Page 16 of Corrupt Me

Me:

Seriously! Damn.

Sam was bringing her car. I’d decided to leave mine at home, seeing as I expected to be living right on campus, but now... The prospect of having my car would have been nice. I would just have to make Sam drive me around. No big deal.

If she ever got here.

Sam:

No shit. So how is our dorm?

Me:

Uh, not a dorm.

Sam:

What does that mean?

Me:

You’ll see.

Sam:

KK. I’ll see you tomorrow. And you better have the fucking champagne chilled.

I chuckled, tucking my phone into the back pocket of my white shorts, and set forth to get the dirty job of settling in done. An hour later, I took a break, my stomach growling, reminding me it had been hours since I ate. I decided to wander the campus, do a bit of exploring, and grab something to eat, seeing as I had the rest of the day to myself. The late afternoon sun still shone golden in the sky, so walking around campus alone should still be relatively safe.

Grabbing my keys off the desk, I meandered down the hall to use the bathroom on my floor. It was nothing fancy and had all the necessary elements. A shower with a tub, sink, toilet, and a larger cabinet with three shelves for storage. I assumed each room had a shelf. Convenient. I wouldn’t have to haul my bathroom essentials back and forth each morning.

I took the elevator downstairs and peeked into the kitchen, fully stocked with gleaming stainless-steel appliances, barstools, and a long table. The dining area opened to the common room with a brick fireplace the same color as the exterior of the building taking up the back wall. A large TV hung above the mantel, and a spacious soft gray sectional wrapped in an L-shape in front of the hearth. The couch was occupied.

I stopped in my tracks and blinked.WTF.

I blinked again. Was I really seeing... It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. I had to be delulu. Dreaming or something. Sleepwalking? Had I fallen asleep earlier?

Normally, seeing a guy and a girl cuddled up on the couch making out wouldn’t have fazed me. And I would have tiptoed my ass back into the kitchen and left them to it, but this guy... He wasn’t any random guy.

He was…

“Tristan?” I squeaked, staring as his hand ran up the girl’s thigh. It halted at the sound of my voice.

The guy pulled his lips off the girl’s and tilted his head in my direction. Eyes of piercing blue connected with mine.

No. Fucking. Way.

Tristan Malone had a way of looking straight into you. No bullshit. No games. It often left me feeling so exposed and vulnerable around him. But this time, anger rocketed inside me.

Not giving two shits that he was in the middle of a make-out session, I stalked right up to the asshole and demanded, “What the fuck are you doing here?” I didn’t care he had a girl in his lap. Nor did I give a rat’s ass that it was literally the first day on campus and he had a fucking girl in his lap!

His damn lips curled into a lopsided grin that made my insides feel like I’d swallowed a bucket of Pop Rocks. Fireworks exploded, and then he opened his mouth. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”

The girl gave me an annoyed look as she wound her hand around the back of Tristan’s neck, but I didn’t care. She was insignificant to me. “You mean an asshole? And, yeah, it is.”

Tristan’s deep chuckle resounded, deepening those damn dimples. “Come on, Ever. Don’t be like that.”

My hands flew to my hips. “Me! You’re the one who—” I stopped myself and lifted my chin. “You’re not worth it. Go to hell, Tristan.” I went to turn around and stalk from the room, but his hand gripped my arm. My head turned back in his direction, my eyes narrowing.

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