Derek hadn’t told her a thing. “The only car Derek cares about is his own.”
Rennie studied her face for a moment, his expression not quite a frown, but one of confusion. As if what she’d said didn’t make sense. “Thanks. For the offer. If I do use it, I’ll run it by the shop and make sure it’s in good shape.”
Wow. That wasn’t what she’d expected at all. “Why would you do that?”
“Because that’s another thing my dad taught me to do.”
“Take care of cars?”
“Well, yeah. But I was talking about taking care of people.”
“You’re lucky then,” she said, looking down at her hands and wishing Derek would hurry up and get back. Her pulse was racing too hard, her heart softening. “A lot of parents teach their kids that everything is easily solved with money.”
He snorted. “You mean it’s not?”
She smiled, tugged on her pinky ring. “It could be, I suppose, but it means more if you have to work for it, right?”
This time he laughed, chuckled really, the sound deep and full and honest. “I’m a prick. I admit it.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” she said, a strange thrill spinning in the pit of her stomach, her voice dropping as she added, “I wouldn’t say that at all.”
The seconds that followed ticked by in silence, and Milla wished she could take back her careless words. She was playing with a fire that she sensed could get her burned—and burned badly. Yet she didn’t understand why.
She was happy enough with Derek. She didn’t need the sort of complications a guy like Rennie Bergen would bring to her life. But she couldn’t stop herself from playing with the fire that had started the minute they’d found themselves alone.
She wanted to know if it was her, or if it was Rennie making her feel this way. She wanted to know if this antsy restlessness, this itchy anticipation, was what she should be feeling for Derek.
Finally, Rennie moved, clearing his throat as he walked toward the bed. “If not a prick, then what?”
Misunderstood, she wanted to say. Hard to read. Impossible to figure out. Instead she got up and headed for the door. “I need to go. Tell Derek I waited as long as I could. I’ve got a psych paper coming due, and I need to get back to it.”
“Wait,” he called just as her hand found the doorknob. “Milla, wait.”
Hearing him say her name…She bowed her head, dropped her chin to her chest, her forehead against the door. She didn’t say a word. Just closed her eyes, held her breath and waited for what she’d been wanting so terribly since he’d walked into the room.
She felt him when he drew close. Felt his shadow. Felt his heat. She also felt so small, so fragile…and so in the wrong.
She and Derek were exclusive. That meant being faithful. Not cheating. Resisting the temptation of lust. But, oh, it was so hard to do when her heart was beating as if it had finally found a reason to do so, as if it never wanted to stop.
“Turn around,” Rennie said softly, and without a second thought she did, her hands coming up between them to push him away, to keep their bodies apart. He took hold of her wrists and pinned them to the door on either side of her head.
“We can’t do this,” she argued, looking no higher than the dip in his throat where his pulse hammered and his veins popped. “It’s not fair to Derek.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Derek,” Rennie said, his voice a deep, throaty growl. “This is about you and me.”
“There is no you and me.” She swallowed hard, hating herself for not pulling away, for being too weak to walk out like she should.
Her chest heaved as she waited, her hardened nipples drawing Rennie’s gaze to her bright-red T-shirt. “We’re the only ones here.”
“Rennie, please,” she found herself saying, found herself whimpering, not knowing if she was begging him to stop or to go on.
Her eyes were closed so she didn’t see him lower his head. She didn’t see the way he parted his lips, or the way his nostrils flared. She didn’t see the downward sweep of his lashes that hid the glimmer of emotion in his eyes.
But she imagined it all. And then his mouth was on hers, his body dipping to align with hers, his tongue pushing forward to find hers and play.
She opened her mouth because she had to. And she didn’t even pretend to struggle against his hold.
It was a beautiful kiss, and she wanted to cry. He was tender, the press of his lips firm, yet yielding, the stroke of his tongue like being licked by a flame.
She shuddered and kissed him, giving up the parts of herself she was used to holding back, understanding nothing of the reason for what or why she did.
All she knew was that Rennie Bergen filled the very need he’d brought into existence. A need from which she would never be able to kiss herself free.
It was too much, more than she knew what to do with, more than she was ready for. And it was a very big more she was afraid she couldn’t live without.
Finally she pulled her mouth from his, tugged loose her hands and ducked out from under his body. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got to go.”
He let her. He stepped out of the way, allowed her to open the door, didn’t stop her from scurrying down the hall. But he did laugh.
She heard it echo behind her. The sound was dry and bitter, as if she’d proved him right. She didn’t have it in her to stay and work for what she wanted.
Like her kind did, she was taking the easy way out.
WHAT IN THE HELL was a girl like Milla Page doing with a guy like Derek Randall? Rennie liked Derek well enough, but the other guy had made it clear that he was in school to party, and Milla was not a party girl. Until tonight, Rennie hadn’t known that. He hadn’t known it at all.
If he were judging her by her looks alone and the fact that she came from money…yeah, he could see her squeaking by in school and having a hell of a good time in the process. She had the face, the body, the perfect tits and ass. But that was such a small part of who she was.
And he wished he hadn’t discovered the truth. That she was nice, thoughtful, funny and smart. Because while Rennie didn’t have a problem with partying, he was here for the degree. And now he was going to have a hard time thinking of Milla as Derek’s—and keeping his mind on school.
He’d seen her with Derek but always at a distance, and hadn’t talked to her until tonight. She wasn’t anything like what he’d expected. A girl dating Derek Randall, the All-American party-boy jock, had to be as shallow and self-absorbed as he was. Milla was anything but. Meaning the best thing Rennie could’ve done was stay out of her way.
Instead he’d done the worst.
He
