Rushed: Hushed Part 2

Zach spotted me and waved. He said something to the girl and came toward me while I pondered ways to kill my only brother. If Ian had also infiltrated my other friends and the rest of my study partners...

Olivia had to be in on this, too! I cursed them both. Including Olivia's laughter at my gut feeling about this cla.s.s. And her stupid offer to buy dark chocolate.

Ian paused at the end of the aisle and looked up as he waited for the girl to go in first. Our eyes met. Mine snapping with sisterly indignation. His a startling hazel that were almost green in the light and held absolutely no spark of recognition. Only a healthy appreciation of what he saw. A real player.

c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p!

Now that he was closer I realized he was not my brother. Definitely not my brother. And not just because Ian's eyes were blue.

I couldn't help staring at this guy, really gawking. If I hadn't forced myself to maintain some composure, my jaw would have been on the floor. This guy's eyes and face were the same shape as Ian's. His hair the same color. He smiled the same charismatic, confident smile my brother used on all the girls. He even had the same characteristic dimple in just his right cheek. But he was s.e.xy as h.e.l.l. And worse, I was reacting to him!

I had a hot brother-like, a really hot brother. When he walked down the street, girls looked. Even though he was way older than me, my friends thought he was smokin'. You know what a disability having a brother like that is? Your friends always asking if he'll be around and drooling all over him when he is?

I thought it was worse for Mom. I mean, it had to be worse having your friends tell you how s.e.xy your son was. And that he could turn them into cougars. Mom seemed mellow about it, taking it in good humor. Her pride evident as she threatened to lock up her baby boy. Ha! But there had always been something wistful about her, too. Something I couldn't understand.

They say everyone has a twin out there somewhere. I'd just run into my brother's younger, hotter double. I couldn't stop staring at him. Which was probably totally giving him the wrong impression.

Zach set his backpack down and looked at me, confused, like, What the h.e.l.l are you staring at? Or maybe it was more like, Oh c.r.a.p, not again.

"Maddie, this is my roommate, Seth." Zach's brow furrowed, as if he was expecting trouble. He sounded almost tentative as his gaze bounced between Seth and me. As if he sensed my immediate l.u.s.t for his roommate, like someone had sprayed pheromones in the air. And Zach just wanted them put back in the bottle.

Hey, hanging around Ian, I knew the feeling and sympathized completely. I'd had it many times myself.

"And Kayla," Zach said. "Seth, Kayla, Maddie."

Oh, c.r.a.p, I thought as recognition dawned. His roommate? The charmer of the Double Deltsie house. I wanted to laugh at myself and the total ridiculousness of the whole situation. So much for intuition and my life-changing HBM 225 cla.s.s. Not only did Seth obviously have a girlfriend-boo, not much chance for me-Zach, always acting like a protective brother, had warned me off him. Since, I dunno, the first time he'd mentioned Seth.

"Hey, Maddie." Seth's voice was deep and s.e.xy, too. Like he could be on the radio. How unfair was that?

He gave me a definite up-and-down. With Kayla right next to him. Douche. Like Ian, he was used to girls liking his attention. That much was pretty clear.

"Nice to meet you, Kayla." I smiled at her.

She flashed me a smile as her gaze, too, bounced between Seth and me with a knowing look in her eye. Which I didn't understand at all.

Finally, I gave Seth my undivided attention. "So you're the infamous Seth." I smiled like I wasn't interested in him. Like his charm had no effect on me. Even though I was lying and my pulse was racing as if I'd just sprinted a mile. "The other guy on campus who lives in a sorority."

I don't know why I said it that way, like I was putting him down. Maybe I was just subliminally trying to fight feeling attracted to a guy who reminded me of my brother. To the ultimate hookup king.

"Lived." Seth seemed intent on correcting me. "I moved in with Zach at his apartment at semester. And to be clear, your math is off. There were four of us houseboys." His smile deepened. "And you must be Zach's study partner, the infamous Maddie."

"Infamous?" What had Zach said about me? I shot him an inquiring look.

