Текст книги "Undone"

Автор книги: R. E. Hunter

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

“Shhhh.” He tugged her closer, tucked her head under his chin, and stroked his fingers through her long hair. “We’ll talk tomorrow, baby. Just sleep.”

She probably would have slept deeply all night had she not been woken up sometime in the pre-dawn hours by Luke pressing into her from behind. They had slow, lazy sex as he dropped wet kisses on her neck and whispered in her ear how beautiful and loved she was. Wrapped tight in his strong arms, she felt truly safe for the first time in a long time.

21

Embry was warm. Too warm. An unfamiliar weight across her back held her in place against the mattress. A low, sexy groan next to her ear was all she needed to wake her sleepy brain and remind her where she was. Luke shifted, his arm wrapping tighter around her body, his leg stretching out and tangling with hers. Suddenly she didn’t mind the temperature.

She snuggled into him, soaking up his heat, and replayed the night before. A shiver ran through her, causing her insides to clench, as she recalled feeling him inside of her, all over her. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky, especially after all she’d put him through, but the beautiful man beside her was all hers. She had fought him so hard and wound up in his bed anyway. But there was nowhere else she would rather be.

As her body came awake, she realized she was sore, deliciously so, and she needed to pee. Stretching, she rolled out from beneath Luke and tiptoed to the bathroom. Peeking back to make sure she hadn’t woken him, she walked silently into the bathroom. Embry examined herself in the mirror. She was stark naked, her hair falling in wild waves around her face. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed, giving her a healthy glow. She looked good, happy, and she couldn’t help but grin. She dug through the bathroom drawers until she found a brush. After trying in vain to tame her long locks, she grabbed a toothbrush and freshened up.

She snuck back into the bedroom and found Luke sprawled on his stomach, the comforter kicked aside. Just the white top sheet was draped over his waist. Embry lifted the sheet, climbed into the bed, and tried her best not to wake him. That turned out not to be a problem—he was out. She watched him, eyes roaming his body, as the sound of his even breathing filled the room. He was gorgeous, even in sleep.

His hair was ruffled from her hands, his eyelids closed and fluttering, framed by long dark lashes. His lips looked plump—perfect and kissable. Her gaze traced every line of his lithe, lean build. Unable to help herself, she lifted the sheet, stealing a greedy glance at his sculpted ass. But as she took in his perfect form, she found a surprise. Her hand flew to her mouth, trying and failing to stifle a giggle. Tattooed on the right side of his beautiful butt was a small dark green shamrock. What the hell? Her tiny snicker quickly turned into an all-out bed-shaking laugh, causing Luke to stir.

He turned toward her, looking up with adorable, sleepy eyes. “Hey.” His voice was nothing more than a throaty rasp.

She acknowledged him with a nod, her face turning pink. She tried to control her laughter, which just made her laugh more.

“What’s so funny?” he grumbled.

Embry shook her head and continued laughing until she found herself pinned to the mattress. Luke hovered above her, nudging her with a very noticeable erection, as he stared at her with a burning intensity.

“Not that I don’t love waking up to your gorgeous laugh, baby,” he said, kissing her face, “but do you mind telling me what you’re laughing at?”

Her mouth parted slightly, her tongue darting out to run across her bottom lip. “I … I was peeking under the sheet, and I found your tattoo.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were peeking under the sheet?”

She nodded.

“At what?”

“Your ass,” she whispered.

“You were peeking at my ass?” he asked, deadpan.

She squirmed beneath him. His heated gaze and the weight of his body made it hard for her to think straight. “Yes.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Did you like what you saw?” he asked, pushing his hips into hers again.

Her legs fell open, giving him more room. Luke’s question went unanswered as he settled against Embry’s core, eliciting a low moan instead.

“Answer me, baby.” He planted a soft kiss on her lips.

“Yes, I liked it,” she said against his mouth.

Slowly, he pushed inside of her. “Do you like this?”

“Mmhmm.”

Luke thrust the rest of the way in, erasing all thoughts of the tattoo from Embry’s mind.

* * *

“It was a bet in college,” Luke said.

Embry lay tangled in his arms as he explained how he wound up with a shamrock on his ass. She found it hysterical when she had first come across it. But after seeing him moving around unabashedly naked in the morning light, she decided it wasn’t funny at all. It was hot—seriously hot. She tipped her face toward him. “A bet?”

“Yep,” he answered, giving her a quick kiss on her nose.

