Ryder Collins’ least favorite part of starting a new semester—the bookstore. The lines were always ridiculously long, but this year it was out of control. He’d intentionally waited three full days to get his textbooks in the hopes the crowd wouldn’t be so bad. Man, was he wrong. And he was going to be pissed if the bookstore closed before he even got inside. Wrapped around the side of the building, he waited in line for almost two hours before he even got to the front door. He really needed to start buying his textbooks online. Or at the off-campus bookstore, but then that meant fighting traffic through downtown.

“You’re still here?” Gavin laughed and slapped Ryder on the back.

Sighing, Ryder nodded at his friend. “Unfortunately.” He shifted on his feet, wishing he’d worn his other pair of sneakers. “Once I get in, it won’t take me long. We still meeting Liam and Brayden at the pizza place?”

“Yep. I’ll text Liam to let him know we’ll be late.” Gavin pulled out his phone when someone shoved him hard from the side.

“No cutting in line, asshole!” shouted a tall, muscular guy. He wore a college jersey and carried himself like a linebacker.

Gavin shoved his phone into Ryder’s hand and then took a swing at the jock. Shit. Ryder grabbed him before his fist could make contact with the other guy’s face. “Walk it off, man.” He positioned himself between the two guys. “He’s not cutting in line, all right? He’s just talking to me.”

The jock narrowed his eyes, then stepped back, his gaze lingering a moment longer than comfortable.

Flexing his fingers, Gavin took his phone back. “What a dick,” he said loud enough for the other guy to hear.

Ryder braced himself for the possibility of a fight. “Seriously, just let it go.”

That was the thing about Gavin—he was a hothead, and he never stopped to consider how big the other guy was. “He started it.”

Ryder rolled his eyes. “Be the bigger man for once.” He laughed when Gavin flipped the middle finger. The line moved forward. “I’m going to grab my books, drop them at the house, and then I’ll meet you guys at the pizza shop.”

Gavin nodded, shot a final dirty look at the football player, then walked away. Ryder let out a pent-up breath. He and Gavin became fast friends during their first semester when they were in the same study group. That’s also where he’d met Liam and Brayden. The four of them had pledged a fraternity, but Gavin didn’t get a bid because he’d gotten into a fight with a couple of the brothers. And Liam didn’t get a bid because he’d fucked the frat president’s girlfriend. So, instead of them becoming frat brothers, they became roommates.

The line moved forward again, and Ryder finally stepped inside the bookstore. It was just as crowded as the line outside. He fished his schedule from his back pocket and headed toward the Law section. He found books for his first two classes on the top shelf. The rest were on the very bottom shelf. Crouching, he scanned the book spines, looking for the titles he needed.

Someone stood behind him and reached over his head for a book on an upper shelf. Ryder froze, knowing if he moved even a fraction of an inch, he’d be face-to-face with the dude’s crotch. I really fucking hate the bookstore. After a few moments, the guy left, and Ryder blew out a breath. He only needed one more book, and then he could get the hell out of there. His stomach grumbled to remind him he hadn’t eaten yet today.

“There it is,” he mumbled, reaching for the textbook. Just as he grabbed it, there was a hard jab to the top of his head that had him falling back on his ass. And then there was the distinct thudding crash of books. “Fuck.” He rubbed his head. “Ouch.”

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

He looked up to find a girl with long, black hair standing over him. Her hazel eyes were big, and her mouth hung open in shock. She had two books clutched to her chest and several more were scattered around her feet.

“Did you drop a book on my head?” he asked, rubbing the sore spot again and wincing at the tenderness.

She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was trying to restock the shelves, and I tripped on a book someone had left in the aisle. I’m really sorry. Are you okay?”

Slowly, Ryder got to his feet. He was definitely going to have a bump, but he wasn’t bleeding, and he didn’t feel dizzy. He wasn’t seeing stars. Still, it hurt like a son of a bitch.

“What’re you doing on the floor anyway?” Her tone had gone from apologetic to borderline snippy, and he gave her a dirty look. Was she seriously annoyed with him?

“I was searching for a book. What else do people do in a bookstore?”

She sighed, her expression softening. “I think there might be an ice pack in the back. I can get it for you.”

“No. Thanks. I’ll be fine.” He gathered his books into a pile and then picked up the ones she’d dropped. “Would you like some help with these?”

She hesitated for a second as if she were waiting for him to laugh or otherwise indicate he was messing with her. “Um, yeah, they go all the way down at the end. Top shelf.”

