Once the door was closed, I watched as Austin contemplated Endgame’s closed door. I reached out and held his wrist.

He gave me a sad smile before scratching his head. He let his hand drift down his neck to his chest. “Let’s organize your ass. It’s moving day, kitten.”

3

TAYLOR

My job was folding my clothes and placing them in the bottom dresser drawer. Austin was hanging up my dresses in a section of his wardrobe room. I sat criss cross in front of the dresser with my phone next to my knee.

I felt bad that I had to infiltrate all of his neatly organized things. Okay, that’s a lie. I was freaking delighted. I was in his room. I could take a look at his tall, sexy self anytime I wanted to. This man had lived in my dreams, in my fantasies, and all my hopes for as long as I could remember.

I shoved my underwear and bras in the back corner of the dresser. When I took another glance, Austin had paused and was pulling his long hair into a messy bun. He caught me looking.

I pointed to my head. “We match.”

He gave me a smile, but I felt like the emotion didn’t reach his eyes. Endgame.

That was what I was sensing. He had had an orgy’s worth of people here this morning but still managed to get himself to my dorm to help.

There were layers to all of this and I wasn’t ashamed to say I didn’t feel sophisticated enough to noodle it all out. Not in just over twenty-four hours anyway.

Once my stuff was put away, Austin sat on the floor next to me. “Are you okay with living here? I mean, I know it’s different and everything from the dorm. And maybe you want to live with kids your own age.”

“You’re only four years older than me.” I actually knew that it was four years and ten days, but he didn’t need to know that I had done that math more than a few times.

“But we can for sure get you back into the dorms. Fiona and I can really make a case with those Post-it notes.”

Panic filled me. Austin titled his head. “Don’t worry. If that’s something that scares you, we won’t do it.”

“How did you know I was scared?” I picked up my phone as it started to vibrate.

“I’ve known you a long damn time. Remember the bees? I’m intimately acquainted with what your features look like when you’re spooked.” He reached out and touched my cheek.

“The bees? Oh, I remember. It’s actually a huge recurring dream for me. Whenever I’m stressed, it’s you and me and the bees all over again.”

“You mean nightmare, right?” He rested back on his hands.

“Sure. Yeah.”