“What kind of bet?”

“The kind that I lost and wound up with a shamrock on my ass,” he joked.

He was being uncharacteristically vague. “Did it have to do with a girl?”

Luke remained quiet.

“It did, didn’t it?”

He chuckled. “Several, actually.”

Embry’s jaw dropped open. “Several?”

He nodded. “My fraternity brothers and I had a little game we played when we went out. We bet who could come home with the most numbers.”

Embry pushed herself up on his chest, coming to his eye level. “Seriously?”

He nodded. He grinned sheepishly, and the tips of his ears turned red in embarrassment.

“And you lost?”

“It was a setup!” Luke said, becoming animated. “I lost by one number, and it was a technicality!”

She laughed. “Oh, I have to hear this.”

He sat up against the headboard and tucked her underneath his arm. “I was getting bored with the game—”

“Ohhhh, you were bored?” Embry scoffed. “Getting numbers was too easy for you, sexypants?”

Luke looked at her. “Did you just call me sexypants?”

Embry raised an eyebrow. “I may have. What’s it to you?”

He grabbed her sides and dug his fingers into her hipbones.

“No tickling!” She squealed. She squirmed down the bed, away from him, and he followed, pulling her back against his chest.

“Fine, no tickling. But for the record”—he lightly kissed her hair—”I like ‘southern sexy’ better.”

Embry gasped. “How do you know about your nickname?”

“I have my sources.” He wiggled his eyebrows. Her eyes widened in alarm, and Luke laughed. “I’m kidding, baby. I overheard you and Morgan talking.”

Embry shook her head. “Fine, southern sexy. Finish your story.”

“Demanding little thing aren’t you?” he joked, nuzzling her neck.

She pulled back, giving him an expectant look.

“Fine. I was bored,” he said, poking her in the side, “so I decided to make it more interesting. I’d dated a girl a while earlier, and things hadn’t ended on good terms. I thought it would be a challenge to get her to give me her number again since she wasn’t a very big fan of mine. Or so I thought …”

“What do you mean, ‘or so you thought?’”

“Well, I got her number. But one of my brothers was sleeping with her roommate. It turned out she’d still been lusting after me pretty hard. She kept pictures of me stuck to the wall next to her bed. It was … creepy. Her phone number put me over the top, but when my brothers found out about her little obsession, they disqualified me. Said it was cheating and didn’t count. Hence the tattoo.”

Embry laughed. “Sounds like you had to fight them off with a stick, huh, Casanova?”

Luke rolled her up and onto his chest. “Usually I do,” he said, a cocky grin on his face. “But not you.”

Embry winced, her laughter dying on her lips. It was too fresh, too new, to joke about all of the ways she’d pushed him away.

“Hey.” He ran his fingers along her jaw. “Stop whatever it is that’s putting a frown on your beautiful face.”

He kissed the frown away, and Embry went boneless, rolling off of Luke and back onto the mattress. She caught sight of the clock on the nightstand and let out a frustrated sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

She peeked up at him, lips pouting. “I wish I made up with you on a weekend so we could stay in bed all day. I have to be in Dawson’s class in a few hours.”

Luke brought his lips to hers in a sweet kiss before pushing up and out of bed. “I don’t care what day it is. I’m glad you’re here.”

She made no secret of her appreciation of his gloriously naked body as he walked into his closet. He came out a minute later in a pair of flannel pants. He handed her a pair as well, along with a T-shirt.

“I’ll go get coffee started. Feel free to use the shower, and you can wear these home if you want.” He kissed the tip of her nose, shooting her a cute smile before heading out of the room. “Towels are in the closet in the bathroom,” he called over his shoulder.

A hot shower sounded perfect. Embry wandered down the stairs and into the foyer to collect her clothing from the night before. She arranged everything in a pile on the foot of the bed then took the clothes Luke had given her and headed for the bathroom. She found a fluffy white towel in the linen closet, started the shower, and walked into the large stall. The hot water warmed Embry and massaged her sore muscles. Condensation dripped down the beautiful tiles, pooling on the bench across from her. The shower was big enough to hold a group of people, and as she lathered herself in Luke’s body wash, she wished he had joined her. She shut down the highlight reel in her head before she got herself all worked up again and switched gears.

