Chapter One

Pagan

Miranda pulled her shiny new silver Land Rover into an empty parking spot in front of Jemison Hall, our home for the next nine months.

“Can you believe we’re here?” Miranda whispered in awe as we stared up at the historic brick building in front of us. My mom was a Boone University alumna. Boone was a small private college in Weston, Tennessee. When Miranda and I had both been accepted there, I figured this was where I was meant to be. Going to a larger state university terrified me. I liked the smaller, more intimate feeling of this place.

“I’m still trying to grasp the fact that we’re in college,” I replied as I opened the car door.

“I know, right?”

We both stepped out of the SUV and headed for the rear cargo compartment to start unloading our boxes. My mom had been unable to come with us because she had to attend a writer’s conference in Chicago. Miranda and I both agreed that having her parents come with us was a bad idea. Her parents could be a tad bit embarrassing. Since we were doing this together we decided to be independent and do it without help from anyone else. We had each other.

Now, looking at the stack of boxes and luggage piled in the back of Miranda’s Land Rover, I wondered if that had been a mistake. It was going to take us hours to carry all of this stuff up to our dorm room.

“This is gonna take forever,” Miranda moaned in frustration.

I started to respond when the loud vibrating sound of really good speakers caught my attention. The source of the music was a small black convertible that had just pulled into the parking space beside us. The first thing I noticed about the driver of the car was her wild blond hair with bright pink tips.

The driver cut the engine, which made my ears instantly thankful. The driver swung open the door and hopped out of the car. It was obvious from her makeup and attire that she was an emo. She had on heavy black eyeliner and black combat boots. The only thing that threw me off a little was the hair. Hot pink wasn’t really an emo thing, was it?

She put one hand on her hip and blew a large bubble with her gum, blatantly staring at both of us. She popped her bubble loudly and smirked. “This shit is gonna be fun,” she said in an amused tone, then turned and headed toward the dorm.

Once she was out of hearing range, Miranda grabbed my arm firmly, “Please God don’t let her live anywhere near us. She scares me.”

I couldn’t disagree with her there. Nodding, I reached for the closest box to me. “I doubt we’ll see her that much. It’s a big building. Chances are we aren’t even on the same floor. Now, get a box and start unloading.”

“I so hope you’re right. Should I move to another parking space? You know, away from her.” Miranda asked.

“Just grab a box and stop worrying,” I replied and resolutely headed for the dorm.

The wild looking blond was standing on the bottom step watching me when I reached the double doors of the entrance. Great. She hadn’t gone inside. I shifted my eyes away from her and on the ground to keep me from tripping and falling.

A loud rumble caused the ground to vibrate. I stumbled and dropped the box of shoes I was carrying. Despite my efforts to hold onto them, the shoes spilled out onto the pavement. I practically growled in frustration. I put my hands on my hips and silently cursed myself for not asking Miranda’s parents to come with us. This was just my first danged box and I couldn’t even get it inside safely.

The rumbling sound of a motor became louder and I turned my head to see a black and silver motorcycle come to a halt a few feet away from me and my shoe disaster. It was his fault I’d dropped the danged things. What was he doing riding around campus on a loud motorcycle? When I looked up from the offending motorcycle, my eyes met a pair of brilliant blue eyes. My swift intake of breath was loud, as his gaze traveled over me slowly. He was just so… so… strikingly perfect. Dark thick eyelashes outlined the most insanely blue eyes I’d ever seen. Long dark hair curled at his collar and was tucked behind his ears. A perfect mouth was turned up in a smirk. Wait… a smirk. I shook my head to stop the complete physical assessment I was doing on this stranger. I managed to turn my slightly-awed expression to one of annoyance.

“You think you could get a louder motorcycle because I don’t think that one woke up the people in Australia?” I snapped and bent down to start picking up my shoes, which was in itself embarrassing.

“Is this my fault?” he asked in a hypnotic sexy drawl. Figures. Guys that looked like that had voices to match.

“You startled me as well as woke up sleeping babies in the surrounding states,” I replied throwing one of my cowboy boots into the box.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him stand up and swing one jean clad leg over his motorcycle and stand. Great. Now he was coming over here. Just what I need. I kept my focus on the shoes scattered everywhere as he walked toward me. His black boots stopped just outside my mound of shoes. He bent down and picked up a pink heel that I hardly ever wore. I wasn’t even sure why I had brought them. I’d bought them for something but I couldn’t remember what. He picked up the other one and I realized he was holding them almost reverently in his hands. I was curious and couldn’t help it. I turned my head to look at him. He was staring down at my pink shoes like something about them made him sad. Did his ex-girlfriend have a pair like that? Or was he just a smoking hot nutso?

