Tell Me a Secret (2 page)

 
~~*~~
 

In three long strides, Jace crossed the room and dropped his bag onto the floor, still thinking of Maggie. She was a strange one. All business.

His roommate, Sam Morgan glanced up from his book. “Hey man, you’re cutting it kind of close to curfew. How was the tutor?”

“Plain with a brain.” He sat on the edge of the bed and retrieved his notes.

“Definitely not your usual sort.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You don’t go for the smart ones and you seem a little pissed. What’s wrong? She wasn’t dazzled by your charm?”

The dorm reeked of dirty socks and burly football players. He toed out of his boots. “We got off to a bad start. I showed up late. It went downhill from there.”

“How come? You left in plenty of time.”

“Yeah, well, I stopped by the store where the new cheerleader works.”

“How was she?”
 

“Flexible. Very flexible.”

Sam grinned and widened his eyes and Jace knew he wanted details, but he wasn’t in the mood.
 

“I guess it’s a good thing teacher isn’t hot. At least you’ll be able to keep your mind on the subject and out of her pants.”

“I said plain, not ugly.” He wasn’t about to admit his new tutor didn’t seem to be impressed with him. He tapped the index cards on his leg, then flipped through them. “She’s got wild red hair and beautiful green eyes, but she had on sweats two sizes too big, so I couldn’t tell much about her body.”

“What’s her name?”

“Maggie.”

Sam’s brows rose. He put his book down and plastered on a smug grin. “
Maggie Fielding
?”

“You know her?”

“Hell yeah. I can’t believe Sarah didn’t mention this. She lives with Maggie.” Sam reared back in the chair and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Oh man, this is too good.”

“If Sarah lives with her, then why haven’t I ever met Maggie?”

“She doesn’t have a social life. Studies or works all the time. She does come to the games when she can, but that’s about it.”

“From the way she looked, I can understand that.”

Sam grinned. “You’d better take notice, bro. Maggie’s a dancer, so under those baggy clothes, she’s hot. I’m talking smokin’ hot.”

“Maybe so, but tonight, she didn’t dress to impress, if you know what I mean.” Jace cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. It was unlike him not to notice the potential in a woman. But with all the attention from the other girls, Maggie faded into the background. “What kind of dancer?”

“That ballroom crap. She and Sarah take the same class. They’ve got a recital in a few weeks. You should go.” Sam laughed again.

“What’s so funny?”

“The two of you together. The stud and the virgin.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“Hey, I got the inside scoop and the virgin princess has never been laid.”

Jace leaned forward. The word
virgin
hadn’t been in his vocabulary for years except in a biblical sense. “What is it, a religious thing?”

“Not sure. Sarah said she’s not interested in dating.”

“Hell, is she a lesbian?”

“Naw. It has something to do with her mother. I don’t know the whole story.”

 
“Well, when I first got there, I fantasized about taking the band from her hair and running my fingers through it.” He moved to his desk, scooted out the chair and sat. Sarah had probably told Maggie plenty concerning his reputation which explained his tutor’s cold reception.

“Damn man. Is there
any
woman you don’t want to have sex with?”

“Yeah. Sarah.”

“Well, thanks for that.”

Jace stood, removed his shirt and draped it over the back of his chair. The note from the ten-and-a-half blonde fell out of the pocket. He reached for the phone, punched in the number, and when she answered, he said, “Hey, you want to get together tomorrow night?”

An hour later, he lay wide awake still thinking of the earlier meeting. So they’d gotten off on the wrong foot. He could fix that. No doubt he’d screw her and although patience wasn’t his strong suit, he was up for the challenge.

Sam came back into the room finishing a call. “Yeah, I love you too, baby. Bye.”

Jace rolled up on an elbow. This was an opportunity he couldn’t pass. “What did Sarah say?”

“Nothing.”

“C’mon, what’d she say?”

“Oh, you mean what did
Maggie
tell Sarah about
you
?”

He hated Sam having the upper hand. “Cut it out, man.”

“Damn, this is funny. You’ve finally met a girl who doesn’t wet her panties over you, and you can’t stand it.”

“Hey, I’m stuck with her, and I’ve got an advantage. The least you can do is tell me what she said.”

“Well, she didn’t buy your flat tire story and she thinks you’re a friggin’ box of candy.”

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re a box of chocolates and every girl wanted a piece. Sorry bro, in spite of your sweetness, your days are numbered.”

He stiffened. “Whataya mean?”

“I’m saying she’s going to meet with you a couple more times and then cut you loose. Plans on telling Dr. Adams it isn’t working.”

Veins pulsed in Jace’s neck just below his ears. A mixture of anger and determination burned in the pit of his stomach. He’d never met a female he couldn’t charm and he wouldn’t allow Miss Plain Brain to be the first. “No, that’s not happening.”

“Why are you so upset? Oh. Wait. I get it. She’s the virgin princess.”

He didn’t appreciate Sam’s tone and if they hadn’t been friends and roommates for the last four years, he’d take him down a notch or two. “If anybody ends this arrangement, it’ll be me. I’ve never been ditched and I’m not going to be dumped by the likes of Maggie Fielding.”

If the facts don’t fit the theory,
change the facts.

~Albert Einstein

The next week, while waiting in the library, curiosity got the best of Jace. He logged into the campus directory to check out his new tutor. Impressive. Dean’s List. Member of several honor organizations. Former Student Nurse of the Year. He might be considered a superstar on the football field, but she’d achieved V.I.P. Status in her own right.

He glanced at the clock and his anger flared. Even the beauty eyeing him from across the room couldn’t keep his attention.
Okay, stay calm. So smart girl decided to teach me a lesson. Five more minutes and I’m outta here. I’ll give her the same amount of time she gave me. Fair is fair.
 

