Chapter 8

Sadie

At first, being in Collin’s class was a distraction because I saw him as this sexy, forbidden man I had the hots for. And while that’s all still very much true, now that we’ve talked about us being something more, the way he’s looking at me while the professor is teaching his lecture, it’s so much worse.

I’m trying to concentrate on my professor, I really am. But it’s like my eyes are magnets, drawn to him every few minutes. And all he’s doing is sitting there, grading papers.

His head is down, this look of concentration on his face as his eyes move along the paper. He licks his lips every so often, and all I can think about is that tongue on me, against my own..., between my legs,

My eyes drop to his hand gripping the pen, the muscles in his arms flexing as he marks.

All I can think about is how his arms would feel if he picked me up, my legs wrapping around his waist as he holds me up with one hand, pulling my panties to the side so he could drive his thick, hot, throbbing coc—

“Miss Evans?” a clipped, annoyed voice snaps me out of my little sexual daydream. My eyes dart forward, finding my professor watching me, arms crossed, brow raised.

Panic fills me as I flush with embarrassment. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, watching me, waiting. “Yes?” I clear my throat, sinking into my chair.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” I say too quickly. “Yup, everything is wonderful.”

The class softly snickers, and I inwardly groan.

“I’m glad you think this class is wonderful. But if that's the case, then would you be so kind as to answer the question I asked you.”

Shit. He asked me a question? Fuck.

“Um...” I lick my lips. “Could you repeat it for me, please?”

He sighs, shaking his head. He repeats the question, and I answer, grateful that I get it right and don’t make even more of a fool of myself. Afterwards, I pull my hair around my face and pretend it’s shielding me from everyone around me.

Of course, all of it happened in front of Collin. It’s his fault. All of it.

Sneaking a glance, I find his eyes are still on the paper, but there’s this cocky smirk on his face that I’d love to slap off right about now.

I manage to get through the rest of the class without looking in Collin’s direction. When class is over, I quickly pack my things up and head for the door in hopes of avoiding my... boyfriend? Is that what we are?

We haven’t talked since he told me to think about it. Meaning he doesn’t know what the guys and I talked about. He did text me, checking in on me, but he hasn’t pried.

And I hate it. Before, his dominating presence was a little much, but I didn’t know how much I’d come to like it until it stopped.

He’s changed, even if it’s only been a few days. I hate it. I want my crazy Collin back.

As if the universe could read my mind, Collin catches me by the arm just as I step outside of the school. What the fuck? How did he get out here before me?

“Hey, Sadie,” Collin murmurs, pulling me into a dark corner.

“What are you doing?” My eyes flick around, making sure no one is watching.

“I needed to see you.” He tucks some hair behind my ear, fingers lingering a moment before he slides them into my hair. I bite my lip, holding back a whimper as he presses his body against mine. “I missed you. You’ve been on my mind every second of every day.”

“Really?” I ask, a spark of bitterness seeping through. “Because it’s been almost a week since I’ve seen you.” Lie, it’s only been three days, but it feels like a week. “And you’ve only sent a few text messages. I haven’t seen you once. Where’s the Collin who would follow me around like he was my shadow?”

A slow smile curls on his lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you missed my persistent presence.”

“Maybe,” I whisper.

“Sadie.” He raises a brow. “Don’t lie to me, baby.”

“Okay, fine, I miss your stalking ass,” I huff. “And I miss you. Where have you been?”

“Giving you space, like I said I would. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Damn it. Now he’s being sweet. I let out a sigh. “I’m done with space. A lot has happened since we had our talk, and I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn’t think you wanted to see me because you’ve hardly texted and—”

He cuts me off with a kiss. A soul-consuming, toe-curling kiss that has me whimpering against his lips. Pulling back again, grazing my lips with his teeth, he lets go.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?” His voice is raspy, thick with need, and I’m seconds away from begging him to fuck me. Students be damned.

I’ve gone from never wanting sex to craving it all hours of the day, it seems.

“No,” I whisper, heart racing, body tingling.

He gives me this panty-melting smile that wreaks havoc on my pussy. He brushes his thumb against my lower lip. “I love you with all my heart.”

Swallowing hard, I whisper back. “I love you too.”

“You do, now, do you?” He grins. “Does that mean you’ve thought more about us?”

“Yes. And you would have known that if you weren’t ignoring me.”