“You wanna give me my shoes?” I asked holding out my hand for them. He lifted his gaze and the startling blue color was even more amazing up close. There was sadness there too. I could see it clearly and something in me ached. I didn’t even know this guy. Why did I care so deeply about the obvious hurt he was dealing with?

“I like these. I bet they look beautiful on you,” he said as he placed both of them carefully in the box.

I wanted to shiver at the husky tone in his voice.

“Thanks.” I replied awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to say.

“You ready to roll, Dank?” the blond with pink tipped hair asked as she stepped over my shoes and made her way to his motorcycle. Was she with him? Was he here to get her? The emo girl? Really?

“No, Gee, I’m not,” he told her. . His attention was flattering and a little nerve-wracking at the same time. It was like he was waiting on me to say or do something. I didn’t know what he wanted but it was hard not to want to do whatever it would take to please him. He reached for another pair of my shoes and put them in the box. He continued until each shoe was back in the correct box. Then he reached down and picked up the box. The snug-fitting black tee shirt he was wearing did wonderful things for his arms as he held the box and stood there waiting for directions.

“Where to?” he asked.

I wasn’t sure I wanted his help but I definitely needed help. Miranda was just now making her way across the street. I knew the minute her eyes landed on him. Her mouth dropped open and she dropped the box she was carrying. What the heck? He was hot but did she have to drop her box and spill her hair products across the street.? Dangit. We were never gonna get moved into our dorm room at this rate.

“OHMYGOD,” she screamed, covering her mouth and doing a little bouncy thing on the balls of her feet. It had moved from embarrassing to humiliating. I was afraid to look back at the guy. Miranda was acting like a lunatic.

“Miranda,” I hissed, trying to get her to stop going fan-girl over some strange random guy. She then lifted her finger and started pointing at him. Fantastic. She’d gone insane.

“Do you know who he is?” she asked me, and then squealed, still gawking at him.

Did I know who he was? What did she mean? Was I missing something? I turned and looked at him again. He was still just as ridiculously sexy, but he was just a guy. The amused smirk on his face alerted me that maybe he knew why she was acting like she’d lost her mind.

“Who are you?” I asked studying him closely.

The blue in his eyes began to … glow?

“Dank Walker,” he replied, never taking his gaze from mine. It was hard to look away from his eyes. Something in them was magnetic. Almost like my body was drawn to him. I didn’t like it. It scared me. It was wrong. It wasn’t normal.

“Pagan, do you not know who he is? Oh. My. God! You have got to be kidding me. I’ve got to get you out more. I can’t believe it is you are really standing here. Holding her Pagan’s box. Do you go here? I didn’t know you went to college? I am such a big fan. Yet You Stay is my ringtone. Love it!”

Ringtone? Wait…

“You’re the lead singer in that band,” I paused, because I couldn’t remember their name. I knew Miranda loved them. I just tuned her out most of the time when she started going on and on about something.

“Cold Soul, Pagan! He is the lead singer of Cold-freaking-Soul. How could you not know this?” Miranda informed me as she stepped over her brushes and hair dryer to get closer to Dank Walker.

“I am your biggest fan.” She informed him but I had a feeling he’d figured that much out already.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he replied politely, but only glanced at her before he turned his attention back to me. The amused grin on his face made me feel like he knew something I didn’t. That annoyed me.

“I can take the box. Thanks for your offer to help but I’ve got it,” I said reaching out to take the box he was holding. He arched one eyebrow and shifted the box out of my reach.

“I’m sure you can handle it all by yourself, Pagan. But I want to carry it to your room. Please.” I couldn’t be rude. He had said please.

“She wants to carry it herself, Dank. Give her the damn box and let’s go. We got stuff to do.” The Emo girl who was now sitting on his motorcycle called out.

Something that I was pretty sure was anger flashed in his eyes. He didn’t even glance back in her direction. “Ignore her,” he told me as he nodded his head toward the doors of the dorm. “Lead the way.”

I didn’t want the wild, slightly-scary girl who lived in my dorm to hate me, but Miranda was nudging my arm like an idiot. She wanted me to let Dank Walker carry my box of shoes and he was obviously determined to help me.

“Okay fine, I’ll just go get another box. Miranda, you show him where the room is.” Miranda beamed at me and nodded her appreciation.

The amused look vanished and Dank Walker seemed annoyed. Fine. Good. He shouldn’t be hitting on another girl while he has one on the back of his bike. I wasn’t stupid. I knew guys in rock bands were players. That was not my thing.

Miranda began bubbling over with words and more words as she started walking toward the dorm trying very hard to hold Dank’s attention. She could handle him. I had no doubt. Heading back to the Land Rover, I tried to block out their voices and focus on the boxes I needed to unload.