Stealing Harper

Conversation was at a standstill until we were back in his car.

“Want to go for drinks again?” He asked suddenly, halfway back to campus.

Obviously he had missed how awkward the last hour had been. “Two margaritas are more than enough for me. I’m good.”

His laugh had boomed throughout the small car, as his hand fell onto my upper thigh and gave a little squeeze. “Okay, no drinks. Anything else you want to do?”

“Um . . .”

“Do you like horses?”

“Horses?” That wasn’t something I’d been expecting. “Of course I like horses.”

“So how about we go for a carriage ride down 6th Street before I take you home, sound good?”

“I don’t know.”

“Rachel, did I do something? I feel like we’ve gone back a few steps.”

“No, I’m sorry . . . I’m just tired. I’ve felt off all day, is it okay if you take me back?”

“Of course, there’s always tomorrow!”

I’d stifled a groan and smashed myself as close to the side of the car as possible. The entire way back he kept his hand on my thigh, and continued to rub his thumb back in forth. In an effort to not smack it away, I’d crossed my arms under my chest and resorted to burning imaginary holes in his hand. After we got to campus he walked me all the way to my room before trapping me against the doorframe and leaning in. I’d turned my head away at the last minute but that didn’t seem to faze him. Grabbing my hips and pressing his body closer to mine, he started kissing a line down my neck; and I swear he smelled my hair before groaning. I’d tried not to gag.

“Blake, please? Can we not do this?”

He’d pulled back and his blue eyes had flashed. “Fine.” The way he looked at me from under his eyelashes caused a chill to run down my spine. And not a good one. “I’ll see you later.” Without another word he’d pushed off me, turned and stalked down the hallway.

“RACH, WAKE UP and tell. Me. Everything!”

Cracking my eyes open the next morning, I looked at a too-perky Candice and groaned. “Where were you when I got back last night?”

“With Jeff,” she dismissed his name with a wave of her hand, “now tell me about your date!”

“Wow, Jeff too, huh? Good one, Candi.”

“Don’t stall!”

Pulling myself up so I was resting on my elbows, I didn’t even feel like sugar coating the prior night. “It was awful.”

Her eyes went wide, “What do you mean? What’d you do?”

Bitch. “Why is it that I had to do something?”

“Um let’s see,” she started counting on her fingers, “One, you didn’t want to go out with him in the first place. Two, unlike Wednesday and Thursday, Blake didn’t text me after to tell me about your time together. Three, you didn’t want to go out with him in the first place.”

“You already said that.” I pointed out.

“Exactly, that’s a big enough one that it counts for two! So what happened?”

I sighed and flopped onto my bed. “It was just weird, it’s like we had nothing to talk about. Which was crazy because we talked the entire time we were together on Wednesday and Thursday. And, he didn’t even let me see a menu, he ordered for me. Like I was a three-year-old or something.”

“Is that all?”

“Well, yeah. Oh! And when we were on our way back he just started acting like the night had been completely normal and not awkward in any way. Then we got back, he pushed me up against the door and started kissing me neck. I kind of asked him to stop and he got weird. Like creepy, scary, weird . . . and then he just up and left. I don’t know, the whole night was just a bust.”

Candice didn’t say anything, she just sat there staring at me.

“What?”

“Are you insane? You told him to stop kissing you?!”

Really? That was all she got from what I told her? “Yeah, we had a bad date, why would I want him to kiss me? Maybe if it had gone something like the first two nights I wouldn’t have—”

“No, no. Rachel. Oh my God. We need to fix this. I can’t believe you still managed to mess up the date after everything I went over with you yesterday!”

“Wow.” I shook my head and let my arms give out so I face-planted into my pillow again. I was so dumbfounded I didn’t even know what to say anymore.

After ru

Not even two minutes after getting back into our room, there was a knock on the door. And surprise, freaking surprise. Blake West. With four red roses.

“You do realize it’s not even nine on a Saturday.” I answered. And yes, I laid the California bitch tone on thick.

Blake didn’t miss a beat, and his smirk didn’t falter. “Morning, Rach. Can I take you out to breakfast?”

“Oh, we just ate!” Darn. I didn’t even try to sound disappointed.

Candice gave me a look that I pretended not to notice.

“Well that’s okay,” his smile was full of easy confidence. “How about we go grab some coffee instead?”

“I actually need to start studying for my finals.”

“All the more reason for coffee now, it’ll keep you awake.”

Dear lord what was it with him and Candice? Do they not get hints? Must come from her mom’s side of the family. “Sure why don’t we all go? Candice you want to get coffee?”

“Nah, I’m good. I just texted Eric to come over in a few to help me, um, study.”

Traitor. I looked back at a victorious looking Blake, “Could you give me a couple minutes?”

“See you down there.” He handed me the four roses, winked, and walked down the hall.

“Eric today, huh? I’m sure you two will get tons of studying done. Maybe I should stay and help you, you can’t afford to fail this thing.

“You better go!” She looked me over and raised an a

I looked down at my yoga pants and off the shoulder Iron Maiden concert shirt. “Ha! No, definitely not. It’s early in the morning, and we’re just getting coffee. Which means I get to stay skanked up.”

“You do not stay skanked up when you’re trying to get the man of your dreams to fall in love with you! You stay skanked up if no one is going to see you! You know this, Rachel.”

Love? God this whole dating her cousin thing was making her more dramatic than usual. I threw my long, dark hair up into a cute messy bun, grabbed my purse and sighed heavily. “See you later.”

Blake didn’t say a word to me as I slid into the passenger seat of his car, and continued to stay silent as we drove to one of the Starbucks near campus. The only acknowledgment he made of my presence was to put his hand high up on my thigh again, and hold tight. Too tight. And not much changed once we were finally in the shop. Conversation didn’t happen, his hand was back on my thigh, and we had four different stare downs.

I only won one of those.

At least he let me order my own coffee. That was honestly the only good part of this morning.

I was barely able to hold in my sigh of relief when my phone chimed.

“Who is that?” Blake’s eyebrows were pulled down, and he seemed more than a little a

Only checking the text preview on the lock screen I shrugged, “Oh it’s just a friend, he wants to get a study group together tonight.” I started to put my phone back in my purse when his hand shot out and grabbed onto my arm, effectively keeping it suspended above my purse.

“Well, it’s rude to keep him waiting. Aren’t you going to answer him?” He looked like he was struggling to keep himself in check.

I tried to pull my arm back and he finally released it. Sheesh, what was his problem? It was just a text. “Sure, I guess.”

“Just let him know you can’t go.”

“Excuse me?”