Resisting Ryder

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.