15. Rebecca

15

REBECCA

When was the last time I felt this relaxed? Even walking across campus and into Ethan's lecture hall couldn't dampen the joy or bring tension after the amazing night I had with Cole and David. They were phenomenal lovers, the best I'd ever had, and the new standard for sex. No one would ever be able to live up to last night.

The only thing I regretted was that they'd left before we could have morning sex.

A chill swept down my spine as I took my seat and prepared for Ethan's lecture. The crowded room pressed in on me, but I peered left and then right in search of the reason for my sudden unease.

Down the row on my left, a familiar face grinned wide enough to show his pointed canines. He wiggled his fingers in a beckoning motion.

Fuck that. Snarling at his shitty grin, I opened my laptop and uncapped my pen in case I needed to jot down any new ideas. Ethan strode into the room, and everything else vanished. I had to pass this class, and to do that, I had to stop letting my emotions get the better of me.

My ex skipped around the girl sitting beside him, bringing him two seats closer. He tapped the next guy on the shoulder and whispered something. The guy jerked his arm away and shushed my ex with enough venom that I grinned behind my hand, covering my almost laugh with my palm.

What the hell was he doing here, anyway? We'd broken up months ago after a long, strained relationship where he continually wore me down about everything from how I fed Fitz to my weight. Dude had narcissist written all over him. I'd overlooked it for a long time, but that last night, when he tried to stop me from going out with Lily because he felt insecure about my being at a club without him, I bailed. No one needed that kind of negativity.

"Psst." Lucas leaned around my neighbor, stretching out a hand to tap my elbow.

I yanked away from him without a word.

Ethan's gaze snapped to me, then to Lucas. His mouth pinched in a flat line, but he continued the lecture.

Lucas poked at me again. "Hey, don't be like that."

"Shut the fuck up, man. We're in class." My neighbor leaned forward, cutting Lucas's view of me.

I strangled my pen, twisting and untwisting the cap as Ethan droned on and on. My cursor scrolled over the screen, recording every word. I watched it for accuracy and to keep from slapping the shit out of Lucas when he reared his chair back on two legs and grabbed a handful of my hair.

Fuck this . I backhanded his arm. "Leave me alone." My voice rose higher than I intended, and the entire room fell silent.

"Problem, Miss Roberts?" Standing in front of the room with his hands on either side of the lectern, Ethan drove out the words with a low growl.

"Lucas is in the wrong room." I pointed him out, the gleeful feeling in my stomach pitching and diving when Ethan's lips twisted in a cruel grin. "If he's going to pull my hair and act like we're in elementary school, I'd like to change seats."

Ethan crooked a finger and pointed at the only empty seat. The one directly in front of him.

Mouth suddenly dry, I gathered up my stuff and carried it down, settling into the seat with a grin and a nod of thanks.

"Lucas, was it?" Ethan looked over my head. I'd never seen so much raw fury in a man's eyes before. "Get out of my class. This is not a social gathering or a dating site. If you're not on my roster, you don't belong."

Lucas stood, the scrape of his chair obnoxious in the deathly quiet. He stalked down the steps with his hands in his pockets, not even bothering to pretend he was a student but watching me, studying me in that creepy-as-fuck way of his.

I turned my back on him and flipped open my notebook. I'd learned that pissed him off more than anything. He hated being ignored.

The rest of the class passed in a blur. Trying not to think about Lucas made me think about nothing else. By the time Ethan dismissed us, my head throbbed and all I wanted was to find a quiet place to rest. So much for my amazing day.

Ethan's gaze followed me with enough ferocity to lift the hairs on the back of my neck.

Just breathe . I shouldered my bag and marched toward the door.

"Is everything okay?" Quiet, almost hesitant, the softness brushed over my skin in complete contrast to the heat I'd seen in his eyes.

I nodded, the move jerky as I tried to maintain control. "Fine." I couldn't stay here any longer without spilling the whole story, one that made me sound like an idiot. I already looked like a fool in front of Ethan. Adding Lucas to the mix was unacceptable. I joined the students leaving, letting the press of bodies carry me out into the bright sunshine.

The back of my neck prickled, but I kept my gaze straight ahead, my senses on high alert until I made it into my next class with no sign of Lucas.

Professor Willis had us studying social media marketing trends—a class I desperately needed to pay attention to—and the next hour slid past without incident.

"I've been waiting on you." Lucas stepped out of the shadows when I left the building and walked alongside me.

"Fuck, Lucas." I stopped and backed away. "Don't be an ass, creeping up on me like that."

His wry laugh grated. Despite the heavy sunshine, he looked cool and glamorous. I'd been attracted to his looks first, but his personality quickly overshadowed anything pleasant about him. "Come on, baby. You know you missed me." He stretched out a hand.

I jerked back. "The hell I did." Walking backward to keep him in sight, I made my way toward the center of the quad. People. I needed to be around people. No way I'd let myself be alone with Lucas when my skin crawled every time he stood within arm's reach. "You need to leave."

