Chapter 4

Genevieve

" I thought he creeped you out? " Jules stated as she sat cross-legged on her bed, watching me get ready for my date with Nero. " Don ' t get me wrong, he ' s as hot as fuck, I ' ll be the first to admit that. But how you behave when he ' s around seems so unlike you. Nearly fucking this guy at the club and now going to his place for dinner. I mean, it seems a little reckless. "

Frowning, I finished applying my mascara and then looked up from the mirror and over at her. " You do stuff like this all the time. Hell, every girl on campus gets fucked on a regular basis. He ' s hot, maybe I want a little taste of rebellion for myself. "

" Yeah, but …"

I sighed. " I ' ve always been the weirdo. The girl that never got picked. I didn ' t even have a date for prom. So I didn ' t go. I got picked this time and it feels good. "

" You ' re not a weirdo. " Sliding off the bed, she came to sit beside me, draping her arm over my shoulder. " You have so much to offer. No one thinks of you that way. "

" Maybe not. But they did. "

" In your old life. "

" Yeah, I know it ' s my old life, but it still hurts. I think I ' m the only virgin on campus. "

Her frown deepened. " I guarantee you ' re not. Besides, that ' s not a bad thing. You ' ve said it yourself that he gives you a weird feeling. What if that ' s your instincts telling you to stay away? Just because he ' s sexy doesn ' t mean he can't still be a creep."

" Maybe not, but I want to live like everyone else. Nero seems interested in me. Genuinely interested. He ' s in our class. We know who he is. Nothing is going to happen. " I looked into her dark eyes pleadingly. " Can ' t you be happy for me? "

She smiled. " You know, you ' re right. I ' m sorry. I ' ll drop it. I am truly happy for you."

Lifting the mirror up to my face, I gave my appearance another inspection. My ivory complexion was blemish-free thanks to masterfully applied makeup. Hopeful green eyes, lined with brown cat ' s eye make up, looked back at me.

Placing the mirror on my desk next to the bed, I slid off the bed and stood in front of Jules, awaiting her approval. " So, how do I look? "

" Hot enough that I think I ' m going to have to give you an entire box of condoms, just in case. "

I laughed. " You realize that I don ' t even know if it ' ll happen tonight. Maybe he ' ll turn out to be a giant dick over dinner and I ' ll be home early to cry over a tub of Hagen-Dazs."

She gave me a wink. " I won ' t wait up. "

Genevieve

My nerves seemed to be getting the better of me as I made my way downstairs and exited the building into the crisp autumn night air. Halloween was just a week away, and by coincidence, my birthday fell on that day. If everything went well tonight perhaps Nero would be interested in accompanying me to the Halloween Madness event on campus next weekend at the frat.

Laughing, I gave my head a shake. I was really getting ahead of myself.

Checking my phone, I verified that it was eight o ' clock. Yup. No sign of him or a text confirming that he was on his way. He ' d told me this morning in class he ' d be here. He ' d let me know if he wasn ' t going to show, wouldn ' t he? By ten after eight, my insecurities had settled in, telling me he was standing me up. Maybe I was some sort of frat initiation task. Get the most frigid girl in class to agree to go out with him and then laugh seeing her standing on the sidewalk waiting. Maybe they even had a bet on how long I ' d stand here looking like a fool?

" Well, fuck him, " I muttered under my breath once it hit quarter after eight. I barely knew him, but the blatant rejection hurt. I was turning to head back into my building when the roar of a car engine had me spinning back around to watch as a sleek black sports car pulled up to the curb directly in front of me.

There ' s no way … I didn ' t know much about cars, but this one looked expensive. Easily six-figures expensive.

The driver ' s door opened and out stepped Nero. It was on the tip of my tongue to give him a piece of my mind, but as he rounded the front of the car and came into full view, I was left speechless at his beauty. He ' d traded the jeans and t-shirt for a black suit and red shirt, with the top two buttons undone, a black tie loose around his neck. He looked like he ' d just stepped out of a men ' s fashion magazine.

" Will you forgive me for being late? I had an errand to run before coming here. " He brushed his dark hair back out of his eyes as he closed the distance between us. Grasping my upper arms in his hands, his eyes slowly scanned me. " You look incredible. That dress is amazing. How did you know red was my favorite color."

He smiled, mischief playing in his eyes, calming the anger inside of me. What was it about his presence that turned me to mush inside? All thought seemed to fade, taken over by a lust I ' d never felt for anyone before him.

A blush colored my cheeks as I stared up at him. " Thank you. " I looked down at the red sundress that dipped low into my cleavage, and then up at him. " Although I think I may have underdressed compared to you. "

" Not at all. " Grasping my chin in his hand, he lowered his head. His lips ghosted mine so lightly I whimpered when he pulled away leaving me longing for more. Stepping back from me, he opened the passenger door and helped me inside.

Settling on the leather seats, I nibbled at my lower lip as I watched him round the car and get in beside me. This whole thing felt surreal, he could have any girl on campus. Why me?

" I hope you ' re okay with me taking you to my place and showing off my cooking skills. We can always go out if you prefer. " Starting the car, he pulled away from the car and sped off.

" That ' s fine. We can go out next time. "

He took a hand from the steering wheel and glanced over at me, placing a hand on my leg, just above the knee. " We can sit, relax, with some wine. Get to know each other without the chaos of a busy restaurant. "

The uneasiness settled and I smiled. Why would I want to go out to eat when I could have him all to myself? " That sounds amazing. "

He shot me another one of his pulse-racing smiles that created butterflies in my stomach. " Perfect. I promise it ' ll be worth it."