“I was not ignoring you.” He frowns and looks around before taking my hand. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m hungry. Are you?”

“Yeah, a little. But it’s still early. Lunch isn’t for another hour.”

“Let’s get an early lunch.”

“What if someone sees?” My eyes dart around.

“Our parents are best friends. We grew up together. It’s not going to seem weird if we’re seen together.” But he does let my hand go, reluctantly. I miss his touch immediately.

Collin ends up bringing me to this cute little mom-and-pop restaurant. As soon as we step inside, he takes my hand again, lacing his fingers through mine.

He looks down at me and grins. “You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing us here. No one we know would be on this side of town. They think they’re too good for it.” He rolls his eyes. “But this place has the best chicken wings I’ve ever had.”

“Chicken wings?” My eyes light up at the same time my belly growls.

He chuckles. “Do I know my girl, or do I know my girl?” He winks.

A very sweet older lady welcomes us in and shows us to a booth.

Once we get our order in, we talk.

“So, I talked to the guys,” I start, taking a sip of my soda.

“And?” Collin grins, leaning back in his seat.

“The morning we talked, later in the day, the guys pulled me into the Host Club room and told me they’re breaking it off with their fiancées.” Collin nods his head slowly. “But I’m guessing you already know that, seeing how they did mention you saying something about not wanting to share me, and it would never happen.”

He chuckles. “You would be correct. And, baby girl, I don’t want to share you with anyone. I’d love nothing more than to keep you locked up and all to myself. But that’s not something you want or something that would make you happy. And all I want is to make you happy. I may have jumped the gun when Declan brought the idea up, my possessive nature taking over, but when I went home, it was all I could think about. I was so afraid of losing you, of this being the end of us, that I knew I couldn’t be selfish. So, I promised myself if you heard me out, and took my word about those photos being wrong, then I wasn’t going to ask you to choose. I know how much it was already eating at you, I didn’t want to add to it. So while I don’t like it, I’ll learn to deal.”

“Thank you.” I smile. “It really does mean a lot to me. It helps with a lot of my worries, that’s for sure.” I laugh lightly.

“How did your little chat with the guys go?”

I narrow my eyes. “I have a feeling you already know all this.”

His lips twitch. “Keep going.”

Rolling my eyes, I do. “After they told me they were leaving their fiancées, they told me it was mostly because they wanted to be with me. That they liked me and wanted something more.” I can’t help the warm and fuzzies that fill me as I remember. A real joyful smile spreads over my face. “But they also said it wasn’t just because of me, but because they wanted more out of life and not to spend it with people they didn’t love and be unhappy.”

“And now they know the reason why I’ve been fighting it for so long. Why I won’t just give in, even if it might be easier to. The biggest reason is I don’t want to. I only want you. Will only ever want you.” He grins, giving me a wink. “And two, I hate this world we live in. If I could leave, and I would. But I have a legacy to uphold. On my mother’s side, of course. When she passes, it all goes to me, and then I will pass it on to my child. If I leave, eventually, everything our family has worked hard for would end. But that doesn’t mean I have to live the ways of this world. I plan on living it my own way, with my own rules. Like not marrying someone I don’t love. My life, my choices.”

“Are you for real?” I narrow my eyes, and he chuckles. “No, really. Between you, Declan, and Grayson choosing me over everything else, I’m starting to think I’m in a dream. And one day, I’m going to wake up, and none of this would have been real.”

“I’m being real with you, Sadie, and I’ve made my intentions with you clear from day one.” He has. But I thought that was just the ramblings of a crazy man. Clearly, I’ve been proven wrong. “I want to marry you, have babies, and spoil you until the day we die.” He chuckles when I blush. “I can’t speak for the others, but I see it. They want you too.”

“I still can’t believe it,” I whisper.

“Well, believe it.” There’s a short pause as the server drops off our wings before leaving again. “I know you had a lot happen in your past that would make you doubt the good things happening in your life. But you deserve all the good things. And it’s not some big prank or joke that’s going to come back to bite you in the ass. And if Preston fucks it up, I’ll fuck him up.”

“Preston? He’s not a part of this,” I tell him.

He raises a brow. “Not yet. But I’m sure once he pulls his head out of his ass and comes to his senses, he will be. That is, if you give him a chance. None of us would blame you if you didn’t.”

“It’s not going to happen,” I insist. “The him wanting to be with me part. And it’s okay. I don’t expect him to.”

