Rae of Sunshine (Light in the Dark 1)

“Put me down!” I beat his back, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

He chuckled. That’s right, he laughed. That was his only response.

He opened the passenger door of his Jeep, sat me down, and buckled me in.

He climbed in the driver’s side and sped out of the parking lot before I could finagle my way out of the car.

“Who are you?” I snapped.

“I’m Cade,” he answered with a smile. “Did your tumble into the swimming pool cause you to lose your memory?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my memory. I was just assuming you were the President or some member of the royal family with how fucking bossy you are.”

He chuckled, speeding towards the dorms. “I have never met a girl like you before.”

“I can’t figure you out,” I muttered, not even bothering to comment on his previous statement. Of course he’d never met a girl like me. Most girls weren’t murderers.

“Elaborate.” He glanced my way with a crooked smile.

I huffed a sigh and glared at his profile. Handsome or not, he was currently pissing me off big time. “It’s obvious you’re a big deal on campus. Guys want to be you and girls want to fuck you, just to say they did. And yet, you’re following me around like some lost little puppy dog. If you’re trying to make up for knocking me down that day, consider yourself forgiven. It was an accident. And I don’t like you running with me. You need to stop that. I like to run by myself.”

“No can do.” He shook his head.

I bit down on my tongue to contain a scream. “Why?”

“Because I like running with you. I like you. Like I said, you’re different. Even now that you know who I am it doesn’t matter to you. It’s refreshing. I’m used to people only wanting to be close to me because of my name or because of where I might be going with football. You. Don’t. Care.”

“You’re right. I don’t. You mean nothing to me.”

He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “You don’t mean that. You like me. Admit it.”

“I don’t know you, how could I like you?” I countered, my arms crossed over my chest. Thank God we were almost back at campus and I could get out of his car and out of this shirt that smelled a little too good.

“Then let me take you out.”

“No.”

“No?” His brows lifted with surprise. “I don’t think anyone’s ever told me no before,” he whispered, rubbing his hand over his heavily stubbled jaw.

“There’s a first time for everything. I’m not interested.”

“You will be,” he said with surety.

“You’re really cocky, you know that, right?” I glared at him. True, he was gorgeous with that shaggy brown hair and blue eyes and that smile and…I needed to stop, because I was pretty sure I could go on for days about him.

He chuckled huskily and smiled. “And you really know how to cut a guy down, you know that, right?” He mimed my words.

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh of relief when he turned into the parking lot. Freedom was in sight. I could get away from Cade and pretend this whole mouth-to-mouth thing never happened.

But when I got out of his Jeep he followed.

Instead of stopping at the steps of my dorm he sauntered inside like he owned the whole damn place.

“Hi Cade,” a smooth and sexy sounding female voice called after him.

“Hey,” he replied, flashing her the same smile he gave me. I rolled my eyes. Right there was proof that I was nothing special to him. I was a challenge and that was all.

I shook my head and my wet hair swished around my shoulders.