Not Just Another Romance Novel Read online

  If I was being really honest, though, I wasn’t ready to give up my crush on Scott, either.

  As soon as that thought entered my head, I banished it.

  It was ridiculous to think about Scott that way. I had to figure out some way to get the hell over it. I just wasn’t sure how. And staring down at my finished test while he waited outside didn’t seem like the answer to all of my woes, yet I just wasn’t in the right place to face him one-on-one. Things had been too strained between us. But what hurt the most was how much I missed our friendship.

  I sighed, perhaps more loudly than I’d intended. Austin shot a look over at me, and I smiled apologetically. In less than a week, I’d be back home with my family.

  I pondered that thought while I stared down at my test.

  For someone about to earn an advanced degree in psychology, I sure had a lot of issues of my own to work out.

  I was close with my mom. She and my dad had divorced when I was young, and then she married Heath when I was eleven. I’d met my stepbrother, Easton, about a month after my mom started dating Heath. They’d only dated about six months before they knew it would last forever. My dad and I weren’t close. He remarried as well, and he’d moved across the country to the east coast to start over with his new family. We saw each other once every other year or so, but it always felt like I was intruding on their family fun.

  Heath was a nice enough guy. His wife had died, and he’d been left alone to raise a little boy before he’d met my mom.

  I never called him “Dad,” so it didn’t feel so weird that I was seriously considering hitting on Easton. For research.

  My stepbrother was only two calendar years younger than me, but he was old for his class while I’d been young for mine. He’d been a freshman in high school when I’d been a senior. We’d never been especially close just because we’d always been in vastly different periods of our lives.

  He’d filled out recently, though. He was a junior in college majoring in business. I didn’t get involved in his personal life, but he was an attractive guy. I’d heard him sneaking in and out of the house when he was a freshman and I was up late reading, so I couldn’t imagine what kind of trouble he’d get into now that he could legally drink.

  Austin stood up to turn in his test, snapping me out of my thoughts of my stepbrother, and I stood to turn mine in, too. He took it to the front for me while I gathered up my crutches. When he returned, he smiled at Shannon and then picked up my bag to help me outside.

  Scott was waiting under the tree. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or nervous when I saw him there. He was reading a book, and it reminded me of the Instagram account I followed with the hot guys reading books. He looked intelligent sitting there, but he also had this confident air about him like he didn’t really care what people around him thought. His black frames glinted in the sunlight when he turned his head to look in our direction.

  He’d caught me staring.

  I glanced away quickly, focusing on taking one step at a time on my stupid crutches. My armpits were starting to hurt in addition to my ankle.

  A little bench sat close to our tree, and Austin led me over to it. Scott shut the book and stood.

  I watched him stretch, and I wasn’t sure how I’d never noticed his lithe body before. I supposed I’d just never really thought about it.

  And now it seemed like all I could think about.

  I saw a peek of his stomach when he stretched his arms over his head, and that little slice made my mouth water. I tore my eyes away, forcing thoughts of my budding relationship with Dax into my mind.

  Dax, who liked to sit on my couch without a shirt.

  Dax, with the unrivaled body.

  Even Scott’s couldn’t possibly be as perfect as Dax’s.

  I shook my head to rid it of the stupid comparison I hadn’t consciously made. This was really getting out of hand.

  “What did you think?” Austin asked when Scott joined us near the bench.

  “Piece of cake. You?”

  “The neurology part killed me, but the rest was easy. Piper?”

  “The data section got me.”

  “You ready for the next Stats test?” Scott asked.

  Our professor had informed us we had another test. This one wasn’t worth nearly as much as the midterm, and it was only over two chapters, but it was two killer concepts. We were taking it the Monday before Thanksgiving, and all of my other classes had been cancelled for the week. As soon as I finished my test, I would be hopping on a plane toward home.

  It seemed odd how quickly it was approaching. I hadn’t even realized it was only four days away.

  A little pang shot through my chest when I thought about how much I would miss him. I just wasn’t sure if the “him” in question was Dax or Scott.

  Maybe both.

  “Not really,” I admitted. I wasn’t ready at all. I needed my friend’s help, but I wasn’t sure if he was still my friend. I wasn’t sure what we were anymore.

  “I’ve got some time this weekend if you want to meet at the library,” he said. I couldn’t read his tone. It almost made me feel like he wanted me to decline.

  “I’d love that, Scott,” I said softly.

  Shannon emerged from the Psych building and walked over to our little group. “What did you think?” Austin asked her.

  “I think I need a shot of tequila after that shit. Anyone up for drinks?”

  It was early to start drinking, especially since I knew I’d toss back a few at the bar. “I’m going to go home and take a nap. Anyone up for checking out MFB tonight at Emerson’s?”

  Shannon and Austin jumped right on that suggestion, but Scott shrugged. His reaction seemed par for the course lately.

  “I’ve got some things I need to do tonight.” His feeble excuse seemed pretty lame—and also par for the course—but I let it go.

  ***

  It was kind of a relief to be able to go home and take a nap without worrying Master Sebastian would send me a new task. It had only been one adventurous day, but I enjoyed the freedom that came with turning off my push notifications on my email app.

