Page 16 of Reckless Temptation

“At the library?” he asked.

I nodded. “I need to take notes from the books and archives there.” Not to mention the digital access to the tomes and articles I couldn’t get to on my personal laptop, which was still sluggish after that drop.

“I can drive you,” he offered.

“Thanks, but that’s okay.” I shook my head, aware that he was hoping not to fill up the gas tank before payday came. “There’s a bus that goes late. I don’t want to keep you from relaxing. You had a long day, too.” I stood, hiding the pain in my knee as I approached him and hugged him as he sat.

After a quick shower, I stowed my things in an older backpack since my messenger bag was still drying. Even though I prided myself in always dressing like a professional for all things related to school, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad to stick with cutoffs and an old band T-shirt instead of the blouse and skirt I usuallywore to class. It was late. Not many students would see me. No professors would.

I got on the bus and rode to campus, but I had to walk the rest of the way to the library. Exercising my legs felt both good and bad. Working some motion into my knee helped, but my feet ached from being on them most of the day.

I hung my head, too tired to bother with lifting it and striding with purpose. The idea of redoing everything from scratch for my assignment was daunting.

If I had to be honest with myself, today had taken the wind out of me. First with Elise making me question whether I should go for that internship, then the bullying and fall into the fountain, which had me tense with my fear of drowning and not knowing how to swim.

“Still not looking where you’re going, huh?”

I jerked my head up, furrowing my brow as I peered ahead at the source of that gruff, snarky growl.

And then him, too.This scowling man had completed the trifecta of why I was in a bad mindset all day.

It was the same jerk from before, the tall guy who hadn’t helped me in the hallway. I never cared for charity, not accepting it. Ineverasked for help. But it would’ve been nice of him to step off my paper instead of forcing me to rip it free.

“Not you again,” I muttered.

I didn’t want to know why he was hanging around on the campus square this late. Paint splatters on his jeans suggested he was one of the art students. His long, messy, dark hair and the faintstubble on his lean jaw told me he was rough around the edges. And the tats up and down his muscled arms?

He wastrouble. Hot, tempting, and sexy trouble.

But he was trouble.

That was all I needed to know about this stranger.

I had zero time or energy for trouble in any shape or form. All I intended to focus on was graduating as well as I could and landing whatever work experiences that I could. Anything that would get me in the best standing to make money to help my parents and to give back to the community.

It seemed that the universe had more lousy misfortune in store for me today, though. I’d never crossed paths with this bad boy before and it seemed like a cosmic joke that I would twice in one day.

“Excuse me,” I said, planning to walk past him and pretend he didn’t exist.

Simply continuing on my way was easier said than done with how he blocked the path.

A couple of other guys laughed and smoked off to the side, probably his deviant friends. Two girls who looked way younger than us giggled with them, tipping back bottles of beer.

If they wanted to choose this spot for a party, I’d leave them to it. I wanted no part in it.

I wanted no part of anything to do with him.

“And you’re still in a hurry?” He stepped closer, looming so tall over me as he glowered at me. Just like before. He was seething,so full of anger, and I had no clue what possessed him to take it out on me.

“Still rushing somewhere?” He didn’t stop, stalking up close until he was almost in my personal space. “You’re such an important, busy person. Places to go, people to see?”

“Not people to fuck,” one of the girls joked. “No one’s going to wantthat.”

I tore my gaze from this tall stranger to glance at her, finding her sneering at me like I was unwanted filth. Being some guy’s eye candy wasn’t my goal. I didn’t care how fuckable I looked. I only worried about my grades, my reputation as a law student. Still, did she have to go there? Were there any nice people left in the world today?

“I don’t know about that.”

I flinched, looking at the guy again after he saidthat.

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