Page 26 of All Saints: Pledge

“Not by me. There aren’t any seats.”

“If he's hungry, let him sit,” Clara interjects. She reaches behind her, steals a chair from the table behind us, and wedges it into our space. Kendall will have to sit half in her lap and half in mine.

"Yeah, okay then, you guys enjoy. Dom and I will catch you later." I push away from the table, chair rattling.

Kendall’s eyes glitter. “Too good to sit at a table with your friends? You didn't have a problem sitting with me the other night?—”

Heat floods my veins and my face at the memory. I don't even let him finish the thought. I grab Dominic's hands and yank him out the door. We mow over several salty people and I drop my sandwich somewhere along the way.

“Whoa, whoa, Helena. Slow down.” Dominic tugs on my hand just as I'm about to pull us across High Street. I'm hightailing it back to anywhere that feels safe. My room. Maybe the library. I don't know. Anywhere away fromKendall.

“I'm sorry Dominic. I don't know what Kendall's issue is.”

“I do. He's clearly jealous. Hey.” He pulls me to face him, and damn his gorgeous features. They make my stomach flip. “I’m not naïve enough to assume you haven’t been with other men. It's okay, Helena. Truly. He’s a prick. We’ve all made mistakes like that.”

My heart bottoms out. All I want is to pull him into me and prove thathe'sall I want. To put All Saints and all of this manipulative bullshit out of my head. To erase Kendall’s imprint on me with Dominic’s warmth.

“I've never—” I pause in my denial as the memory of being pressed into that wall in the garden slams into me. I can't say that Kendall and I have never touched each other. We've nearly ended each other with hate-turned-combustible-lust, but we're nothing to each other. “Yes. Itwasa mistake. He’s been insufferable, always.”

It's as close to the truth as I can get. Dominic doesn't deserve what I'm involving him in, but selfishly, I don't want to lose my friend. Especially not when he’s a smoking hot genius with a gorgeous accent wholikesme despite my awkward ways.

Dominic's gaze flicks between my eyes. “Well, I understand mistakes.” He pauses. “I’m not convinced he sees you as a mistake, though.” His voice is quiet. Nonjudgemental.

I reach out and squeeze his hand. “Let's just head home. I've had my quotient of drama for the morning.”

Dominic is the epitome of everything I hoped Oxford would be for me. Class. Intelligence. Maturity. Steady. None of the hot and cold bullshit Kendall pulled. The difference between a man with intent and a boy playing games. Giving up Dominic in trade for all the contracts and secrecy suddenly seems a foolish thing to do.

“Where'd you go?” Dominic asks, squeezing my hand.

“Far away.”And nowhere good.

“Well, maybe you need something to ground you in the here and now,” Dominic says with a cheshire grin as he leans down. A million responses go through my head. I shouldn't. I can't. Friends hold hands, but friends don't kiss. I'm breaking the agreement I still hold clutched in my hand. But. I really want to kiss him. And it's killing me to know I will have to turn my head and let his lips graze my cheek.

He must telegraph my thoughts because he freezes. Then, as his gaze strays behind me, tension builds in his shoulders. And I know with a sixth sense exactly who looms behind me.

“You should leave the lady alone. She doesn't want your company.” Dominic says, pulling me in closer to him.

God love this man, and his chivalry.

“You left your bag," Kendall says, and I hear the smugness in his voice as he leans in close to my back. Hairs rise on my neck as he invades my personal bubble, electric energy personified.Under his breath, he mutters so only I can hear, “You are dangerously close to breach of contract, and it's only been eight hours.”

With a thunk and a clink, my purse hits the pavement near my feet. His message is clear. I can walk away from him, but he's still watching.

“You can leave now,” Dominic growls.

Kendall coughs. “I'll choose when and where I go, thanks.”

Behind us, Clara calls Kendall’s name. We’ve all abandoned her in the tuck shop.

"Look, it's clear you're into Helena, and it's clear she doesn't return the feeling, so why don't you just--" Dominic steps forward past me and comes chest to chest with Kendall. I’m caught in the middle of their bodies, edged out as they posture.

Kendall looms over Dominic, equally imposing. "You don't even know what you're talking about." Clara comes up behind us and I throw her a look that says how sorry I am.

"Oh, Don't I? You think that just because your daddy works here that you’re important? You wouldn’t be here without his big donation to the economics school. You can’t buy everything you want, and you certainly can’t buy class. So,Mister Saint James, you’re the one that doesn’t know whatyou’retalking about.” Dominic steps back, pulling my hand with him. “Come on, Helena. Let’s go.”

My mouth hangs open. No one talks to Kendall like this. And Dominic knows who Kendall's father is? He must have looked him up after I mentioned him the other night.

Dom catches my eye. “My cousin told me about him. I guess she is friends with Kendall’s roommate. I only just put the face to the name.”

---