Page 8 of A Little Tempting

Shaking off the reminder of whose little sister I’m dealing with, I press, “You want to drop photography?”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.”

The girl’s sassier than I expected. I guess all it takes is getting her fired up long enough to get out of her own head. I make a mental note, tucking it away for later. “You can’t drop photography.”

“Why not?” she demands.

“Because you’re my partner. And call it a hunch, but I don’t think you’re in photography for an easy credit like I am.”

“It doesn’t matter why I signed up, I just…felt up your lap in front of everyone, including your little fan club, which is absolutely the highlight of my day, so if you’ll excuse?—”

“Fan club?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. The idea of going back there once, let alone the rest of the semester, sounds like hell on earth, so yeah. I'm dropping the class.”

She dodges around me again, but I follow suit, blocking her escape. “Look, you’re cute when you’re all riled up, Thorne, but?—”

“Stop calling me that.”

“What? Thorne?” I ask.

“Yes. It makes me think you’re talking to my brothers, and I’m not my brothers, so stop calling me by my last name,” she snaps.

“Okay, Dylan.” I lift my hands in defense. “Let’s start over. Hi. I’m Reeves.” Offering my hand, I wait for her to take it, but she stares at it like it’s a prickly cactus. “I heard we’re partners this semester,” I continue, “and I’m really looking forward to it. Can I give you my number so we can set up a time to talk about our project?”

“Dylan!” a voice booms.

I glance over my shoulder in time to find Everett striding toward us. Seriously, the guy might as well pull out his dick and piss on her. Don’t get me wrong, Everett and I are fine. I’d even argue to say we’re friends, but teammates and roommates are probably more fitting. After I fucked the guys over last season, I’ve been on his shit list, and he’s yet to let it go.

“There a problem?” I ask him, but he ignores me.

“What happened, Dylan?” Everett demands. “I saw you running down the hallway like a bat out of hell. You okay?”

Her eyes slice from Everett’s to mine, and she nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“What happened?” he repeats.

Crossing her arms, she stares at the ground and clears her throat. “I pulled a Dylan and did something embarrassing.”

“That’s all?” He sighs in relief and presses his hand along her lower back. “Shit, you scared me, Dyl. Come on. I’ll walk you to your next class?—”

“I still need to give her my number,” I interrupt.

His muscles coil as he turns to me, his gaze narrowing. “Why?”

I stare at Dylan. Giving her a choice. Just a hunch, but I doubt she’s used to having those. Not when her older brothers or Everett’s involved anyway.

She peeks up at me, wariness tainting her blue-green eyes yet somehow making them more vibrant. More alluring. And she honestly thought I didn’t remember her name? The girl has no fucking clue.

Pretty little wallflower, I see you. Don’t worry.

“Dylan?” Everett prods.

“He’s my…” Her attention flicks from me to Everett. “He’s my partner for a project.”

“You two are in the same class?”

“Uh, yeah.” She gulps. “I guess we are.”

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