His lips flatten into a tight line as he narrows his eyes. “That’s the issue, Sydney. I don’t want to deal with strange girls sneaking into my room and lying in wait. Wouldn’t you be unsettled if you found a naked guy in your bed?”
“I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “I guess it would depend on who the guy was.”
If it’s possible, his lips smash together even more. When he continues to glare, I shift my stance, uncomfortable under his relentless scrutiny.
“Fine, I would be upset,” I grumble reluctantly. “There. Are you happy now?” Although, I’m still confused as to how I got dragged into this mess.
“I’d hoped after I kicked her out of my room that she would finally get it through her head that nothing was ever going to happen, but she was back at my place the other night, confessing her love for me and wanting to know why I won’t give her a chance.”
All right, so maybe I can understand his concern. Those are definitely stalker vibes I’m beginning to feel.
“So,” I say carefully, piecing everything together, “you told her you were dating someone.”
Me.
Brayden told this girl that he was dating me.
As bad as I’m starting to feel for him—because clearly that girl is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs—there is no way I’m getting sucked into a situation that has nothing to do with me. “Forget it.” When he opens his mouth to argue, I shake my head. “I just got out of a relationship. I’m not interested in having people think that I’m delving headfirst into another. And even if I was,” I add, wanting to make sure we’re both on the same page, “it wouldn’t be with someone like you.”
“Excuse me?” His brows shoot up. “Did you just say someone like me?”
Do I really need to explain this to him?
By the pinched expression on his face, apparently so.
“Come on, Brayden...you’re not the kind of guy I would ever go for. You’re a manwhore.” I hold up my hands and quickly add, “That’s not judgment on my part, it’s just the unvarnished truth. You’re free to sleep with as many girls as you want. Have sex with the entire university, for all I care. But do us both a favor and don’t pretend you’re something that you’re not, all right? You don’t do serious.”
“I am not a manwhore,” he says in halting tones as if I’ve truly offended him, which is rich.
Laughter bubbles up from my lips.
Brayden folds his arms across his chest and glares. “All the girls I’ve slept with knew the score up front. And they were cool with it. Don’t act like I’m out there, taking advantage of these chicks.”
He’s missing the point entirely.
“I never said you were taking advantage of anyone. I simply pointed out that you like to sleep around and share the love. Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising when some psycho chick gets obsessed.”
“For your information,” he grits out, “I never slept with Kira.”
“Maybe it would help if you did,” I snicker. “She’d probably lose interest by the third thrust.”
“Hardy-har-har. You’re hilarious, you know that?”
Now that I’ve made my position perfectly clear, I inch toward the bedroom door. “You seem to have gotten yourself into a real quandary, and I don’t want any part of it. So...I’m just gonna—”
As I reach for the handle, he blurts, “Wait!”
I glance over my shoulder, impatient to get the hell out of here. “What?”
“Please,” he swallows, desperation flashing across his face. “I really need your help. It would only be for a couple of weeks. That’s it.”
It’s official—Brayden has gone off the deep end. We’re not even friends; why would I entertain the idea of helping him out for even a minute?
If anything, he’s dragged me into a mess I want no part of. And if he won’t clear up the situation, I will. And then I’ll do what I should have from the very beginning and block his damn ass on my phone. From here on out, we can work solo on our project. It’s not like there’s a ton left to do.
“Sorry, this sounds more like a you problem than a me problem. But don’t worry, you’re a resourceful guy. I have total faith that you’ll figure something out.”
For a second time, I reach for the handle. Before I can make a clean getaway, Brayden springs forward and wraps his fingers around my shoulders before swinging me around. My eyes widen and I stifle a yelp of surprise at the way he’s manhandling me.
“I’ve already told Kira that we’re dating. If you go downstairs and say differently, she’ll never leave me alone.” His grip tightens. “Would you really do that to me?”
“Yes.” It’s not even a question.
His jaw locks, but he still doesn’t set me free. “I can help you.”