Their stares morphed into smiles, and they waved back. One girl asked how the party was last night, and it clicked. These girls already knew Kade. I gave them a second look. They might really know him. A couple were giving him come-hither looks.

I muttered under my breath, “So this is what it feels like.” Huh.

“What is?” He leaned back in his chair to rest against the wall behind us. His eyes pinned me down, but not in a bad way. He was curious—and amused. His mouth lifted in a grin. He was cocky. I hadn’t lied about that, but maybe I’d gotten the other part wrong. The arrogance of a narcissist was lacking with him. He just seemed to be enjoying himself.

My eyebrows bunched together as I remembered the night before. He’d had the same look. That is, until those guys had gone after his girlfriend. Dark, brooding, and dangerous had taken over then. A shiver went down my spine as I remembered him hitting that guy.

Our professor entered the room, but Logan raised an eyebrow at me. “What what feels like?”

She cleared her throat and held up a stack of papers. “Here’s your syllabus. We’re going to hand these out and go through them before we start anything else.”

I shifted back in my seat and shook my head. I was partly grateful for the interruption. Even though I’d just gotten to this college, I knew Kade was at the top of the social ladder. Hell, he probably defined the top tier.

He walked into a room and got attention.

Kade commanded this whole room. It was overwhelming, all of that power radiating from him, and having it directed at me? It was a whole new experience. I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable, but I felt torched.

“Welcome to Sociology 101, the scientific study of human society,” our professor announced.

Logan leaned over and whispered, “Or as I like to call it, the tutorial guide on how to mindfuck entire groups.”

WANNA BET?

TAYLOR

“I have a bone to pick with your buddy Delray.” Kade fell in step beside me as we left class. Hooking his arms through his bag, he pulled it onto his back and rested his hands on the straps. Somehow this made him seem even taller, or leaner.

“Yeah?”

He hurried around to walk in front of me, facing backward. I could’ve looked away before, but now there was no chance. I was locked in place. Not wanting him to fall down the stairs, which were ten feet away, I stopped walking. He did as well and smirked down at me, giving me the full impact of his six feet of height.

“I wanted him to do a gambling thing with some of my guys last year. He turned me down.”

I frowned. “Okay?”

“You’re going to get him to do a gambling thing for me.”

I studied the amusement in those chocolate eyes of his. “Are you always like this?”

His smirk deepened. “Gorgeous?”

“Annoying.” But that wasn’t even true. I saw the amusement in his eyes. It was like he was laughing at me, but he glanced at the students filing past us and the look held firm. No. It wasn’t just me. “Like you’re laughing at the world.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Because I am.”

“It’s annoying.” It wasn’t, though. It was something else. Logan made me feel like I was pushed off my chair and had to go through life lying sideways on the floor. It was disconcerting. “Not much bugs you.”

He laughed. “Being called annoying? No. That doesn’t register with me. I’m not being cocky when I say that girls like me—they really do like me. I’m funny, sarcastic, quick-witted, and enough of a bad boy to make girls wet. If I like you, I’m loyal to you. If I love you—and don’t get ahead of yourself because that list is really short—I’ll do almost anything to protect you. Girls drink that shit up like it’s booze that makes you lose weight.”

“You just likened yourself to a fat-free beverage.”

“A fat-free alcoholic beverage, and yeah.” His smirk was almost adorable now. “I know how chicks think. If something like that exists—where you lose weight while you get drunk—I’m buying all the stock I can. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be all over that, too.”

“What? The stock or the booze?”

“Both.” His grin deepened. “Or just me.”

I ignored the last statement, and began walking around him. I had to get lunch and figure out where my third class was, but he walked with me. He held the door open, so I ducked under his arm. I was just stepping outside, almost past him when I looked up. Claire was hurrying my way, her jaw clenched. When she saw me, her eyes slid to the arm I was ducking under and her eyes bulged.

I stepped past him, but I felt him moving with me. He was behind me, his breath on the back of my neck. I tried not to notice—I tried to shut my mind off. I failed. I’d been attuned to him since class started, but this went to a whole other level. He purposely moved so he was almost touching me, and my body went on high alert. My knees threatened to buckle. Sensations shot up and down my spine, and I had a full-on sauna effect going. I almost fanned myself to cool down, but Kade would’ve known instantly the effect he was having on me. I felt an ache between my legs that I hadn’t felt in nine months.

Claire slowed as she approached us.

“Ah.” His breath teased my skin. “Delray’s friend number two. I can chat with both of you then.”

“Hey,” I murmured to Claire.

“Hey,” she said, her gaze glued to him.