“Shh,” she reprimanded, not taking her eyes off him. “Let me dream.”
The problem was that I’d begun dreaming about him and couldn’t seem to stop. I sure as hell didn’t want to know anyone else was dreaming about him too.
“Amber,” Xander called from the bar. “Your drinks are ready.”
“Dammit,” she whined, wincing when she finally peeled her eyes off Willem like it physically hurt her to stop. I kind of understood. “Stupid work. Maybe I’ll just drop by one of his classes.”
“Aren’t you a design major?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “But economics is good for that. I can learn fashion trends through the economy.”
“I…don’t think that’s how it works.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll just have to hope he notices me here then. Although, that won’t happen with the way women flock to him.”
I whirled around to find a dark-haired woman leaning into Willem’s space, dragging her finger down his arm. If I thought I was jealous of Amber’s boobs, it was nothing compared to the raging inferno flooding my veins now.
“I—I should go check on him. Grab him a beer.”
Without waiting for an answer, I weaved through the crowd, grabbed his favorite beer, and made my way to his table.
“Hey, Will. I brought you your favorite.”
Did I smile as I used the shortened version of his name for a personal effect? Yup.
Did I quickly change that smile to my trademark snotty smirk when I faced the busty brunette next to him? Also, yup.
Did I feel victory when he did a double-take at my outfit change? Hell yes.
I’d ditched the white T-shirt under my overalls and just had on my black bralette. It managed to be cute, sexy, and stylish all at once.
“Will?” she sneered, looking from me to him like she’d caught him cheating. “Who is this, Willem?”
Obviously, she wasn’t privy to calling him Will.
Willem gave me a look that let me know he knew what I was doing. A hint of laughter sparking behind his light eyes and the slight twitch to his lips let me know he didn’t mind either.
“This is my niece, Arabella. Arabella, this is Tessa.”
“Oh.” Her entire demeanor changed. “Hi. It’s so nice to meet some of his family.”
She was beaming, clearly viewing me as the ticket to getting in deeper with Willem.
“Nice to meet you,” manners had me saying. But my smile never changed.
When I didn’t say anything more, her smile faltered and she cleared her throat, turning her attention back on Willem. “Like I said, I hadn’t expected to see you here, but now that you are, maybe we can have a drink. I’m just here with some friends. They wouldn’t mind.”
Willem looked to his watch, which I knew let him know I was off in fifteen minutes. He met my eyes as if looking for something. Permission to leave me here to walk home so he could go fuck her? Help on getting out of the situation? I wasn’t sure, so I kept my gaze blank and steady, intrigued to see what he did.
“Tonight’s not a good night.”
I hadn’t realized until he said the words that I’d been holding my breath. The air in my lungs rushed out. My tense muscles relaxing in relief.
“Oh. Okay.” Tessa looked down before pulling herself together again. She leaned in close, pressing her breasts against his arm and rested her hand on his chest, whispering something in his ear.
Willem’s face didn’t change in the slightest, not giving me a hint as to what she said. She dragged her hand across his chest and bicep when she walked away.
“She seems nice.”
He drained his beer. “She is.”
“Why didn’t you take her up on her offer?”
“Because I said I’d give you a ride home.”
“I could walk.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t want to go back on my word. Also, I’m just not interested.”
Why? I wanted to ask, but bit back. I knew what I wanted his answer to be. Lately, my dreams had gotten away from me. They no longer crept in at night only. I’d find myself thinking of him throughout the day. I didn’t know if it was because I was bored or what, but my mind went wild, and in that moment, I wanted him to look at me and say he turned her down because he was interested in me.
“Either way. Thanks for not leaving me.” He nodded but didn’t say anything else. “You want another one?”
“Nah. I’m good. However, I am interested in knowing what the hell happened to your shirt.”
“Do you not like it?” I posed for effect, barely holding back my laugh at watching him flounder over an answer.
“It’s not that I—It’s just that—I—” He dragged a hand over his face. “It’s a little revealing.”
“I’m the beer girl. Gets me more tips if I show a little skin.” His jaw clenched under his scruff, and I enjoyed watching him struggle, so I asked again, turning side to side. “Do you not like it?”