The Ruby Riot Series: Box Set Part 68

He tips his fingers from his head in a salute. "Have fun!"

Sam closes the door on his way out and his footsteps echo along the quiet corridor.

"s.h.i.t." I look back to Fleur whose face has switched back to unimpressed again. "Sorry."

She stands and straightens her clothes. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

What the...? "Me or him?"

"You!"

"I would've stopped! You seemed okay with what we were doing."

"Not that." She takes a deep breath and narrows her eyes. "Don't tell anybody, huh?"

"What? You want Sam to tell everybody he caught us at it in a study room? Seriously?"

"No, you don't want people to know you were caught with me."

"Jesus, Fleur! No! I'm trying to stop people talking about you! You've been p.i.s.sed off in the past about me humiliating you; I don't want that to happen again."

Her shoulders and expression relax. "Not because you're too cool to be seen with me?"

"What the f.u.c.k is your complex about this?" I fasten my belt and Fleur watches, smoothing her hair. "Right. You. Come with me."

I pick up her bag, and she catches as I throw it at her. Then I grab her hand and drag her out of the room.

FLEUR.

What the h.e.l.l did I just do? I allow Will to lead me out of the building and across campus. The cold wind cools my heated cheeks, but my body throbs with the desire that spilled out for Will. How did he trip the switch, which unleashed a l.u.s.t I've never experienced before, one which almost led me to s.e.x with a member of Ruby Riot on a desk in the history department? My cheeks flare again at the thought. Holding Will's hand maintains the desire to drag him somewhere and finish what we started.

I have clearly gone insane.

Will wraps an arm around my shoulders. "You're amazing."

Dazed, I continue alongside him aware of little but Will's closeness. "Where are we going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Out." Will kisses the top of my head.

A group of people hang together outside the student union and Will marches us over. In the dark evening, they're hard to make out, but the tall guy in the centre of the group matches the height and build of the one holding me. Nate looks over in surprise, and a couple of girls wearing leather jackets over short dresses scrutinise me.

"Hey guys, this is Fleur," Will says.

The silent staring continues.

"You not coming tonight?" asks Nate.

"Yeah, we are," replies Will.

He arches a brow. "Fleur wants to go?"

"Go where?" I ask.

Will looks at me. "Blue Room."

I blink. "Blue Room?"

Nate laughs. "See. Not her scene, are we?"

"I don't think I want to, Will."

"You sure?" he asks.

"Nate's right, not my thing. I'd feel uncomfortable there."

An awkward silence between the brothers isn't noticed by the girls chatting, but I'm aware of a tension between them.

"C'mon, man. Please tell me you're not gonna bail. We've planned this for weeks."

I angle my body away from the group; and when Will notices, he moves in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel comfortable with these people," I say in a low voice. "Sorry."

"Right. Should've thought. I wanted to show them you were my girl, prove what you thought back there is wrong."

"Your girl?" I fight a smile. "I think you have a bit more work to do before you can give me that t.i.tle."

"Uh." He drags a hand through his hair. "But we kissed and... stuff."

I bury my hands into my coat pockets and grip the rough material, confirming I'm in reality and not a dream. Will is the strangest person. First the lies, but then the bizarre gift and then... well. That. My immunity to his Campbell charms fails; always will.

"I had planned to talk to you before...um...earlier." At least in the dark he can't see how pink my hot cheeks are.

"Right. Of course. Wanna go out?"

"I said, I don't think I suit Blue Room."

"No, with me. Us. Alone."

"I guess..."

Will takes my hand, and squeezes cool fingers against mine as he turns back to the group. "Other plans."

Nate's face betrays nothing as he casts a look at us before returning to his attentive friends.

"You and her?" asks a girl with long blue hair.

"Me and Fleur."

"Weird. Okay." She turns back to her friend.

Should I be happy or put out by their dismissal? Will tightens his grip on my shoulders and kisses my nose. "You're cold."

"I'm a lot of things right now," I murmur.

"'Kay, well, we waited, but if you're not coming..." Nate studies me and a muscle in his cheek twitches. "Nicely played, bro. Give me an update later."

The group head off, talking loudly. Nate's in the centre, girls vying for the positions either side of him while the two other guys hang at the edge. People sidestep the formation as the group approaches them, and they disappear around the corner towards the nearby bus stop.

"I think I'll have that drink now," I mutter. Will looks after the retreating group. "Go with them, it's okay."

"No, I want to spend the evening with you, remember?"

"Then why drag me here?"

"Because I wanted to show what happened back there wasn't something I want to hide." He turns and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "I want to fix my f.u.c.k up by showing you I'm gonna try hard to make you believe I want you in my life."

I stroke Will's hair from his face. "This is weird. All of it. My head can't catch up."

Will's mouth closes over mine again. The piercing brushes my lips as he holds the back of my head. The hard of the metal and the softness of his lips reflect the contradiction in Will; the guy with his in your face persona hides a surprising gentleness beneath. I grip the collar of his jacket and throw myself back into the euphoria of before.

His kiss tugs me to who we are outside of the strange couple we make. Will's right, for whatever reason there's a need to spend time with each other that doesn't add up. Am I a hypocrite? I complained about three men only wanting one thing from me, and now this is precisely what I want from Will.

He pauses and touches my lips with his index finger. "C'mon. We can't stay here all night."

"Where then?"

"Wherever you want."

I sidestep the pa.s.sing people. I guess Will and me are public knowledge now. "There's a new movie I want to see."

His brow puckers for a moment. "Movie. Oh."

"You didn't think I was going to drag you home and finish what we started did you?"

He laughs. "What you started."

"Excuse me! You kissed me."

"You kissed me back."

"You pinned me to the desk."

"You held me so I couldn't get away."

I step closer and brush my lips against his. "You kissed... parts of me."

"You tried to get in my pants," he whispers against my lips.

The conversation sends a new heat through, warming me against the cold evening. Will's hot breath strokes my mouth as he gently traces his tongue along my bottom lip. I sink into him, resisting the urge to return my kiss to the frenzy of before. I'm determined to hold onto my l.u.s.t and not to be overridden by the desire for this guy.

"I don't know why I behaved like that," I say pulling away.

"Because I'm irresistible to women, haven't you heard?"

I shove him in the chest. "Yes. I have. Which is why I'm glad we stopped."

As people walk by, heading towards their evening, we're lost in what we see in each other's eyes. Is this what's happening? A s.e.xual spark ready to ignite fooling both of us into believing this could be more.

"Me too," replies Will. "I'd worry you wouldn't respect me in the morning."

"Haha."

"Come on. I'll even watch a chick flick if you want. That's how much I want to spend time with you."

I giggle. "Coming right up."

27.

FLEUR.

We head out of the plush Gold Cla.s.s lounge with my half-eaten bucket of popcorn. Will walks close, alongside me.

"Well, that was a c.r.a.p idea," he says.

"The movie? I didn't think you'd like Nicholas Sparks films. I warned you."

"No. The seats. They were too far apart and had armrests in the way. I had no opportunity to grope you in those!"

"Charming!"

He stops and pulls me to him. "I don't mind watching that s.h.i.t, but at least we could've made out at the back of the theatre."

I snort. "Made out?"

"If you knew what images were going through my head, you'd slap me," he says with a grin. "I missed half the movie because I was running my own in my imagination. You in the starring role."