Campus Heartthrob (The Campus Series)

It does appear that way. Lucus hasn’t left Brayden’s side since we arrived earlier this afternoon. And Brayden...he doesn’t seem to mind in the least. If I didn’t know better, I might even say that he was actually enjoying himself. Emotion settles in the middle of my throat, making it feel as if there’s a clump of wet sawdust sitting there.

None of the other guys I’ve brought home have spent so much time with Lucus. They’ll usually engage him in a little conversation, and, when it turns awkward, they look at me to throw them a life preserver. Brayden doesn’t need rescuing.

“I can see why you like him,” she continues.

Woah. Woah. Woah.

Who said anything about liking Brayden?

I don’t like him. Not in that way. The guy is a complete pain in my ass. Except...that’s changed over the last couple of weeks. Our relationship isn’t what it once was. It’s morphed into something new, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

Uncertain how to respond, I press my lips together and remain stoically silent.

That doesn’t stop her from slipping an arm around my waist and adding, “Your father likes him as well.”

This conversation is spiraling out of control. Not in a million years did I expect my family to like Brayden enough to champion this relationship.

This fake relationship.

Argh.

I need to do something to put a damper on her hopes. I rip my gaze away from the guy we’re talking about. “Look, Mom. Don’t get ahead of yourself here. What we have is really new.” I pause before tacking on, “Who knows how long it’ll last.”

Probably not more than another week, if that.

“For what it’s worth, I can tell he really likes you.”

I almost snort. Shows how much Mom knows. We’re not even a real couple. Somehow, we’ve managed to snow Jane Daniels, who usually isn’t fooled by anything or anyone. She prides herself on being able to ferret out the truth in a matter of minutes. The woman is like a pig sniffing out truffles. And she’s good at it. I’ve been on the receiving end of her weird mom radar for years.

“And the way you look at him...” she adds lightly. “It’s nice to see.”

Excuse me?

Exactly how do I look at him?

My eyes flare as I do a quick mental rewind. “What do you mean?”

Before she can respond, Lucus lets out a loud whoop, drawing our attention to the driveway. It looks like another game of horse has come to an end. Now they’re playing a little one on one. I’ll tell you this, Brayden has a ton of energy to be able to keep up with Lucus. My brother can bounce off the walls, much like Caden. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

Mom nudges my shoulder when I become mired in my own thoughts. “Maybe you should bring the boys a couple bottles of water. I’m sure they’re thirsty after all this activity.”

“Sure.” Added bonus, I can get away from Mom before she’s able to make any more unhelpful observations about my pseudo-relationship.

Even though this afternoon has gone much better than expected, all it’s done is open up another can of worms. Once we part ways in a week or two, I’ll have to make up a story for my family as to why it didn’t work out with Brayden. Honestly, I’ve gone through my fair share of breakups, so no one should be overly surprised when this one crashes and burns like the others.

As I walk through the backdoor into the kitchen, I find my other two brothers with their heads bent together. Their voices come to an abrupt halt as soon as they catch sight of me.

“Hey, Syd. Why don’t you come over here?” Court calls out, attempting to suck me into their conversation. “We want to ask you a few questions.”

I can just imagine what they want to discuss. More than likely, it’s to give me the third degree about Brayden.

No, thanks. I’m fresh out of lies.

“Sorry,” I say, pulling open the fridge and grabbing two bottles of water before slamming it shut again. “I just popped in to grab a few drinks.”

“It’ll just take a couple of minutes,” Ryan wheedles. “We want to talk.”

Please...was I born yesterday?

I don’t think so.

These two will tag team me with questions regarding the seriousness of my relationship, and I’m not up to defending something that isn’t legit. Neither of them has ever liked any of my past boyfriends. In fact, they usually rip them to shreds. With their teeth. They are the epitome of overprotective assholes.

I mean brothers.

Sometimes those two words are interchangeable.

The last thing I need is one of them sniffing out the truth. I shake my head and beeline for the backdoor.

“All we wanted to tell you was that we really like him,” Court calls after me as I slip outside.