Jack. She knew she had to talk to Luke about him, but did she really want to start their relationship with a talk about her ex? No. No excuses. As much as she wanted to believe she was free from her past, it still had an impact on her. Not only was it affecting her, it was haunting her. The phone calls had stopped, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Jack started calling again or found where she lived. If she hid him from Luke and tried to handle it herself, she was giving Jack power over her emotions and over her relationship. She wouldn’t do that. She didn’t want him affecting her and Luke. She had to stop running.

She would tell him. She just had to find the right time.

* * *

Embry stepped into the pajama pants, tied them tight, and rolled the waist a few times so that she could walk without tripping. She pulled Luke’s shirt over her head, ran her fingers through her damp hair, and made her way downstairs. The smell of coffee drew her in, triggering her caffeine craving.

Padding into the kitchen, she snuck up behind Luke and wound her arms around his bare torso, resting her head against his muscled back. She drew in a deep breath, loving his spicy masculine scent. It was that delicious body wash combined with something inherently Luke. She wanted to be surrounded by it always. He turned in her arms to hand her a steaming mug of coffee.

“Pumpkin spice?” she asked, hopeful that Luke had her favorite fall flavor.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered as he poured a cup for himself.

“My favorite,” she crooned as she took a sip.

“Mine too,” he said, smiling.

Embry took her coffee to the breakfast bar. She pulled out a stool and noticed the Georgia sweatshirt hanging on the back. It was still damp from the previous night.

“I’ll give you another one to go home with if you want,” Luke said, coming up behind her to kiss her cheek.

She shook her head. Putting the coffee on the bar, she turned to face the gorgeous man in front of her. She rose up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t need the sweatshirt,” she said, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “I’ve got the real thing now.”

Luke grabbed her before she could pull away, lifting her onto the counter. His tongue begged entrance into her mouth and Embry opened for him. She was awash with sensation. Luke’s fingers danced through her golden locks, his legs pushing between hers, as he kissed her silly. She was completely wrapped up in him, but if she let it go any further, she’d surely miss her first class.

Pushing gently at his chest, she pulled her mouth from his. “I don’t mind Luke Brody for breakfast,” she said, smoothing her palms over his chest, “but I have to leave soon and I kind of wanted to talk.”

“Talk?” he asked. His hands fell from her waist as his brows pulled together.

Embry reached for his hands to pull him back toward her. She positioned him between her legs and looked into his beautiful face, his features marred with unnecessary concern. She’d figured she’d give him a quick rundown on the Jack situation, but when she saw the uncertainty on Luke’s face, she reconsidered. “Yes, talk. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing, I just thought—”

Embry stopped his words with her finger over his lips. “You thought I was going to run. Even after everything?”

Luke shrugged, not meeting her eyes. She had never seen him so vulnerable. Is that what her insecurities and fears had done to him? He was questioning her even after everything that happened between them in the last twelve hours. She felt the tension rolling off of him and changed her game plan. She could talk to him about Jack another time. They needed a day with no drama, no negativity. They had endured too many false starts, and she wanted to make sure he knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

Embry twined her hands in his and pulled him even closer. “We can talk later, it’s not important,” she said, planting kisses across his chest. She felt the tension easing out of him.

He dipped his head and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed, after everything …”

Embry wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He picked her up and walked toward the stairs.

“Except for class, Professor. Are you trying to make me late?” she asked.

“I’ll give you a pass,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows and carrying her back into the bedroom.

22

Embry ran into her apartment, kicked off her shoes, stripped out of Luke’s clothes, and dug through her drawers for an outfit. Luke had given her another sweatshirt to wear home, and Embry threw it back on after pulling on a pair of jeans. She brushed on some mascara and lip gloss, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door. She drove as fast as she could to campus, speed-walked through the hallway, and breezed into the classroom just as her criminal law professor began his lecture.

He peered at her over his reading glasses. “Nice of you to join us, Miss Jacobs.”

“Sorry, Professor Dawson,” she said, taking her seat next to Jeremy.

After class, they walked to the atrium for a bite to eat before contracts. Luke’s class. Embry had been in such a rush that morning, she hadn’t had time to think about the fact that she’d see him in class. She would have to act as though nothing had changed between them when everything had changed.

“You look different today,” Jeremy said around bites of his bagel.

“I do?” she asked, running her hand self-consciously through her hair.

“Yeah, you’re like …”

“Glowing,” Morgan interjected as she walked up and regarded Embry with knowing eyes.

Embry smiled despite herself, feeling heat rise to her cheeks under her friends’ scrutiny.

