Page 10 of Elusion

Shit.

I tear out of the house so fast that I jump over someone sitting on the stairs.

My stupid ass keeps a twenty-foot distance between us as we walk the blistering cold, snow-covered sidewalks back to her dorm. Dead phone. No coat. Number one contender for this year’s polar dip right here, folks.

I consider trying to catch up, but the last time, Callie warned me about the pepper spray on her keychain, and the time before, she threatened to call the cops. Someone has apparently already given her a random campus security speech on what to do if a stranger approaches.

After a car drives by with a drunk loser yelling at her out the passenger window, I once again attempt to cross the great divide. She ignores me but at least lets me walk next to her. I stay quiet, not willing to push my luck. Blocks pass without so much as a blink in my direction. Then, out of nowhere, she takes off her gloves and hands them to me. Any chivalry that would stop me from accepting the offer froze and fell off blocks ago.

It appears that braving subzero temperatures garners her sympathies. Good to know, except I don’t seek her sympathy. I just want to make sure she reaches the dorms without issue since she stubbornly refused to let me drive her or wait for a ride. Granted, chasing her down the street made the situation worse; therefore, I accept partial responsibility for my current predicament. A twenty-eighty split with her shouldering the brunt of the load.

She catches me staring at her and rolls her eyes. God, her sass is strong and the allure undeniable. It reels me back in, and I want to figure her out more than ever.

Maybe she’s a virgin. Sex tends to carry more emotional weight for the inexperienced ones, and my in-poor-taste joke offended her. Plausible.

Maybe she has a boyfriend. Colleges on opposite sides of the country forced them apart, but she remains determined to keep her promises. Admirable.

Maybe she’s hiding a deep, dark secret, like a Mafia boss father. She wants to keep him from putting a hit out on me, which he does to everyone she sleeps with. Dangerous.

Maybe—

Oh shit, we’re at her building.

I follow her inside, planning to apologize when she stops to dig out her keys. Only the key turns in the lock before I think of anything to say. She walks in but leaves the door open. Quite the symbolism.

Freshmen dorm suites. A common living space with two separate rooms attached. I do not miss these.

On the couch sits two girls. Their jaws slacken as I come in from the hall. Given the reaction, I gather Callie doesn’t frequently bring male visitors home. An observation that supports all three of my theories: a virgin with a boyfriend in California and a don for a father.

Somehow, I want her more.

“Jess, Cam, this is Jordan.” She motions over her shoulder in my vicinity without pausing.

I present an awkward wave while the one with light-brown hair undresses me with her eyes. The other, a dark blonde, shakes her head and returns her attention to the TV.

Callie hangs up her coat on her way to her room. I continue to shadow her because—might as well admit it—I’m nothing more than a hopeless puppy dog in the girl’s wake.

Above her bed on the wall hangs a bulletin board featuring a calendar with numbers written in the center of each day. Being after midnight, today’s one sixty-eight. She plans that far in advance, and I don’t know what I’m doing from one minute to the next.

On the nightstand, there’s a picture of her with a boy and girl. Siblings. The young girl resembles her, and the teenage boy shares both her hair color and high cheekbones. They appear to be a happy family, smiling, arms around each other.

“Call a ride,” she says, taking her gloves from my hand.

“Phone’s dead.”

She tosses me her unlocked phone.

I tap the browser and find the number for a cab but lose all motor function when she lifts her sweater over her head. The flawless skin on her back displays a single freckle on her shoulder blade, next to her purple bra strap.

My virgin theory takes on water as she slips her jeans down over her hips and steps out. The purple lace panties grip the curves of her ass, but my attention slides back north the second she unhooks her bra. Chivalry still lost to the frigid night, I watch her slide the straps down her arms and drop it on the floor. Callie reaches for a tank top, spinning around before she pulls it all the way on. The clear view of her perfect tits produces the appropriate biological response, and I’m hard.

She looks up, and my eyes fly back to the screen.

“Be right back.” She smirks on her way past me, well aware of her effect, even though I’ve lowered the phone to hide the proof. “Oh, and I really hope you enjoyed the show because I’mcertainyou won’t receive another one.”

The door shuts behind her, and my mouth falls open.Holy shit.She just gave me a payback erection for my dick comment. One I have to adjust before remembering to call for a cab.

While on hold, I pace the small room. Under normal circumstances, I would cut my losses and walk away without a second thought. But I’m starting to view Callie as a unique case. Something about her messes with my head.

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