And probably itching for a fight.
I give Roan a small smile as I wrench myself away from Finn. “Everything’s fine.”
Even though he’s talking to me, his heated eyes never stray from Finn. “You ready to go?”
Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, my eyes slide back to Finn’s. His are blazing with both resentment and anger. “Yes, I think we’re done here.” I hope Finn realizes that I don’t just mean this conversation… I’m done with him as well.
When Finn doesn’t say anything more, I quickly move towards Roan who has somehow turned out to feel like a safe place in my life. As soon as I reach his side, one arm immediately slides around me as he holds two boxes of pizza in the other.
We’re halfway to the door when he asks tersely, “Are you seeing him?”
I can’t help but glance up before answering, “No. We went out a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t seen him since.”
His arm tightens around me before we push through the heavy glass doors. “Good.”
I don’t say anything to that because I’m not exactly sure what it means. And I’m not sure what I want it to mean either.
Or maybe I do… maybe I know exactly what I want it to mean.
Chapter Twenty
Roan King with his arm wrapped around a female… and he’s not leading her towards the bedroom? WTF??? Is it possible that our favorite Barnett football player is actually falling for someone? Speculation is running rampant. KingOfCampus.com
Just as we’re about to reach Roan’s black SUV in the parking lot, his feet suddenly grind to a halt. Surprised, I glance over at him before quickly searching the surrounding vicinity. But there’s nothing. Nothing that should have him stopping so abruptly.
And certainly nothing to put that strange look on his face.
Again I scan the area before finally realizing there are two older men walking towards us. My guess is that they’re in their mid to late forties. Both of their eyes are focused on Roan as they continue moving in our direction. Which doesn’t necessarily seem out of the ordinary.
People always seem to gravitate towards him. They think just because he’s a well-known local athlete, they can stop and talk to him. So I assume that maybe these two are fans like the elderly couple in the restaurant. Or the guy from the smoothie shop. But Roan’s entire body has tensed which is definitely odd. I’ve never seen him be anything less than gracious and cordial when dealing with fans.
When the two men are about fifteen feet from us, I quietly murmur his name but it’s like he doesn’t even hear me. Or if he does, he doesn’t bother acknowledging it. Unfortunately, there’s no longer time for me to question what’s going on because a moment later, both men stop in front of us.
“Hey, Roan. How’s everything going?”
“Good.” His shoulders relax just a bit. “Everything’s good.” As if suddenly remembering I’m there besides him, his eyes slide to mine before arrowing back to the guy standing directly in front of him. “We just grabbed something to eat at Peppino’s.”
“That’s where we’re headed.” His eyes encompass the pair of us. “Been dying for a pizza all week.”
A few seconds slowly slip by as the conversation stalls. Not sure what to do, I hoist a friendly smile before thrusting out my hand. “Hi, I’m Ivy.” I’m trying to make sense of what’s going on here. Because it’s definitely weird.
When the man with the inky black hair smiles at me, I realize he has to somehow be related to Roan. They’re practically identical. Except he’s older. By a good twenty-some years.
“Daniel.” He nods to the man at his side. “And this is my partner, Linc.”
Even though no one has acknowledged it, I’m suddenly wondering if this man could be Roan’s father. My mind cartwheels as I keep the smile firmly locked in place. Quickly I reach my hand out towards Linc. “It’s really nice to meet both of you.”
“You, too.” Linc smiles easily, his eyes looking just a bit mischievous. “So you and Roan were having dinner together, huh?”
As soon as he says the words, heat fills my cheeks. “Um… yeah…” not knowing what else to say, I hastily tack on, “we’re neighbors.” But now my mouth is going and I can hear myself talking. Because I’m nervous, I start to babble. “And partners for a class project.” Both of their smiles stretch wider which leaves me feeling desperate. “We’re just friends,” I suddenly blurt. I seriously want to kick Roan for leaving me to twist in the proverbial wind over here.