Seductive in Stilettos 3: New Adult Romance Page 3

  KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. Look ahead. Hold it in until you can get somewhere private. Tris refused to break down. She refused. At the very least until she could get somewhere where no one would see her cry.

  Right before the gym, she darted into the restroom and locked the door behind her. “Shit. Shit. Shit,” she muttered as a hot splash of tears hit her cheeks. What the hell was wrong with her? It’s not like they’d had some grand love affair. Why was she so upset? Because it felt significant. She’d felt like she was important to him. He’d made her feel like that. Like he actually saw her, and not the front she put up.

  Her hands shook, and she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were wide and glassy, and her complexion sallow. She splashed cold water on her face to bring some of the color back.

  As she blotted dry, she reminded herself that she’d wanted to be free, to experience life. And this was part of it. She’d gotten her hopes up, but at the end of the day, she didn't own Shane. He’d made it clear from the beginning that he couldn’t be with her.

  It still pinched like a pair of Kim Kardashian shoes, but this was what she’d wanted. Life and freedom. And there was a price to pay. It was no big deal. There were thousands of other guys on campus. Guys who weren’t so hot and cold. Guys who weren’t completely unavailable. As far as she was concerned, Shane Atkinson could eat his heart out.

  CHAPTER 4

  Two days later, Tris strode through the halls of Fantasies Inc., her heels clicking on the marble. She could certainly get used to this. The downtown offices of Fantasies Inc. were located in a converted hotel in the Gaslamp District. Outside the building was a nod to old world 1930’s. Inside, it was all sleek and modern.

  Floors eight through ten housed Fantasies. When Tris had stepped off the elevator, the place took her breath away. It looked like a giant adult playground. Large photos of people doing death-defying things like bungee jumping off a bridge in Africa or base jumping over the Grand Canyon, covered the office in larger than life floor to ceiling glory.

  The photos of over-the-top weddings were given equal prominence, as were the photos of teenagers on concert stages with the likes of Britney Spears.

  Xia and Sydney were never going to believe this place.

  After her interview, her cousin walked her out. "So, what do you think of our little offices?" Ricca asked.

  "Are you kidding? I love it here. This is awesome. I can't wait to get started."

  "And you're sure you can stand to work for me?"

  Her cousin was probably the sweetest person she'd ever met in her life. "I think I can take it."

  "Good because I'm not going to take it easy on you just because you’re my favorite cousin."

  "I would expect nothing less. Normal remember? That's what I'm going for, so I want it all, complete with a boss I can't stand."

  Ricca laughed. "In that case, maybe I should assign you to work with Angel. She's part of the resident bitch squad."

  "On second thought..." Tris let her voice trail off.

  "Oh, and I'm really sorry about dinner tonight. Are you sure you don’t mind doing tomorrow instead? Alec held Beckett another night at the Vancouver site, and he really wanted to see you. But he'll be back in the morning. Alec promised to make it up to you by giving you and your friends another night at the nightclub."

  "That's cool of him but not necessary. Though Xia and Sydney will kill me if I don’t accept."

  "Thought so. As long as you guys behave and don’t drink, you'll get VIP and all the Coca Cola you can drink."

  Tris laughed. "Just what I've always wanted. Let me get out of your hair. I'll see you tomorrow?"

  Ricca hugged her in the lobby and headed back for the elevator.

  Outside, on the street, Tris couldn't resist a tourist moment. Lifting her head, she admired the skyscrapers of downtown as she waited for her Uber driver. What she really marveled at was the constant sunshine. It really didn't rain here at all. Not a single gray day for three weeks. The mornings had a marine layer, but by ten, it was a perfect seventy-five degree San Diego day.

  The hairs stood up on the back of her neck, and she immediately glanced around. It wasn't something she could pinpoint, and she was probably a little more paranoid than most. She was safe here. She had a new phone. And she knew how to be careful. Push comes to shove, she could go back inside and ask Ricca to take her back to campus. But no matter what she told herself, she still couldn't shake the feeling.

