The Ruby Riot Series: Box Set Part 62

"Unlikely."

We continue in silence until he nudges me in the ribs with his elbow. "You're awesome."

I nudge him back. "And you have ten minutes before I need to leave. There's somewhere I need to be."

"Fleur." Nate pauses and sits on the bench we're pa.s.sing. "Before we go inside, I want to say something"

I shiver. "If it's quick. Why can't you tell me when we get into the Union?"

"I don't want anybody to hear. The other part, I'd rather tell you in public."

I pull my coat hood up. "You are very odd, Nate."

"One of a kind." He wrinkles his nose. "One of a pair."

"Must be weird being a twin."

"Yeah. I can give you a list of answers if you like. People ask the same questions, I wrote them down."

"Did you?"

"Nah."

Jesus, that smile could charm the pants off anybody.

A couple pa.s.s by, holding hands and not giving us a second glance. Nate pats the bench. "Sit next to me."

I place myself on the rough wooden seat and cross my legs away from him. "Part one of my evening confessions," he says.

Confessions?

He looks directly into my eyes. "I don't want to f.u.c.k you."

I stand. "Okay! Let's not go down this route again."

Nate grabs my hand with cool fingers and the shockwaves his touch cause take me by surprise. "Listen. Sit."

As I lower myself back onto the bench, Nate pulls his jacket collar to his ears and looks at his boots. "Like I said, I wasn't myself that night. I like you. A lot."

"Thank you."

"No, Fleur. I like you." He emphasises the word like and fixes me with a startling look. I've never seen serious in his eyes. "I think about you all the time and when I upset you the other night I was f.u.c.king furious with... myself. Until then, we were growing closer. I think?" I stare back. "I screwed up, I know. But I want you to understand, whatever happens and whatever is said, I care about you. You might not believe me in about half an hour, but it's true."

Nate touches my face and I can't move, lost in the sincerity of his speech and the soft expression on his face. Shaun's words were hollow but Nate's come from somewhere deeper.

"I came to the group for help but was never serious. I got bored after studying for more than a week. I stayed because I wanted to be around you as much as anything else." He picks at the edge of his jacket. "This is gonna sound really weird, but I waited two years to talk to you. What's weirder is once I did, every time you smiled at me, each piece of your time you gave, made my day better. You're a world away from the girls in my life who've been one long stream of nothing. I want someone like you. I mean, I want you."

I frown. "Are you taking the p.i.s.s out of me?"

"What? No!"

"Why would you be interested in me? We have nothing in common!"

"Yes, we do!"

"What?"

"We study the same subject. And..." He pauses and chews on his lip piercing. "We're human."

"Allegedly."

"You're awesome and s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, and so am I."

"Should we add humble to the list?"

He straightens and clicks his fingers. "You like to help people! And me, too. I helped you twice."

I flinch at the reminder of Shaun. "That's not exactly a deep connection, Nate."

"Hmm." He rubs his legs and glances around before whispering, "I like Taylor Swift, and so do you."

I snort-giggle. "Of course you do!"

"Are you mocking my taste in music?"

"No, I'm implying you're telling a lie."

Nate jumps up onto the bench and begins a loud rendition of "Shake It Off." The perfection of his accompanying dance moves suggest he may be telling the truth.

A group of girls hurrying across campus halt and stare. One of them spots who this is and whispers loudly to another. The audience-loving Nate hams up his performance. I'm impressed when he doesn't fall off the bench, but again the public display...

"Nate!" I hiss and stand ready to distance myself from him.

He ignores me and continues, watching as I fight laughing at him.

Eventually, he jumps down and lands centimetres away, in front of me. "And I make people smile, so do you."

"I do?"

He points at his grinning face. "Yes, look."

Nate fixes me with the strange look from before again. His mouth hovers close, a step too far into my personal s.p.a.ce, his breath touching my lips. I swallow down the attraction to him I've denied. Nate is not a guy I want. I definitely don't want to kiss him. No way.

Liar.

Distract myself.

"Aren't they annoying?" I ask pointing at his lip piercings.

"The tongue one was. I ditched that." He steps back and pokes his tongue out to show me.

I fight how easily Nate has sucked me back into his charm again, at the intensity between us. I thought my attraction to d.i.c.khead Shaun was strong but I'm close to Nate and my brain is switching to standby. How?

"I think you're amazing, Fleur." He pushes my hood down and runs a hand along my hair. "Why do we have to be the same? I like you because you're different to me, but not totally. We won't be the same people in a few years anyway. Underneath, where it counts, I think we connect."

His words resonate, because I almost believe they're true.

