Chapter 5

When the timer on her phone chimes at the end of our session, panic grips my chest. I must have been paying some attention. I distinctly remember Meghan praising me for the right answers.

Regardless, she’s going to think my head was in the gutter the whole time if I stand up now, and give her an eyeful of the erection about to burst through my zipper.

Would she believe it isn’t just her body that turns me on? Her brain is as much to blame as all her soft bits I’m desperate to get my hands on. “You’re really good at this. That’s the most sense any of this has made.”

I catch a hint of a smile on Meghan’s lips before she turns her head, trying to hide her face as she packs her bag.

Oh, no you don’t.

I grip her chin in my hand to turn her face to mine. “I made you smile.” If it was any other day, I’d mention the blush on her cheeks. Tease her about it until she yells, storms off, or slaps me. For once, that’s not the reaction I want. Not because of the bet but because of a warmth spreading through my chest and deep in my gut.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Brewer. I’m just shocked you know how to pay a compliment to anyone but yourself.” She’s trying to sound angry but her voice trembles and she doesn’t fight to take her face from my hand.

Bright, honey-colored eyes search mine for several seconds before her tongue darts out to wet her plump, red lips. That’s when I realize I could win the bet right now. There is half a dozen of her floor mates who will see us and not hesitate to tell everyone that Trent Brewer kissed the Ice Queen.

My stomach knots, wringing out the warmth and leaving me empty.

I’m an idiot. I never should have made that bet. Let my ego, and my need to rub it in Peyton’s face that I could succeed where he failed. Not when I already knew I had real feelings for Meghan.

“Don’t you have football practice you need to get to?” Meghan says finally removing her chin from my hand, but awkwardly. Like she hopes no one saw us. Like she knew I was thinking about kissing her.

If that’s true, I’m not sure if she’s upset that I didn’t or upset that she considered letting me.

What I do know for sure is that I don’t want to kiss her to win a bet anymore. I want to win her heart and earn every kiss. First, I have to call off the bet before it gets back to her. Until then, I need to remove any reason she might have to believe I was trying to win it tonight.

Chapter five

Meghan

Welcome. That was all I heard, screaming inside my head as I stared into Trent’s eyes. They’d never looked so warm. Dare I say, sincere? I almost fell for it. Even worse, I wanted to. If he hadn’t changed the pressure of his fingers holding my chin, bringing me back to reality, letting me look away. I would have kissed him. Threw myself at him.

I didn’t believe him when he promised to take our time together seriously. How could I? After the way he greeted me? Started off the hour exactly how I expected. But he ended up being nothing like the guy I thought he’d be. Instead, he was attentive, grateful, and kind.

Could I have been so wrong about him?

When it was time to work, he didn’t crack one wiseass comment or make any lame-ass moves on me. Even though our bodies touched the whole time. Shoulder to shoulder. Hip to hip. Close enough that both of us could read the book or his notes.

Heat blooms at the base of my spine, thinking about his hard-muscled body against mine. Wishing I could feel his corded thigh or rounded bicep. Most of all, his fingers on my chin. Wishing that he’d closed the distance between our lips and kissed me.

I bet his lips are soft. They look soft.

Before I can catch myself, my fingertips touch my lips pretending they’re Trent’s.

Thank God, Trent’s too busy packing his books into his backpack to notice.

I’m off the hook this time, but I wonder if he noticed how I leaned into him every so often while we studied. Just to get a better imprint of his muscular arm and thigh on mine.

If he’d noticed, he didn’t take advantage of it. The Trent I thought I knew would have teased me. Not let it go until I’d gone into a rage. Again, it’s hard to believe. I’ve seen him do more with less provocation.

Either I have to believe that Trent isn’t as big of a prick as I thought, or I got away with groping him and need to keep my guard up during our next session. Not give him the shot I dodged today. Hope that he’s not banking all the things he could have teased me about today until he’s gotten what he needs from me as his tutor just to come back at me with it once his passing grades are officially on the books.

Or maybe I’m the one with the over-inflated ego, assuming he wanted to kiss me. It’s possible he has zero interest in me. His default setting is to tease and flirt regardless of his or anyone’s interest. Him not having any interest in me would explain why it was so easy for him to flip the switch when it was time to work.

“See you Thursday, Teach,” Trent says, bumping his elbow on my arm before standing and sprinting toward the elevator.

Couldn’t make a more platonic gesture than that.

I bury my face in my hands as soon as he’s out of sight.