Page 25 of Wicked Little Darling

“No,” he said with a scowl. “It’s just that it wouldn’t be right. I’ll go buy my own la?—”

“Boys, is this going to be a problem?” Professor Hawkins raised a brow, and the whole class turned to look at us.

“No, sir,” I said loudly. “I was just asking Reese if I could share his textbook since I forgot mine today.”

The professor sighed. “Make sure you bring it next time or I’m taking points off.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned back around and started talking again, so I leaned in toward Reese and whispered, “No give-backs.”

He was squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead.

He was so fed up with me.

Class dragged by and I barely paid attention to anything other than Reese. When we had to take notes, he was forced to move his hand away from his face, but he still ignored me. I watched him scribble notes in his extremely messy handwriting,watched his face slowly relax like he was forgetting I was right here. Watched him chew on his bottom lip over and over again. When I shifted in my chair because watching him was making me hard, his eyes shot to mine, and he frowned.

I winked at him, and he scoffed and looked away, angling his body away from me. But not before I saw the redness of his cheeks.

Damn if all his reactions weren’t amusing and arousing.

That blush looked so pretty on him, and I wanted to lick it. Bite it. Kiss it. Rub my face all over his. Was the mark on his face as soft as the rest of him looked? Or did it feel different? I wanted to find out.

I was fucking weird, wasn’t I?

When class was about to end, Professor Hawkins said, “Please make sure you exchange phone numbers with your partner and carve out some time this week to work on the project. I want the first general plan for your composition by the end of class next week!”

Reese was up and out of his chair the moment the professor was finished talking, making a beeline for the exit.

I grabbed my bag and jogged to catch up with him. Why was he so damn fast?

“Reese!” I followed the back of his head for all of ten seconds before he disappeared into a throng of students that poured out of a different classroom. I pushed my way through the crowd and caught sight of him again right as he stepped through the door to the courtyard.

I burst through maybe ten seconds after him and didn’t see him anywhere.

He was a fast little fucker.

Well, I’d see him soon enough. I’d let him get away this time.

I mean, I had to, because I couldn’t even find him, but still.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked toward the cafeteria. I’d forgotten to bring my snacks with me today and I was starving—but should I get Reese something too? I hadn’t seen him eat at all, and I wondered if he was having trouble affording it, although that wasn’t really my business but I kind of wanted to make it my business.

I just hoped he came back earlier than he did last night because he hadn’t returned until after I was asleep. I waited up until midnight but he still wasn’t back, and I’d just drifted off at some point after that.

He hadn’t said anything about the night light, which was good. My last roommate hated it. He would always unplug it or steal it and hide it somewhere and I’d have to buy a new one, but he just kept taking them.

So I kept buying them.

Reese didn’t appear to mind it, though. He only seemed to be bothered byme.

I wasn’t sure exactly what it was about him that had caught my attention so thoroughly, but I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head since that first day at the cemetery.

Was it because he was interesting to look at? After all, it was that big mark on his face that had initially caught my eye. Or was it the fact that he was so different from everyone else here?

And those eyes of his…

They were such a strange combination of colors that kept changing; green, gold and brown framed by long, dark lashes. Eyes that were always narrowed at me, full of hostility. And then there were those soft, pouty lips that were always pulled down in a frown.