Chapter 1

Allison

Allison smoothed her skirt over her thighs as it fluttered up, her steps quick, heading toward her English class. The butterflies in her stomach had nothing to do with excitement over Matthew Lewis’ The Monk. No, those butterflies were because of the route she was taking, one that took her almost five minutes out of her way, so she could pass by a particular spot on campus.

Her body recognized him almost before she saw him, her breath catching as he turned his head, his profile outlined by a clear blue sky. Todd Rinald and his frat brothers were hanging outside the gym as they always did this time of day when the weather was nice, and since spring arrived, there had been a lot of nice weather.

One day, she hadn’t been in a hurry, so she’d taken a longer than usual route to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, and there he was, casually leaning against the stonework along the path, checking out the girls who walked by. Gorgeous, just over six feet tall with wavy black hair and deep brown eyes that most girls wanted to melt into. He looked like a pirate—a rogue. If he hadn’t been so plebian, Allison might have considered dating him.

However, when your father was the president of a multi-million-dollar corporation, dating someone like Todd just wasn’t done. She needed a man she could take to charity dinners, who could interact with state senators and CEOs, and who would help cement her father’s image as the perfect family man and businessman. That kind of thing mattered. At twenty-six, Todd was older, even though they were both juniors in college. During the fall semester, he had been her lab partner in the last Chemistry class she’d ever have to take—thank God—and she’d found out this was his second time at college. He’d had to leave to earn more money and get another scholarship before he could return.

Not that anyone would look down on him for that—it was admirable, really—but he didn’t come from the social set anyone she dated would have to be a part of. Daddy would never approve.

Which, of course, made him all the more interesting, especially because when she’d flirted with him, just for fun, he immediately shut her down. That dark gaze of his had left her stammering—and Allison Bradford was never at a loss for words. He’d made her feel like a silly little girl, not the confident and accomplished young woman she knew she was.

Walking by and ignoring him had become something of a ritual—a way to prove his rejection of her hadn’t affected her at all. Not that he seemed to notice she was ignoring him. She seethed a little, but none of her inner turmoil showed on her face.

“Allison.” The deep voice intoning her name made her jump, and a flush of heat ran up into her cheeks. Suddenly, he was standing right next to her. Damnit, how did he make her feel so small? At five feet seven inches, she wasn’t exactly short, but next to Todd, she felt tiny, petite, delicate. No. She would not start thinking about how good that felt. It was just some kind of mind trick.

“Todd,” she said, turning ninety degrees to bestow a dazzling smile on him. Allison knew she looked good today. She never passed by here unless she was looking fantastic. The short fluttering royal blue skirt highlighted her long legs, and the crisp white button-down top she wore was tailored to her curvy body with just enough buttons undone to give her a hint of cleavage, but nothing trashy. Of course, the fact he was looking down at her might give him a better view. Unconsciously, she took a deep breath, her chest swelling a bit.

“You walk by here a lot.” The tone of his voice was indifferent, uncaring, just an observation. “Where are you headed?”

“English 301.” The class all Juniors had to take.

She winced as his eyes drifted to the direction she’d come. For anyone who knew the campus, it was obvious she’d gone out of her way.

“It’s so beautiful out lately,” she said breezily, tossing a lock of hair over her shoulder as she tried to cover her tracks. “I love walking around campus when it’s like this.”

“You never say hello when you pass.”

The sudden change in topic made her grit her teeth. Todd had done this all last semester, too, always pushing her off balance, bluntly saying things, instead of talking around them politely. Every WASP bone in her body objected to the lack of cordiality. People weren’t supposed to say things like that! But then again, she wasn’t always a good WASP.

“Neither do you,” she responded tartly. She started to turn on her heel, ready to leave him in her dust.

“Want to go grab a drink?”

Allison turned back, staring at him in disbelief. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans, and the dark green shirt he was wearing looked fantastic against his olive complexion. The smile on his face was mocking—challenging. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but she felt as if she was being watched by some kind of predator—a hawk going after a rabbit or a fox. She didn’t have to be a rabbit. She could be a predator, not his prey.

“I just said I’m on my way to class,” she said finally and cursed inwardly as she realized she hadn’t sounded firm as she’d intended. Her voice had been slightly breathy as if inviting him to talk her out of going.

“Of course,” he said. “Wouldn’t want to get you in trouble with Daddy for skipping class or drinking.”

Damn him. She curled her hands into fists. As if she didn’t have a mind of her own. Just because she lived at home with her parents didn’t make her a little girl. She regretted ever mentioning her living situation to him.

“You know what? You’re right. I could use a drink.” Stepping closer to him and looking up into his face, she tried to see his eyes through the sunglasses. He didn’t back away, just looked down at her as if assessing her intent. Smiling sweetly, Allison turned to start walking in the opposite direction she’d been heading. “You coming?”