Tame the Beast (Ever After #1) (7 page)

“Oh yeah? Tell me, who’d you go home with the night of the party?”

An awkward silence settled in the air.

Luke made a noise that sounded like someone hit him in the gut. Deacon wisely exited the room. And Marcus almost choked on his laugh. They knew Adam hooked up with Olivia. Corin was calling his bluff about being serious, but Adam was damned if he was going to give in.

“Don’t pretend like you’re any better. Or do you want to talk about who you hooked up with?” Adam asked, recalling the pretty blonde wrapped around Corin’s arm that night. The tension around them grew heavier as the power shifted towards Adam’s corner. “Next time you want to jump down my throat, I’d think about the leverage you really have against me. I’ll have your ass out on the street before you even have the chance to tell Clara, or anyone, what you think you know about me.”

“Are you threatening me?” Corin was so close Adam could feel the heat of his anger radiating off of him.

“No,” Adam replied with a steady tone. “Just reminding you of your place.”

Corin’s chest rose as fast as it fell. It was not the first time the two wound up in a heated argument. In fact, Adam was surprised no punches had been thrown yet. Corin was known to have anger issues, but the guy also recognized a losing battle.

Without a word, Corin stormed out to the balcony, cigarettes in hand. Marcus was on his heels, ready to patch up his bruised ego.

“Damn, Adam,” Luke said as Adam slumped to the sofa. “You know how to take a guy out.”

“He started it,” Adam replied and sipped his beer. He didn’t care how childish he sounded.

“Yeah, but would you throw him out?”

“The guy’s a hothead, but he’s not stupid. He knows it’s better to have me as a friend than an enemy.”

“Would you throw him out?” Luke repeated.

“Hell no.” The guy could commit anything short of murder before Adam threw him out. “He’s paying top dollar for this place, and if my mother decides to take away my inheritance, I at least have some cash to fall back on.”

“True.” Luke still seemed suspicious of Adam’s outburst. “So what’s really the deal with Clara?”

Adam met Luke’s hard stare. His friend wasn’t going to take some bullshit answer. Adam never got in a near fistfight over a girl. Although, Clara wasn’t just some girl. She was a woman who showed up on his campus doorstep and then had the nerve to give him those tempting fuck-me-eyes and the cold shoulder.

“Truth?” Adam asked. “I’m not sure. But I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Luke eyed him carefully but nodded rather than push things further. “Does that mean you’re not coming out with us tonight?

“Thought about it. But I figured it was best to play this one safe. Next week I’ll casually tell my mother that my new tutor can only help me on Friday nights.”

“Subtle.”

Finishing the last of his drink, he asked, “Tell everyone I’m on a hot date?”

“Of course,” Luke replied without missing a beat.

Adam nodded with a satisfied smile before fetching another beer from the fridge. He would make up with Corin later by letting him win at a game of pong and praising his ego. For now, Adam had more important things on his mind, like convincing his mother he was not a screw-up and showing Clara a whole other side to himself. The side that was going to make her ache in all the right places.

Chapter Seven

“Harper!” Clara shrieked as she raced across the dorm parking lot to greet her sister.

“Clara!”

They both bounced with excitement as they embraced each other in a warm hug. It was just over a month ago that Clara left for Beaumont, but it seemed like ages. It was the longest amount of time the two ever spent apart.

“I’m so excited Dad actually let you come up,” Clara said.

“I know!” Harper’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement. “Although if he knew you were out partying every weekend … I don’t know if he would’ve let me.”

Harper meant it as a tease, but it sent Clara into major defense mode. “I don’t party every weekend! Just once in a while. And it’s not really a party. It’s more like hanging out with new friends.” Clara’s brown gazed narrowed on her sister. “I thought you wanted me to go out and live it up.”

“I did,” Harper replied with her own firm stare as they made their way through the parking lot and into the dorms. “And I must say I’m impressed you took my advice.”

“Well, sorry to break it to you, but Rose had a lot more to do with it than your advice.”

“That hurts.” Harper held her hand over her chest in mock pain. Her false grief was replaced with excitement over the upcoming weekend. “But I can’t wait to meet her. And Luke and Deacon.”

