Falling for the Beast (A Modern Fairy Tale Duet 2)

She was running out of options.

The buildings appeared deserted as she walked quickly by.

Moonlight bounced off the pale stone surfaces. She had been here a few times at night for study groups, but now, after the summer semester had ended, no one lingered. She had no idea where on campus the Faculty Ball was being held, but that was probably for the best. Even desperate, she knew better than to crash a party and expose their relationship.

The wide metal doors she normally used to get inside that building were locked. She circled around and found a side door open. Pushing it open, she blinked into the darkness. It didn’t take long to figure out that his office was also dark, and empty. He wasn’t here.

It had been a thin hope anyway.

Feeling a knot of fear for her mother, she wandered outside and sat down on a bench. The grounds were picturesque on the historical campus. Gorgeous lawns and famous statues. She didn’t see any of it. Ancient oak trees and architectural features blurred in front of her.

This was her nightmare.

Knowing her mother needed her and being unable to get there. Three hundred miles felt a continent away. And even once she arrived, she wouldn’t be able to do anything useful. She wouldn’t be able to fix her mom’s heart.

She wouldn’t be able to pay the medical bills.

Helpless.

A trill of laughter from around the corner caught her attention. Then a male voice answered. Damn, she recognized that voice. Wiping her eyes, she sat up straighter. Please, let him walk past me. Tonight luck had abandoned her completely.

Her old boyfriend, Doug, wandered nearer, half dragging an unsteady girl.

Other voices bounced off the walls farther away, and she knew they were his friends. Doug always preferred to travel with a group, even when he was with his girlfriend—which had been her, once upon a time.

“Erin? Is that you?”

She tried to keep her voice from wavering. “Hey. What’s up?”

“What’s up is I’m happy to see you. Goddamn, Erin Rodriguez.” He sounded genuinely happy to see her, and not even drunk. She wondered if he had drawn the designated driver short stick. He turned to the girl on his arm. “Go join the others. I’ll catch up in a minute.” She wandered in the direction of the voices, her stilettos sticking in the lawn.

Knowledge pierced Erin’s worried haze. “Wait, what are you doing here?” she asked Doug. “Don’t tell me you came back for grad school?”

He snorted. “Nah. It’s one of my friends’ brother’s birthday so we hit the bars nearby. I’m just along to keep the little kiddos from hurting themselves.”

“You’re the chaperone?” she asked, her voice wry. “What is this world coming to?”

“That’s what I said, but according to them, I’ve lost my edge. I’m all responsible and grown up and boring now.”

“Welcome to the club,” she said dryly.

He sat down on the same bench, reclining on the opposite corner. “So are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

He gave her a look of reprimand. “We dated for a year and a half. Which, for me, was practically a lifelong commitment. I think I can still tell when you’re upset.”

Strangely enough, she could read his emotions as well.

His hair was shorter now, almost a buzz cut instead of the floppy hair she’d loved to run her fingers through. He seemed taller somehow, though it didn’t seem possible he would have grown. His posture was relaxed but expectant.

She read his body language, his face, even without having seen him for years. Familiarity was a strange thing, muted with time but never turned off.

“My mom had a heart attack,” she admitted. “I was trying to get back there tonight, but my car broke down and then…” She didn’t really want to get into the specifics of her roommate being out of town and her secret boyfriend being a professor here. She shook her head. “It just isn’t working out. Maybe I can get a mechanic to repair my car in the morning.”

“On a Sunday morning? Not likely. Let me drive you back.”

She stared at him. “Back home, I mean. The four-hour drive.”