Page 5 of Loving Kalvin
“Uh-huh.” My roomie pins him with a wary look.
Chase chuckles, raising his palms in the air. “Hey, I was just doing my good deed for the night. No ulterior motives.” He turns to me, his eyes roaming up and down my body as I toe on my shoes. “None, whatsoever.” He winks, and heat floods my cheeks. I’m unaccustomed to such shameless flirting, and it throws me for a loop. “Not like I was watching your pretty friend rock that counter like she belongs on stage or anything.” His grin widens, and my cheeks burn brighter.
Straightening up, I clear my throat. “Thank you. For catching me.”
He takes my hand in his meatier one, drawing it to his mouth. “The pleasure was all mine. Anytime…” He quirks a brow.
“I’m Lana.”
He plants a soft kiss on the back of my hand. “Nice to meet you, Lana.” Leaning in, he presses his ear to my mouth. “I definitely hope we meet again.” A slew of shivers ripple over my skin as his warm breath tickles my neck.
He sends me one final cheeky wink before disappearing into the heaving crowd.
“That one is trouble,” Liv warns.
Mention of trouble brings me back into the moment. Grabbing my shirt and purse, I tug on her arm. “Come on. We need to leave. Now.”
“Where’s the fire?”
I risk a quick peek over her shoulder, emitting a high-pitched shriek. He’s heading our way, and if we don’t get our butts out of here right this second, everything I’ve worked for will be shot to hell. Olivia turns to look at the object of my distraction. “No! Don’t look at him. He’ll see you!” I yank on her arm again.
“What the hell, Lana?” She slants a puzzled look my way.
“I’ll explain everything when we get back to the dorm, but we have to go. Please, Liv. I’m begging you. We have to gonow.” Hysteria is bubbling to the surface as the words leave my mouth, and butterflies are running amok in my chest.
“’Kay. Quick.”
We start pushing our way through the crowd. My tank top is glued to my back, and tiny beads of sweat have formed on my brow.
He can’t see me, he just can’t.
Olivia guides me to a side exit at the back of the bar. We shove through the door, barreling out into a narrow alleyway at the back of the building. I run toward the steep stone steps, ignoring the sounds of heavy make-out sessions happening all around us.
“Lana!” a familiar voice calls out, and I whimper. Dammit all to hell.
“Keep running,” Olivia commands, racing hot on my heels. Fueled by adrenaline, I bound up the stairs, pushing my limbs harder than ever before, such is my desire to outrun him.
“Lana! Wait!” The voice is distant, but it won’t take him long to catch up.
We race around the corner of the building. “Follow me.” Olivia veers off to the right. I give chase as she maneuvers a curved path through the shrubbery in between various frats, weaving in and out of houses like it’s her own personal obstacle course. Under the dark blanket of nightfall, I stumble several times as I struggle to keep up. My breath hisses out in panicked spurts, but I resist the urge to look over my shoulder as I race after Liv.
We emerge on one of the main roads, a few yards from a bus stop. “Hold the bus!” Liv screeches as the last passenger ascends the vehicle parked at the curb. We tear down the sidewalk and hop onto the bus in the nick of time. Panting, I scan my card and scurry behind Olivia, dropping into a seat alongside her.
“That was cutting it close,” I pant, desperately trying to get my breathing and my heart rate under control.
“I’ll say.” She shoots me a curious look, before glancing out the rear window of the bus. It takes considerable willpower to keep my focus straight ahead.
A couple of minutes pass in silence, as we both bring our breathing back in line.
I sigh. My head is a mess, and my slightly inebriated state isn’t helping either. Anxiety is holding me hostage, and I can’t think straight.
What the hell is he doing here?
Olivia bumps my shoulder. “You said there was a guy.”
“Yes.”
I told her there was a guy, but I deliberately avoided divulging the details. I had good reasons not to. Plenty of them. Liv and I gelled the instant we met, and I didn’t want her thinking any less of me. Now, there’s no avoiding it. I owe her an explanation, and I’m not going to lie.