As he finished the thought, Maggie rushed through the door in drab splendor. He wondered if she owned anything but sweat suits. Her fiery mane bounced around her face with each step, kinky ringlets flying in every direction.

Catching her breath, she said, “I’m so sorry. I got stuck at work and traffic was awful. By the time I got home and changed, I realized I’d be late, but I forgot to ask for your number. I tried calling and texting Sam to get it, but he didn’t answer.”
 

As she spewed the words, he eyed her top to bottom and tried to imagine a dancer’s body, but it was no use. Those damn baggy clothes hid even the smallest hint of any curves, although he could tell she didn’t have much in the boob department. His gaze traveled to her face. She locked eyes with him and swallowed hard.
Damn, she caught me scoping her out.

He walked around the table, dragged a chair out and spoke into her ear. “So we’re even now, right?” The fragrance of her hair, a mixture of mint and vanilla assaulted him.

She sat, then put her backpack down and shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Yes, we’re even.”

“You work?”

“Yes.”

He returned to his seat and pushed his laptop aside. “Where?”

“Covenant hospital. I’m a nurse.” She pulled papers from her bag and plopped them on the table. “Here’s a multiple choice quiz on the information I gave you last week. Let’s see how you do.”

This was the opportunity he’d waited for. Make points by showing interest and although he knew the answers to his questions, initiating conversation worked in his favor. “You’re a nurse? I thought you were a student.”

“I am. I’m working on my masters.”

“Oh, I thought you and I were the same age.”

“We are. I googled you. You were red-shirted your freshman year, so you’re a fifth year senior.”

“You googled me? That sounds sexy.”

Color rose in her cheeks, but she ignored the remark. “I was curious. Weren’t you interested in who’d be tutoring you?”

“Since I didn’t have a choice in the matter, no,” he lied, lowering his head. He thumbed through the test, scanned a few of the questions and smiled.
I’ll ace it.

She retrieved a book from her bag and began to read.

He kept his head bowed, but rolled his eyes upward. She hadn’t done anything to improve her appearance since their first meeting, so she wasn’t trying to impress him. That was different. Most girls did.

She slanted a sideways glance. “What?”

“You have beautiful hair.”

Her face turned rosy again and Jace smiled. She wasn’t used to flirtation.

“Thank you.” She wrapped a curl around her finger, twirled it and went back to reading.

Score one for me.
Twenty minutes later, he handed the exam to her. When she finished grading it, she smiled and widened her eyes. “You did well. You made eighty-seven.”

He frowned. Damn, he expected to make an A. “You’re surprised. Crap, Maggie. You think all I have going for me are my looks?”

“Oh. My. God.” Her mouth hung open and she blinked. “You are so conceited. How many hours a day do you stand in front of the mirror admiring yourself?”

“I meant how others see me—even you. Admit it. You based your first impression on my appearance and nothing else, right?”

“No. My judgment concerned your ego. You show up late reeking of perfume and give me a story about a flat tire
and
expect me to buy it. So yeah, I’m surprised you made an effort. But I’m also pleased.”

He went still. Until the last part of her admonishment, he’d been getting madder. But the minute she praised him, the anger went away. He relaxed back in his chair. This wasn’t going to be easy. He needed to amp up his charm. “You’re right. I lied.” He leaned forward and closed some of the space between them. “I know my reputation precedes me, but I’m not
that
bad. If you’ll give me a chance, we might even be friends.”

Before she responded, he turned his attention to a petite brunette. She sashayed to the table and walked her painted fingernails up from his elbow to his shoulder. The dark haired beauty’s red tank top stretched to its limit, and Daisy Dukes bordered Daisy Don’ts. She licked her pouty, frosted lips and fixed her chocolate eyes on him.
Great. She shows up just when I’m gaining ground with Maggie.

“Hey, handsome. Have you been avoiding me?” What’s her name asked.
Janie? Jill? Janet? Shit.

“Perfect, absolutely perfect,” Maggie mumbled and scowled. “I’m sorry, but Jace can’t play now. Could you come back later?”

The girl gave Maggie a go-to-hell look, then spoke to Jace again. “So this is your
mom
? Why don’t you introduce us?”

Maggie started to say something, but he spoke first. “This is my tutor, and she’s right. I promise I’ll call you later.” He winked and the girl walked away.

“Oh brother.” Maggie gathered her things and stuffed them in her bag like a mad woman on a mission. “This isn’t working. I’ll get Dr. Adams to assign you another tutor.”

He faked surprise. “I didn’t take you for a quitter.”

“I’m not a quitter. I think you’d be more productive with someone else. Someone who doesn’t have to compete for your attention. Perhaps a guy would work better.”

He shook his head and spit the words out just as he’d rehearsed them. “I agree the library isn’t the best place to meet. Way too many interruptions. I have a solution. We should meet at my parents’ house.”

She stiffened, and at first, didn’t say anything, but then eyed him as if weighing his words. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

He offered the smile he used to close the deal with countless women. “Relax. I’m not trying to lure you to a secluded location. We won’t be alone. My mom and dad will be there.”

This time she didn’t hesitate and went on the defensive. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not the problem. You and I aren’t a good fit.”

He might not excel in academics, but his seduction IQ was off the charts. Clearly, she didn’t know who she was dealing with. “Not true. We didn’t get off to a good start, but I want to change that. In one session, by suggesting mnemonics, you showed me a better way to study and it’s working. I almost made an A on the test. Why do you say we’re not a good fit? We’re perfect.”

She started to speak, but he held up his hand. “I know what you’re going to say and the answer is no, my parents won’t mind. They don’t live far from campus and we’d have plenty of peace and quiet there.” He widened his smile. “I’ll call my mom—my
real
mom and make the arrangements.”