Amazed (Tempted Book 3) (5 page)

Walking to class, I hoped that Ethan had caught the flu or something, anything to keep him away from me even if it was for just a little while.

“He kept looking at you last night,” Holland said, linking her arm through mine.

“Who?” I asked, pretending to know who she was referring to.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about, Gracie. Don’t blame dumb with me,” she said, giving me her you’re not fooling me look.

“Shut up,” I said, playfully tapping her arm.

Making our way inside I saw Ethan sitting with his football buddies and not in his usual seat beside me. Part of me was thrilled but the pathetic, needy part of was bummed. I couldn’t get my emotions in check when it came to him and it was infuriating.

Holland walked up the steps and sat down. Following her, I did the same and pulled my book from my bag.

“Did you hear?” Lake Weston asked from behind me.

“No, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to seem like I cared.

In small towns the gossip was usually the same, someone got knocked up by their boyfriend or someone was having an affair with their son’s little league coach. It was all generic.

“Professor Linden was working as a stripper a few towns over. A bunch of guys went to the club where she was working and took pictures of her. They brought them to the dean and he fired her. Our new professor is coming today. I heard he’s smoking hot,” she said, fanning herself.

Well, that was a new one.

“This town is so messed up. It’s like we’re trapped in an episode of Days of Our Lives,” Holland said, turning off her cell phone.

“You’re telling me,” I said, trying to get the image of Professor Linden swinging around a pole in a thong out of my head.

It wasn’t something I wanted to visualize.

The door of the class room opened and a very familiar face walked up the dry erase board and wrote his name across it.

My eyes scanned over it. Professor Conrad.

Talon, Talon was my new professor. Shit.

“I’m Professor Conrad. Let’s learn,” he said, turning around.

I could tell when he spotted me because his eyes bulged out of his head. Oh good, he was just as shocked as I was.

Hearing someone whistle at him, he turned his attention from me to the rest of the class.

“Okay, everyone, settle down,” he said, taking a book out of his briefcase.

“Wait, is that your Talon?” Holland whispered.

“That’s him. Wait, he’s not my Talon,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Ladies, no talking,” he said sternly.

Was he effing serious? He had taken me out on a date and put serious moves on me, but he was going to treat me like a child?

I literally had the world’s worst luck with dating.

I spent the rest of the class feeling Ethan’s eyes burning a hole in my back. He probably thought I was screwing the Professor because that’s what college sluts do right? I could feel him judging me. I always thought he wanted the wild party girl because he was Mr. Popularity. What he didn’t know was I wasn’t that at all, in fact I was the complete opposite. He thought I slept with the whole football team but he was my first. I bet that would have shocked the hell out of him.

When class finally let out, I grabbed Holland’s hand and pulled her toward the door.

“Mrs. Emerson, may I speak with you?” Talon’s voice boomed across the room.

“Which one?” I asked, walking over to him.

“Grace Emerson,” he said, pointing at me.

“I’ll wait outside,” Holland whispered in my ear.

He watched her until she was out of sight.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a student?” he asked, gritting his teeth.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a professor?”

“Because you look like a woman not a girl,” he said, talking intensely with his hands.

“It’s a college town you dumbass.”

Turning around, I marched out of the door. I couldn’t believe him and I couldn’t believe that I had just called my new professor a dumbass.

Seriously, what was going on with me?

“What did he want?” Holland asked, putting away her cellphone.

“He yelled at me for not telling him I was a student.”

“He didn’t tell you that he was a professor. He does realize that right?”

“I don’t want to talk about him,” I said, shaking my head like I was trying to rid myself of that conversation.

“Do you want to talk about that?” she asked, pointing toward the opposite side of the quad.

Ethan was standing against a brick wall with one leg propping him up and his arms folded over his muscular chest.

“Nope.”

“He’s coming over here,” she said, looking over my face as if she was checking my makeup.

“Worst day ever,” I mumbled under my breath, “Of course he is.”

“Grace, what are you thinking?” he asked, looking at me as if I had lost my mind, “I mean I knew you were wild but dating the professor? You’re going too far even for you.”

He had just politely call me a slut.

“Wow, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For letting me know what you really think of me and having so little faith in me,” I told him, rubbing my temples.

He opened his mouth to speak but I motioned for Holland to follow me and walked to our next class.

I wasn’t sure if there was anything worse than being slut shamed for something you didn’t do by the person you’re crazy about.

There was only one thing to do if he thought I was a slut then I was going to be one.

He thought I was party girl Grace.

He hadn’t seen anything yet.

“Can I just wait here?” Holland whined, looking down at her outfit I picked out for her.