"I've never kissed a guy with a lip-piercing."

Why the h.e.l.l did I say that?

"Want to try? Purely for research purposes, of course."

I moisten my lips. Why do I want to kiss him? Because last night he took charge and helped me, because he's the opposite to who I thought was a good person? Because my attraction to Nate Campbell overrides all common sense.

"There are people around," I whisper.

"And?"

"And..." I grasp for an excuse.

Nate looks at me expectantly and, when I don't respond, tips my chin, smoothing his fingers over my mouth. "Yes? No? p.i.s.s off?"

What the h.e.l.l, why not?

I tiptoe and place my mouth on his. The metal is cool against my lips, which are pressed against Nate's for a mere moment before he steps back. "Opinions?"

"Not sure. Try again." I point at my mouth.

He places the softest of kisses on my lips. This time when Nate moves away, his mouth remains close to mine. "Better?"

"If you're going to kiss me, do it properly."

Nate shifts his feet and wraps an arm around my waist, drawing me closer, mouth closing gently on mine again. His jacket is open and when he presses me to him, the hard heat of his body sears a burn of my own. Parting my mouth in surprise, I welcome his tongue and the gentle exploration of my mouth in his slow, sensual kiss.

The metal warms against my lips, and as the bar drags across my mouth I resist the urge to run my tongue along the piercing. Even if I never kiss Nate again, the sensation will remain etched in my memory.

The unusual isn't just the piercing, Nate's kiss tightens my insides and triggers an immediate and intense need to stay close to him. Maybe it's the expertise in his kiss, or the denial of the last few weeks, but I want more. Now.

When I wrap my arms around Nate's neck, craving more of his taste, he stops and rests his head on mine. Our hot breath mists and mingles in the air.

"Your conclusion is?" Nate asks.

"Strange but not entirely unpleasant. A bit like you."

Nate laughs and wraps me in his arms, hugging me close. "Do you know how funny you are? In a good way. I love how you don't give a s.h.i.t about what people think but help them anyway, without expecting anything in return. You're a b.l.o.o.d.y awesome chick."

My cheek is against his chest and he smells amazing, the mingled scent of leather and a woody spice. I'd happily bury my face into Nate and have him hold me. The gentleness of his touch contrasts the groping hands of Shaun last night and I wrap my arms around his waist.

The sounds of voices and cars around campus fade as my senses become lost in our moment. He kissed me in front of the group who I hear walk away, voices low. Maybe Nate's right. Our opposite natures could work.

Nate murmurs something to himself I can't make out, apart from the words 'f.u.c.king idiot'. I tense. What does that mean?

Nate disentangles himself and takes both my hands in his. As he looks down at me, he wrinkles his nose. "Thanks for the kiss."

"That's okay; maybe we can do it again sometime."

He pulls my hood back up and smooths the material. "I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath. I think you might change your mind."

Confused by his shift away from what happened between us, I allow him to lead me away with his hand gripping mine.

21.

FLEUR.

The Union is crammed, what a stupid idea to come down here on a Friday evening. If Nate wants to talk to me in public, he can't find a much bigger audience than this. The heat stifles after the cool of autumn and I unb.u.t.ton my jacket. I'm acutely aware of Nate's hand tightly around mine and of the curious look between us from a girl nearby. Nate scouts around, his height giving him an advantage. He points.

"Over there. There's a table. I'll buy you a drink."

"Orange juice, please. I need the Ladies. I'll be back in a sec."

He lifts my hand and kisses it. "I'll be at the bar; if you're not back in five minutes, I'll come and find you." Now we're in the light, Nate's concerned expression is apparent. I'd hoped for a smile or a connection like the one we just shared, but something I can't fathom is behind his expression. Does he regret this already?

The bathrooms are busy and I queue for a few minutes, wishing the cold weather didn't have a major effect on my bladder. I catch sight of myself in the mirror, pink-cheeked and happy. If I close my eyes, I can feel Nate's piercing on my lips still.

A couple of girls in front of me whisper and I can't help but catch their conversation. They're similar looking, long hair, low-rise jeans, and tops cut above their navels showing toned, tanned skin. They barely glance at me.

"So, last night. How was he?" asks the blonde girl.

"He's exactly what you'd expect."

"Good or bad?"

"Depends on how rough you like it."

The girls both giggle and I squirm.

"He knows what he's doing, that's for sure. He..." The brown-haired girl glances at me. I don't hear the next part because the girl whispers into her friend's ear.

The second girl shrieks, "Nooo!" and they descend into giggles again. "Well, you're back for more if he's here tonight."