Page 12 of Forbidden Bond

Her mouth curves slightly but she clears her throat.

“How would you know what my ‘scene’ is? We barely know each other.”

“True, but something tells me you’re not a party girl.” My eyes latch onto the solo cup in her hands. “I’d bet a hundred dollars there’s no alcohol in that cup.”

She smiles before lifting the cup to her lips and downing the contents. “I guess we’ll never know.”

She barely even flinched. It sure as hell wasn’t booze.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, pulling myself up and sitting on the kitchen counter. There are several drinks here but I don’t pay them any attention.

My eyes are on the woman with ashy blonde hair and intriguing blue eyes. They look like comets. I remember thinking that last week. It’s one of the reasons I came back after I left. I couldn’t stop thinking about her eyes. There’s something about them that just draws a person in.

“It’s a party, Topher. I was invited.”

I smile at the sound of my name on her lips. Her voice is soft, feminine. “How’s your car?”

“You have a lot of questions,” she states.

“I’m just curious, princess. This is me catching up on how your week has been since we met.”

“Pretty uneventful. This party’s the most interesting thing that’s happened and I hate it here.”

That makes me chuckle. “I knew you weren’t a party girl.”

She doesn’t comment on that. “My car’s still at the repair shop. It hasn’t gotten fixed yet.”

“Hmm,” I say. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her to bring her car to my garage, but Katherine doesn’t seem to know anything about me and I’d like to keep the air of mystery for a little while longer.

Her next words surprise me, though.

“Are you a dropout?”

I tilt my head in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

‘You said you were done with college. I was wondering if that meant you didn’t finish.”

“I finished, princess,” I say on a laugh. “I didn’t go to NYU, but I can assure you I graduated college.”

“Where?” she questions.

“I’m not telling. I’m mysterious, you’re intrigued. I’d like to keep you intrigued.”

“You’re not that mysterious,” she retorts. “I’ve always been a pretty good judge of character. I see you, Topher.”

“Really?” I drawl. No one ever sees me. “Come on, then. Judge me. What do you think of me?”

Her eyes trail over my face, inquisitive, studying. “You don’t like to play by the rules.”

I smirk. “I literally just drank a gallon of beer upside down. That’s obvious enough.”

Her blue eyes narrow in challenge. “Judging by the fact that you’re a graduate hanging around a college campus at a party for college students,” she emphasizes, “I’m going to say you’re immature, probably a rich guy who gets a kick out of being the rebellious son. You lay around all day, spending Daddy’s money without a care for anything or anyone.”

For the longest moment, I don’t say a word. I level her with a blank stare, not conveying an ounce of emotion at her assessment. She starts to shift under the weight of my gaze, and I can tell she feels a little guilty. She bites the corner of her lip, looking away.

“I’m sorry, that was harsh,” she says, blowing out a breath.

“No, it wasn’t.” I jump down from the kitchen counter. “Nice guess, princess. But you’re way off.”

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