“No, I need a wing woman,” I replied, applying my deep red lipstick in the rearview mirror of my car.

“But I’m not even sure what a wing woman is supposed to do,” she said, looking beyond confused.

If I wasn’t so pissed I would laughed at her facial expression. I was dragging her with me to an infamous Lakeveiw field party.

“Holland, you just stand there, look pretty, and stay with me at all times. That’s it.”

“You owe me,” she said, getting out and slamming the car door.

“I know, I know.”

The field was full of tailgates down, girls grinding to the overly sexual song pounding from the speakers, and drunken couples making out like no one else was around. The unwelcome stench of the beer and men’s body spray hit me in the face.

Ethan was there, I could feel it and I couldn’t wait for him to see me. My cutoff jean shorts left little to the imagination and my red t shirt hung to my every curve. He asked for it.

Oh, yes he did.

“Luca is staring at me,” Holland said, her voice trembling with nervousness.

“Ignore him. He’ll get tired eventually,” I told her, looking around trying to spot Ethan.

Bingo.
He was once again surrounded by a heard of cheerleaders. Their high pitched giggling sounded like someone dragging their nails down a chalkboard. It literally made me feel like my ears were hemorrhaging.

Next, I had to find someone that I could make him jealous with. Preferably some drunk football player who wouldn’t remember it tomorrow morning. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Jesse Cooper. He was perfect. Broad shoulders, handsome, charming, and beyond wasted. Every girl’s fantasy.

I knew he would hit on me. Why you ask? Simply because I had a pulse and short shorts. Yeah, he didn’t really have any standards.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” I told Holland, walking Jesse’s way.

“You never come right back. I’m really uncomfortable, not that you care,” she called after me.

Purposely brushing my body against his, I saw his eyes widen as he took in my outfit. His mouth was open and I could tell he liked what he saw. Smiling at him, I placed my hand on his toned bicep.

“I’m so sorry, Jesse. I didn’t mean to bump in to you,” I purred sexily.

“No problem, no problem at all,” he said, his eyes fixed on my boobs.

Hearing a song I loved come on, I started shaking my hips.

“I love this song,” I told him, moving to every beat of the song.

“Do you want to dance?” he inquired, licking his beer soaked lips.

“I thought you’d never ask,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling into the crowd

I made sure to get a spot close to Ethan, so he could see. I didn’t want him to miss anything. Swinging one around his shoulders, I rolled my body as close to his as I possibly could without having sex with him in front of everyone.

“You’re a naughty girl, huh Grace? I like it,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

Giggling, I took a quick peek in Ethan’s direction and saw him eyes glued to us.

That’s right, Ethan. Keep looking.

Our bodies were moving as one to the music and Ethan watched every movement. I know because as he watched us I watched him. I saw every ounce of jealousy in his eyes but most of all I saw hunger. And I fed off of it.

“Wanna take a walk?” he whispered in ear, his nose grazing my face.

No, I didn’t but I knew if I did Ethan would follow and that made me want to go.

“Yeah, I’d love to,” I told him, grabbing his hand.

His hand didn’t fit in mine, not the way Ethan’s did. His eyes weren’t kind like Ethan’s. He was nothing like Ethan. Jesse and every other male I run across had one thing in common, they weren’t Ethan Charles.

We walked until we saw his Ford truck. Pulling down the tailgate, he picked me up and at me down.

“You’re gorgeous, Grace,” he said, sitting next to me.

“Thank you.”

“I mean it, you are. I’ve always thought you were hot,” he said and the alcohol on his breath danced its way into my nose, “Do you have a boyfriend? Anybody standing in the way of me kissing you?”

He just jumped right on in. How romantic, right? I really didn’t want to kiss him, not if Ethan wasn’t around to see it. What good was that going to do me?

Scooting over, I looked away from him.

“I’ve gotta go,” I said, getting up to walk away, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

He pulled me back down and laughed. But it wasn’t a normal laugh it was almost sinister. It was like he had something up his sleeve, something I wasn’t going to like.

“Well, do you have a boyfriend or not?” he asked, his voice rough and annoyed.

I started to panic because I hadn’t clearly thought it through.

“Listen, you little slut. You came onto me, not the other way around,” he said, grabbing my wrists and pinning me to the bed of the truck.

With one hand he keep my hands in place as his other hand slid down into my shorts. A desperate sob escaped my lips. How could I have been so stupid to put myself in that situation?

Pulling his hand out, he then ripped my shirt, exposing my lacey bra.

“I got something for ya, Grace. I’ve heard all the stories and I want my turn.”