The bell rang before either guy could answer. The instructor, Chef Steven, took the podium.

I pulled my laptop out to take notes. No, my intuition is wrong this time. But my gaze kept drifting back to Seth. No, not him. Definitely not him. He can't be the good thing I've had a feeling about.

Seth Maddie. Maddie. Maddie. She was hot. Simply gorgeous. I couldn't get her out of my mind. I barely heard Chef Steven's lecture. Something about kitchen safety and the set of knives we were supposed to order for lab. She'd messed with my mind so badly I couldn't concentrate. If I accidentally sliced my finger off in the kitchen, it was good to know it would all be because of a girl. Then again, what wasn't?

I hadn't been looking for a girl. Certainly not in this cla.s.s, among the usual HBM suspects and Zach's food science buddies. Then I spotted Maddie all alone in a row of seats and was mesmerized. Partly by her indifference to me. Give me a challenge and I will take it.

When cla.s.s ended, she grabbed her backpack and dashed into the far aisle like she was in a big hurry to escape. Like we had BO or something.

I pushed Zach and Kayla to keep up with her, almost running over them to get next to her. I couldn't let her escape without making an impression.

"Maddie?" I grabbed her arm, stopping her from disappearing into the crowded hall. As I did, I caught a whiff of her perfume. "Where's the fire? Come get some coffee with us."

She looked into my eyes and away again just as quickly. "Thanks. I can't. My next cla.s.s is across campus."

"Maybe another time?"

She nodded.

"When's your lab?"

Her eyes were wide as she answered, "Thursday at one."

"Good." I grinned down at her. "So's mine. I'll see you there." I released her arm.

She nodded and raced off.

Zach and Kayla came up beside me.

"So's yours?" Kayla laughed at me. "You have lab tomorrow at nine."

"Not anymore." I watched Maddie until she disappeared around a corner. "I think she likes me."

Kayla shook her head. "Yeah. Sure looks that way." She shoved me playfully and pointed between us. "I think she thinks you and me..."

"No." I shook my head. Kayla had a douchebag boyfriend named Eric. She and I were just pals. Had been since I started working at the house.

Zach lifted one eyebrow, like he agreed with her.

"s.h.i.t," I said. "Zach, buddy, wingman, you're going to have to talk me up and make it clear I'm single."

"If she's interested, she'll check out your status online," he said.

I shook my head. "Not all of us update that s.h.i.t."

"Guys!" Kayla sighed. "I have a cla.s.s across campus, too. I have to run." She rolled her eyes and grinned before turning to walk off.

I watched her go and turned to Zach. "You've been holding out on me. How come you never mentioned how hot Maddie is? One look at her and you know she's my type."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Dude, I told you about Maddie. Dozens of times. I even tried to set you up. Before I realized she's totally sweet and deserves better than a commitment-phobe like you."

I looked at him blankly. I didn't remember him mentioning Maddie as anything but a smart chick.

He laughed. "You were after some other girl at the time. You blew me off. Why would I push it? I gave up."

Zach started walking. "You missed your opp, dude. Did you see the way she ran off like she couldn't stand the sight of your ugly face? Maddie's not into your type."

"My type? What's that supposed to mean?" I fell into step with him.

He punched me playfully in the arm. "Guys who rely on their looks and charisma to get by."

"You're saying I have no substance? Bulls.h.i.t."

"Not me, bro." Zach kept walking. "You said it." He pushed the door to the outside open. "But if the shoe fits..."

"You're full of c.r.a.p." I took a deep breath of the bracing air.

"Make it easy on yourself-don't change your lab to get into hers. Leave her alone. You're setting yourself up for failure."

Like h.e.l.l, I thought. Maddie was the first girl I'd met in a long time who intrigued me.

Chapter 2.

Maddie My brother lived in a rented house on a hill across town from campus in the professional, and new, part of town. The house had a spectacular view of campus and the signature clock tower, and rolling wheat fields. He picked me up after my last cla.s.s of the day. I studied Ian while he drove.

