Shuffle (Ruby Riot #2) (11 page)

“Want to join the party?” I lift up my beer.

“No, thanks, I’m going home.” Her breath mists in the cool night, circling around her head.

“How was your evening?” A man with a dog heads from the direction Fleur came from and she snaps her head around, moving closer to me when she hears the footsteps. “You sure you’re okay?”

She pulls her cardigan closer around herself. “Tired.”

Disappointment sinks into my stomach to join the beer swirling around. Tired after her physical exertions with Shaun? I can’t blame him, she’s fucking sexy in that dress, skimming her knees and moulding around her curves.

Has that douche had his mouth hers? Or on any other part of Fleur?

Shit, stop thinking about her naked.

“He didn’t kick you out straight after, did he?” I ask.

“No! And since when is what I do your business?”

Whoa. “Never mind. Just saw you and him, that’s all.” Fleur makes a derisive noise. “What?”

“At least you were upfront about what you wanted from me after the gig the other night.” She draws a deep breath. “I can’t believe I was stupid to trust him, or believe he liked me. Bloody men.” I look away when she wraps her arms defensively around her chest.

“What happened?”

She ignores me and continues, “I thought guys who are charming and polite were decent people; when in reality, they’re the same as you.”

“Same as me?”

“Sleazy.”

“Ouch. And I’m not sleazy, I sent you flowers.”

“Yes. Why did you?”

“To apologise for being sleazy.” I manage to elicit a small smile from Fleur. “And to thank you. I got seventy-two percent on my paper.”

“Go you,” she mutters.

“Hey, no, it was because of you. Thanks.” I pause and take a deep breath. “Shame I’m persona non grata these days.”

Fleur stares. Then laughs. “You both know big words? Impressive. You really are the same. You and him.”

Anger flares in my blood. “No. I’m not. I’m presuming from what you said he forced himself on you. I never do that. Ever.” I don’t need to; I have plenty of options, but best I don’t say that.

“Yes, like I said, at least you were upfront about wanting to fuck me.” She spits the word fuck and confirms my fear. This guy touched Fleur. Tried to do things she didn’t want. I scan her clothes. How far did he go?

“That wasn’t me,” I say.

“Don’t tell me, you’re a different guy when you’re drunk?” she says and pulls a sarcastic face.

“Ha. You have no idea.”

Is now the time to tell her?

“I’ve seen the pictures. You and your brother were quite the story a few months back.” She chews a nail. “I still hear stories about you.”

“Both of us?”

“Mostly you, Nate. You must have better moves than your brother.”

I laugh. Loudly. “I thought you hated him?”

“That’s a strong word. I dislike you both.”

I take a bottle from the wall next to me. Empty. Picking at the label, I mentally bang my head against the wall over the whole fucking ‘being Nate’ situation. Fleur hovers close and rubs her arms. Is she that freaked out she’d rather spend time in the cold, talking to a guy she told to piss off the other day?

“I take it from that comment it’s still a no to me coming back to the study group?” I ask. “I really need you; look at what your help did for me. I mean…seventy-two percent.”

Fleur shakes her head and looks around at the sound of a bus approaching the nearby stop. “I have to go.”

As Fleur runs to catch the empty bus, I catch up and climb up the steps after her. When Fleur scans her Oyster card, she looks around in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you get home okay.”

The bus lurches away and she catches hold of a nearby seat. “I’m capable. I don’t need carrying home like last time.”

I grip a nearby seat too. “Must be my alpha protective streak, then.”

Now we’re in the light, Fleur’s big pupils and pale face betray what’s beneath her bravado. “You don’t need to look after me.”

“I know. I want to.”

She sits and looks up at me, brow tugged. I want to ask her what happened. Punch the arsehole in the face. The anger rises at the idea somebody hurt her and my mind flashes with an image of what I’ll do if he has assaulted her. If he’s messed her up, I’ll reward him with the same.

“You’re not coming into my house,” she says.

