“At least now their hands are occupied and they won’t be trying to grope you,” Pia stated.

“Let’s hope. For their sakes,” I responded, and then headed back to the kitchen to retrieve the food they’d ordered.

****

Then

Robert

“Princess!” I called for the third time to no avail. My voice was deep and loud. I knew she’d heard me, which only meant one thing—Deborah Tate was intentionally ignoring me.

I narrowed my gaze on her retreating back. There was no way in hell that would fly.

I jogged a little to catch up to her just as she exited the building we’d just had our World Mythologies course in. It was a sunny day in Palo Alto, but when Deborah spun around, glaring at me, snatching her arm away from my hold, it felt like the entire sky had darkened.

She was pissed.

Swallowing, I shifted, lowering the books I held in my hand in front of my crotch because I’d be damned if her attitude didn’t turn me the hell own. It felt like all of the blood rushed from my brain to my groin. She had no fucking clue what she was doing, either.

“What?” she nearly shrieked.

In my peripheral, I noted a few heads turn our way, but I ignored them. They didn’t matter.

“You’re pissed,” I said, stating the obvious.

“You think?”

I angled my head. She really had no idea what she was doing with those laser sharp, cerulean-blue eyes of hers. Her cheeks were tinted red, evidence of her anger, and her brunette brows were turned downward.

I decided to prod. “What for?”

Her eyes widened. “What for? It’s been two weeks since you’ve been to class.”

A smile touched my lips. “I didn’t know you cared so much, princess.”

A scowl this time around. “I don’t. Trust me, I don’t. But as I told you the first week of this class, I am not going to allow you to mess up my GPA. We have a major assignment at the end of the semester due, and smaller assignments along the way. You haven’t even been around for us to decide a topic!” she seethed.

Not one to let anyone speak to me like this, I was almost stunned into silence. But not quite.

I knew she’d be angered at us not having picked our topic yet. Our first assignment for the semester was due the following week. And while I wouldn’t explain what had kept me from class the past two weeks, I would let her know that I wasn’t the rich slacker she assumed I was.

“I realize this, princess. Which is why I’ve been doing some research.” Shifting to remove the backpack hanging on my shoulder, I placed the notebooks I’d been holding inside, then removed two books on Middle Eastern and North African mythologies before handing them to her.

Her angry gaze shifted from me to the books I held. Her face registered surprise when she noted the titles of the books.