Page 25 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

It did. His palm stroked her jaw and glided around her neck to cup the back of her head. Then his mouth opened under hers, and his tongue took over. Swept along by the overwhelming pull of his coaxing touch, she kissed him back, closing her eyes and meaning it from the bottom of her soul.

He didn’t pull away at once but bit by bit, easing his touch, slowing the drag of his lips, nuzzling his nose to hers until there was just enough space between them again for him to say, “I had an amazing night tonight.”

“I…” Her mind still hadn’t returned from its trip into euphoria. After drawing in a deep breath, she slurred, “I did too.”

He smiled, his brown eyes warm with tenderness and affection. “So…same time and place tomorrow?” he repeated with enough hope in his voice that she nodded without a thought to how much trouble she was getting herself into.

When his nurse re-entered the room, toting a cart full of supplies to patch Jonah’s hand, Tess jumped back guiltily.

The nurse arched a censorious eyebrow. “Still here?”

Tess gulped. “I was just leaving.” She darted a farewell glance at Jonah. When his eyes glittered with something warm and affectionate, she waved and turned away, hurrying for the exit. She tried to hurry away from the all the feelings he was stirring inside her, but it didn’t matter how fast she moved, they followed her wherever she went, growing at a crazy speed.

Chapter Seven

TESS HAD NO IDEA why she tiptoed when she entered her dark dorm room. She already knew Bailey was the lightest sleeper known to mankind. As soon as the hallway light flooded into the chamber when Tess opened the door and slipped inside, her roommate stirred in her bed across the room.

The light flickered on.

“You had my car all day.”

Tess slumped her shoulders, shut the door, and leaned against it, feeling drained. “I know. I’m sorry.” Biting her lip, she offered Bailey an apologetic wince before she fished into her huge purse to pull out Bailey’s car keys and toss them across the room. “But you’ve never minded before.”

Bailey caught the keys with both hands and cradled them against her chest. Her eyes narrowed as her forehead wrinkled. “Because I’ve always known what you were doing before. Now…now you’re like hiding things from me. And what is up with that glow on your face? Did you just win the lottery or something? Oh my God, are you drunk?”

“No! I’m not drunk. I—” Tess’s face burned hot as she lowered her gaze to the carpet. “I was at the hospital,” she mumbled into her chest.

She pushed away from the door and busied herself by setting her purse on her desk and shrugging off her coat.

“You…” Bailey groaned and tossed her keys to the floor beside her bed. “Please don’t tell me you’re still obsessed with that amnesia guy. Tessie…”

Hearing an approaching lecture in Bailey’s voice, Tess hurried to add, “And before that, I drove to Bristol to find his parents.”

“What! In my car?”

Tess pulled her shirt off, preparing herself for bed. “I filled it back up with gas.”

“That’s not the point.” Slapping her hand to her forehead, Bailey let out a miserable groan. “The point is that you’re worse off than I thought. Look, I know you want to make the world a better place, but some people’s messed-up lives are better off—”

“And he was Einstein’s roommate,” Tess added with a whisper and cautious glance toward their bathroom door as if Paige might be listening at the lock and could hear everything.

Bailey’s mouth snapped shut. Then she blinked. “What?”

After wiggling out of her pants, Tess slipped on a large old comfortable shirt she’d stolen from one of her brothers and crawled into her bed

.

“I found out last night when I went to his room. Some guy from across the hall told me who had lived there. There was yellow police tape stretched across the door and everything.” She shivered and hugged herself, burrowing deeper under the protection of her blankets. “It was really creepy.”

“Oh man.” Bailey breathed and then wrinkled up her face and scowled at Tess. “I knew you were keeping something from me when you came back last night, all quiet and thoughtful. Why didn’t you tell me then?”

Tess shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what it means.”

“Well, I’d say it means your fake boyfriend must’ve been a pretty crappy roomie to get himself shot up three freaking times by his own roommate.”

Another quiver of dread ran up the back of her spine as Tess shuddered again. “Can you just imagine? Realizing the very person who’s been sleeping in the same room with you for an entire semester is crazy enough to go on a shooting spree.” She paused to give Bailey the stink eye. “Wait. You haven’t been feeling any overwhelming urges to—”

“Whatever.” Bailey threw a pillow at her. “You’ve known me way too long to even ask that.”

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