The time they spent apart was enough to numb the memories of high school and point out there were a lot worse things in life than an asinine stepbrother. When she was accepted into the Stanford Masters’ program and he offered to help her find a place to stay, she figured he’d changed.
She was right; he’d changed. He wasn’t the cute senior from high school anymore. He was oh-fuck-me sexy, and he was kinder than she remembered. Until he pulled shit like this morning, going out of his way to point out she wasn’t good enough for his friend.
She glanced at the clock on her tablet.Shit. Time to get to class.And she’d wasted her study time brooding over Logan. She must be more exhausted than she realized. He shouldn’t be able to throw her off her game like this.
Class was only a few minutes’ walk, so she gathered her stuff and hurried to take her exam. She didn’t need to ace her exam, but she’d prefer a top score.
She managed the test marginally better than she managed last-minute studying, but it felt like she was digging though molasses in her brain to find each answer. When it was over, a strange sense of relief settled in with her dread. There was no point in worrying any more; she’d done what she could. She had the practical part of the exam on Monday. That gave her the weekend to refresh everything, and she always did better with the hands-on portion.
And once she aced that, and had finals out of the way, she could go back to worrying about the baby, and how to handle that situation.
Except, when Friday night rolled around, Noah had friends over, and her earbuds weren’t enough to block out the noise. She retreated to the library for as long as she could, before they kicked her out. Saturday night was a repeat, but she didn’t have anywhere else to hide out.
A couple hours into the loud music and overlapping voices, she set her studies aside in frustration and went in search of Noah. How the hell did he fit this many people in their apartment? She found him in a corner of the living room, with a couple of girls and a guy.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” She definitely wanted privacy for what she was about to ask.
“Sure.” He broke away from the pack and joined her in a quieter spot in the hallway. “What’s up?” He stood close enough that each time he spoke, hot breath and alcohol caressed her face.
Jodie suppressed a wince. “Do you think this will go on much longer? I hate to be the party pooper, but I’ve got studying to do.”
“On a Saturday night? Even you’re not that boring.” Noah draped an arm around her shoulders, and guided her back toward the party.
She twisted away from him. “As beautifully cliché as this is, Iamthat boring, and— Never mind.” The last of her words landed against his back. She rolled her eyes and returned to her room.
She did her best to block out the chaos. Every time she found that perfect zone, where she could lose herself in the books, someone shouted or something shook the floor, and her focus shattered. A couple barged into her room, looked at her, giggled, and retreated again. She left the door open. It wasn’t as though it blocked out noise, and this way people would know the room was occupied.
A palm settled on her shoulder blade, searing through her shirt, and her body reacted to his familiar scent before her mind caught up.Logan.
“Only you would try to study through this.” His tone was playful but kind.
She whirled in her swivel chair to face him and saw he held up a key on a ring.
He clasped her wrist, and a shock of temptation raced over her. This was new. As much as she shouldn’t enjoy it, she did.
He pressed the key into her palm. “Go back to my apartment,” he said. “No one’s there. I’ll stay away tonight. You can get as much studying done as you need.”
“Are you sure?” Gratitude flitted inside.
He tugged her to her feet. “Completely. Go.”
“Thank you.”
“Logan.” The female voice carried over the other bedlam, and a second later, Phoebe Benjamin joined them in Jodie’s room. Phoebe intertwined her fingers with Logan’s and pulled him toward the living room. “Party’s out here, sexy.”
He looked at Jodie. She held up the key, forcing her smile to stay in place. “Go. Have fun. Thanks for this.”
As he left with Phoebe, she swallowed every last bit of disappointment and buried it deep. His life was none of her business.
Chapter Four
Every instinct roaring through Logan wanted him to go after Jodie and apologize for whatever caused her flash of a scowl. Which was why, instead, he let Phoebe lead him to an empty corner of couch and position herself in his lap.
When she squirmed against him, his body reacted without permission. He wouldn’t mind if this were Jodie rubbing against him.No. Don’t go there.His brain caught up with reality, and he adjusted, to glide her off his legs.
“You’re not here, are you?” Phoebe slid to the cushion next to him. She was one of his best friends. They’d been fuck buddies in the past, but when he became a teaching assistant, they agreed it was safer to stop fooling around than risk being accused of breaking the code of conduct. That didn’t stop her from teasing him when she got a chance.
He pinched himself. “Pretty sure this is exactly where I am.”