“All good.” As I sit on the seat next to her, she scowls and shifts away from me. Fleur’s hands shake and she tucks them beneath her arms. “Am I making you nervous?”

“No. It’s not you.”

I swallow down the anger. “What did he do?”

“Not as much as he wanted. Leave it.”

“Did he...?”

“No! Just shut up, Nate!”

I hate Nate even more for his words about wanting to fuck her. Anything I say to Fleur now won’t wash, as far as she’s concerned my treatment of chicks matches Shaun’s. “Bloody men.”

She scoffs. “Yeah. Bloody men.”

Whatever happened between her and Shaun must be bad because Fleur hasn’t told me to piss off. If the guy she’s refused to talk to several days ago is allowed anywhere near her, something is wrong.

Chapter Twenty

FLEUR

When I arrive for the study session on Monday, Nate sits on a table outside, lounging back as he focuses on his phone. I want to be pissed off with him, but his behaviour after the Shaun incident pushes at my barrier. Ironic that the guy I thought was a douche was more respectful than the so-called nice guy.

This man confuses me. Which Nate is he? The one who wants to fuck me or the one who wants to hold my hand? His jacket is folded next to him and I gaze again at the tattoos. How much would that hurt?

Sure, I’m increasingly aware how attractive this man is, even with the tattoos and piercings. Nate’s wiry frame is muscled in all the right places; his infectious smile sharpens his perfect cheekbones. Yep, with the twins, God made two men built to break hearts in one go.

But that’s not the only attractive thing about Nate. His easygoing attitude to the world around draws people in, his open and honest nature holding them to him. Nate fills the room with a bright positivity and he uses this to his advantage.

Nate Campbell gets what he wants from people, and he’s aware.

Well, he’s not getting what he wants from me. His actions at the weekend in accompanying me home warm me to him, but I’m not stupid. The Nate who drunkenly admitted he wanted to fuck me is still in there. Sure, this weekend he escorted me to my front door and headed into the night without any suggestion he could follow me into the house. Very noble. But not the real him.

After my experiences with Shaun and Ethan, I doubt every man’s motives, especially a guy with a track record like his.

Nate looks up and worry flickers across his face before he pulls back on the cool. “Hey, Fleur.”

“Hey.” He tries one of his cheekiest grins on me and I fight smiling back. “Thanks for the help the other night.”

“No problem. Since I helped, will you talk to me now? About what happened after the gig the other night.”

“I’m busy for the next hour. Group, remember?”

“The one I’m not allowed in?”

“Yes.”

Settling back, Nate places his boots on the table, and rests against the wall. “Still? Okay, I’ll wait here then.”

“What for?”

“There’s something I need to tell you and I want to explain. Now you’re talking to me, I’m trying again.”

“Okay, I have five minutes before anybody else arrives, tell me.”

Nate rubs a hand down the length of his face. “Might take longer than five minutes.”

“Nate. Don’t worry about what you said; I was stupid to expect anything else from someone like you. But you have to understand that I don’t have time for men who disrespect women.”

“I don’t disrespect –” I interrupt him with a scoff. “Shit, Fleur. Please. I really need to talk to you. The other night –”

“Hey! Is the rock star allowed back in the group?” Sam heads down the corridor towards us and handclaps Nate. “Dude! Welcome back!”

“He’s not back,” I retort.

“Miss won’t let me back,” says Nate and I grit my teeth at his teasing.

Refusing to respond, I leave Sam and Nate to their discussion about Nate’s music. The smug feeling I’m pursued by a rock star follows me into the room.

****

True to his word, Nate remains on the table outside, lying with his jacket propped under his head. He holds his phone in the air above his face, earbuds in as he taps his boot against the desk. The gap between his t-shirt and jeans reveals abs harder than I expected and a large wings and heart tattoo emerging from the waistband of his jeans. As I wonder how far down his tattoos go, Nate turns his head. I look away but his expression tells me that he knows I was checking him out.