“You like him, right?”

I don’t want to answer that, so I look away.

“Sadie,” he growls.

“It doesn’t matter, okay? I’d rather not admit to having feelings for a man who doesn’t want me. Not when I have three amazing men who do. It’s not fair.”

“We all know how Preston feels. It’s not news to us,” Collin says like it’s no big deal as he eats a wing.

I blink at him. “He told me he hated that he wanted me. That's not really a thing a girl wants to hear a guy say when she might have feelings for him.” Honestly, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about Preston. He’s been nothing but an asshole to me. But inside that tower, it’s like we’re different people, transported in another dimension.

“He might hate himself for wanting you, but that’s because he’s not in a good place, Sadie. He has it the worst out of us all. My father is a fucking monster, you've seen it often enough with your own two eyes. While I have my mother, someone more powerful than my father, Preston is stuck with two selfish monsters for his parents. People who only care about themselves and how they can better their own lives with money and connections. More than anything, what Preston needs right now is a friend. He won’t let me be that for him because he resents me. I love him, and I don’t blame him for that.”

A friend. I’m not sure if we could even be friends. Would he want that? Would he allow it? I’d be lying if I didn’t think about being there for him, offering him a shoulder or an ear.

Isn’t that what the tower is anyway?

“Can’t change anything right now. If he wants to be friends, I’ll be his friend. But I’m not putting up with his bullshit attitude.” I grab a wing and take a bite as I glare Collin down.

He grins. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, baby girl. Call him out on his shit. He needs someone to do that. And who better than the pretty blonde that’s captured his attention.”

“You were abducted by aliens, weren’t you? That's why I haven’t heard from you since Monday.”

He bursts out laughing, shaking his head. “Is it so hard to believe I’ve had a change of heart.”

“Yes.” I raise a brow. “You were practically pissing on me a few weeks ago to mark your territory, and now you’re all team Sadie’s harem. What gives?”

“Harem...” he muses.

“Collin,” I growl.

He grins. “What gives?” his face sombers. He sighs, moving out of his seat and into the booth next to me. He cups the side of my face, brushing his thumb against my cheek. “I almost lost you. Sadie, the look in your eyes when I found you on the side of the road, I’ve never felt fear like that before. I never want you to look at me like that again.”

Tears sting the back of my eyes as I remember. It was by far the worst night of my life, and I thought the aftermath was going to be so much worse. There’s still time. Their father hasn’t been dealt with yet and probably won’t be for some time. Bringing down someone like Bradly Jones isn’t going to be easy. He’s not going to let it be. And if the guys aren't careful, it could go wrong in a very bad way.

Fear creeps in, making me lose my appetite.

“Hey,” he asks softly. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried. Your dad isn’t a good guy. He’s not going to go down without a fight. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” I lick my lips and swallow hard.

“I don’t want you worrying about that. Let us handle it, okay? And before you say something like ‘I’m not worth it’, you are. But this isn’t just about us. That man is a menace and needs to be brought down a few pegs, if not all the way. If he wants money and power, then he can go for it, but he’s not going to be using me or Preston to get it. At least, not anymore.”

It’s easier said than done, but I don’t argue with him. Just because he tells me not to worry doesn’t mean I won’t.

“Now, I have a question. Can you officially be mine? Can I confidently call you my girl now?” He gives me a hopeful look.

“Yeah.” I laugh lightly, smiling wide. “I’d love to be your girl, Collin.”

How is this even happening? The guy I grew up with, my best friend, my shadow; someone I crushed on hardcore, is now my boyfriend?

Weird. This is so weird. But a good weird.

He gives me a heart-stopping grin before leaning in to kiss me hard. “I’m going to do everything in my power so that you don’t regret this decision. To show you how amazing you are, how much I love you, and I’ll protect you like I should have been all along.”

I want to tell him he can’t be with me all the time, that he can’t prevent all the bad things from happening because that's just not how life works. But I don’t want to ruin this moment, so I just kiss him, enjoying the feeling of his touch and the way his lips move against mine, letting myself feel happy for once.

I end up getting the wings to go and promised Collin I’d eat them later. But I don’t, I’m sad when I just toss them in the trash when I get home. I didn't eat much else that night either, too stressed and worried. One or two missed meals isn’t going to hurt.

My therapist would think otherwise.