Out Of The Ashes (8 page)

“I felt that,” he said. “Don’t try to pull away from me now. That kiss told me everything I needed to know.”

I stared at him in wonder. “What did you need to know?”

“That you feel the same way I do.”

Eleven

Clay

I lay awake that night, staring at my ceiling. Thinking about Paige and the fervor with which she had kissed me. Before the night I danced with her at the Kappa Sig party, I thought that maybe my feelings were one-sided and that I would have to work really hard to get her to see me as anything more than an annoyance.

The heat between us that night had proven to me that we had chemistry. But would that chemistry turn into anything more? I didn’t know if Paige would allow it to get that far.

I was wrong.

She wanted to be with me. She ached for it, just as badly as I did. I experienced everything she was feeling with that kiss.

Her lips on mine…it was epic. Like a fantasy I didn’t even know I had. My lips were still tender and tingling from that kiss. I wanted more.

I was missing something, though, when it came to Paige Hill. Even though there was an underlying sense of familiarity between us, I didn’t really know her. That was, in part, due to an insistence on her part to keep me shut out. I wondered why that was. What had she been through that had hurt her so badly she wasn’t willing to share any of it?

If I wanted to be with Paige, really be with her, I was going to have to get her to open up to me.

I would start by being there for her when she needed me. By showing her that she could trust me.

If I were trustworthy, then maybe she would give me the gift of knowledge. Somehow, I knew that knowledge and understanding was the key to her heart.

I picked up my phone from the pillow next to me, intending to text her.

Clay: I need to see you again.

I only had to wait a minute before being rewarded with a return text.

Paige: When?

Clay: tomorrow?

This time, I waited a few moments for her response. My stomach bunched itself into an anxious knot and I twisted the phone in my hands, wondering if she’d be willing, or if she’d withdraw back into her shell.

Ding. I flipped the phone over.

Paige: What if I made you dinner?

I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. She wanted to make me dinner.

My fingers fumbled for the right keys to text her back.

Clay: I’m counting the minutes. See you around eight…gonna sit through practice first and then I’ll be over.

I plugged my phone into its charger and fell asleep with an anticipatory smile on my face.

Paige

The day following my kiss with Clay, I attended my early morning Theater Appreciation class. I wasn’t particularly interested in theater, but it was an undergraduate requirement, and I chose it over any of the other appreciations offered.

When I walked into the room, a small classroom greeted me. So far, I had only attended classes in lecture halls, and the close proximity with the other students and professor startled me. Without paying much attention to the small sea of faces already occupying the room, I chose an empty desk in the middle of a row on the far end, near the row of windows. I was reaching into my backpack for a notebook when I heard it.

“It seems my future hubby is feeling the need to sow his wild oats with freshman sluts these days.”

The loud hiss prickled the fine hairs on the back of my neck.

I turned around at the harshness in the voice, and my eyes met furious blue ones seated behind me.

It was Hannah, the girl from Clay’s apartment party a couple of weeks ago.

Crap.

I thought I’d never see the girl again, much less have to deal with her in class.

And deal with her hostility toward me, which I didn’t even deserve.

I quickly turned back around in my seat, not wanting an argument here.

The whispering continued.

“And just any old girl will do, really. Clay isn’t picky when he’s on one of his tangents.”

My ears burned with embarrassment, but I refused to turn around again.

The professor strolled into the room then, putting a stop to any more snide comments whispered behind my back from Hannah.

But I had to endure fifty minutes of the burning sensation her eyes caused in the back of my neck as she stared me down the entire class period.

When the professor dismissed us, I grabbed my bag and all but ran from the building.

Not quickly enough.

“Running away, are we?” Hannah called out behind me as I hurried down the steps of the building.

I paused, and turned around slowly, my heart seeming to pound a dent in my chest.

This bitch wasn’t aware of the fact that I had a limit to my very fiery temper, and that she was about to reach it.

“Look, if you have a problem, it’s probably something you need to speak with Clay about,” I spat.

She smiled, her bright red hair glistening in the morning sunlight. She would be really beautiful, if the ugly sneer covering her face didn’t ruin it.

“I don’t need you to instruct me on what to talk to my boyfriend about.”

She smiled meanly and took a sip from the plastic cup in her hand. “We have plenty of topics for discussion, thank you. When we bother to talk, that is.”

“Good,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at her. “Then you can leave me alone.”

She raised an eyebrow, maybe at the daring in the lift of my chin as I faced off with her.

“Do you think you actually have a chance with Clay? Because you don’t, you know. You’re not the only girl who’s tried. They all fail. He always comes back to me.”

I studied her, pondering her revelation. Had I misread Clay’s intentions toward me? I thought everything had changed last night, but maybe this was something he did often. I knew he was a player before I let him kiss me last night, yet I still let him get close. Was it a mistake?

Or was Hannah just a jealous witch who wanted more than Clay was able to give her?

“Your insecurity is showing, Hannah,” I shot back.

My blood was beginning to bubble, and I needed to slow down because that wouldn’t be good for her or me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked suspiciously.

I ignored her, continuing to count backward from ten.

Hannah cleared her throat loudly. “Does Clay know he’s gotten involved with a crazy one this time? Hello? Can you even hear me?”

