Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

Ryder shoved the rest of his muffin into his mouth and rushed into Adams Hall. He dusted crumbs from his shirt and yanked open the lecture hall door, scanning the room. Grinning, he made his way toward the back and plopped down in the seat beside Madison, intentionally bumping her arm.

“Seriously? There are at least two dozen empty sea—” Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

He grinned. “Told ya I’d see you Monday.”

She snapped her mouth shut and scowled. “Please don’t tell me you’re taking this class just because I’m taking this class.”

“Would that really be the worst thing in the world?” He dug a notebook and pen from his backpack and then settled comfortably in the seat, letting his knee rest against her leg.

“You’ve officially surpassed stalker status.”

“I’ve been enrolled in this class since the start of the semester. I’d seen you the first day but didn’t know who you were. Then you assaulted me with a book, and here we are.” He winked.

She shook her head and turned away, but not before he saw her smile. “I’m starting to regret not hitting you harder. Maybe I could’ve knocked some of that arrogance out of you.”

“My arrogance is my best feature.”

Her cheeks turned pink, and his breath caught. God damn that was sexy.

“I beg to differ,” she mumbled.

He leaned closer, his shoulder touching hers, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh yeah? So, what is my best feature then?”

She nudged him and rolled her eyes. “Why are you taking Cryptozoology anyway? I thought you were a law student. Aren’t you all about facts and evidence and stuff?”

“I am, and yes, but I’ve always been fascinated by this kind of stuff.”

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at him. “You believe in Bigfoot?”

“Yeah, don’t you?” He twirled his pen around his fingers.

“No,” she said around an incredulous laugh. “Let me guess, you think the Lochness Monster is real, too?”

“Nessie?” He raised a brow, fighting to keep his expression serious. “If you tell me you don’t believe in her, we can’t be friends.”

“Well shit. If I knew that’s all it was going to take to get you to leave me alone, I would’ve said it days ago.”

He jerked his head to look at her, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. Was she for real? He cleared his throat and racked his brain for something to say, but she’d rendered him speechless. This whole time he’d thought the stalker joke was just that—a joke. Apparently, she’d been taking it seriously. Well, that was a kick in the nut sack. His body tensed, and his jaw clenched. He hadn’t meant to come on too strong, or to make her uncomfortable in any way.

“The look on your face right now.” Then, she laughed.

Ryder narrowed his eyes as his body relaxed. He pointed his pen at her, smiling. “That was cold, Madison.” Shaking his head, he chuckled. “But you got me.” In more ways than one.

“Okay, enlighten me on your thoughts about aliens. You a believer?”

Was she genuinely interested? Or was she teasing him again? Either way, she was talking to him, and he was going to play along. “Yes. Not the media’s portrayal of them, but I don’t for one second believe we’re the only intelligent life in the solar system.”

Slowly, she nodded. “That makes sense, I guess.”

“If you don’t believe in any of this stuff, why are you taking this class?” He tapped his pen against his notebook and glanced around. The lecture hall was filling up, but there was no sign of Professor Gibson. The eccentric old man was never on time.

She shrugged. “It sounded like a fun class, and I’ve heard it’s an easy A.”

He’d heard the same thing, too. “How’s the apartment hunt going? Find anything yet?”

Madison shifted in the seat, and her knee bumped the folding desktop, sending her notebook straight into his lap. She reached for it, and her fingers grazed his crotch. Hot lust went straight to his groin, and his cock twitched involuntarily. She jerked back abruptly, her hazel eyes morphing into a seductive shade of green as her gaze darted between his face and his erection.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. Her face was a hundred different shades of red, and she averted her eyes, refusing to look at him.

He eased lower in the seat in an effort to get some relief from the ache between his legs. “It’s okay.” His voice was tight. Welp, he knew what he’d be thinking about all day now. He inhaled deeply through his mouth, trying not to think about how her fingers had felt as they’d grazed his erection. How soft her touch was. How he wanted more… He groaned inwardly, sinking down even further in his chair.

“God, I am so embarrassed.” She covered her face with her hands, muffling her words.

“Why?” He pulled at the too-tight denim and adjusted himself. “Because you accidently touched my junk?”

“Yes.” She nodded, her face still covered. “I’m such a klutz.”

He straightened and winced at how his jeans pinched him in all the wrong places. Blowing out a breath, he shifted toward her. “Are you sure that’s what it is? Or are you more embarrassed because you liked it and just don’t want to tell me?”

She yanked her hands from her face and stared at him. “You really need to get over yourself.”

“Hmm.”

“What?” She rubbed her palms up and down her thighs as if she were trying to rid herself of the memory of touching him.

Under different circumstances, he might be offended by that, but there was only one thought racing through his mind right then, and that thought outweighed anything negative trying to shove its way into his mind. A Texas-size grin split his face. “You’re not denying it.”

Her jaw dropped, and then she laughed. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Still not denying it,” he said, his gaze trained on the front of the room where Professor Gibson was now standing. Madison made a throaty noise that he assumed was disagreement, but until he heard the words from her mouth, he was sticking with the idea that she liked what happened as much as he had.

***

Ryder dragged himself into his apartment late that evening. He walked inside to find Liam fully dressed—which was a rarity. He normally wandered around in just a pair of shorts or his boxers. There was a massive spread of food along the counter: chips, dip, pretzels, pizza rolls, a cheese and pepperoni platter, veggies, and fruit. It wasn’t unusual for Liam to go out of his way to impress a girl, but this seemed over the top, even for him.

“Someone forget to tell me we were having a party?” Ryder toed off his shoes and kicked them over by the coat closet.

“Oh, hey. Yeah, it was sort of a last minute thing. I invited some people over to hang out. They’re the new tenants in the back apartment. Y’know, being all neighborly and shit.” Liam laughed and tossed a slice of pepperoni into his mouth.

“Since when?”

“Since our new neighbor is a hot chick with an equally hot roommate. Or so she says. Haven’t met her yet.” Liam grinned. He reached into the fridge and grabbed two beers. Twisting off the tops, he handed one to Ryder.

“Thanks.” He took the offered bottle and swallowed a large drink. That certainly explained Liam’s sudden hospitality. He was probably hoping to get laid by one—or both of them—tonight. “Hope you don’t make it too late. I have an early class tomorrow.” What had he been thinking signing up for a 7 a.m. class?

“Shit, that’s right.” Liam took a drink. “You’ll be social and meet our new neighbors, though, right?” He moved around the counter and stood in front of Ryder.

“Yeah…” he said slowly, tilting his head. Liam was like a dog with a bone when it came to women. What the hell is he up to?

“Good. Brayden has a night class, and I’m not sure what Gavin is doing.” He smacked Ryder’s shoulder, then moved out of the way.

“Gavin’s at the gym.” That boy had an unhealthy obsession with lifting weights. He’d never stooped to taking steroids that Ryder knew of, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he started. Gavin’s ultimate dream was to become a boxer.

“I’ll let you know when they get here,” Liam said, snapping Ryder from his wandering thoughts.

“Whatever you say.” He set his beer on the counter and rubbed his hands over his face then headed to his room. A sinking feeling settled in Ryder’s gut. Was Liam trying to play matchmaker again? Actually, he was more like a pimp, always trying to get him, Brayden, and Gavin laid. Not that any of them needed help in that department, but Liam liked to “look out for his boys.”

Ryder definitely had enough sexual tension built up in him to last a lifetime, but there was only one woman he wanted to get any relief from—and she’d shot him down hard. He still couldn’t figure out why, though. But he would. Eventually. Just another reason he should ditch classes for a few days. Just him and the open road…he could clear his head.