He sent me a searching look, and I figured it was last night hanging between us.

I just didn’t know how to handle all this feeling.

I waved him off. “Forget your cock. I got a meeting on Wednesday with a jewelry company about a design opportunity. This could be the beginning of something I never thought could come true.” It still might not.

A wide grin split his face. “Hang on, I’m coming over.”

“What? No, you don’t have to do that. I just—I don’t know—wanted to tell someone.”

“And you told me first?”

I nodded.

“Stand back,” he said, and before I’d barely gotten out of the way, he’d jumped from the top railing of his balcony to mine. He landed right in front of me, his bare chest within inches of mine, and before I could even think about how nervous he made me, he swung me up in his arms and spun me around. I squealed, the sensation of being back in his arms heady.

He dropped me unceremoniously on one of the chairs I’d put out there.

“I say this calls for a celebration,” he said, plopping down next to me in another chair. “Let’s go out for breakfast. My treat.”

An unfamiliar lightness came over me. Things were changing fast, but I didn’t dwell on it. “Okay.”

He nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t care.” And Lord help me, I didn’t care where I was with him.

Just this one day, I promised myself.

He leaned over and before I could pull back, he’d kissed me on the cheek. “Done. Get dressed and I’ll knock on your door in thirty minutes.”

While I watched with bated breath, he jumped back over to his own balcony and went inside his bedroom.

I CAME BACK inside from the balcony with a grin on my face as I scrambled around to get ready to take Elizabeth to breakfast. After a quick shower, I shoved on jeans, a Front Street Gym shirt, and flip-flops. Done. I couldn’t fucking wait to be near her again.

Last night had been incredible, but it wasn’t just about the sex. It was her.

The way she’d danced in the rain; the excitement in her eyes when she’d talked about her jewelry interview; the way she struggled through her fears. I wanted all of her.

Was it stupid that I wanted to tell her everything about me?

How much I’d loved my mum and missed her?

How I wanted to finish my gym and work on a UFC title?

How I imagined taking her in every position imaginable?

Yeah. Best to wait on that.

I knocked on her door five minutes later, and we walked to Minnie’s across the street from our complex. Our hands brushed against each other as we crossed the street, and my cock tightened. Just the simplest touch and I was ready to take her back to my place and show her exactly how I felt.

Minnie’s was a popular uni hangout and was busy, but we found a booth in the back.

We ordered and got our food and dove in, the camaraderie between us not surprising me at all. I’d sensed from the beginning that we were more alike than she realized.

We were deep in a discussion about a trip I wanted to take to London next year when all hell broke loose.

As in, my ex showed up.

Nadia walked up to our table with Ninja Turtle following dutifully behind her, shooting me cautious looks over her shoulder. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders. Nadia’s gaze went from me to her and back to me, lingering longer than necessary.

My lips compressed. Could I not get away from her? “What do you want?”

Elizabeth looked up from tucking in a good-sized chew of French toast, saw them, and coughed, then grabbed her glass of water to wash it down.

“Who’s pissy today?” Nadia huffed in a delicate way that didn’t detract from her pretty face. “Lose a fight last night?”

Elizabeth stiffened and bounced her eyes from Nadia to Donatello and then back to me. I set down my fork. Dammit.

“Good morning,” Elizabeth said, obviously trying to cover up the dead air as her eyes encompassed them both. “You guys coming or going for breakfast?”

Please say going.

Nadia kept her gaze on me. “Going. But if you want some company, we’d be glad to stay?” She didn’t wait for my response but flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder and glanced back at her boyfriend. “Isn’t that right, Donatello?” She laughed but it sounded off. Not her usual sparkly self. My eyes went from her to the Brazilian, noticing his tense shoulders and tight jaw.

Was she nagging him the way she’d done me?

I grunted. Hard to believe with the pedigree he obviously had, but some girls are hardwired to never be happy, and Nadia was one of them.

He mumbled something about tennis practice, but Nadia had already slid in next to Elizabeth on the booth, leaving him no option but to sit next to me.

There we sat in a weird, four-person tableau.

I ran my eyes over Nadia, my heart and head both affirming that I wasn’t in love with her anymore. I doubted I ever had been.

For the next five minutes we made small talk about the weather, classes, and what we were doing the following weekend. Nadia’s voice was slightly shrill at times as she threw question after question at us. Digging. She wanted to know if I was shagging Elizabeth. I was ready to snap, especially when the waitress came by and set down coffees for both of them.

Nadia speared Elizabeth with her gaze. “Hey, don’t you date Blake?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “We’re just friends.”

“But you do spend a lot of time with him, right?” she asked pointedly. “I see you with him everywhere on campus. It’s not surprising people assume you’re dating.” She traced her finger on the table. “Does he know you’re not dating?”

“Enough with the questions,” I snapped, yet, at the same time, I waited for her response. Blake was something we hadn’t really touched on, but I knew she had strong feelings for him as a friend. I hated the motherfucker. Okay, maybe that was a tad extreme, but if he wanted Elizabeth as his, he was going to have to go through me to get her.

Shit. I scrubbed my jaw. I sounded like a Neanderthal—or a possessive boyfriend.

Elizabeth straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “The truth is, I made a pact freshman year to never date while at Whitman.”

“So … there’s no one you’re seeing right now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

She licked her lips, eyes darting away from me. “No. I—I don’t do serious. That’s how college should be, right?”

Everything in the restaurant zoomed out and anger sliced through me at Elizabeth’s glib attitude. I clenched my fists under the table and tried to catch her gaze, but she was poking at the food on her plate.

Did our night mean nothing to her?

Didn’t I have the answer right in front of me?

Fuck!

I exhaled and grabbed my coffee before I said something I’d regret in front of Nadia, who’d eat that up.

Nadia smiled broadly, looking smug, her eyes going back and forth between us, picking up on the obvious cues. “How fascinating and very modern of you.” She touched Elizabeth’s hands to get her attention. “And in case you didn’t know already—I mean, who doesn’t?—Declan and I dated for over six months, and even though we didn’t end up together,” she paused on a nervous laugh, “I can attest that being friends was the best thing.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Of course.”

“In fact, Declan’s the only person who understands how my mom having cancer is ripping me up inside. Isn’t that right, Declan?” Nadia insisted.

I shrugged as Ninja Turtle stiffened.

Nadia focused back on Elizabeth. “So where are you from, Elizabeth? I’m dying to know more about you.”