Page 27

Kate

It’s Wednesday night, which means it’s Halloween, and costume parties are all around campus and at the frat houses. The whole day has been busy, and the atmosphere is charged with fun. Some students are already done up in their costumes. Melissa and I brought our stuff to get ready in the bathroom after our shift is over.

Gabe just left to go grab a snack and get ready. He was here studying and flirting for about an hour. Landon knows this is our long shift for the week and that we’ve been here since one. After last week’s debacle, I’ve been less keen on coming to my shifts. He said he’ll stop in to say hi at some point. I hope it’s soon since there’s only about an hour and a half left.

Mel and I are scanning the last of the days’ returned books back into the system when I see Landon walk in around six o’clock. He’s got a lazy smile and is genuinely happy to see me. He’s not tense at all, which tells me things have gone well for him today, despite the last few days he’s spent mulling over my texts from Trevor.

He still hasn’t said what all happened Monday morning at conditioning, but I’m sure it has to do with the reason he had to get a new glove. He was a mess over his old one being ruined. Dad got that for him a few months before he passed. Hopefully, he can find someone who can fix his old one up so that he can at least still have it to look at even if it’s not usable.

He grabs my hand and throws Melissa a coy look.

“Give me a few minutes with my girl, yeah?” Landon smiles that swoony smile and drags me off toward the stacks.

My heart starts thrumming at a wild pace as he winds us through the stacks. Thankfully, nobody saw us come in here, although I don’t think Landon much cares. He finds a quiet, dimly lit aisle against the back wall that he’s happy to occupy.

“I don’t have long,” I whisper out, even though there’s not a soul in hearing distance. Landon grabs my waist, pushes me back against the stack of books, and ravages my mouth with his tongue.

“I don’t need but a few minutes to make you come,” he growls against my neck and starts bunching my knee-length, suede skirt up toward my waist. “Great choice of clothing for today,” he pants out as his fingers find and slide over the crotch of my panties. He groans when he finds me already soaked for him. His greedy fingers slip through my sex, circling my clit and making me even hotter for him. We both softly moan when he slides two strong fingers inside. He means business.

Landon swings a leg up around his waist and plunders my pussy with his skilled fingers. He crooks them and pumps hard and deep, bringing me to the edge of ecstasy within a minute or two. My hips greedily buck, seeking more friction from him. He drops to his knees and throws my thigh over his shoulder, drawing my clit into his mouth. This man devastates me. I throw my head back against the books, groaning as my release crashes over me, and he has to raise his hand from my ass to help conceal the sounds tearing from my lips.

He slows his ministrations and kisses my inner thigh.

Thunk.

Landon and I both startle, and he immediately stands while pulling my skirt back into place. We look around but see nothing down our row. He holds his finger to his lips to tell me to stay silent as he quickly peeks around the other side of the aisle. Nothing. Just a solitary book on the ground. He sighs in relief.

“Maybe a ghost was getting his jollies watching me get you off?” he jokes as I get myself back in order.

“My heart is pounding,” I rush out.

“That was the point,” he replies suggestively, and I slap his shoulder playfully.

“Okay, it’s pounding for more than just that reason.” He gives me a triumphant smile and pulls my lips in for one more smoldering kiss. It’s never enough for either of us.

“Let’s get back before Melissa comes looking for us,” I say breathily.

“Okay. I’ll go get ready. We’ll be back by seven-thirty for you girls.” Landon playfully chucks my chin up with his knuckle, then grabs my hand to lead us out of the maze of books.

“Bout time.” Melissa rolls her eyes at Landon and tosses me a saucy smirk when we make it back toward the main tables.

“You see anyone come out from that area?” Landon asks.

“No, but I wasn’t really paying any attention either. Why?” Her eyes round and she looks around the room, scanning for something she might’ve missed.

“No worries. We just heard a noise, that’s all. Thought I’d ask,” Landon reassures her.

“Okay, good, because it’s not like I’d be able to point someone out. Most everyone who has come in in the last hour has been in costume.”