Clenching my eyes shut, I heard a crack and then I felt his grip on my arms loosen before going away completely.

“She’s not a slut and she does have a boyfriend.  So, if you look at her again I’ll hurt you and if you ever touch her I’ll break your other arm. Got it?”

Opening my eyes, I saw Ethan standing over a shocked Jesse. Pain was etched on Jesse’s face as he held his arm.

He broke his arm? Wait, did he just say I had a boyfriend? He was probably meaning Talon.

“You okay?” he asked, walking over to me and scooping me up in arms.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. And Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I really don’t, Talon is not my boyfriend.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Okayyy, so why do you think I have a boyfriend?”

“Because you do.”

“Who?”

“Me, Babe,” he said, kissing my forehead.

Ethan was my boyfriend. Ethan Charles was
my
boyfriend. When did that happen and what did I miss? I didn’t care because he was mine and I was his.

Feeling air hit my bare stomach, I looked down and remembered my ruined shirt.

“I have my one of my football shirts in my car.”

Resting my head on his shoulder, I felt safe and I felt happy. Uncontrollably happy.

When we got to his car, he opened the passenger side and gently sought me down on the seat. He walked around and popped the trunk.

If you would have asked me five minutes prior I would have said that that night was the worst night ever but it turned into the best night ever.

“Here, babe,” he said, handing me a shirt with his name on the back, “Put that on and then I’ll take you home.”

“I drove here with Holland,” I told him, slipping the shirt over my head.

“I’ll go find her and tell her to drive your car home,” he said, turning to walk away.

“Ethan, I don’t want to stay here by myself. Can I walk with you?”

His eyes softened when he glanced down at my face.

“Yeah, babe. Let’s go,” he said, reaching for my hand.

Holding his hand and wearing his shirt made me feel elated. Like I could take on the world. Hearing a big ruckus, I looked over and saw a bunch of guys around Jesse, asking if he was okay.

What if he called the police? Would Ethan get in trouble? I hadn’t stop to think about that.

“Do you think he’ll call the police?”

“He tried to force himself on you, so no I don’t think he’ll call the police,” he said, squeezing my hand as if he was trying to assure me that everything was going to be okay.

When we got to the spot where I left Holland she was nowhere in sight.

“I left her here,” I said, frantically looking around.

“Why don’t you call her?”

Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I dialed her number. Voicemail.

“No answer,” I told him.

He pulled me along with him and he asked a few of his friends if they had seen Holland, they told him she left with Luca.

“I’m gonna kill him! No, first I’m going to cut his balls off and then I’m going to kill him.”

“You’re so sexy when you’re mad,” he said, circling one arm around my waist, “Luca’s car is parked over there.”

Sure enough as we got closer to his car Holland and Luca was sitting on the hood of his car. She didn’t look afraid or like she wanted to hurt him, shockingly.

“Holl, I’ve been looking all over for you. Let’s go,” I said, beckoning for her to follow me.

“I think she’d rather stay here with me,” Luca said, standing up and puffing out his chest.

He was acting like a possessive alpha male. He needed a reality check if he thought that Holland would end up with him because I was going to make sure she didn’t.

“Well, she can’t because she has to drive my car home. Holland, get up and let’s go.” I said, trying my hardest to sound stern.

“Bye, Luca,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll follow you to make sure you get home safe and Grace, before you can say anything I’m doing it. I don’t wanna hear you bitch about it,” Luca said never taking his eyes off of Holland.

One glance at her and I saw that she couldn’t stop looking at him either.

That wasn’t going to happen, not on my watch.
Not up in here.

“Don’t talk to her like that, Luca.  As much as it pains me to say it he’s right, babe. Someone needs to make sure she gets there okay,” Ethan said, whispering in my ear and rubbing my shoulders.

“Fine, but don’t be creepy. Don’t even walk her to the door,” I said, giving him a menacing look.

“I can’t make no promises, Sweetheart. Have you seen her?” Luca asked, being creepy.

“Yes, I have. Don’t look at her.”

“Someone’s gotta protect her from all the bad out there,” he said, inching closer to her.

“You are the bad out there, Luca.”

“Come on, baby doll. I’ll make sure you get home,” he said, placing his hand on the small of her back.

“Don’t call her that, it’s creepy!” I called after them.

She didn’t put up a fight, she liked him. I was going to have to keep my eye on that.

Watching them walk away, I tried to kill Luca with my mind but it didn’t work. What a shame.

“Babe, let’s get out of here,” Ethan said before placing kisses down my neck, “I want you all to myself.”

Nodding, I let him lead me to his car. Being alone with Ethan didn’t sound bad.

It didn’t sound bad at all.