Morgan gripped Embry’s bicep, pulling her out of her chair. “Excuse us, Jeremy. We have to have a chat … just us girls.”

Jeremy shrugged and took another bite of his bagel.

Morgan dragged Embry through the back doors of the law school. Embry stopped short, not enjoying being manhandled. “What are you doing?”

Morgan turned on her, a smile lighting her features. “Oh, nothing. Can’t I have a little chat with my best friend? Let’s go sit on the bench!”

Embry followed Morgan and took a seat.

“Sooooo,” Morgan said, “what’s new, best friend?”

“Oh, not much,” said Embry, playing along. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Liar.”

“What?” She laughed.

“You got laid is what,” accused Morgan.

Embry’s eyes widened. Either she was completely transparent or her best friend knew her better than she thought. “How did you—”

“Please. You really are glowing. And you have a ridiculously goofy grin on your face.”

Embry tried in earnest to school her features into something a bit more serious.

“That you’re shit at trying to hide, by the way.”

Embry lit up with a face-splitting grin as she turned to her best friend. “He loves me.”

“Well, can you blame him?”

“I love him, too. I told him. We …” Embry let out a dreamy sigh as she thought of how she’d spent the morning and the previous night. “We worked things out.”

“Ha. I bet there was some working out going on,” Morgan teased.

“Morgan!”

“Oh, stop playing innocent. How was it? How was he?”

“Sooooooo good,” Embry admitted. “Best I’ve ever had.”

“Now that’s saying something, you slore.”

“Pshhh, say what you will. That man is sex. Wrapped in sin. Dipped in chocolate.”

Morgan hooted with laughter. “I didn’t think southern sexy had it in him!”

Embry rolled her eyes. “Yes, you did.”

“You’re right, I did. He’s Luke I’m-fucking-delish Brody. A man doesn’t look like he does and turn out to be a disappointment in the bedroom. It’s like a law of nature or something.” Morgan turned serious. “Did you talk to him about Jack?”

Embry let out a long sigh. “No. I was going to, and then I just … No, I didn’t tell him.”

Morgan gave her a look that rivaled an angry mother’s stare. “Why not?”

“It’s nothing. It’s not important. I’ll tell him, okay?”

“Fine, fine.” Morgan bumped Embry’s shoulder with her own. “I’m happy for you, Bree, really. I’m glad you opened yourself up to something good.”

“Yeah, too bad the first person I’ve fallen for in five years happens to be my professor.” The butterflies in her belly chose that moment to wake up and stretch. “I have no idea how to act in class.”

“Just act normal. The good thing is, he’s so fucking hot that half the girls in class fall all over themselves for him anyway. If you get all hot and bothered, you’ll just look like you’re getting in line.”

“Thanks. That’s helpful.” Embry rolled her eyes, not wanting to think of how many women were lusting after her … boyfriend? Lover?

“So you have to keep it in check a few hours a week. Think of all those poor girls who can do no more than lust after him while you’re in his bed.”

“And his shower. And on his kitchen counter.” A sly smile spread across Embry’s face.

“Now that deserves a high five,” Morgan said, throwing her hand up. “Where’s Brendan when you need him?”

* * *

Embry sat in contracts, trying not to jump up and turn around every time someone walked through the door. She was anxious for Luke to arrive. How will I feel? Will it be different? Will he treat me differently? She squeezed her eyes shut, shook the thought away, and concentrated on Jeremy. He was going on and on about the girl from the club Saturday night.

“She was amazing and so bendy,” he said.

Embry cringed. Whatever came after, she didn’t want to hear it. She thought back to Saturday. The masquerade party felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened.

“And then she did this thing with her mouth,” Jeremy said, nudging her.

“What?” she said too loudly.

“There you are. Just trying to get your attention, Blondie.”

“You’re gross.”

“It was effective.” He shrugged. “And seriously, she did some amazing things with her—”

Embry held up a hand. “Stop. No. Do not go there. Can’t hear it. Nope. I won’t.”

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “So what’s going on with you?”

Just then, the door opened, and Embry jumped in her seat.

“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked.

“Huh?” She was utterly distracted. Every fiber of her wanted to turn toward the door and see if Luke was there.

“I asked if you were okay.”

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Uh huh.”

She turned to see Jeremy watching her with narrowed eyes.

“You’re a little jumpy,” he said.

Embry waved him away. “Oh, I’m fine. I think I had a bit too much caffeine. That’s all.” Or too much Luke.

“You sure?”

