Tugging at his shirt collar, he cleared his throat a second time. “I’ve not done anything to harm you. I don’t think I’ve warranted this reception.”
I burst out laughing. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
The sound wasn’t from amusement, and it drew attention from those by the coffee shop. I ignored them. This guy was insane.
“You tried to use my boyfriend. When he said no, you tried to destroy his friendship with his best friend. When that didn’t happen, you tried to hit Mason with a vehicle. When that didn’t happen, you tried to get him expelled—”
Sebastian lunged forward but caught himself.
I hustled back and held my ground, but I was elated. I’d gotten him to slip a little, and that one small movement drew even more attention. It was all about getting the other one to show their true colors. Sebastian looked pretty on the outside, but he oozed slime on the inside. I wanted that slime on the outside. I wanted everyone to see it, too.
“You’re better than I thought.” His nostrils flared up as he noted that with a look of admiration in his eyes.
No. I looked closer. That wasn’t admiration. It was cunning. Shit. Maybe I had shown him my cards too soon. He knew I wasn’t the naive girlfriend who needed protecting. I had fangs, too.
“Samantha?”
Kitty and Nina came through the door behind Sebastian. They walked around him but paused, taking note of the tension in the air.
I raised my chin. “Walk away.”
“Wha—” Kitty started to protest, but Nina elbowed her in the gut.
I said anyway, “I’m not talking to you, Kitty.”
It was all Sebastian. I didn’t look away, and his eyes narrowed. I had him in the position I wanted. If he wanted to do something—intimidate me, proposition me, threaten me—he’d have to do it now, and he’d have to do it with an audience. He needed to play his cards, or he’d have to retreat and try again.
He didn’t say a word, but he nodded to himself and swung around the girls.
He retreated.
I won this battle.
Closing my eyes, I let out a breath of nervous air. My god. Now that he was gone, I was full-on trembling. I checked my pants. No mess there. Another thing to be thankful about.
“Uh…” Kitty stepped closer to me, watching him, before he weaved around the coffee shop crowd and disappeared from eyesight. “What just happened here?”
Nina asked, “Who was that?” Her tone said it all. She was quiet and cautious. She knew something bad happened.
I met her gaze and saw the knowing look there. I rasped out, “Someone not good. That was who.”
I didn’t tell them about that meeting. Kitty liked to talk about everything. Nina liked to analyze everything, but for once, they seemed to adhere to my unspoken request. Neither said a word.
I skipped my next class, and those two girls were done, so the three of us went back to the dorm. It was Friday night.
Right before I ducked inside my room, Kitty called my name from down the hallway. She was standing in her doorway, her head poking out.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“We promise not to be weird at the game tomorrow.”
That was right. I remembered. We were all going to the game together, and it was the team’s first football game at home. The whole campus was buzzing. We were playing Grant West University, another Division One league team a few hours away. We were slated to win. Our football team was ranked high this year, and I knew Mason was part of the reason. Drew was another reason. Both of them were considered for The Heisman this year, but Mason declined. Drew was the front-runner now, and together, the two were dynamic to watch. I’d gone with Logan and Nate to the other two away games, but the first home one was always on another level.
The fans were more hyped.
The team was more hyped.
And the pressure was even more.
“Okay.” I laughed. “Thanks for letting me know.”
She was talking about Logan and when he’d find us at the game.
“And tell your boyfriend good luck,” she said in a rush.
“I will. Thanks, Kitty.”
Nina poked her head around her roommate. “Tell him good luck from me, too.”
“I will.” I laughed again. “Thanks, guys.” I went inside my room.
Summer was gaping at me from her desk, holding a pen. As I shut the door, she let it drop dramatically along with her mouth. “Did my ears just play a trick on me?”
“What?”
“Kitty and Nina are acting normal?”
“Oh.” My chest was tight. I went to my desk, hoping she’d keep talking about Kitty and Nina. She couldn’t notice that I was still upset about Sebastian. “Yeah. They must’ve realized that Logan doesn’t come around anymore. Put two and two together maybe?”
Before she could reply, a soft knock sounded on our door.
I opened it and experienced a slight flash of panic.
Mason was standing there, his arms crossed, his eyes concerned. He looked so damn delicious that I didn’t know if I should confess about my run-in with Sebastian right there or drag Mason to bed after I kicked Summer out. He looked freshly showered, so that meant he’d come from the locker room. He was wearing a Cain University shirt, and the irony was not lost on me that Sebastian wore the same one today. But with Mason’s broad shoulders, cut form, and trim waist, he made my mouth salivate. I glanced at Summer, saw a drop of drool at the corner of her mouth, and knew I wasn’t the only one.