“Cherry, invite me in.”
I opened the door wider. “By all means, make yourself at home.”
He stepped into my small space, looking huge in it. Making me hide back a giggle.
He grinned with a mischievous gaze as if he could read my thoughts. I swallowed the saliva that had suddenly pooled in my mouth. My skin was feeling flushed all over and he wasn’t even touching me.
The effect this man had on me knew no bounds.
He peered around, taking in my home.
“I thought it’d be bigger in here.”
“Well, you are abnormally large. I’m a tiny human, I don’t need much room. It’s perfect for me.”
By the expression on his face, I could tell he was entertained with my banter. I watched as he ventured into my kitchen which was next to my makeshift living room.
Without asking, he made himself right at home, opening my fridge to grab a cold beer. Cade had a fake I.D. and bought his favorite booze to keep at my place. There was also a bottle of bourbon in the cabinet, compliments of him too.
Adrian twisted the cap off and set it on my counter, not even bothering to throw it away. He took a few sips from the bottle and then made this deep exaggerated groan from deep within his chest. Normally this scenario would have turned me on. He looked good in my dorm room.
“Since you made yourself at home, care to elaborate on this date you speak of?”
The intensity that radiated off his demeanor had me weak in the knees and I found it hard to breathe. He slowly licked his lips with his predatory regard as he eyed me up and down.
I should have kicked him out.
From not only my home, but my heart and life as well.
Except I couldn’t. Even if I wanted to. He was there. Permanent.
Embedded in my heart.
“Did you think I wouldn’t have found out about you auctioning yourself off to the highest bidder?”
“Did Cade tell you? Because he was the one who insisted I enter.”
“Cade has nothing to do with this.”
“Oh really? Since when? Last time I checked, he’s still your brother.”
“I didn’t find out from him if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Okay. Who told you?”
“My fraternity is one of the biggest donors to the event you participated in.”
“Ugh! Of course, it would be. So what? You scared off Eric like you’ve done every guy for the last four years?”
“No.”
“I don’t get it then.”
He cocked his head to the side, waiting for I don’t know what.
“Listen,” I stressed. “I appreciate the gesture of you thinking you’re protecting me, but how much longer do you intend on keeping this going? I mean eventually, you’re going to have to call it quits. I’d like to have a boyfriend. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll introduce him to you first and you can tell me what you think about him. That way you can still be somewhat included in my decision-making on where I should take it with him. Which is kind of what you’re after, right? Staying in control of my dating life seems to be your main purpose in life.”
“Eric isn’t interested in you, Paige. He’s a new pledge in my fraternity and it was part of his task to buy you for me.”
“Umm, excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Right… But I don’t believe what I’m hearing. Why would you do that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
I cunningly looked around the room. “To whom?”
“You’re cute when you play dumb.”
“Or you’re just assuming I can read your mind? You know, I’m not a fortune teller, so how about you actually tell me what’s going on instead of insinuating that I know?”
He arched an eyebrow in that mysterious, but also inquisitive way he’d perfected.
“All right, I’ll play. To be blunt as fuck, Paige. I would have bid on you myself if I could’ve risked it getting back to my brother.”
“So you what? You bought me for ten thousand dollars?”
“Money well spent from my trust fund.” He smiled and it lit up his entire face.
“I get it. That’s why Eric said it was his trust. He was really spending your money. Wow,” I breathed out. “I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s a first.”
“You’re taking this protective thing to the extreme and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“I know how I feel about you.” With the back of his fingers, he swept my hair behind my ear.
My heart skipped a beat.
It had sort of become his thing.
“What are you thinking?”
“How confused you make me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Depends on who you’re asking.”
“I’m asking you.”
He didn’t falter in replying, “You confuse me too.”
“How?”
“You want to have this conversation here? Where Cade could show up at any moment?”
“We’re not doing anything wrong, right? You’re just my best friend’s brother. Nothing more. Nothing less. Weren’t those your exact words last month?”