Page 24 of Forbidden Fruit

"You should get that,” he says quietly.

"I don't want to."

He raises his eyebrows. "You don't even know who it is. It could be important."

"I know enough to know it isn't."

He looks at me expectantly. "Answer it."

I slide across his lap, reaching to the passenger floor and digging around my purse, trying to locate the damn annoying thing. Tomas slides his hand under my dress, fingertips rubbing the inside of my thighs. His smooth palms against my bare skin leave chills in their wake.

I use my core strength to pull myself back up and face DeLuca as I answer the call. "Hey," I say evenly, not wanting to give anything away.

"Are you alive?" Mia snaps.

"Obviously." I snort.

"Are you alone?" she asks in a curious tone.

"Nope." Tomas is staring at me, listening to Mia's every word.

"Are you with who I think you are?" Her loud voice is too loud and full of glee.

"Maybe," I answer flatly, hoping to keep the anxiety out of my voice.

Tomas’ demeanor turns to ice, the chill frosting over the car and his jaw set in rigid anger.

"I'll be home soon," I say as I quickly hang up, registering the sudden drop of temperature.

"You pleaded with me to answer." My voice breaks as I try to reason with him.

"I did." His tone is clipped and perfunctory.

"What will you tell her?" he grinds out, jaw still clenched.

I sigh. “I'll tell her I ran into Brent at the gym and spent the day with him. Will that make you happy?” He nods once, and I commence a series of acrobatics that awkwardly get me back to his passenger seat. I smooth my hair and my dress, then hastily pack up my purse.

“Thanks again for the orgasms, DeLuca." I give him a quick peck on the cheek and climb into my driver's seat. While the leather of the steering wheel is frigid from the early November night, it pales in comparison to what I know I should be expecting from DeLuca tomorrow.

Chapter Sixteen

Olivia

Brentgivesmeaknowing look the second I sit down in Principles of Cell Biology the next day. Knowing that my face is a dead giveaway, I can’t even bring myself to say anything. He crosses his arms and quips a brow before clearing his throat. I give him a sidelong glance. “You were just going to let me talk Tomas up to you when you clearly know him better than the rest of us?” Averting my eyes, I tap the end of the pen against my leg, trying to decide how to answer. If Tomas wouldn’t even let me tell Mia, I’d hate to see how pissed he is if I admitted it to Brent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brent. How was the rest of the tailgate?”

He gives me a wry smile. “Much less exciting after Tomas defended you so valiantly. You two are a rom-com that’s happening in real time. What’s going on between you two? When did it start? Your class with him? Kinky.” He has the audacity to laugh as he watches me rub my temples and my blood pressure undoubtedly skyrockets.

“There’s nothing to happen, Brent. I’m the dean’s daughter.” I school my expression into the perfect portrait of serenity as I dare him to challenge my words. He turns his attention back to Professor Halloway and nods, obviously unconvinced. “I’m not sure there’s anything happening. I’m hoping it does, though.” He scrutinizes me, looking for a hole in my defenses.

“That’s fair.” His attention is on his textbook, and to say I’m relieved is an understatement. I think he bought it. The last thing I want is to piss Tomas off more.

When I walk into his class, the air is not much warmer than it was upon exiting his car. It doesn't look like he’s unclenched his jaw once, making me suspect he's going to need the number of a good orthodontist soon. DeLuca meets my eyes for a fleeting moment. I can't discern what he's thinking. If I could make a guess, he's wondering if I told Mia. Maybe holding it together is as hard as it is for me right now.

After a fitful night of sleep, I overslept. The idea came sometime after two am, and around three, I finally gave in and decided to write him a letter. Maybe he’d read it and burn it. Maybe he’d treasure it. I didn’t really care as long as I gave it to him and got some closure. Mia gives me a sympathetic look. She doesn’t know what happened, and I haven’t decided what to tell her. As my hype queen, she deserves the truth.

Tomas’ previously icy glare turns downright murderous when I feel the bulky arm around my shoulder. I regard the bicep in question and my blood fucking boils. I shrug out of Nathan's touch, physically recoiling as DeLuca gives him a look that would have definitely fucking killed him if looks could. He pulls out the chair on the other side of me and smiles.

"Miss me?" I gape at him, too stunned to speak. Mia kicks me under the table, silently letting me know that she has my back if I need it. DeLuca's deep, velvet voice cuts through me like a bittersweet caress. I try to stay out of my head and actively engage in the lecture, but it's a losing battle. I understand he has a lot on the line, but I don't understand how someone's self-righteousness could shift so erratically. By the time I snap out of it, class is almost over and DeLuca's asking if anyone has any questions. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nathan's hand shoot up, fingers wiggling, like an excited first grader. This should be just fucking great, just what I need.

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