“It’s hot.”

“No, it’s not,” he countered.

“Yeah, it is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Oh, my God. Why do I hang out with you?” I griped without heat.

He paused midcurl to meet my gaze in the mirror. “ ’Cause you love me, and someone’s got to remind you to have fun once in a while.”

“I don’t love you, and I have plenty of fun on my own.”

“Don’t ruin my day. You totally love me. But your social life needs work. You suck at having fun. Going to postgame parties and fakin’ it with a few cute girls isn’t a good time. Treat yourself with the new tutor. Or…come play with me.”

“What does that mean?” I asked warily.

“Let’s go to LA, hit a few bars where no one knows us, and just…get lost for a while. Come on. We haven’t done that in forever. Just me and you.”

“What about Sky?”

“I’d rather go alone. Just us.”

I held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Sounds like you’re asking for trouble. But maybe you’re right.”

Max grinned at my reflection in the mirror before offering a fist bump. “Good. Then it’s a bro date. Just like old times.”

“Hmm. I can’t go this weekend. I have an away game. And if things get busy with my classes, I—”

Max groaned aloud and flattened his hand over my mouth. “Don’t be a buzzkill and don’t overthink. It’s going to happen. That’s all that matters. Batman and Robin will be back in action.”

I snorted. “Who’s Batman in this scenario?”

“Me,” he quipped with a roguish smile.

“No. I’m not going unless I’m Batman,” I countered.

“You can be Aquaman.”

“No one wants to be Aquaman, asshole.”

Max shook his head. “I’m Batman. You can be Superman or…”

I chuckled as he ran through every superhero he could think of. Max was right. Maintaining sanity was important, and a little outside diversion in the form of “something to look forward to” might be good for me. If it kept me from worrying about passing statistics with the help of my unexpectedly sexy tutor…even better.

2

Hiring Rory wasn’t really a question. I couldn’t argue with the expense or his credentials. Coach Perez informed me that the athletic department would take care of my new instructor’s fees and that he’d personally contact my counselor to assure her I was receiving the extra help I needed. Of course, the proof would be in my grade. I failed my last quiz so spectacularly that my teacher pulled me aside afterward to ask if everything was okay in my personal life. Talk about alarming. I had to ace next week’s test and at this point, my only hope was the sexy man staring out the coffee shop window, nursing a cup of ice water.

“Hi, there. I’m sorry. I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I said, setting my backpack on the empty chair across from him.

Rory started before glancing up at me with a slow, lopsided grin that made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t help noticing how his royal blue T-shirt matched his eyes and hugged his muscular arms, showcasing the colorful ink on his left bicep. Damn, he was hot.

“Nah, I’m early. There wasn’t much traffic today, so I made good time. You ready to get to work?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m gonna order an iced coffee. Do you want anything?” I asked, gesturing toward the counter at the front of the store. Thankfully, on a Tuesday afternoon, it wasn’t overly crowded.

“I’m cool with water.”

I frowned and shook my head. “My treat. What do you like? Latte, coffee, tea, hot chocolate?”

He held up his hand to protest. “That’s okay. I—”

“I insist.”

Rory shot a sideways glance at the posse of giggling teenage girls entering through the side door. “Why?”

“ ’Cause I don’t like drinking alone. Hurry up. If they get to the front before me, this will take forever. I need caffeine. Stat.”

“Latte. No foam,” he replied with a grin. “Thanks.”

I took my place in line behind a pretty young girl with long black hair. She turned to give me a flirtatious once-over that was more predatory than charming. However, I should have thanked her for reminding me I had a role to play. I doubted I’d run into anyone I knew at a Starbucks twenty minutes from campus, but I couldn’t let my guard down—regardless of where I was or who was likely to notice me. And I was already doing a bad job. Ignoring a cute girl while casting nervous glances at Rory was all kinds of gay. Wasn’t it?

I pulled my cell from my pocket and scrolled through old texts just as a new message from my father popped up. It was short but direct.

I have a meeting with the dean at the law school. Hopefully your application will be all that’s required for admittance in the fall. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tags: Lane Hayes Out in College Romance
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