  But when I was finally comfortable in my bed, ready to sleep away the afternoon, I found I couldn’t. My mind swirled with thoughts about the men in my life over the past few weeks. I wanted to be excited about my date with Hayden the next day, but I actually sort of dreaded it. Dr. Prestbury was a nice enough guy for a college professor, and even though Hayden fulfilled my athlete category, I sort of pictured him as a bit of a Poindexter just because of his uncle.

  I rolled over and grabbed my laptop to type up more of my thoughts on my research.

  I noticed as I typed that my section on the rock star had the most notes. I supposed that was fair given the fact that Dax and I had sort of entered into a relationship while the others had only been one date—if that. And as I reviewed my section about the CEO, I thought again how Dax could be the one to give me what I was looking for. The night before when he’d called me just because he wanted to spend his free time talking to me was proof of that. I had been on his mind, and that was what I wanted out of a relationship with someone.

  My thoughts turned to Scott again, and I pushed them away. I pulled up a picture of Dax online and stared at his chiseled features for a second, filling my vision with the rock star of my dreams.

  Later that night, we took a cab to Emerson’s. I was still trying my hardest to stay off of my ankle, and it wasn’t a good idea to drive after my painkiller and alcohol cocktail. Come to think of it, it probably wasn’t a good idea to mix painkillers with alcohol in the first place. Shannon and Austin both planned to drink, so a cab seemed to be the safest choice since our usual responsible designated driver skipped out on us.

  When we got to the bar, it was already packed. There weren’t any tables available, forcing me to stand on my crutches. We made our way through the crowd, unable to find anything when finally an attractive man gave me a sympathetic look. He stood and m
otioned to his empty barstool. I smiled and gave him a grateful look. He looked like he was about to start a conversation with me, but then warm lips caressed my neck as strong arms slipped around my waist. I closed my eyes and leaned back into the man who’d invited me to this very bar as a shudder pierced my torso.

  “Hey, good lookin’,” he murmured into my ear. His hot breath against my ear mixed with his scent nearly drove me to an orgasm. He just seemed to have that effect on women.

  The attractive stool-giver-upper was talking to Shannon, so I didn’t feel as bad about swiping his stool. “You ready for your show, ridiculously sexy Dax?”

  His voice was low in my ears when he answered. “I thought you were so high on painkillers you’d forgotten you called me that the other night.”

  Grateful for the dark lighting of the bar as I flushed, I shook my head. I hadn’t forgotten the things I’d said to him. I had practically begged him for sex, and he’d denied me because he was a gentleman. A lesser man would’ve taken advantage of the situation. Something told me that was the kind of guy Dax used to be, but not anymore. At least not with me.

  “How could I forget? I think it all the time.”

  I saw a few girls eyeing me with envy as the lead singer’s lips returned to my neck. I couldn’t help the grin as it spread across my face. I was a damn lucky girl that this incredible man was giving me the time of day.

  “So do I.” His tongue darted out to taste my skin. Oh God. When he did that, all coherence left me. I leaned into him so far that I felt the stool slipping beneath me.

  He did his adorable man-giggle thing, and I scooted back to the center of my stool.

  Dax leaned in toward my ear. “Wouldn’t want any more accidents interfering with our plans.”

  I finally turned toward him, wanting to feast my eyes on the beauty of Dax Hunter.

  And I was not disappointed. His hair stuck up in that messy way he had. His eyes were a piercing blue, set brighter from the white t-shirt he wore. The shirt had one arrow point upward that said “The Man” and one arrow pointing downward that said “The Legend.” Paired with black jeans and black boots, he was every part the rock star without being an obnoxious imitation. He was talented, he was sexy, and he was…mine?

  Maybe mine.

  The way his lips had been attached to my neck for the past few minutes, he was certainly working his hardest to claim me as his while we were on his turf.

  It felt good to be the one he was showering with attention.

  He smiled down at me, his beautiful grin setting me on fire.

  Almost literally.

  I stuck my arm on the bar for balance—I needed it when he smiled at me like that—and knocked over one of those little tea light candles restaurants sometimes set for mood lighting.

  Dax caught it quickly and set it upright, shaking his head at me as he laughed heartily. I flushed bright red.

  He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. When he pulled back, his eyes were tender as they gazed at me. “I really like you, Piper.”

  “I really like you too, Dax. You…throw me off balance.”

  He laughed again. “That’s an understatement.” I loved making him laugh. I loved watching his face twist into this expression of utter glee. He ran his hand through his hair, which returned back to perfection as usual.

  “I better get back to my boys. You’ll be here?” He motioned to my stool.

  I motioned to my crutches. “Not getting too far with those.”

  He chuckled and leaned in for another soft kiss, and then he made his way through the crowd, getting stopped every few feet by his adoring fans.

  I sighed as I watched his cute butt walk away.

  “He really likes you,” Austin said. I glanced over at Shannon, still engrossed in her conversation with stool-guy.

  I couldn’t help my grin.

  “Have you told him about the project?”

  I shook my head.

  “Do you think you should?”

  I shrugged. “I’ll tell him eventually. I’m not trying to be deceptive, but I didn’t expect this to develop into anything.”

