Page 142 of Secrets and Lies
I instinctively look around.
He didn’t say anything particularly scandalous, and most people probably wouldn’t infer anything from his statement, but it still sets my instincts on high alert.
The hallway is mostly empty. Other than a couple of students walking ahead of us and a small group standing near the entrance to the main staircase a dozen paces away, there’s no one around.
“Yeah, that definitely helped me catch someZ’s last night, too,” I say, my cheeks annoyingly warm.
He shoots me a secret smile, and I hope to fuck I’m not looking at him with hearts in my eyes, because it sure feels like I am.
I really need to get a grip on myself so I don’t give our secret away and lose the best thing in my life right now.
And it’s not even the sex. That part is amazing and definitely the best I’ve ever had, but I like hanging out with Ant. He’s becoming a good friend, and I haven’t felt a connection like this to anyone since I first met Damon.
He might have said he doesn’t care if people find out about us, or about him, but how could he not? Especially since this is just a temporary arrangement. He’s going to get bored with me, or he’ll realize I’m too much work for a simple situationship, and I want to make sure that I don’t do anything to jeopardize things or end them before they’ve had a chance to run their course.
“Still nervous?” he asks as we head up the main stairs to the third floor where our class is.
“Yeah,” I say honestly. “But I’ll be fine about ten minutes after we finish, so no need to worry about me.”
He laughs softly and pushes his long hair back from his forehead. “Is there anything I can do to help calm you down?”
“Not unless you’ve got some pharmaceuticals or a flask in your bag,” I tell him. “Or you want to watch the door and cover me while I jerk one out real quick,” I add with a laugh.
His grin goes wicked. “A stealth O helps with the nerves?”
“Not sure if it’s the O itself, or the nice rush of dopamine and good feels after, but it can be effective when getting wasted isn’t an option.”
“Good to know,” he says in a low voice that sends a little shiver of desire through me.
A door bangs shut in the distance, and we continue up the stairs in silence as a rowdy group spills out of the second-floor entrance and loudly makes its way down to the main floor, laughing and yelling as they go.
We get to the third floor, but we’ve only made it about a quarter of the way down the hall when Ant grabs my arm and drags me over to one of the many closed doors lining the dim hall.
I stumble along beside him and nearly fall right over as he opens the door and pulls me inside.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper.
Is there a problem in the hall or some sort of threat I didn’t see?
“Nothing,” he whispers back.
“Huh?” I give him a confused look.
“I have an idea.” He slips the straps of his bag off his shoulders and puts it on the floor at his feet.
“An idea?” I ask stupidly.
“To help you relax before our presentation.” He slides the straps of my backpack off my shoulders, and I take the hint and pull it the rest of the way off.
Ant takes my bag from me and puts it on the floor next to his.
I’m still trying to figure out what the heck is going on when he grips my shoulders, pushing me back until I’m flush against the door. Then he gives me a deep, drugging kiss so full of passion it practically makes my toes curl. I’m half in a daze when he finally breaks the kiss and pulls away.
I slowly blink my eyes open. “Yeah, that definitely helped.”
He grins. “Good. Now imagine how much this will help.”
“What are you—” I cut myself off as he drops to his knees. “Oh god,” I gasp. “Are you going to…?”