“I think you’ll love them.”

“If you do, I’m sure I will.” Harper’s warm smile twisted until her lips pinched together and her nose scrunched up like she caught a whiff of something awful. “But I can’t believe Corin Sander goes here. He was such a tool in high school.”

Clara nodded, her face reflecting the same distaste for the guy. Harper may have been a freshman when the three of them attended the same school, but Corin was the type who made himself known to everyone whether they wanted to know him or not.

“I don’t think he’s changed,” Clara said with a snicker.

In the weeks apart, Clara spent hours on the phone with her younger sister, sharing everything from her new friends, what classes were like, and even her side job as a tutor. Well, almost everything. Clara artfully avoided talking about Adam, but she was not sure why. They were just friends, despite Adam’s flirtatious efforts. With him, no topic was safe. Even Clara’s attempt to discuss their next creative writing assignment turned into a big joke when Adam charmingly suggested Clara write erotica. He was even generous enough to offer to be her inspiration.

Harper was deep in conversation about her own boy troubles when they entered Clara’s room. At the sound of the door shutting behind them, Rose hopped off her bed and welcomed Harper with open arms.

“You must be Harper,” Rose said with a huge grin. “I’m excited to finally meet you.”

“You too! I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you. And thank you for making my sister get out once in awhile.”

“Hey!” Clara snapped. “You make me sound like a shut-in.”

“Well? How many times did you go out during high school?”

“Just because I chose to study instead of going to the movies or mall or wherever … doesn’t mean I didn’t have a social life. I had plenty of friends.”

“Uh-huh.” Harper’s perfectly plucked eyebrows met her hairline as she stared back at Clara. “And how many do you still talk to?”

Clara replied with a glare. They both knew Clara left the majority of her friends back in Trousdale. When they moved halfway through Clara’s high school years, she lost contact with most of them, and since their new school was plagued with more cliques than the latest Hollywood melodrama, Clara chose to spend her time reading and studying. It was the only way to ensure a future outside of the dull, little town of Kleinbrook.

“So, Harper,” Rose began, breaking up the light taunting between sisters, “how long did it take you to get here?”

“I left shortly after school let out, so about an hour.”

“Yeah, if you have a lead foot,” Clara teased as everyone settled around the room.

“Well, the sooner I got here the sooner I could brighten your weekend.” Harper flashed a giant grin. “So, what do you have planned?”

“Someone has to tutor the Oh-Spoiled-One.” Rose answered before Clara could. Her blue eyes filled with humor as Clara turned her daggered stare from sister to roommate. “But after, everyone will meet up at Corin’s place to hang out. They have a few people over. Nothing too crazy, but it’s always a good time.”

Harper nodded in approval but asked, “Who’s the Spoiled One?”

Rose glanced at Clara whose cheeks burned from the heat. Rose must have been messing with the thermostat again because the room felt like a thousand degrees.

“Adam Beaumont,” Rose replied. Laughter danced around her voice. “His family founded the college, although they were rich before that. Old money.”

She said it like it answered everything about Adam. In a way, it did. All one had to do was look up the family name and a whole history of generations would come flying through any search engine.
But there’s more than that
. The moment the thought crossed her mind, she shook it away. It was much easier to keep Adam in the Don’t-Even-Think-About-It category.

“So when do you tutor him?” Harper asked.

“Uh … at six,” Clara replied, still trying to shake him out of her mind.

“Seems kind of late.”

Clara shrugged. She was sure he would rather spend the time pre-gaming with the guys, but he insisted and so Clara went along with it. But only because he paid her well and she needed the money.
Yes, that was the only reason.

“He chose the time,” Clara said with another shrug. “But don’t worry. We’ll still have plenty of time to hang out.”

Harper looked pleased, and to Clara’s relief, the girls moved on to other topics. It seemed natural to have her sister at college with her. Harper had a year left of high school, but they both knew she would never have the grades to get a full ride to Beaumont like Clara did. Clara was the brain of the family. Harper was the beauty.

