Chapter 6
After dinner, Texas offered to walk me back to the dorm. “I don’t understand why I have to stay in the halls,” I said as we crossed the street from the duplex to thecampus.
“You don’t like it?” heasked.
“It’s not that. My roommate is nice, and it’s great being around other girls, but we’re not here to make friends—we’re here to find Josh andErika.”
Texas tilted his head and squeezed my hand. “It’s not really fair, isit?”
I frowned, unsure of his meaning. With the sun set and far behind the horizon, the night had descended, and the streets were lit with globs of light along the pathways. They threw curious shadows over Texas’face.
“You kind of just fell in with us,” Texas explained, “and you didn’t really get the chance to apply for colleges or even go ontours.”
“I couldn’t afford it,” I reminded him with a weary twist of mylips.
He smiled and shook his head, turning to face forward once more. “I know, Spider-Monkey.” I groaned low, earning the widening of his smile. “But, seriously, do you like it here? You could stay even after the job is done. We’ll find Erika. We’ll find Caruso 2.0 and then, if you want, you could stay and finish and get adegree.”
I blinked. It sounded like he had put a lot of thought into the offer. “What about Iris?” I asked. “What aboutyou?”
Texas stopped and turned, causing me to stop as well. I realized we were standing across the campus’ green lawn in front of Chipley hall—my dorm. Seconds later, Texas cupped my face—distracting me completely as my eyes shot to his. I glanced down at his lips for the barest of moments before returning my gaze tohis.
“We’ll wait, Harlow,” he said, his eyes serious, his mouth firm. “If you want this, Iris can wait. We can wait. The relationship thing, too. If the others don’t wait for you, then that only makes it easier because I will. I will always wait foryou.”
My stomach tightened as emotion assailed me. His words were beautiful, and they lit a warmth in me, but they also served as a reminder. They still expected me to choose. Even if they hadn’t said as much, I could feel the pressure building. I didn’t want to choose. If I chose, I could break them apart, and seeing Texas and Bellamy at each other’s throats or even Marv and Knix would hurt me. I couldn’t bearit.
But when Texas leaned forward, his eyes closing and his lips brushing softly against mine, I found my muscles freezing for the scantest instant before melting completely. All too easily, I fell into him—letting him consume me because it felt right. My eyes slid shut of their own accord and I leaned towards him, letting his mouth play against mine. His lips parted, and shivers danced down my spine as his tongue touched my bottom lip. The combination of the warm air and Texas’ equally warm skin under my fingertips as I reached for him made me feel like I was floating in a bubble. My heart galloped in my chest. It was so loud, I wondered if he could hear it. His hands trailed down my hands and his fingers linked withmine.
“Harlow…” His whisper brushed over my cheeks as he pulled back, slanted his head and kissed me more firmly. Our chests brushed, and I gasped when his tongue licked against mine. He pulled back almost abruptly—so abruptly that I nearly fell into him as my mouth, instinctively, attempted to followhis.
Eyes burning with a deep fire, he shook his head at me, releasing my hands. “I’ll wait here. Goinside.”
I touched my mouth with the tips of my fingers, staring at him quizzically. “Texas?”
He clenched his teeth and took a wide step back from me. “Please go inside, Harlow. I need to get back to the others and you standing there, looking so…” He cursed under his breath and my eyes widened. Since when did Texas curse? I mean, sure, I had heard him curse before. But this time was different. “Please, Harlow. I don’t think you’re ready yet, and I don’t think you really want me to maul your mouth rightnow.”
He tried to smirk to soften his words, but it was too late. My skin was flushed. The skin of my lips tingled. I had to do as he asked, otherwise it wouldn’t be him mauling me, but me mauling him. I turned and nearly sprinted across the lawn towards the front door of my dorm. Sliding my key card around my keychain, I swiped it to the side of the entryway and jerked the handle to open thedoor.
I rounded the front desk and headed further into the building. When I passed the lobby mirror, I noticed that my cheeks were more than a little pink and my mouth was red. Anyone who looked at me would know what happened. So, I took a little detour to the bathroom before heading to my room. I turned the taps and splashed cool water against my heatedskin.
My eyes met their reflection, the normally dull brown sparkling and lit from within. I gulped despite the fact that my throat felt like the Sahara Desert. The nape of my neck was damp with sweat and I knew it didn’t completely have to do with the heat outside. No, it was Texas. The way he touched me—like I was precious and special. I wanted to touch him too. I wanted him to feel the same way I was feeling, as if butterflies were about to burst out of my stomach. It wasn’t until another girl bustled in with a shower caddy in tow that I straightened and moved away from themirror.
With a sigh and a shake of my head, I returned to my room, slid the key in and tiptoed past a sleeping Lizzie to get ready for bed. I had an early class tomorrow. I almost forgot—I was making a return to gymnastics. It was small, but it was a reminder of what I had spent so much time on in my past. I wondered if this was to help the mission or if this was purely forme.
As I slid beneath the new sheets on my twin sized dorm mattress, I stared up at the ceiling with a mixture of excitement and nerves settling in mychest.
Gymnastics. Erika. Car headlights. Oh,my.
* * *
Adownpour of freezing cold rain arrived the very next day. Lizzie and I sprinted across campus, huddled under a tiny, black umbrella she had brought from home, but never expected to use for more than one person. As it was, when we arrived at the Student Exercise Center—where she had a nutrition class the same time as my gymnastics course—both of us had soggy shoes and opposing sides that were wet withrainwater.
“Okay, I’ll meet you after class?” she asked, shaking her umbrella to the side and snatching a rainy-day umbrella bag from a console next to thedoors.
“Yeah. Lunch?” Iasked.
From what Texas had texted me when I woke up, he and the guys would be busy with their own classes, and interviewing students. I was a little irritated that I hadn’t been invited to interview with them, but then Bellamy had texted me with some information of my own to check out later. Then it became less that they were leaving me out and more that they trusted me to go off on my own. Although I found it a bit nerve-wracking, I was more than happy to comply. I wanted to show them that I could be counted ontoo.
“Sure.” Lizzie waved as she disappeared up the staircase to theside.