“Yep! Positive!” She was becoming flustered.

“You’re being weird today.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You’re weird today.”

She couldn’t explain the sensation that came over her when she and Luke were in the same room, but she felt it then and knew he’d walked in. She’d always been aware of him, felt an instant pull when he was near, but after what they’d shared the night before—and that morning—her body was on high alert. She fought against her desire to turn toward him, to go to him, and forced her attention back to Jeremy. “I’m not weird.”

“That’s debatable,” he teased, “but I just meant you’re acting a little twitchy.”

Luke passed by at that moment, looking straight ahead, but she noticed the corner of his mouth lift into a slight smile. He’d heard Jeremy.

Cheeks burning, she turned back to her friend and gave him a shove. “You’re twitchy. Shut it, Jer.”

Luke strode toward the podium, all southern sex and charm. He looked casual in boat shoes, Dockers, and a blue, half-zip sweater over a collared shirt. She caught herself leaning forward as if her body was trying to erase the space between them. Forcing herself to relax, Embry fiddled with her computer and tried to focus.

“Wow,” Jeremy whispered a while later. “I know you’re a crazy over-achiever and everything, but I’ve never seen you take so many notes.” He leaned closer to read off her screen. “I’m pretty sure you won’t need to know Professor Brody’s favorite Supreme Court justice for the final, though. You can probably ease up there, killer.”

Embry flushed again. She had been so intent on keeping her eyes off of Luke and focused elsewhere that she had transcribed his entire sidebar conversation with another student about the Supreme Court. Okay, breathe, Embry. It’s just Luke.

Taking a breath and rolling her eyes at herself, Embry looked up to the front of the room. Luke happened to glance in her direction at the same time, and their eyes collided. She was sure sparks should’ve flown at the impact. That was why she’d been avoiding him. He stumbled over his words but quickly recovered. Warmth unfurled in her stomach, spreading in a slow wave. Her thoughts wandered, and soon she was back in his bed, surrounded by him, engulfed in him, completely consumed.

As Luke conversed with another student, Embry took a break from her overzealous note-taking to gawk, unabashed, at her hot professor. Her vision was flooded with his gorgeous, naked form. It was a trick of the eye, an optical illusion. He was dressed to perfection, but his clothes weren’t registering. All she saw was the sexy underneath. As he moved about the classroom, she imagined how his muscles flexed with every movement—how they’d expanded and contracted as he held his weight above her.

Shaking herself out of her too-hot-for-school thoughts, Embry straightened and flipped through her textbook, realizing she’d missed quite a few cases while in her Luke-induced haze.

“Page three-oh-three,” Jeremy whispered.

Embry jumped, unaware that he had noticed her mini mental lapse. “Oh, thanks.”

Jeremy simply inclined his head, a curious look on his face. Embry managed to control her dirty thoughts for the rest of class. She avoided Jeremy’s eyes as she packed up her computer, but she couldn’t ignore the sexy voice calling her from the front of the classroom.

“Miss Jacobs? Can I have a word?”

She glanced up, and those beautiful baby blues were trained on her, filled with mischief she was sure only she could see. “Sure, Professor.” She picked up her bag and turned toward Jeremy. “See you in legal writing?”

He nodded and went back to packing up his books. Students milled around the classroom as Embry walked toward Luke, concentrating on keeping her features neutral. She rested her hands on top of the podium, her fingers dangling over the edge. Luke glanced around before sliding his fingers gently under hers, their hands hidden behind the stand. She thrilled at the contact, her body waking up with that one simple touch.

“You wanted to see me, Professor?” She felt empowered, sexy, brave. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she’d been so anxious to come to class.

He took her in, eyes ablaze. “Nice sweatshirt.”

She dropped her gaze to the red sweatshirt, Georgia written in black across her chest. She brought her eyes back to meet his. “Oh this? What can I say? I’m in love with a Georgia fan.”

For a split second, he gave her a blinding, mouth-splitting smile before schooling his features back to that of the straight-faced professor. “I’m rescheduling our research.”

“Is that so?” She grazed her thumb across the back of his hand. She managed to keep her expression impassive, professional, while her insides danced.

He nodded. His eyes fell to their entwined fingers. They were practically glowing they were so bright. “Your last class ends at three forty-five?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He turned his hand over under hers and traced a pattern across her palm. It was a heart. “I’ll be over at five.”

Embry nearly melted into the podium but instead gathered all the professionalism she could muster and pulled away. “I’ll see you then, Professor.”

