A Piece of Heaven (Allendale Four 1)

Jackson’s blonde eyebrows shot up. “Oh, trust me, he’ll get a rise alright. He probably already jerked off three times before leaving for the library just to get through it.”

“Jax!” I slapped him on the arm. I didn’t want to think about Anderson doing that…well, until I did think about him doing that and the image was a little more enticing than I thought. “You guys really do it that much?”

He stared at me and slowly nodded his head. “You have no idea. And with you walking around like that all the time? It’s increased ten-fold.”

“Ohmygod.”

My face burned like a bonfire but at the same time the information was flattering. These guys thought about me all the time. Even Anderson. Truth be told, I thought about them a lot more when I was alone too.

My cheeks burned hotter and I shifted in my seat, busying myself with searching in my bag for my project outline. When I looked up, he was staring at my boobs again.

“Jackson!”

“I’m serious, Heaven. Those things are lethal. You’re lethal.” He turned into the parking lot of the library and found a spot easily. “You’re gonna kill him, you know.”

I unlatched my seat belt and adjusted my shirt. We were acknowledging this. Good. “I know. He has it coming.”

“I don’t know...”

“He does. He thinks I’m trashy and obviously nothing will change his mind. I may as well make him sweat.” I was being petty. Stupid. I knew it, but at the same time, so was Anderson. He was either my friend or not, and this thing between me and the guys…well they were all in or it didn’t work. The judgments needed to go. “I don’t expect you to side with me over him, but his little game of hot and cold is growing thin.” I opened the door, stood up, and straightened my coat. I pointed to my chest. “This is payback.”

Jackson closed his door and slung his backpack over his shoulder. We walked together into the building, where the instant we were inside he said, “I’ll be over there,” pointing to a group of comfortable chairs. “Be gentle with him, okay?”

I rolled my eyes and looked around the massive room. Finally, I spotted Anderson, busily writing into our lab journal at a table on the opposite side of the building. Turning my attention away from Jackson and onto Anderson, I took in his tight, black t-shirt, and the way it strained against the wide expanse of his shoulders. I gathered my resolve and walked over.

“Hi,” I said, dropping my book bag and pulling out a chair across from him.

“Hey,” he said looking around. “Where’s Jackson?”

“Over there.” We both looked over at him sitting with his legs propped on a coffee table, feet tapping in rhythm to whatever music played on his iPod. I glanced back at Anderson, noting the obvious frown on his face when he realized he was left alone with me. Yep. I was so making him pay.

Anderson went back to his work, absently sliding the lab report over to me. “I completed the first three questions.”

“Great.” I unbuttoned my coat before turning to hang it on the back of my chair. “Do you want me to work on the next three?”

“I, um, yeah, um...” I heard his pencil drop on the tabletop.

I steeled myself. I had gotten pretty comfortable with revealing my body over the last several weeks, but the look on Anderson’s face was enough to make me second-guess myself. Had I actually gone too far? He was completely flummoxed. I leaned over. “Questions four through seven?”

“Um,” His eyes darted from my chest back to his paper. “Yes.”

“Okay,” I said, arranging my books and paperwork. I made an exaggerated effort to lean on one elbow. We worked quietly for a while, only talking when we needed something from one another. Anderson was blatantly avoiding eye contact and struggling to focus on his paper—that was, until I caught him, jaw slack and staring.

“Is something wrong?” I asked innocently, twirling a piece of hair around my finger. Maybe.

He blinked. “Um...I think you may have the wrong formula for number five.”

“Really?” I asked. Because I was certain I didn’t.

He snatched the paper and busied himself reviewing it. “Oh, no. I guess not.”

“Sure?”

He glanced over at Jackson, who was still ignoring us, like he could save Anderson from being a bumbling idiot. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Good,” I said. “I’ll be over in the reference section. I’m missing something for question seven.” I stood and adjusted my boot on the seat. He didn’t even try to not look. Anderson had reached a point of no return. He couldn’t keep his eyes off my chest or ass or anything else. Too bad for him that he thought he was too good for me.

I walked away, stealing a glance before I slipped around the corner of the bookshelves and saw him drop his head to the table, taking a few deep breaths. Sucker. If he was going to make me feel like shit, then I was happy to make him feel shittier.