Nate pulls an earbud out and sits up, switching on the smile that nobody can ever resist responding to with one of their own.

“You were serious about waiting,” I say.

“Deadly.” He swings his legs around and indicates the window behind him to the left. “I can be your escort through the wilds again.”

“Very noble, but I’m fine crossing campus on my own.”

He crosses his arms. “Can we have that chat now? Please.” He elongates the word please then pouts.

“Jesus, you’re persistent, Nate.”

“Because this is important to me,” he says in a low voice. “You’re important to me.”

“I’m not falling for that look again, Nate.” Nate blinks and I swear hurt flickers across his face. “Alright. Somewhere public.”

“Union? We can have a drink too.” He grins.

“Your natural environment?”

“Too right!”

We head across campus, silently, Nate’s hands buried in his pockets and head down humming to himself. “I never asked, what you thought of the band the other night?” he asks.

“I prefer Taylor Swift.”

Nate splutters. “Right. You won’t be buying the new Ruby Riot album?”

“Unlikely.”

We continue in silence until he nudges me in the ribs with his elbow. “You’re awesome.”

I nudge him back. “And you have ten minutes before I need to leave. There’s somewhere I need to be.”

“Fleur.” Nate pauses and sits on the bench we’re passing. “Before we go inside, I want to say something”

I shiver. “If it’s quick. Why can’t you tell me when we get into the Union?”

“I don’t want anybody to hear. The other part, I’d rather tell you in public.”

I pull my coat hood up. “You are very odd, Nate.”

“One of a kind.” He wrinkles his nose. “One of a pair.”

“Must be weird being a twin.”

“Yeah. I can give you a list of answers if you like. People ask the same questions, I wrote them down.”

“Did you?”

“Nah.”

Jesus, that smile could charm the pants off anybody.

A couple pass by, holding hands and not giving us a second glance. Nate pats the bench. “Sit next to me.”

I place myself on the rough wooden seat and cross my legs away from him. “Part one of my evening confessions,” he says.

Confessions?

He looks directly into my eyes. “I don’t want to fuck you.”

I stand. “Okay! Let’s not go down this route again.”

Nate grabs my hand with cool fingers and the shockwaves his touch cause take me by surprise. “Listen. Sit.”

As I lower myself back onto the bench, Nate pulls his jacket collar to his ears and looks at his boots. “Like I said, I wasn’t myself that night. I like you. A lot.”

“Thank you.”

“No, Fleur. I like you.” He emphasises the word like and fixes me with a startling look. I’ve never seen serious in his eyes. “I think about you all the time and when I upset you the other night I was fucking furious with... myself. Until then, we were growing closer. I think?” I stare back. “I screwed up, I know. But I want you to understand, whatever happens and whatever is said, I care about you. You might not believe me in about half an hour, but it’s true.”

Nate touches my face and I can’t move, lost in the sincerity of his speech and the soft expression on his face. Shaun’s words were hollow but Nate’s come from somewhere deeper.

“I came to the group for help but was never serious. I got bored after studying for more than a week. I stayed because I wanted to be around you as much as anything else.” He picks at the edge of his jacket. “This is gonna sound really weird, but I waited two years to talk to you. What’s weirder is once I did, every time you smiled at me, each piece of your time you gave, made my day better. You’re a world away from the girls in my life who’ve been one long stream of nothing. I want someone like you. I mean, I want you.”

I frown. “Are you taking the piss out of me?”

“What? No!”

“Why would you be interested in me? We have nothing in common!”

“Yes, we do!”

“What?”

“We study the same subject. And...” He pauses and chews on his lip piercing. “We’re human.”

“Allegedly.”

“You’re awesome and sexy as hell, and so am I.”

“Should we add humble to the list?”

He straightens and clicks his fingers. “You like to help people! And me, too. I helped you twice.”

I flinch at the reminder of Shaun. “That’s not exactly a deep connection, Nate.”

“Hmm.” He rubs his legs and glances around before whispering, “I like Taylor Swift, and so do you.”

