The Bad Boy (Black Mountain)

In other words, her mother wanted her to bring a boy from BMU who came from family money that would go with her. Maybe Mary should just find a guy that had a reputation of being bad, and one who didn’t give a shit about what others thought. That would be like digging in an open wound where her mother was concerned. It would be way worse than if Mary came alone.

Instantly the image of Alex came to mind, but not because Mary thought he was less than her or anyone else. Her parents would shit bricks if she brought him to Margo’s wedding because they’d have all the resources to find out exactly who Alex Sheppard was and exactly what his reputation at BMU was.

It didn’t matter if he came from money. It wouldn’t matter if his father was the damn senator. They’d find out Alex was in to partying and less than acceptable behavior to them, and that would be enough for them to get pissed.

As her mother kept going on and on about the wedding, Mary thought about Alex and how big he was, how his body was corded and stacked with muscles, how he definitely had the bad boy persona that clung to him. Yeah, he would so not fit in where her parents were concerned. He would be a great addition to the wedding, but taking him was out of the question.

For one thing, she didn’t have the guts to even ask him to go with her, and for another, if she did work up the nerve, he’d no doubt turn her down. He didn’t know her, and why the hell would he agree to go with a random chick to a family function?

After another five minutes on the phone of not listening to her mother, she ended the call and exhaled, not moving as she kept her eyes closed and chewed the idea of asking Alex.

It was the sound of something buzzing close to her ear that had consciousness slowly claiming Mary. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, realizing she’d drifted off to sleep while thinking of Alex.

She turned her head to the side and saw her cell buzzing sluggishly across the mattress, the blue screen lit up with an incoming call. The temptation to let it go to voicemail was right at the surface, because if it was her mother again, or God forbid Margo, Mary didn’t have the energy for another round with her family. But in the end, she reached for the phone and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Mary?” The baritone voice that came through the receiver instantly had her pulse jackknifing in her chest.

She pushed herself up on the bed and rested against the headboard. “Yeah?” Although he hadn’t spoken his name… She knew who it was. She’d been hearing his voice on repeat in her head since they ran into each other.

“Hey,” he said, and then there was a long moment of silence before he continued, “It’s Alex. Alex Sheppard.”

For a second she didn’t know how to respond although that seemed so dumb.

He cleared his throat and said, “Probably wondering how I got your number, yeah?” He didn’t wait for her to respond before he was speaking again. “Racer—I mean Adam—gave it to me, said you might be able to help me.”

“Oh. Able to help you?” The excitement she felt should have not been so strong inside of her.

“Um, yeah.” He cleared his throat again. “Well, he, ugh, he said you offering tutoring, obviously, since I saw you at our place helping him.”

Mary couldn’t help but smile because he sounded nervous, and it almost seemed impossible for a guy like Alex to get tongue-tied.

“So, yeah, I was wondering if you maybe had any openings to help me? I kind of fucked up in my Human Sexuality class, and I’m off the football team until I get my shit together.”

He was rambling and it was almost… cute, in a way. Well, if a guy as big and strong as Alex Sheppard could be cute and not hot as hell.

And although that excitement waned because obviously he’d only called because he needed help with his studies and not because he’d been thinking about her as much as she had been about him, the truth was it was like fate was working in her favor. She’d needed an opening to ask him about the wedding and here it was.

“Um, yeah. I offer tutoring. But I’d have to look at my schedule and see what openings I have though. I’m not sure if you’re on a deadline with the team suspension?”

“I mean I’m good with whenever you can fit me in.” The eagerness in his voice was clear, and it made Mary smile and her belly tighten in a way she’d never felt before.