“Yes, yes,” I said with a grin. “We all know.” I sighed. “I overheard Brax telling Olivia about it.” My brows knitted. “Brax wasn’t happy. Not at all.”
“I bet not. He’d get in a tub of trouble.” She eyed me, and her hazel orbs almost sparkled. “You could, too, you know.”
I lifted my chin. “I won’t. And neither will Brax. Or Kane for that matter.”
She rubbed her chin. “Tell me how you met him.”
Suddenly, it was there. The cramped, trapped feeling I got when people asked too many questions. Forcing me to tell too many lies. I willed the sensation to go away. “First, he just randomly asked me for directions to the observatory. Then he saw me talking to Brax and Olivia.” I shrugged. “I…noticed him watching me for a while before he and Brax walked off.”
“That is uncanny, love.” She lifted one chestnut brow. “Perhaps a bit stalkerish and you’re most definitely off your trolley.” Her eyes widened. “It’s perfect. He’s perfect, Harper.” She grinned. “You must choose him.”
I leaned forward. “I don’t want to get into trouble over this, Murphy. I…can’t.” My grandmother’s stern face flashed before me. Cowered me. Made me remember.
“Well,” Murphy continued. “If he’s up to no good and having shady who-knows-what sort of dealings with the Kappas, then I say take him on.” She grinned. “You can do it, Harper old girl.” Her Cheshire cat smile returned. “Reform the barmy beast.” She leaned back and met my eye. “But I probably wouldn’t let on to Olivia. You know? Being that he’s Brax’s brother and such. She might not be too keen on the idea.”
“Right,” I agreed.
And immediately, that thought sat ill with me. Olivia had been Brax’s Dare; neither would like it. But I stashed it away, just like I skillfully stashed so many other things away. Out of sight. Back into a corner of my mind even I had a difficult time locating. For no one else to see.
* * *
It wasn’t until the next afternoon that I encountered Kane McCarthy again. Completely unintentional, he seemed to suddenly just be…there. In my path as I made my way to the library. He was talking to Cliff Barnes, president of the Kappas. As I passed by, Kane’s gaze found mine and locked onto it, and I couldn’t seem to look away. It was brief, yet much more intense than the first time. It was enough, and I was more aware of him this time. Details that had escaped me before leapt at me now. Dark eyes the color of coffee followed me, and they seemed to smolder, simmer, spear right through me as he openly stared. His skin was pale; flawless, with dark brows and thick dark lashes that were too thick and long for a man. A strong-cut chin and full lips looked as though they’d been pulled straight off a marble statue. He was the kind of gorgeous that made your eyes kaleidoscope. At least, to me. Quickly, I looked away.
* * *
By the time I’d finished a very poor attempt at studying for an Art test and exited the library, the tell-tale signs of pending dusk had crept onto Winston’s manicured campus. The early November air felt crisp against my cheeks as it whisked through, rustling the leaves and sending several pirouetting to the ground to land in scattered colors on the grass like some strange abstract stained glass. Knowing darkness would soon swallow everything, I hurried to the campus coffee house and café that stayed open until midnight. Inside, students sat at tables studying, their laptops open, the light illuminating their faces and coffee cups by their sides. As I took my place in line I selected my usual pre-packaged turkey sandwich and a bottle of lemonade and stood, waiting to pay.
“That’s all you’re eating?”
I jumped at the voice behind me and turned to find Kane there. Instantly, my insides froze. He gazed down at me, his hands shoved into his pockets, those broad shoulders sort of hunching toward me, almost…cornering me; his eyes as worn and soft as the leather jacket he wore.
“Um, yes,” I answered. I gave a hesitant smile. “Not very hungry, I guess.” What was he doing here? Suddenly I felt closed in—a feeling I avoided at all costs.
“So what’s good here?” he asked. His Boston accent was heavy and void of the letter r, just like Brax’s, only…softer. Quiet. The kind of voice that you had to pay close attention to or else you’d miss what they were saying completely.
I couldn’t believe he was talking to me. I shrugged, pretended he didn’t bother me, and held up my sandwich. “Turkey?”
He said nothing as he lifted three turkey sandwiches from the cooler; his smoky gaze remained riveted to mine. Then, he bent his head close. “Kane McCarthy.”
I looked at him then, taken back by how his voice washed over me and made my skin tingle. I forced myself to breathe; I wasn’t used to being in this kind of situation. Guys just didn’t go out of their way to talk to me. I made sure of it. But I didn’t balk. I mean, after all—Kane was my potential reformation Dare. Right? Murphy’s words rushed back to me. Reform the barmy beast! I breathed. Smiled. Pretended. “Harper Belle.”
Again, his eyes softened, and as we stepped up to the cashier he gave her a nod and inclined his head toward me. Before I could say a word, the cashier had rung our orders up together, and Kane handed her a twenty.
I looked at him, embarrassed. “Oh no, really, that’s okay, you don’t have to—”
Kane’s eyes moved over me. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I do.”