on the nightstand flashed a quarter after one in the morning. The ding came again.
Smacking around until I reached my cell, I picked it up and squinted at the message. I read it once. Thought I was still dreaming. Read it twice. Thought I forgot how to read. Then I sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. The dark room came into focus enough for me to see that the bed on the other side of the room was empty. I looked down at the phone again.
I need to talk to u
It was from Jase.
The second text read I’m outside, and my heart sped up.
Jase was here.
Chapter 3
I had to be dreaming.
At least that was how it felt as I found my flip-flops, slipped them on, and then grabbed my key card. For a brief moment I considered ignoring his text, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own.
I was definitely going to want to karate-chop myself in the morning for this.
As I left my suite, I began to fear that this was some kind of joke because how did Jase know which dorm I was in? Even if he knew it was in West Woods, there were six buildings that made up the complex. I doubted he’d asked Cam.
My stomach dipped and twisted into complicated little knots as I walked down the stairs, clutching the railing. Darkness seeped in from the windows on the landing. Maybe I was really dreaming and this would become a nightmare. The railing would turn into a snake—God, I hated snakes—total Beetlejuice style.
Cringing, I pulled my hand away from the smooth metal of the railing and limped my way to the first floor. The lobby was silent with the exception of the soft hum and whirl of a dryer located in laundry services.
As I stepped into the night, tiny bumps spread over my flesh. I wished I’d had the foresight to grab a cardigan. There was a surprising chill to the night air.
I stopped on the porch, clutching the key card until it left little indents in my hand as I scanned the walkway and trees lining the path. All the benches were empty. There was no one out here. Besides the chirps of crickets, the only sound was distant laughter and faint music, punctuated every so many seconds with a happy shout.
My heart turned over heavily as I stepped off the porch, pushing my hair out of my face with my free hand. This was a joke. Or maybe he meant to text someone else and was waiting outside of her dorm. My skin prickled at the thought of him texting any other girl at one in the morning, which was stupid.
I shuffled several feet down the walkway, peering between the trees and thick hedges. The hollows of my cheeks started to burn as I stopped in the middle of the pathway. I shifted my weight from my aching leg to the other. What was I doing out here? I didn’t even bring my phone with me. It had to be a mistake or a joke or a—
A thick shadow broke free from under the trees, moving between the hedges. The form was tall and solid and as it stepped into the pillar of light cast from the lamppost, my mouth dropped open. It was Jase, but what was he doing back there? As he turned toward me, his hands left the zipper area of his jeans. Oh my God.
‘Jase?’ I hissed, hurrying the rest of the way toward him.
His chin lifted at the sound of my voice. ‘There you are.’ He said it like he’d been waiting forever and a day for me. One side of his lips kicked up. ‘You’re here.’
There was a flutter in my chest at the sight of his half smile. Recalling what he had said to me earlier helped me ignore the dumbass butterfly in my chest. ‘Were you just peeing?’
The half grin spread. ‘I had to use the bathroom.’
‘In a bush?’
‘Someone needed to water it.’
My lips twitched as I stared up at him. The unruly mop of hair fell across his forehead, brushing the edges of his eyes. The old, vintage style T-shirt he wore stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. As he lifted his hand to push his hair back, he revealed a slice of skin between his low-hanging jeans and his shirt. Rock-hard abs peeked out.
I averted my gaze because that was the last thing I needed to be staring at. ‘You’re drunk.’
‘Ah …’ He swayed to the left like there was some kind of invisible gravitational pull I was unaware of. ‘I wouldn’t go as far as to say I am drunk. Maybe a little buzzing.’
I arched a brow as he wavered to the right. That’s when I noticed the little pink box on the bench. ‘Is that yours?’
He followed my gaze and then grinned. ‘Shit. I forgot about it. Brought you a present.’
My brows shot up as he leaned over, nearly falling on his face before catching himself at the last moment, and picked up the box. ‘What is it?’
He handed it over. ‘Something as yummy as me.’
I snorted out a very attractive laugh as I looked down. Through the clear plastic top I could make out a huge, oversized cupcake. I glanced at Jase.
One shoulder went up in a shrug. ‘Cupcakes are good. Thought I’d be good and share with you.’
‘Thank you.’ I pried open the box and dipped my pinkie in the icing. Tasting it, I nearly moaned at the sweet richness.
Jase swallowed as he looked away. ‘I think I’ll sit down. You should too … you know, because of your leg.’
Like I somehow forgot that.
Jase watched me as I eased down, finding my knee stiffer than normal. ‘Is your leg bothering you?’
I opened my mouth, but he rushed on. ‘I didn’t even think about that. You probably shouldn’t be on your leg so much and—’
‘I’m okay.’ I took a quick bite of the cupcake. It was like a sugary orgasm in my mouth. ‘Want some?’
‘Hells yeah.’
I broke the cupcake in half and handed him his half. Within five seconds, he’d devoured it. I finished mine off pretty quickly and after tossing the box in a nearby trash can, I took a deep breath. ‘You didn’t come here just to give me a cupcake, right?’
‘Ah, no.’
‘What … what are you doing here, Jase?’
He didn’t answer immediately, but when his gray gaze settled on me, his eyes were surprisingly sharp. ‘I want to talk to you.’
‘That much I got, but I think you said everything you wanted to say already, and you showing up here is the last thing I expected.’ I felt like a bitch for throwing it out there like that, but it was true. And he sort of deserved it. I was no one’s doormat.
Jase looked away as his shoulders tensed, then he came forward and sat down beside me. The smell of alcohol was faint as he looked at me. Without saying a word, he reached over and plucked up my free hand. My eyes widened as he lifted