A strong hand clasped my shoulder then, and a male voice said, “Back off, Hannah.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she looked at the person standing next to me.

“You back off, Rob. Mind your own business,” she snapped.

“Clay’s business is my business,” he retorted.

He tightened his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t you have other people to harass today?”

“Whatever,” she said. “I do have other business to attend to.”

She looked at me, curling her red lips into a crooked grin. “Remember what I said, man stealer. He’s not yours, and he never will be.”

She stalked away, tottering on her black heels.

Who wore heels at 9 AM, anyway?

I tried to shrug off her words and focus back on the situation at hand. I looked up at Rob gratefully.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me,” he replied. “I think you had her handled. I just know Hannah, and I wanted to end her tirade sooner rather than later.”

“Ugh,” I exclaimed. “How do you all deal with her?”

He laughed, low and deep. “We’ve known her since freshman year. We were all in the dorms together. She and Clay have always had a…tumultuous relationship. One he doesn’t want to continue,” he reassured me.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” I said shyly and stuck out my hand for him to shake. “I’m Paige Hill.”

He shook my hand, smiling kindly at me. Then he winked. “Oh, I know who you are, Paige. Clay is my best friend, not just my roommate. So I know that he is definitely not thinking about Hannah these days. Not even a little bit.”

Hannah’s gorgeous red hair, creamy smooth skin with no imperfections, and her tall statuesque body reeled through my head. She was my polar opposite.

“Really?” I asked doubtfully.

He nodded firmly. “Really.”

Twelve

Clay

Watching the rest of the guys run around at practice wasn’t what I had in mind for my senior year of soccer. As the coach blew his whistle to signal a water break, I watched as Rob came jogging toward me. His jersey was drenched. The guys were working extra hard today to prepare for an away game next week with a rival in our conference.

“What’s up, man?” he asked.

“Just sitting here wishing I didn’t have a bum ankle so I could kick your ass out there,” I answered testily.

“Ah,” he brushed my comment aside. “You’ll be back in no time.”

I shrugged.

“Listen,” he said, his voice turning serious. “You need to set your girl Hannah straight.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Hannah since the party, where she’d been trashed and I’d been trying to talk to…oh, shit.

He saw the recognition dawn on my face. “Exactly.”

“What’d she do?” I asked, fearing his answer.

“I found her on campus today, basically assaulting Paige.”

“Oh, no,” I groaned. “Dammit! How was Paige?”

“She was handling it, man,” he said, but his eyes clouded over and I wanted to know what he wasn’t saying.

“Rob,” I said through my teeth. “Spill it. What aren’t you telling me?”

“I know she was able to handle what Hannah was throwing at her, man, which was pure venom. But when I got to them, Paige had sort of…I don’t know. Phased out? She wasn’t really with me for a second. I scared Hannah off, and then checked to make sure Paige was okay.”

I stood up fast, holding my crutches in one hand while I wobbled on my good leg. “What do you mean she phased out? Was her breathing heavy? Did she talk to you after that?”

He eyed me warily. “Yeah, man. She seemed okay after a few seconds. I just thought you should know that Hannah is on the warpath and she’s set Paige in her crosshairs as enemy number one.”

I knew better than anyone how vicious Hannah could be when she thought her territory was being threatened. And unfortunately, Hannah thought of me as her territory.

It was my own fault. Even though I knew there was no future between us, I kept going back to her in the bedroom because she was easy and familiar. She was always there after a drunken night at a party, and she always answered my late-night texts.

But now that Paige had strolled into my life, I didn’t want the meaningless sex anymore. I didn’t feel the need to call up a girl late at night just to get her in my bed. I knew I had to set the record straight with Hannah, but I had a feeling that would make her claws extend out directly at Paige.

My face reddened at the thought of her cornering Paige on campus and dishing out threats that Paige didn’t deserve to be fending off.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent Paige a text.

Clay: Rob just told me about today. Are you ok?

I had already started hobbling to my car while I waited for her answer. I wanted to get to her now. I couldn’t wait until practice was over.

Paige: I’m fine. Maybe we should cancel tonight.

Oh, hell no. I wasn’t letting her run away from me because of Hannah.

Clay: if you don’t want to cook me dinner, it’s fine. But I’m on my way to your place. I need to see you.

I was in the car and driving the short distance to her apartment when my phone dinged again.

Paige: It’s really okay, Clay. I don’t want to get in the way of you and her.

My foot stomped down on the gas and the speedometer edged to the right.

When I pulled up in front of the complex and parked, I met Gillian, who was coming out of their apartment and heading toward her car.

“Hey, asshole,” she greeted me.

“I know,” I answered her. “I’m going to fix it. Right now.”

“You’d better,” she snapped. “Look, Clay, I know you’re not into Hannah. Everyone does. Everyone but Hannah. And you’d better not sic her on my best friend again, or I’m going to kick your ass and hers.”

“I didn’t sic Hannah on Paige, Gill. You know I wouldn’t do that. I…I’m into her, Gillian. Like more than I’ve ever been into anyone. And the fact that she thinks Hannah is a problem for us is scaring me to death.”