Page 19

Never say I love you.
One thing’s certain. I need to break out of this damn rut I find myself in. I won’t go back to the club because my mystery man might be there, but I won’t go to other clubs because I can’t stop thinking about—my mystery man.
It’s fucked.
It’s all fucked up.
“You’ve got sex on the brain.” Kaye’s soft smile doesn’t mean she’s making a joke. She’s genuinely concerned about me.
If she only knew.
“Actually…” An idea grabs me. “Maybe that’s exactly what you need?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” I point at her.
“What’s that?”
“A Guardian to get your mind off Professor Scott Parker?”
“That’s the last thing I need.” She gives a dismissive wave. “I wish you’d consider holding onto a man for more than a night. I hate that you refuse to date. Not every man is bad.”
“I beg to differ.” I couldn’t disagree with her more.
Kaye knows my history. I stopped dating when Steffen took my freshman heart and stomped all over it. He used me until he had no further use for me, then turned his back and walked away.
“How long are you going to let Steffen dictate your life?”
“He doesn’t dictate my life. I simply learned an important lesson.”
“And what’s that?”
“When you hand over your heart, you lose any power you hold in the relationship. I’ll never lose myself like that again. Never give a man that kind of power.”
“That’s incredibly sad. You’re missing out. How can you not believe in love?”
“I like things the way they are. I control what happens. I learned my lesson and I’ll never give someone the power to crush me like that again. Not dating has its perks.
“Aren’t you a little curious about the dude from grad night?”
My cheeks heat and I turn away. She knows all about my man at the club.
We share everything.
Well, except how I can’t get him out of my head.
“We’re not talking about grad night.”
“Well, you can have any of the Guardians you want,” Kaye says. “I’m swearing off men for the time being. They’re too much work.”
“Finally, you’ve come to the light. Men are too much work, but their dicks sure are fun.” I point down the street at a black SUV turning the corner. “I see them.”
The SUV growls like a wild beast. When it pulls up to the curb, all four doors pop open at the same moment and four daunting figures step out, occupying the entirety of the space around them. Kaye and I exchange glances, both of us too intrigued to move, then my gaze lands on one man in particular.
Our gazes intersect and lock with each other as recognition flows through us at the same time. He cocks his head, looking at me in a way that feels far more intimate than it should.
He had his tongue down my throat, his fingers in my pussy, and fucked me senseless, but the man knows nothing about me.