  As soon as her car pulled up, she slid in easily and looked around again to make sure. But nothing stood out. Nobody was too still. People milled about on the street, enjoying the afternoon. When the driver dropped her back on campus, she considered texting Shane to tell him, or even worse, stopping by. But she thought better of the idea.

  She'd seen him exactly twice since the incident with that girl. Both times had been in class. Lecture and their TA session. She could have sworn she'd caught him staring at her in lecture, but in their TA session, he'd ignored her unless she had an answer to a direct question. She'd turned in her paper, but instead of writing about the time she'd hit on him outside the club, she'd written about Travis's approach. The girls were right. She needed to start small. And his silence made it clear he wasn’t interested.

  The same itchy, being-watched feeling crept up her back again, and she glanced around. She needed to get a grip.

  "Hey, Tris."

  The voice was familiar, and she turned in the direction. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she smiled when she saw Travis approaching, wide smile in place. He really was very sweet, and cute. And you have absolutely no desire to see him naked. None at all. But neither did he make her whole body freeze up, so that was a plus. It was okay. She had to get used to talking and interacting with guys.

  "Hey, Travis, how are you?"

  "I'm good, just coming back from work."

  "Yeah, me too."

  His brows rose. "You got a job? That's great. I know you said you were worried about not having one yet."

  "Yeah, today pretty much. I'll be working at Fantasies Inc., downtown."

  His eyes popped. "That's not what it sounds like, is it? Not that I'm judging you."

  Tris laughed. "No. It's not like that. They plan fantasy weddings, birthdays, and excursions."

  "Ahh, far less entertaining than I was thinking, but still interesting."

  "I'll just bet I know what you were thinking."

  He shrugged. "I'm a guy with an active imagination. Can’t blame me or the mental picture."

  Okay, this was flirting. She sort of liked it. Maybe she really hadn't given him much of a chance. "Hey, sorry it's taken me a couple of days to give you an answer about Casablanca. I'd love to see it with you."

  "Seriously?" He sounded confused that she'd said yes.

  "Yeah, I think it'll be fun. I'm looking forward to it."

  "Great. Friday? It'll be fun."

  She laughed, his enthusiasm infectious. "Yeah, it will be."

  Talk about shitty timing though. As they walked inside, Shane came out, and Tris automatically held her breath. Travis though, looked thrilled to see their RA. "Hey, man, I took your advice. Waited her out, she said yes."

  Shane's clear, aquamarine eyes focused on Tris, and she flushed. The afternoon sunshine was suddenly too bright, too warm.

  "Is that so?" His smile was tight as their eyes met.

  Asshole. Tris grinned. “Yeah, it should be a fun night.” Why was he acting like a jealous moron? Snooze, you lose. She smirked as she channeled her inner Sydney.

  Shane cocked his head and pierced her with a quick glare before turning a sunny smile to Travis. "Congratulations. Sometimes, all you have to do is wait. You guys have fun now."

  Even after he was gone, Tris could still feel his gaze on her. She needed to figure out a way to get him out of her system for good. Otherwise, the rest of the year was going to be torture.

  CHAPTER 5

  "One simple rule," Tris muttered to herself. "Do not think about Shane. Or even better, do not think about Shane with his perky girlfriend. Do not think about Shane kissing you. Do not think about Shane with his hands—never mind. Just do not think about Shane."

  But somehow, no matter what she did, there he was. Even now, as she rounded the corner to the stacks in the library, there he was, at one of the corner tables, his books and papers spread out around him.

  This morning, they'd bumped into each other on a run. Hell, he'd even run with her for a portion of it. It was driving her nuts. It was bad enough that she couldn't have him. Or that he may or may not have some stunner of a girlfriend. She didn't need to be tortured with seeing him all the time, too.

