Page 11

Avalon

“So you’re fucking the captain of the hockey team, now?”

Having just finished a text to the man in question, I froze, before I slowly turned toward Sheena.

She’d been blowing up my phone with nonsense all day, and I’d ignored her.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen her approach the table at Midnight Java where Nash and I had spent the afternoon studying after my library shift.

Extra unfortunately, everyone around us had heard her accusation, too.

“Excuse me?” I asked, my tone low with outrage as I stood.

“That’s who was with you the other night and helped you pack your shit. That’s who you were practically fucking up against a car yesterday. You think I don’t know who he is? Everyone knows who he is.”

“Wait? What?” Nash asked.

“Oh, that’s rich. You don’t know? She’s fucking Parrish Locksby,” Sheena informed him, sneering. “Pictures of them are all over social media.”

“I’m not—”

“So what if she is?” Nash cut in, surprising me because he tended to be less confrontational, shying away from most social interactions, save for people he was close to. He turned to me. “What does she mean that Parrish helped you to pack?”

“Oh, I kicked her loser ass out a couple nights ago,” Sheena informed him before I could answer.

He stood, a slow fury dawning across his face, his posture practically hulking out. “You…did… what?”

Rounding the table in a flash, my klutziness thankfully on break, I grabbed his arm before he could step toward her. That was the last thing we needed. I didn’t want Nash getting in trouble because Sheena was nasty.

An arm went around me, holding me back, too. Parrish. I couldn’t believe his timing. I hadn’t realized he was so nearby when he’d texted to see where I was.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“Hey, babe. Hi, Nash,” he said, greeting us. “What she means is, when I pulled up to drop off Avie after our date, Sheena had dumped all Av’s stuff out on the lawn.” His hand tightened on my waist, the only portent of his tension. “So I took care of it.”

“So what is this you have going on?” Sheena asked, snidely, waving her hand around in a judgy manner, her disgust written on her face. “A pity fuck for the ugly duck? Because why would you be with her? She’s so…”

“Sweet? Kind? Smart? Beautiful?” Parrish offered. “Inside and out. And if I were you…I’d shut the fuck up before everyone finds out exactly how ugly you are.”

“How dare you!” she exclaimed.

“How dare you ?” he growled in a low, dangerous tone. Sheena clearly didn’t recognize the thin ice beneath her.

“Are you threatening me?” she shrilled.

“Fuck’s sake,” I muttered and pulled away from Parrish to step between the pair. “He’s not threatening you.” I glanced around pointedly. “But could you just stop? You’re making a scene.”

“I will ruin you,” she yelled at me. What was her problem? I just couldn’t fathom why she was like this. It made no sense.

“And I will report you for harassment if you don’t stop blowing up my phone, stalking me and contacting my family.

” I didn’t know if she was following me around—or why —but she never came to Midnight Java because she thought only losers hung out there.

Still, morbid curiosity wanted to know how she intended to ruin me , but Parrish nudged me farther away from my ex-roommate, placing himself closer to her.

“Well, that escalated fast,” Nash deadpanned.

He turned to me, moving so he was shoulder-to-shoulder with Parrish forming a wall between me and Sheena.

I hoped she would leave when she realized we wouldn’t engage with her anymore.

“Is she always like this? I knew she was bad, but damn, she’s kinda a psycho bully. ”

I winced. “Usually not so public about it.”

Despite how it had come about, I was really glad I didn’t share an apartment with Sheena anymore, but I couldn’t help the trickle of fear at her words. I didn’t have a bunch of secrets, but had she gone through my things? Gotten into my passwords or private journal?

“Do you need to couch surf for a while?” Nash asked.

“She doesn’t,” Parrish practically growled, his fingers locked around mine. “I’ve got Avie covered.”

Sometimes, literally.

A tremble rolled through me, my pleasure centers coming to life—though in truth, they’d perked up the moment Parrish had made himself known a few minutes ago.

I sent him a small smile, remembering all the kissing and exploring we’d done over the past few days. Were things moving fast? Yes. But in essence, we’d been learning about each other for almost a year. So, really, it wasn’t that fast.

“You’re sure?” Nash looked back at me, clearly wanting to hear the answer from me and not my protective boyfriend.

“Yeah. I’m going to stay with Parrish until the end of the semester.”

“Longer,” Parrish rumbled, sending another thrill of arousal through me.

“I knew you were fucking him,” Sheena sneered.

Nash turned his glare on her. “You’re still here? God sake. Take a hint, Satanic Barbie. Go do your evil elsewhere and leave Avalon alone.”

She flipped her hair then crossed her arms, lifting her chin in challenge.

