying.
“Abby was a bitch to Zadie? Is that what you’re telling me?” I asked.
From the lift of her chin and twitch of the corner of her mouth, I got my answer. Still, she denied it.
“I didn’t say that.”
“What’d she do to Zadie?” She tried to scoot forward, but I held her firm. “You broached this topic, throwing out strong accusations. Time to back it up, Tiger.”
“I’m not scared of you, Theodore. And I’m not saying another word. If you had cared to see while you were still with her, I’m sure you would know exactly what I’m talking about.”
My hand spread on her stomach. “I’m not trying to scare you. We’re just talking.”
“I’m reading. That’s all I’m doing.”
“Okay.” The topic of Abby was dead, but I wasn’t done with Helen. “Read to me then.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
“Yeah. Read to me. I haven’t cracked that play yet. You want, we can take turns. Read it together. It might be more interesting that way.”
For a long beat, she didn’t say anything or move a muscle, then she gave a nod. “Keep your dick out of my ass and your hands to yourself and I’ll read with you. Only because I was just thinking I’d understand Will’s words better if I heard them out loud.”
I chuckled. “Will? Are you close, personal friends with Shakespeare?”
She shifted so her bottom was sideways on one of my thighs, her mouth quirking. “You say that like you’re surprised.”
Laughing harder, I snatched the book from her hands and studied the page she was on.
“I’m not really surprised about anything when it comes to you, baby.”
Her nose scrunched again. “None of that, Theodore. No cute nicknames. We’re studying together. We’re not friends, and your dick is never going to get closer to me than it is right now.”
I could’ve pointed out that she kept calling me Theodore, which wasn’t my name, so it was technically a nickname, but since I didn’t want her to stop, I did not.
“As fun as it is, I’m done arguing now.” I tapped the page the book was opened to. “You want to begin, or should I?”
“You.”
“All right. Let’s read some Will.”
The fuck of it was, an hour later, when we unfolded ourselves from the chair and went our separate ways without another word, I had absorbed more of what I’d read than I ever had on my own. That was when I knew, without a doubt, if Helen was in my chair the next time I sought out my spot, I’d plop her on my lap instead of the floor.
As for Helen…well, I was pretty fucking certain she’d stay right where I put her.