  And to make matters worse, she really could have actually used him as a friend. If they were on speaking terms, she would have had a few things to tell him, starting with her mysterious caller. She checked her old phone daily, and there were always several missed calls from a blocked number. She logged them for the time being. Once her midterms were over, she’d deal with it. She most certainly was not calling her father. Next to Shane, campus police was her best bet. They’d be ill-equipped to handle it, but it was the best option she had for the time being.

  Focus. Forget about him. She had to finish her next paper on the theory of attraction for Gifford, and she wanted to do well. Gifford had internship opportunities starting next semester, and if Sociology was going to be her major, Dr. Gifford was one woman she wanted to work with. She had an in with several research institutions around the world.

  Just keep your head down and do not look at him. The sooner she did what she needed, the sooner she got to be done and not see him.

  Yeah, if only it worked like that. When she found the book she wanted, she scowled. Stupid thing was just out of reach. Grabbing the ladder seemed like overkill. Stretching as far as she could go, she grazed the edge with her finger tips, but unfortunately, she pushed the book further in. Damn it.

  "Gotta learn to ask for help sometime, Tris."

  She jumped around with a squeal when Shane's breath brushed her ear. Jesus Christ. The man had the feet of a ninja. Just another reason to hate him. "Damn it, you scared me."

  He gave her that lopsided, partial smile, and she steeled herself against it. He was a cheating asshole. Okay, not that she knew that for sure, but she sure knew how it looked.

  "I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?"

  He was close enough for her to feel the heat of his body. Close enough that when he breathed, his chest nearly brushed hers. Close enough to wonder if he could hear her tripping heartbeat. She gritted her teeth. "I'm fine. I just need to finish my assignment."

  Nodding in understanding, he reached over her head and plucked the book off the shelf. When he handed it to her. He cocked his head. "Here you go."

  She took it with a little more force than intended. And her mumbled thank you sounded a lot more like an epithet than gratitude.

  But that span of two seconds of reasonable time for him to back up passed, and they stood too close in the stacks, both of them breathing in sharp, erratic breaths. When he spoke, his voice was low.

  "Are you really going out with Travis?"

  Fury was the first emotion to bubble to the surface. "Explain to me how that's your business?"

  His voice was deadly calm, but still, he didn't budge. "Answer the question, Tris."

  "If you must know, then yeah. It should be a lot of fun."

  His gaze narrowed, making her feel trapped under their intensity. "I guess I hadn't realized you two were a thing."

  "All thanks to you." She jutted her chin out.

  "Damn it, Tris."

  She was too tired for this. He was playing a game she didn't have the rulebook to. Without thinking, she blurted, "Where's your girlfriend? Livy right? Wish I'd known about her before we—"

  He slammed his lips over hers before she could complete the thought. A million good intentions rolled through her head. But when he was touching her, nothing else really mattered. She sank into the kiss, pressing her body into his. He gave her a low growl of satisfaction when she parted her lips. Tongue delving in, he kissed her thoroughly, all the while his hands gripped her hips.

  Desperate to hold onto something concrete as she spiraled out of reality, Tris grabbed his shoulders. So much for resisting. So much for not thinking about him. He cupped the back of her head, angling her the way he wanted, and she surrendered. Finally melting into him fully.

  With a curse, he tore his lips from hers. "Jesus Christ, why can't I stay the fuck away from you?"

  Just like that, the spell was broken, and she shoved at his shoulders. "Here's a hint, try harder. You've made it clear you don’t want to be with me. I'm tired of the whiplash routine. I'm sure Livy's more down for it." When she shoved past him, she didn't look back.

  WHAT. The. Fuck. Shane’s lips tingled as he watched her walk away. He was losing it. Completely losing his shit. He’d been trying to give her some space, and it was mostly working. She was still polite when she saw him, but she gave him a wide berth.

  And that was fine. He didn’t need to be on top of her. Oh, yes, you do. He silenced his cock and his inappropriate puns. Since she ran in the early mornings though, it meant he had no choice but to follow and or run with her. She hadn't been so enthusiastic about that. But he hoped she didn't stop running on his account.