“Hmmph.” Landon doesn’t seem too thrilled by that admission.

“Alright, I’ll see you ladies in an hour. Don’t wander too far from Melissa.” He kisses my forehead and takes off.

“Girl, he is dreamy,” Mel sighs out. “And adventurous. I mean, the stacks?” She waggles her eyebrows. I’m sure my face just flushed through every color from pale pink to crimson. She laughs and finishes logging last-minute details into the computer.

“What sort of noise did you guys hear back there?” she queries.

“A book fell from the aisle over about halfway down,” I answer.

Melissa chews her lip and shrugs like it’s no big deal. I mean, it probably isn’t.

“I finished the log work while you were back there “chatting”.” Melissa air quotes and pops her gum. I am never going to live this down.

“All we have left is trash collection and table cleaning. I call trash!” she pipes up and takes off for the front can to start gathering.

I reach for my phone next to the computer, but it isn’t there. I frown and look around. I am sure I left it there.

“Hey, Mel? Did you move my phone from by the computer?” I ask.

“No, I thought you grabbed it. It was there when Landon got here.” She picks up a smaller can and empties it.

“Did you leave the station while we were...” Melissa gives me a scandalous smirk, daring me to finish that thought. I clear my throat. “Occupied?” I fill in. She snorts.

“Yeah, I had to take some books back upstairs to the fiction section,” she states.

“Hmm...maybe it got knocked down.” I look under the desk and all around the station.

“Hey, Melissa!” A girl I recognize from Mel’s psychology class, that for the life of me I can’t remember her name, motions to her. We both give her our attention.

“Do you know whose stuff is all at that table over there?” She points to our table in the back right corner.

“Yeah, that’s ours, why?” Mel replies.

“Well, someone’s phone is smashed to bits next to a brown leather tote. Thought you should know,” she states and shrugs while heading toward the front door to leave.

My stomach drops. We both rush over to find exactly what I suspected. I lift my phone to check the damage and underneath is a post-it that says, “ MINE!”.

Melissa gasps and looks around. My eyes well with unshed tears.

That motherfucker!

My stomach curdles.

The noise.

The book.

He saw us.

Likely watched.

I look up and around, feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable. Melissa is already on her phone with Gabe, and I beeline for the nearest trash can, spewing my dinner into it.

Mel makes her way to me and hands me a tissue.

“It’s seven. Let’s get hot and go get a fucking drink. I wanna forget that asshole for the night,” she tries to distract me.

“Yeah.” I wipe my mouth and pull away from the can. We gather our belongings and walk to the bathroom.

By the time Sarah comes preening into the bathroom in her sexy vampire costume, we’re all glammed up. Melissa chose to go as a sexy buckle bunny, so I assume Gabe will be in a rodeo/cowboy getup. I’m a sexy nurse and Landon is Doctor Love. I snort to myself at the thought of how unoriginal we all are, but who cares.

“The boys are out there. They want your phone and the post-it.” She hands out a baggie for me to drop them in. She takes it back out to them while we clean up our makeup scattered across the counter.

We exit the bathroom, and the boys all whistle. They are apparently happy with our choices of costumes.

“Told you they picked good ones,” Mason rubs his hands together and licks his Dracula-red lips. We all laugh as he appreciatively grabs at Sarah’s black leather-clad butt, but she intercepts and swats his hand away, cocking her brow in warning.

Doctor Love drinks me in from toes to eyes. I shiver under his gaze. He swaggers up to me and grabs my bag.

“Nurse,” he greets, drawing out that s at the end, and pecks my lips.

“Doctor Love,” I acknowledge suggestively.

“Looks like I can’t page you when I need you,” he states, referring to my destroyed phone.

“Looks like we got caught.” I raise my brow, referring to the stacks.

“I’m so sorry,” he begins. I can tell that it upsets him more than the phone and post-it.

“At least I was covered,” I smirk, trying to ease his worry. I don’t regret those stolen moments.

“Damnit, you’re perfect.” He grabs my hips and kisses me hard. “Time to have some fun.”