  “But it has?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I think it has.”

  Austin grinned, and then the bartender interrupted our conversation to take our drink order. Not too much longer after that, MFB took the stage, and then it was much too loud for conversation.

  As usual, Dax was epic up on the stage. He was really in his element, and just watching him fascinated me. I couldn’t stop staring at his hips as they swayed to each song’s beat. He wasn’t exactly dancing, but he had this perfect rhythm that moved his body.

  I could only imagine what that would be like in bed.

  I pictured his body without the shirt. With a stab of envy, I wondered how many of the screaming women in this bar had been lucky enough to see what he kept hidden under that shirt. I wondered if he ever took it off while he was on stage or if I’d gotten a private show the few times he’d taken it off around me.

  Austin had mentioned that Dax had been fairly promiscuous since his ex had ended things, and I was curious what, exactly, that meant. I wasn’t sure if that conversation that should happen before or after the first time I slept with him. My logical side told me before, but everything else in my brain knew I’d get too overheated in the moment with him to really care about his past. I’d have to get past the jealousy if we were going to pursue an actual relationship instead of…whatever we were pursuing.

  The bar started clearing out as soon as the show ended. I thought about heading back behind the bar, but I’d learned my lesson the last time. I didn’t want to see Dax back there with his fans. It had—surprisingly—hurt a little too much the last time. Besides, I had a hard time getting around on my crutches.

  A table opened up, and Austin grabbed it. Shannon and stool-guy went back to their conversation. I wondered if they’d been talking all through the show, but I’d been too spellbound by Dax to notice. As I stood to join Austin, I noticed that stool-guy stood a little closer to Shannon than he’d been before the show. She exhibited all of her usual flirty behavior: flipping her hair wildly, finding reasons to touch him, expressive eye contact. I wondered how often she headed home with a guy she hardly knew. It would be an interesting extract to include in my research project.

  I was almost at the bottom of my third glass of wine as Austin and I laughed about Shannon’s behavior when Dax walked up.

  He slid into the booth next to me and tossed a casual arm around my shoulders. I looked over at him as he glanced at my drink. “You still on the meds?”

  I nodded, and he gave me one of those scolding looks that told me I’d been a bad girl. But instead of feeling like I was in trouble, I just heated over at the look of pure sex he was giving me.

  Good God, I wanted him to look at me like that when we were both naked.

  I glanced away from him before I told him to take me right there in the booth in front of Austin.

  “Great show, man,” Austin praised.

  Dax grinned. “Thanks.”

  “Seemed like something was different tonight. Even better than usual. New guitar?” Austin guessed.

  Dax shook his head and furrowed his brow. “Nothing new.”

  Austin’s eyes darted over to me. “Well, one thing’s new.”

  Dax looked down at me, too. A small smile of surprise tipped his lips. “I guess I’m a little happier than I’ve been the last few months.”

  “It came through your voice.” Austin would know. He’d known the guys in the band longer than just about everyone else crowding the bar.

  I blushed like crazy. Austin was insane to imply Dax sounded better just because of me. But I couldn’t help the feeling of bliss that bubbled up inside of me at the thought.

  A gorgeous, thin blonde girl wearing a really tight dress approached our table. “Dax, that was amazing,” she breathed, her voice a gorgeous rasp.

  As I looked at her, I thought about how much be
tter suited she was for him than I was. I hated girls who lacked self-confidence in the books I read, but she was Dax’s female counterpart in the looks department. I had self-confidence, and I knew I was worthy of someone like Dax, but if I stood side-by-side with this girl, I wouldn’t compare.

  Dax looked uncomfortable as he looked anywhere but the blonde girl standing beside him. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

  “You going out tonight?” she asked.

  He looked over at me. “No,” he said, his eyes never leaving me.

  She sighed. “Tomorrow?”

  Something seemed to click in his head when she asked that question, and Dax grinned wickedly at me. “Definitely not tomorrow.”

  I grinned back, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

  Blonde bombshell wasn’t leaving, though.

  “Sorry, Britt.” He spoke to her, but he looked at me. “I don’t think I’ll be going out for a while.”

  She sighed, and he finally broke his gaze with me to look over at her.

  “Don’t tell me your days of manwhoring are over.”

  He chuckled. I bristled.

  But then I thought about how we hadn’t even slept together yet, how this was all brand new but we liked each other. How he called me during his free time. How he slept over in my bed without any expectation of sex. How he’d stopped the sex on our first night together.

  And I knew that, at least for him, whatever we were starting was different from what he was used to. And that knowledge gave me back the confidence that blonde bombshell Britt tried to strip away from me.

  He nodded at her as his arm tightened around my shoulder. “Over.”

  I was frankly shocked at his admission. He’d just told this beautiful girl he was with one woman now, and that one woman was definitely me.

  And I had a date lined up with an athlete and feelings for my best friend.

  Oh, fuck.

  21

  “So exactly how drunk and high on painkillers are you?” Dax rasped into my ear.

  He’d volunteered to take Austin and me home. Shannon had left with stool-guy, only after Austin gave him the third degree to make sure he wasn’t a serial killer or something.