I snort-giggle. “Of course you do!”

“Are you mocking my taste in music?”

“No, I’m implying you’re telling a lie.”

Nate jumps up onto the bench and begins a loud rendition of “Shake It Off.” The perfection of his accompanying dance moves suggest he may be telling the truth.

A group of girls hurrying across campus halt and stare. One of them spots who this is and whispers loudly to another. The audience-loving Nate hams up his performance. I’m impressed when he doesn’t fall off the bench, but again the public display…

“Nate!” I hiss and stand ready to distance myself from him.

He ignores me and continues, watching as I fight laughing at him.

Eventually, he jumps down and lands centimetres away, in front of me. “And I make people smile, so do you.”

“I do?”

He points at his grinning face. “Yes, look.”

Nate fixes me with the strange look from before again. His mouth hovers close, a step too far into my personal space, his breath touching my lips. I swallow down the attraction to him I’ve denied. Nate is not a guy I want. I definitely don’t want to kiss him. No way.

Liar.

Distract myself.

“Aren’t they annoying?” I ask pointing at his lip piercings.

“The tongue one was. I ditched that.” He steps back and pokes his tongue out to show me.

I fight how easily Nate has sucked me back into his charm again, at the intensity between us. I thought my attraction to dickhead Shaun was strong but I’m close to Nate and my brain is switching to standby. How?

“I think you’re amazing, Fleur.” He pushes my hood down and runs a hand along my hair. “Why do we have to be the same? I like you because you’re different to me, but not totally. We won’t be the same people in a few years anyway. Underneath, where it counts, I think we connect.”

His words resonate, because I almost believe they’re true.

“I’ve never kissed a guy with a lip-piercing.”

Why the
hell
did I say that?

“Want to try? Purely for research purposes, of course.”

I moisten my lips. Why do I want to kiss him? Because last night he took charge and helped me, because he’s the opposite to who I thought was a good person? Because my attraction to Nate Campbell overrides all common sense.

“There are people around,” I whisper.

“And?”

“And...” I grasp for an excuse.

Nate looks at me expectantly and, when I don’t respond, tips my chin, smoothing his fingers over my mouth. “Yes? No? Piss off?”

What the hell, why not?

I tiptoe and place my mouth on his. The metal is cool against my lips, which are pressed against Nate’s for a mere moment before he steps back. “Opinions?”

“Not sure. Try again.” I point at my mouth.

He places the softest of kisses on my lips. This time when Nate moves away, his mouth remains close to mine. “Better?”

“If you’re going to kiss me, do it properly.”

Nate shifts his feet and wraps an arm around my waist, drawing me closer, mouth closing gently on mine again. His jacket is open and when he presses me to him, the hard heat of his body sears a burn of my own. Parting my mouth in surprise, I welcome his tongue and the gentle exploration of my mouth in his slow, sensual kiss.

The metal warms against my lips, and as the bar drags across my mouth I resist the urge to run my tongue along the piercing. Even if I never kiss Nate again, the sensation will remain etched in my memory.

The unusual isn’t just the piercing, Nate’s kiss tightens my insides and triggers an immediate and intense need to stay close to him. Maybe it’s the expertise in his kiss, or the denial of the last few weeks, but I want more. Now.

When I wrap my arms around Nate’s neck, craving more of his taste, he stops and rests his head on mine. Our hot breath mists and mingles in the air.

“Your conclusion is?” Nate asks.

“Strange but not entirely unpleasant. A bit like you.”

Nate laughs and wraps me in his arms, hugging me close. “Do you know how funny you are? In a good way. I love how you don’t give a shit about what people think but help them anyway, without expecting anything in return. You’re a bloody awesome chick.”

My cheek is against his chest and he smells amazing, the mingled scent of leather and a woody spice. I’d happily bury my face into Nate and have him hold me. The gentleness of his touch contrasts the groping hands of Shaun last night and I wrap my arms around his waist.