Page 30 of Study Buddies

“I’m good. I want to keep going. We’re making progress.” Okay, that last part was a bit of a stretch, but I’d gotten a second wind.

“I’m still wired from the game,” Kyle said.

“Then let’s keep going,” Jayden said. Lucas nodded and returned to the back room.

A half hour later, I tossed out a pair of long satin gloves that were stiff with age. Then, while I was trying to figure out what to do with a can of hairspray, so dented that it looked to be a fire hazard, I heard Kyle’s voice.

“Here, Victoria.” I looked up in time to see him toss a small object at me. “I found a dirty book for you.”

I caught it, grasping the dusty paperback cover before it could slide out of my hands. “If it’s dirty, just throw it away, not at me.”

Jayden watched as I dusted off the torn cover. Then he dropped the bag he was holding and moved closer.

“Ah.Thatkind of dirty book.” He chuckled.

The cover was… suggestive. To say the least.

I looked up to catch Kyle’s smirk. “Who knew Great-Aunt Mabel was into that kind of thing?” he said.

“Hopefully not Lucas.” I tossed the book in the trash can and got back to work.

But when Jayden went upstairs, presumably to use the bathroom, I walked over to the corner Kyle was in. “We need to talk,” I said quietly.

“It was just a joke. I thought you’d find it funny that Lucas’s aunt read smut.”

“Not about that.” He still had his shirt off, but I was getting a little more used to the gorgeous view. In fact, I’d had the secret hope that maybe Jayden and Lucas would take theirs off too. But that wasn’t what I was supposed to be focusing on right now. “We need to find a time to work.”

He scowled. “I’m not going to spend my whole weekend down in this dump.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Not this work. We have to have a tutoring session. Your paper is due a week from today.”

“So? That’s plenty of time.”

“Not if you don’t meet with me or work on it on your own.”

“Are those my only two choices?”

“Yes, if you don’t want to fail the class.” Before he could say something sarcastic, I continued on. “Which would makemefail the class—which I really don’t want to do.”

“All right.” It blew my mind how he could make it sound like he was doing me a favor instead of the other way around. “How about tomorrow afternoon? But not too long. I’m going out.” His gaze scanned me up and down so quickly that I almost missed it. “You like frat parties?”

“Not my thing.”

Jayden jogged down the stairs, and I moved closer to Kyle so that we wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you want to study here or drive to campus?”

Kyle grimaced. “Arethosemy only two choices?”

“No, actually. Jayden told me there’s a coffee shop about a mile from here. Want to go there?”

“Sure.” He grinned. “I’ll even let you buy me a cold brew.”

This time I did roll my eyes, but I also laughed. “Deal.”

My energy was starting to flag when I decided to check out a closed door back behind the stairs. Due to the stuff piled in front of it, I only managed to get the door open a foot, but it was enough for me to see inside the narrow room. It was full of yet more boxes and random stuff, and at first, I assumed it was a walk-in closet. Then I panned the flashlight around and caught a glimpse of something reflective on the left wall. And above it, a row of three grimy glass globes high on the wall.

Jayden was a few feet away, flipping through a stack of brittle, yellowed papers.

“Hey, did you know there’s a bathroom down here?”

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