Ryder put the books where they belonged, and when he returned, her arms were empty, too. He bent over, scooped up his books, and tucked them under his arm, more determined than ever to get out of there and meet his friends. Lack of food was making his hands shake, and he needed a beer. His temples throbbed. What a fantastic end to an already stressful day.

“Thank you,” she said.

He nodded, then took a moment to really look at her, letting his gaze rake down the length of her body. She had the most enticing curves in all the right places. And those breasts… Big. Round. Perky. They should come with a damn warning.

“Are you seriously staring at my chest right now?”

His gaze jerked back up to her face. Not a trace of humor. Shit. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Really, I’m sorry. That was rude. I’m blaming it on the head trauma.” Pointing to his head, he forced a laugh. She didn’t so much as crack a smile. “You’re really very attractive, though.” He needed to shut the hell up because he was not going to win her over with his ridiculous compliments and Neanderthal behavior. Neither of them were making a very good first impression. “Let’s start over, huh? I’m Ryder.”

“Madison,” she said slowly, almost like she didn’t believe he was sincere. “Look, I’m really sorry about dropping a book on your head, but don’t mistake my guilt for interest.” She crossed her arms. “And here I thought you were a nice guy who really just wanted to help.”

“Whoa.” He held up his free hand in a show of surrender. “I helped you because you looked like you needed it. And I didn’t want anyone else to suffer a potential deadly injury. I have no ulterior motives. Promise.” He gave his best charming smile. He could take a hint—or a glaring neon sign that she rammed up his ass—either way, he knew a rejection when he heard one.

She covered her face with her hands and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry.” She looked up at him. “I’m exhausted and cranky. It’s been a hell of a day.”

Don’t I know it.

“Really, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” she said.

“It’s okay. Everyone has a bad day from time to time.”

“You’re too kind.” She smiled. “Again, I’m really sorry.”

“No harm done.” He motioned toward his books. “I’d better get in line to pay for these before it’s too late.”

“C’mon, I can cash you out.” She led him to a register near the back of the store that didn’t appear to be in use, which meant no line. He could’ve kissed her he was so grateful. After hearing a total that should be considered grand larceny, he handed over his credit card. She took it and flipped it over in her hand, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s good,” he said, studying her. Why was she acting like she’d never seen a platinum card before?

“Right.” She cleared her throat, swiped his card, then handed him the receipt to sign while she bagged his books. “There you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Have a good night.”

Ryder took his bag and headed toward the exit, but not before he looked back. She was leaning on the counter, head down, face buried in her hands. In all the years he’d been buying books here, he’d never once seen her before. Was she a new student? As much as he hated this place, he was tempted to come back so he could see her again. And he hated himself for even considering that.

With a reluctant sigh, he left the bookstore and headed toward his apartment. Each step intensified the ache in his head. He pulled out his cell phone and sent Gavin a quick text. gonna be a bit late. just leaving bookstore. And he needed to take a shower and pop some aspirin, but he wasn’t about to explain all of that in a text message.

An hour later, Ryder walked into the pizzeria. Liam, Gavin, and Brayden were seated at a table near a window. They’d already finished a basket of chicken wings and a pitcher of beer by the time he arrived. Not that he was surprised by that—pizza, wings, and beer was their Thursday night ritual.

“We were going to send out a search party, man.” Gavin laughed. “Thought maybe you got lost.”

Ryder shook his head and poured himself a glass of beer from what looked like a fresh pitcher. He took a long drink, savoring the cold, frothy liquid. That’s exactly what he needed. “The bookstore was a goddamned nightmare.”

“Gavin told us about the asshole who tried to pick a fight,” Liam said. “Good thing you were there to stop him from getting his ass kicked.”

Ryder laughed.

“More like stopped me from going to jail for killing the douche bag,” Gavin said.

“Did you order yet?” Ryder snatched the menu from the edge of the table and flipped it open.

“We were waiting for you.” Brayden refilled his glass. “Aren’t we getting the usual?”

Closing the menu, Ryder nodded. “Don’t care, but I’m starving.” The aspirin he’d taken barely touched his headache, so he was hoping some hot food would help. The beer probably wasn’t a good idea, though.

“Can I get you boys another basket of wings?”

“Yes,” Ryder said quickly. His stomach rumbled loudly. “And can I get a glass of ice water, too, please?”

“Sure thing.” The waitress left and then returned a moment later with his water. She set it in front of him and said, “My shift is ending, so Madison will be taking care of you for the rest of the evening.”

The other waitress stepped forward and smiled. “Hi, I’m Madison.”

Ryder’s eyes widened. It was the girl from the bookstore.