He started laughing. “Want with her? I’m not sure what you mean.”
I kept seeing that photograph flash through my memory. Over and over again. Were there others? The thought made me see red. Anger zapped through my veins. I cursed myself for not taking another minute or two to continue searching his room. I had to know what else he might have of her, stashed away like little trophies for him to jack off to when the mood struck. Pervs like Sterling collected shit.
Okay, I didn’t for a fact know he was a perv, but my mind had already shoved him into that category. I needed to get back there. I had to know what else he had. More importantly, what he planned to do.
“I think you do,” I growled.
Sterling straightened his shoulders, rolling them in the process. “Does this have something to do with the fact that I know your girlfriend?”
The more ignorant he played, the more pissed off I became. It had everything to do with Mads and the picture he had of her. Was it possible that they’d known each other and he just happened to have a picture of her? Sure. I could rationalize that, probably. What I couldn’t accept was, why bring that photo to college with him? Why hide it in a book that he probably thumbed through a dozen times a day? “So, you understand that she’smygirlfriend. Just want to clarify.”
“You seem a little on edge. Maybe too much sun, buddy,” he suggested, clapping me on the shoulder as if we were friendly.
Casting a shadowed look at Sterling, I frowned. “I’m on to you.”
He leaned forward, his voice just above a whisper as he retorted, “Then you better work hard to catch up, Bradford, because I’m way ahead of you.”
Just what the fuck did that mean? I jerked back, glaring into his eyes. “Stay away from Mads.”
His lips wrenched to the side in humor. “Unless she’s a pet you keep in a cage, I thinkMadsis capable of figuring out who the good and bad guys are on her own.”
The balls of this jackass. Did he really suggest I treat Mads like a dog? I should put my foot so far up his ass that he couldn’t walk for a week. That sounded way more efficient than talking. I could run my mouth with the best of them, but eventually I got to a point where words were no longer doing the job. I wanted to bust his balls over the photo and demand he tell me why he was keeping it, but I also knew it was better if Sterling kept his guard down. The moment he learned I’d found the picture, he would be more careful, more cautious, and that was exactly what I didn’t want. I needed him to make a mistake, to fuck up, so I could nail his ass.
I craned my head to the side. “You’re not the only one with patience.”
The asshole shrugged. “I guess we’ll both have to just wait and see.” He sidestepped me, our shoulders grazing as he passed by, and it took every single ounce of my control to not do more than bump shoulders.
My fingers balled into a fist, pressing deep into my palms. That urge to hit something pulsed down my arms. It was a good thing I was on my way to the gym. I needed to burn off some serious steam, but first I needed to find Mads and see for myself if she was okay.
A full minute went by as I stood in front of the business district building, doing my best to suppress my fury. Taking off in the direction of Mads’s dorm, I kicked up to a jog, hoping to catch her before she went inside.
I almost dashed right by her, not thinking that she might not have headed straight to the dorm, but as I sprinted through the courtyard, a whiff of smoke tainted the air. I should have guessed she would need a cigarette to calm her nerves.
Mads leaned against a tree, a lit smoke pressed between her lips as she inhaled.Why the fuck does that look so hot?My eyes were drawn to her mouth, a dozen impure thoughts skipping through my male brain. They couldn’t be helped. I was just wired to think of sex. It didn’t matter what Mads was doing. She could be blow-drying her hair or chewing on her nails and my mind would somehow turn those simple, innocent acts into something sexual.
Slowing down to a lazy walk, I approached my girl, who looked lost in deep thought, frown lines creasing her brow, and all I could think of was that I needed to put a smile on her face. “I got something you could put between your lips.”
Her gray eyes flew upward, relaxing once she realized it was me. An elbow flew into my gut, and I groaned with a smile on my lips.
“You are so damn cute when you try to be tough,” I said, rubbing the spot on my abs.
“Try?” she echoed, clearly insulted, but she couldn’t fully hide the smile that hinted at the corners of her mouth as she lifted her hand in the air to smack me.
I chuckled, catching her wrist before her hand could land on my chest. Spinning her around, I enclosed my arms over her stomach, pressing my chest to her back and resting my chin on her shoulder.
She turned her head to the side, careful to keep the cigarette away from me. “Nice move, Bradford,” she murmured. Traces of smoke mingled with her breath, a combination that had no right turning me on but did.
I could spend hours bantering with and teasing Mads Clarke. The only thing I enjoyed more was kissing her. “I have a few.” And because I wanted to, I lifted a hand to her chin, tipping her face a bit more to the side so I could kiss her.
My lips lingered, drawing in the warmth from her mouth, needing to feel her safely against me. It also just felt so damn good. I wasn’t one to deny myself things that made me feel. My intention had only been to offer her comfort, a quick distraction, but the taste of Mads’s lips awakened other parts of me.
I twisted her in my arms, wanting to feel the length of her body against mine. Not giving a shit that we were in a public place with eyes everywhere, I pressed her into the tree, letting her feel just what she did to me with a single kiss.
Catching her quick inhale of surprise, I slipped my tongue into her mouth, rubbing, taunting, teasing it with hers. She was quick to respond. Mads had always been quick. I liked that about her.
Slim arms tangled around my neck, and fingers not quite gentle shoved into my hair. The little purr she made in the back of her throat had me longing to be back in my bed. Her dorm was closer. Maybe her roommates were gone. Highly unlikely when there were three of them. One good thing about living with Brock—not only did we have our own rooms with locks, but I only had to worry abouthimbeing home and walking in on something.
Fuck. I have to stop kissing her before I rip her shirt off in public.Embarrassing Mads was not on my agenda today. Despite knowing I should pull my lips off hers, my fingers slipped into the back pocket of her jeans, squeezing her ass.