As dinnertime approached, Clara dug through her closet for something more appropriate to wear than sweats. Behind her usual clothes hid a pale blue sundress she almost forgot she owned. She was surprised it hadn’t collected cobwebs. Feeling bold, she slipped it on and paired it with her flats and a light sweater.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she faced the judgment of her most trusted fashionistas as she asked, “How do I look?”

“You look gorgeous!” Harper cooed. “But since when do you care?”

“Since her pupil is a gorgeous playboy,” Rose replied with her I-know-exactly-what-you’re-up-to smile.

“No,” Clara replied. She hoped the panic in her voice didn’t sound as obvious to them as it did to her. “I just figured since we were going out after that I’d put in a little effort.”

Rose rolled her eyes. Her ruby smile was still splashed across her lips, but she didn’t push it further.

When Clara arrived at the library, Adam was already waiting at their usual spot. Her heart almost beat right out of her chest as his eyes raked over her with pure desire.

“Dress up just for me?” he asked as Clara took her seat. His deep voice was filled with heat.

She suddenly wished she picked something else to wear or a more public space to meet. Their small corner of the library, hidden behind the fiction shelves, seemed too intimate. She tried to ignore the warmth that rose from every inch of her body. They should have chosen the reference or biology section. Students were always flooding those areas. For a moment, she thought about asking him if they could move, but with her luck, he would start asking a thousand questions why. She was not going to give him the satisfaction.

“No,” she lied more to herself than him. “If you must know, my sister is in town and since we are going to Corin’s after, I figured I’d dress up a little. Is that a crime?”

“Not at all.” His smooth voice pulled her in like a moth to a flame. “So your sister’s here. Harper, right?”

Clara stopped pulling out her materials and glanced up at him. His gray eyes were still shaded with the same lust they held when she waltzed in. The air around her cranked another twenty degrees. Clearly, the librarians were as cold-blooded as Rose, because the library was beginning to feel just as scorching as their dorm.

“You remembered my sister’s name?” she asked, averting her gaze. She tried to remember when one of their sessions trailed off into a discussion about Clara’s family.

“Of course. I can’t wait to meet her.” His voice turned teasing again as he asked, “Is she just as gorgeous as you are?”

Clara met Adam’s playful smirk with an icy glare. She could not tell if he was serious or just trying to rile her up. For safe measure, she said, “Stay away from my sister.”

Adam’s grin grew wider. “Don’t worry. I promise my only intention is to get on her good side. I have so many questions to ask about you.”

Clara folded her arms across her chest. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to keep her stubborn mouth from betraying her amusement. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Say things just to rile me up.”

Adam leaned forward, making sure to push himself right in the middle of her personal space. Other than their first tutor session, he always kept his distance even when he teased and taunted her into a giant ball of sexual frustration. Now, he invaded her area. A mischievous smile pulled at his lips. “Because I love the adorable shade of pink that covers your cheeks when I do.”

The gray in his eyes blended with shades of light blue, pulling her in. The hairs around her neck rose from the electricity that emanated from those stormy depths.

“Well, stop it. It’s annoying,” she replied and rejected the effect he had on her.
Damn librarians
, she thought and demanded her cheeks return to a normal temperature. She needed to direct his attention to the main reason they were there.

His classes.

After reading his first draft of his creative writing assignment, Clara was sure his failing grades had more to do with lack of trying than anything else.

“I don’t get it,” she said as she passed back his rough draft with a surplus of notes spilling over the margins. “The idea is good. Development is decent. The spelling and grammar are impeccable. But it’s like you gave up with the rest. There’s hardly any depth to it. Why?”

Adam shrugged. “Better things to do with my time.”

“Like drinking with the guys?”

“Exactly.” Adam flashed a wide smile so dizzying Clara almost lost her train of thought. Her eyes rose to the ceiling as she shook her head. What was she going to do with him?

“Oh come on,” he said, sensing her annoyance. “It’s just an elective.”

The crease in her forehead deepened. She never thought of a class as ‘just an elective,’ especially a writing course. It happened to be her favorite part of the week, and it had nothing to do with a particular spoiled heir who enjoyed trying to distract her every waking moment.