  She was getting marginally better, less keeling over, and just a little bit faster. He wanted her to hit her goal. He knew how important it was to her.

  Shit, he had it bad. For the last few days, he’d been listening for any mention of his name in her room. But every time she did mention his name, she’d groan and add money to her Shane jar, then deliberately change the subject with her friends. She was the first thing on his mind when he woke up.

  He wasn’t a total idiot; he knew what he was feeling was more than just wanting to touch her. But that didn’t change the fact he couldn’t do anything about it. Or change the fact he wouldn’t be particularly good for her.

  But seeing her with Travis yesterday had pissed him the fuck off. He liked the kid, but the idea of his hands anywhere near Tris made Shane contemplate murder. He certainly knew how to kill a man. He could get rid of the body too. Stop. Breathe. She’s not yours.

  He’d actually been managing to keep his shit tight and under control too. Then what the fuck just happened? He’d just been so close, and she smelled damned incredible. Her lips acted like a homing beacon, and he’d kissed her.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had to decide what was more important to him, Tris, or the job. She represented everything he hadn't been allowed to have growing up. Sweetness, and fun, and love. But Caleb meant a future he could forge for himself.

  For his head, the decision was simple. The job. If he let himself care about her, he’d eventually hurt her and lose her. But even though his heart knew the eventual outcome, the stupid thing chose love.

  CHAPTER 6

  Screw the shallow end, Tris wanted the ocean. Travis was sweet and did everything he should have done on the date. Except turn her on. The conversation was awkward and stilted, as if once they both knew they were on a date, the easy conversation went out the window and they'd adopted the awkward first date etiquette.

  Luckily, they'd been given a reprieve once the movie started. She had resorted to making a list of all the things they could talk about. Did all first dates seem like an interview? She'd dated very little in high school, but it hadn't been like this. For starters, she'd had some big ass chaperones with her. And they were more formal, like school dances. This didn't feel the same. It felt somehow more grown up, nuanced and infinitely more difficult.

  At some point in the movie, Travis tried his hand at old school flirting and threw an arm around her shoulder. It wasn't that she felt threatened at all, but she generally liked someone to ask permission before they touched her. But he doesn’t know your buttons, relax.

  Maybe this was hopeless and she wasn't meant to do normal.

  No. She could do this. Smile, laugh, date. Even if Travis's cologne was too sweet and made her want to throw up a little. When the movie let out, he took her hand as they exited.

  "So, do you want to go get dessert? Ghirardelli's is still open."

  Somehow, that was the best part of the night. The idea of hot melted chocolate over cool ice-cream was the only thing that could salvage how she was feeling. She gave him a tight smile. "Sure, sounds great."

  On their walk at least, their conversation improved marginally as they talked about the movie.

  When they arrived at the ice-cream shop, the bright lights jarred her brain a little. She was certain she’d seen Shane in a car that drove by.

  Stop it. What was her problem? No matter what, she saw him everywhere. And worse, she kept thinking how it would have been a far different date with him. How she would have wanted to touch him, wanted to have his hands on her, been anticipating a goodnight kiss. Maybe more. Right now, all she was hoping for were her sweats and comfy slippers.

  He was a nice guy and didn't deserve this. "Travis, I'm really sorry, but I don't think this is working."

  He sighed and dropped his hand. "Someone else?"

  "Sort of. Not really. It's a little complicated. And you're great, but I'm just not feeling it. The chemistry is off. I think we'd make good friends."

  He nodded. "I'd thought there might be someone else when you took a little while to say yes." He shrugged. "But it was worth a try. All my friends told me to aim lower. But I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. I never actually thought you'd say yes."

  "You're great, just not for me."

  "We can still have ice-cream, right?"

  "Heck yeah." He might not be date material, but she was doing something else on her list. Making friends that weren't Xia and Sydney. It never hurt to have more friends.