* * *

Embry’s last class of the day had come and gone, and she was stuck in the library. She rolled her eyes at Jeremy, but the sentiment wasn’t reciprocated. He gave her a reproachful look and focused his attention back on the blonde to his left.

“Tessa, you need help with that one?” he asked sweetly.

The blonde looked at Jeremy, blue eyes wide and innocent. “I don’t get how we’re supposed to find the answers in these old books. Can’t we just look it up online?”

Embry walked away from their table. If she didn’t, she may have hit the girl over the head with one of their heavy law books. Their legal writing professor had decided that instead of a typical class, they’d work in the library doing traditional research. “Because you never know when you might lose power or Internet and have to research like they did ‘back in the old days.’”

The professor had put groups together by row, and Embry and Jeremy were grouped with Tessa, a bouncy blonde who appeared to be dumber than a post. Embry had seen her hanging around Jeremy recently, but he’d never mentioned her, and he continued with his whorish ways.

Embry stood in the stacks, looking for a secondary source for their research project. She tried to quell her frustration. The assignment was taking forever, and their academically challenged research partner wasn’t helping. How did she even get into law school?

She typed up a quick text to Luke.

Prof M insisted on a library research exercise. Running late.

His response was immediate.

Text me when you’re finished. I’ll pick up dinner. xo

Luke and dinner; that was all she wanted. She found the book she was looking for, walked back to the table, and dropped the heavy tome in front of Tessa.

“Here. You see number ten?” Embry asked, indicating their assignment sheet. “Look through this book and find that. Just use the index and write down the number of the statute when you find it. It’s simple.”

“If it’s so simple, why can’t you do it?” Tessa asked without any hint of sarcasm.

“Because”—Embry tried and failed to keep the agitation from her voice—”I’ve already done the rest of the sheet.”

Tessa looked at the answers on the sheet then back up at Embry. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be a Gator?”

“What?” Embry asked, completely befuddled. “What are you talking about?”

“You went to the University of Florida, right? Jeremy mentioned it. But aren’t the Gators supposed to hate the Bulldogs?” She motioned toward Embry’s sweatshirt.

Embry cringed. The girl couldn’t tell the difference between legal research and a Google search, but she’d managed to remember every word that left Jeremy’s mouth. Maybe she was more observant than Embry gave her credit for.

“Yeah,” Jeremy piped in. “Where did you get a Georgia sweatshirt?”

“An old friend. I had it lying around and threw it on in a rush this morning.” She wouldn’t do that again. She had to separate Professor Brody from Luke Brody, or she would find herself in trouble.

“Oh. Okay,” Tessa said with a small shrug and flipped through the text.

Jeremy glared at Embry. “Bree, help me find a book?” He angled his head toward the shelves.

“I just pulled the last one,” she argued.

“Please.”

Embry unfolded herself from her chair and walked toward the stacks. When she was a ways into the aisle, she turned back and bumped right into Jeremy’s chest. “What are you doing, Jer?”

“I could ask you the same. Why are you being so nasty to Tessa?”

Her eyes widened, blush staining her cheeks. Her friend had called her out, and he was right. She looked away, searching for the answer, but it was inexplicable. Tessa had done nothing to garner Embry’s wrath. She was nice enough, but something about her hit Embry right in the gut and made her uncomfortable. Not to mention she was lazy, dense, and a tad annoying. “I’m sorry, Jer. You’re right.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Embry thought of Luke’s arms waiting for her. “I just want to get out of here, that’s all.”

“Why? So you can get back to your precious professor?”

Whoa. Embry fought to keep her composure. Jeremy was probably just referring to the fact that she did so much research with Luke, but he’d hit a little too close to the mark. “Why would you even say that?”

“Isn’t Professor Brody from Georgia?”

“Excuse me? What exactly are you implying?” It was a miracle that she kept her voice from shaking. Her insides trembled, and her stomach fisted into a ball of anxiety.

“Nothing,” he said quietly. “I saw how you looked at him today. Just … don’t be one of those girls.”

Embry felt sick. She swallowed thickly, at a complete loss. “I just …”

“Look, why don’t you head home? I’ll finish the assignment and hand it in. Just try to be nice to Tessa. She’s a pretty cool chick when you get to know her.”

“I didn’t know you had gotten to know her at all,” Embry said, still too stunned to address his comments about Luke.

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Bree,” Jeremy said, giving her a sad smile and walking away.