"After I came all this way?" His head tilted sideways, causing his hair to flop over his forehead in a way I used to think was adorable. Now, I knew it was a calculated move meant to draw sympathy. "I came here for you, Becca."

"Don't call me that." I gripped my bookbag tight with both hands, ready to run if things turned desperate. He'd catch me, but maybe I'd at least get close enough to a group that he'd pretend to be nice long enough for me to leave. "We're not together anymore, Lucas."

"Aw. You know you don't mean that. It was just a little fight. You know how you get sometimes. I was angry." A boyish smile flashed, and he shrugged.

Red warning lights flashed in my mind. Classic Lucas.

"I'm leaving." I held up my hand when he reached for me again. "Leave me alone. I'm never going out with you again. Stop trying to touch me." His hand came within inches of my arm, and I smacked it away. "Leave." My voice pitched high, too high to be taken seriously. Fuck. Why did I always sound like a little girl when someone pissed me off?

"I'm willing to overlook our little fight." Lucas stalked forward, his steps measured and certain. That little half smile tipped his lips. "I got us a reservation at Marco's. I know you love their garlic bread."

I did, but the thought of going anywhere with Lucas churned my stomach. We were gathering a crowd of curious onlookers. Students sitting around on the quad watched us with a mixture of curiosity and dismissal. A few girls gave me looks from behind Lucas that quietly asked if I needed help.

I wasn't about to get any of them involved. I could handle Lucas. "No." Normally, I'd say, "no, thank you," but I knew he'd take the thank you as encouragement. I'd tried that before, with disastrous results. "Goodbye, Lucas."

Turning my back on him was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. Like turning my back to a grizzly bear. Still, it was my best chance of getting away. He'd never been violent, but I'd felt the threat of it constantly buzzing beneath my skin.

"Rebecca." This time, when he said my name, it came with a warning.

I kept walking, my pace even and controlled.

Strong fingers wrapped around my arm and squeezed. "I won't say it again." The low hiss of his breath over my ear sent my pulse pounding. "I tried being polite and giving you a chance to make things up to me."

"Let go of me." I spun around so fast that my book bag slammed into his side. His fingers dug in tighter. "Fuck you, Lucas. Fuck you and your bitchy attitude. I'm never going out with you again. Let me go before I call the police."

"And tell them what?" He sneered in my face. "What could you tell them?"

"This is assault, motherfucker." I curled my hand into a fist, ready to land a punch across his jaw if he kept trying to pull me away from the crowd. I planted my feet and dug in my heels, wrenching my arm away from him. "Touch me again, and I'll file charges." This time, my voice held firm.

Behind Lucas, grumbles sounded from several guys at a nearby table. One stood and started forward. A girl moved with him, the two of them beckoning their friends to join them.

"Is there a problem here?" Ethan.

I'd recognize that cold fury anywhere.

Lucas didn't break eye contact with me. "No problem. Just having a chat with my girlfriend."

"I'm not your girlfriend. We broke up months ago. Get the fuck over yourself."

"You heard her." Ethan shouldered his way between me and Lucas. He towered over my ex, his broad shoulders completely obscuring my view. "Security is on their way. Since you're not a student, and I'm sure you don't have a pass to be here, I'd suggest you get lost."

Damn. I wished he hadn't said that. I'd really liked to have seen Lucas dragged off campus by the two beefy men wearing security badges. They bookended Lucas. "This the guy?"

Ethan gave a clipped nod. "Yep. He's been going in and out of classes all day. And he's grabbing girls against their will."

"Hey." Lucas held up both hands. Even now, he wore that same shitty grin that most people looked at and thought he was harmless. "I just wanted to talk to Rebecca." He tried to look around Ethan, but Ethan blocked him, nudging me slightly behind him with a hand on my hip. The touch seared through me.

Was he being protective? We'd had a few close encounters in class, but this went beyond a little flirting and sexual banter. This felt like a blatant display of possessiveness.

Unlike when Lucas treated me like I belonged to him, Ethan's concern warmed me. I peeked around his arm.

"Let's go, dude." One of the security guys slapped a hand to Lucas's shoulder. "Can't be here unless you're a student."

Lucas practically breathed fire when he realized he couldn't get to me. He spun on his heel and walked away without a backward glance.

I knew better than to think I'd seen the end of him. If he'd decided to show up after four months, he had an agenda.

"Are you okay?" Low and guttural, Ethan spoke to me over his shoulder, shoulders so tense I could bounce a bowling ball off them. His hands fisted at his sides, but the spark of animalistic anger I'd seen in his face faded when he turned slightly toward me. "Rebecca?"

"Fine." I shuddered my way through the crash of adrenaline. "He's an asshole, but he didn't hurt me."

"And he never will." Ethan made the words the single most intense promise I'd ever heard.