“Look,” I said before she could start spewing more crap. “I let it go when you dumped all my stuff on the lawn, even though I’ve paid more than my share of the expenses. But you going to my brother and sister and lying…?”

Because yeah, I’d gotten texts from my sister today telling me she didn’t have time for my bullshit problems.

“That’s unacceptable,” I continued.

“None of it is,” Parrish muttered.

I didn’t acknowledge that and just focused on Sheena. She needed to be dealt with once and for all, so she wasn’t a shadow looming over me for the rest of my time at Rustin.

“ But …” I drew out the word for emphasis.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll go to the administration about you.

There’s no reason for you to harass me. Just leave me alone.

It’s not your concern what I do. It’s not like Parrish is your boyfriend or that you’re in any way connected to the hockey team.

I don’t think you even met Parrish before the other night.

So if I’m with him or if I’m not with him, it doesn’t matter to you.

What I do or do not do with him isn’t your concern. ”

“He’s a star, heading for the pros and you’re…” Her scathing gaze raked over me. “A nerdy mouse. And you’re dating out of your weight range. Literally.”

A collective gasp seemed to go up around us, and I swore Nash and Parrish turned to stone.

The verbal blow knocked me back in mortification, tears pricking my eyes.

Sure, I wasn’t rail thin. And my hair wasn’t a cloud of golden corn silk around my shoulders.

It was a muddy dark brown that tended to get in my way, so I always kept it in a long braid that hung over one shoulder.

And no, I didn’t dress in expensive, fashionable clothes.

When I wasn’t at the library working, I lived in jeans and T-shirts or sweatshirts.

I had exactly two nice blouses and one nice dress.

I didn’t glide; I usually tripped. I wasn’t part of the popular crowd.

But…with Parrish, I’d forgotten all that.

“Nash,” Parrish said quietly.

“Yeah?” my friend snapped.

“Will you grab Avie’s stuff and bring it to my car?” Parrish didn’t wait for a reply before he swung me over his wide, muscular shoulder.

“Sheena…and I mean this with my whole being,” he growled, his tone deadly. “Fuck off and never speak to Avalon again. Because if you do, you’ll be the one ruined.”

She sputtered, and almost before I realized what was happening, he pushed past her and was out the door of Midnight Java . A cheer went up behind us, and Sheena yelled.

“Parrish!” I cried when we were on the sidewalk and the door closed, muting the cheer behind us. “Put me down! I’m too—”

“Don’t you dare tell me you’re too heavy,” he growled, not slowing as he strode toward the student lot where he’d parked his car. His free hand smacked over my ass. “You’re fucking perfect, and that girl is just a jealous bitch. She wishes she could be as great as you.”

“That was fantastic!” Nash exclaimed. I craned my head to see him jogging toward us with his backpack over his shoulder while he carried mine. Parrish took it from him, not slowing a bit or showing any sign of his burden being too heavy.

It was only at the passenger side of his car that he set me on my feet. His hands came up to cup my face, and he leaned in. “You should be sleeping with the captain of the hockey team.”

“I mean…technically I am,” I murmured, caught in the tractor beam of his gaze. Every ion of my body was drawn to him, my pulse thrumming through my veins and tension pulling in my core.

He slowly shook his head. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“So do I,” Nash piped in. “And frankly, it’s too much information. Babes, call me later. I want all the blow-by-blow of what went down—without any private TMI details. Bye, Parrish. Take care of my girl or you’ll be sorry.”

Parrish broke our gaze to glare over my shoulder at Nash. “She’s my girl.”

Nash scoffed but took off the other way, heading back toward his apartment.

“Tell me there’s nothing between you two,” Parrish said. “I don’t want to be a jealous ass.”

“No can do, hockey god,” I said, and Parrish’s grip on my waist tightened. I curled my fingers on his cheek. “He’s my best friend. I love him, and he has a huge place in my life. But romantically. Not a thing. Also, he won’t admit it, but he has a massive crush on his roommate.”

“Porter?”

“Yup.”

Parrish laughed, the sound almost evil.

“What?” I demanded.

“It’s just too perfect. Porter asked him to be his fake date to some thing he has to go to. And Nash has a crush on him. I can only imagine how that will go.”

“For one, Nash is freaking out. I had to talk him off the wall last night. But, right now, I’d rather imagine how things will go for us. Did you mean what you said in there? About me? Us?”

“Every word. You’re perfect. And you’re perfect for me. I mean, fuck, my dick’s been hard since I tackled you the other day.”

“Maybe, you should see a doctor about that,” I teased. But I couldn’t help biting my lip, trying to hide my smile at the idea I’d done that to him.

“No,” he said, tugging me to stand between his legs, my chest flush against his, as he leaned back against the side of his car. “I think I just need to see more of you.”