He frowned. "What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"

I scrunched my mouth to one side and looked at him like he was under my microscope, trying not to laugh at my own inside joke. And make him uncomfortable at the same time. How had I confused Seth for him? "No. You're fine."

"Then what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm trying to decide what the girls see in you." I was really trying to a.n.a.lyze my instant attraction to Seth.

When Ian grinned, his smile was eerily like Seth's. Or maybe Seth's was eerily like his. Ian was older and I'd known him all my life, so he should be the standard.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said.

I shook my head. "Oh, brother! And I mean that literally." I sighed with mock exasperation.

He pulled into a spot in front of my favorite Chinese restaurant and shut off the car. "I'll run in and pick up our carryout. I'll be just a minute. Are you coming in or waiting in the car?"

"Coming in, of course." I slid out of the car and met him at the door.

He held the restaurant door open for me. When he stepped inside next to me, I slid my arm through his and laughed as I leaned my head on his shoulder. And batted my eyes at him like he was just the most adorable thing on the planet. Like I was madly in love with him and totally flirting with him.

He shook his head. "Not that again! I thought you'd outgrown pretending I'm your boyfriend to impress your friends." He grinned and glanced pointedly around the near-empty place. "Who are you trying to impress?"

"No one. I'll never outgrow teasing you, big bro."

As a kid, I used to use him for a fake boyfriend to make all the other girls green with envy. We were both blond, but we didn't look alike. Which helped with the deception. "Besides, dating a prof is hot!"

He sighed like he was resigned. And let me hang on his arm as if he barely tolerated it as we walked to the counter. He'd called in an order. It was waiting for us. He put up with me making a show of pretending we were a couple.

"First meal together in our new house," I said to the girl at the counter in a giddy, gooey voice. That sickening we're-so-in-love-and-want-everyone-to-know-it voice.

"Ah!" she said, like that was so sweet! "Congratulations."

Man, this place really should hire someone who wasn't quite so naive.

I was shaking with laughter when we reached the car.

"That was cruel," Ian said.

"But fun!"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

The drive to his house took less than ten minutes. I carried the food in and set it on the counter of his gleaming kitchen, with its totally unused stainless steel appliances. He'd moved in less than a week ago and clearly hadn't made use of the kitchen yet. There were boxes everywhere.

"We could have eaten at the restaurant," I said, looking around, hoping he'd unpacked some dishes.

"And put up with you making eyes at me like it was a great joke? And playing footsie under the table? No thanks."

I laughed and looked around for dishes. "Um, plates?"

"No idea. Eating out of the cartons is part of the fun." He opened the bag. "Chopsticks! Excellent. I haven't unpacked the flatware yet, either."

"You're becoming an absentminded professor." I opened his fridge and grabbed two cans of beer and put them on the table. "Like I said, we could have eaten at the restaurant."

He shook his head. "I wanted to use the kitchen."

"You call this using the kitchen?" I carried the cartons of takeout to the table and opened them up.

He handed me a pair of chopsticks. "I wanted to talk to you in private, okay? Sib to sib. No prying eyes."

I dug into my food. "That sounds ominous." Bad news ran counter to my gut good feeling about the semester. "And here I thought you just wanted to hear about my first couple days of cla.s.s. And tell me about yours."

I shot him a worried look, trying to sound teasing to cover my fears. "Are the girls in your cla.s.ses already falling all over themselves to get to know the dreamy Dr. Foster? Office hours packed full of helpless coeds desperate for your, ahem, knowledge?" I laughed again.

"Can it, kid sis."

"I worry about you, Ian. Personally, I don't see your appeal." I grinned to cover my apprehension. "But girls tell me you're hot. Way too hot to be a chemistry prof."

An image of Seth flashed through my mind. Why couldn't I get him out of it?

Even though I was teasing Ian, this was serious business. Ian had left his last position over some baseless accusations made by a grad student TA of his. She'd been in love with him and jealous when he "spurned her" for a fellow professor. Even though he'd never encouraged her affections in any way. In retaliation, she accused him of falsifying his research and making unwanted advances toward her. One look at her and anyone could tell she wasn't Ian's type.