Page 32 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

“I meant because of Logan,” I argue. “The guy sounds like a dying moose when he’s having sex. Please tell me it’s not a turn-on.”

Her jaw drops, her eyes crinkle in the corners, and she drops her head to her hands, laughing harder than I’ve ever seen. And I like it. That I could make her smile. That I could turn her frown upside down. I like it a lot. Her face turns redder and redder as she peeks at me between her fingers, too shocked to even catch her breath. “I. Cannot. Believe you said that!”

“But am I wrong?” I challenge.

Again, she shakes her head, refusing to look at me. A muttered, “no comment,” sneaks its way between her palms. Then, she wipes at the tears beneath her eyes from laughing so hard and looks up at me.

I like her laugh. It’s sweet. Light. And somehow manages to ease the ache in my chest from our earlier conversation. I wanna grab hold of it with both hands. Maybe record it and save it for a rainy day. For when it’s the anniversary of my dad’s death or something.

“So. How long have you known Logan?” she asks, calming down.

“Forever. We were next-door neighbors growing up. Played on the same hockey team. Did everything together.”

“How come I hadn’t heard of you?”

“Some shit went down right before graduation, and I kind of fell off the face of the earth, I guess.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all good,” I lie. “But yeah. Logan’s a good guy most of the time.”

“He is,” she agrees. “Most of the time.”

And for some reason, it bugs me. Because he isn’t a good guy when it comes to her. Not that I’ve seen, anyway. He’s sneaking around behind her back, and she has no idea. She’s not like other girls. She’s too sweet. Too innocent to understand the kind of guy she’s getting with Logan. Maybe it’s because of her shitty parents and her need to cling to anyone who gives her the time of day. Regardless, it pisses me off.

“Sometimes, I have to knock him down a peg or two,” I add as I fend off my frustration. “And since we went to different colleges initially, it seems Theo forgot to do it while I was away.”

“What do you mean? You’re going to knock Logan down a few pegs now that you’re back?”

“Maybe.”

She smiles, pressing the edge of her pen against her bottom lip as she eyes me curiously. “And how will you do it?”

My attention drops to her mouth. “Depends on my mood.”

“And right now?” she whispers, nibbling on the back of her pen. “What’s your mood telling you?”

Fuck.

I lean away from her, putting some distance between us as I open my laptop. “It’s telling me we should probably get started on the assignment.”

Sucking her lips between her teeth, she nods and sets the pen on her notebook, reaching for her own laptop like it’s a lifeline. “You’re right. Once practice ends and the guys get home, I’m sure paying attention to li’l ol’ me will be a bit more difficult.”

Doubt it, I think to myself, but I don’t reply.

“Which assignment do you need help with? If you’re not sure, I can always help you look up your grade. Buchanan’s pretty good about posting assignment grades through the student portal. I can show you if you’d like.”

“Yeah, I have no idea how to sign in to the portal.”

“Seriously?”

I shrug.

Lips pursed, she leans closer. “Let me show you.”

Her breast brushes against my bicep as she takes the lead and guides me through the online portal on my laptop.

Stealing another glance her way, I watch her straight, white teeth dig into her lower lip. She rolls her eyes and looks at me. “Dude. A zero? Seriously? You didn’t even turn the assignment in?”

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