Take Me with You (Take Me #2)(13)

She flushed. “Can we go five minutes without you talking about sex?”

“Why would we want to?”

“Upstairs,” she said, pointing to the stairs. “If we keep talking about this, you’re going to steal me away, and I’m going to miss my study session.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“I have a huge O-chem test tomorrow. It is a bad thing!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “O-chem.” I snickered.

“Ugh!” she groaned.

I was still laughing by the time we reached her study session. Her O-chem group was tucked away in a private study room while Cheyenne, Gabi, and Shelby were seated at a table nearby with their computers and papers strewn all over the place.

“I’ll see you after,” Ari said.

She gave me a peck on the mouth, but I didn’t let her go. I deepened the kiss and sank into the desire that always flared up between us. When she finally pulled back, her pupils were dilated, and she was breathing heavily.

She swallowed and then glanced down at my lips once more. “You’re dangerous.”

I smiled as if that were the best f*cking compliment she’d ever given me. “Don’t I know it?”

“I’ll see you after.”

She sauntered over to the private study room and closed the door behind her.

With a sigh, I sank into the chair across from Cheyenne. She gave me a seductive smile and wink before returning to her homework.

I pulled out a notebook from my back pocket and fiddled with the lyrics I’d been working on this week. It was so new that I didn’t even have a title for it yet. I was pretty sure that it f*cking sucked and would never see the light of day, but writing lyrics had taken the place of most of my vices when Ari was away.

I scribbled through the last line and shook my head. “Fuck.”

Cheyenne looked at me and raised her eyebrows. “You know this is a library, McDermott.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged and doodled in the margins.

“What is that?”

“What is what, Cheyenne? Don’t you know this is a library?” I pressed my finger to my lips, and she glared at me.

“That, dipshit.” She planted her finger on my notebook.

“That would be an arrow. Maybe Princeton is too hard for you, and you should return to kindergarten for shapes.”

“Oh, ha-ha.” Cheyenne rolled her eyes.

Gabi and Shelby leaned over to take a peek at what I was working on.

“What she meant is, it’s good,” Gabi whispered.

“I didn’t know you could draw,” Shelby said.

“I can’t draw. I drew a f*cking arrow in the margin of a notebook.”

“Okay,” Shelby said, putting her hands up in defense. “It was a compliment.”

I went back to my notebook and tried to ignore them. The thought of Ari was making me draw things now. God, I’m such a *.

“So, what are you getting Ari for her birthday?” Cheyenne asked.

“What am I—what? When is her birthday? I was just getting caught up on f*cking Valentine’s Day.”

“Aw,” Shelby crooned. “You have Valentine’s Day plans?”

I closed my eyes and breathed in heavily. What the f*ck had I gotten myself into?

“Let’s focus on one thing at a time. Birthday?”

“You have time, lover boy. It’s March fourth,” Cheyenne said. “We were thinking of throwing her a surprise party.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and saw that my cousin, Sydney, was calling. “I’m in, but I have to take this,” I said. I walked away from the table. “Hey, Syd.”

“Grant, I’m glad you answered.”

“Of course I answered.”

“I can barely hear you. Why are you whispering?”

“Sorry. I’m in the library.”

There was a pause on the other line before she started laughing. “I’m sorry. I was trying to reach Grant McDermott with something important. Can you put him on the line?”

“You’re f*cking hilarious,” I drawled. “You know, while we’re talking, what are you doing on March fourth? I’m throwing Ari a surprise birthday party. You should f*cking fly up for it.”

“That sounds great. I’m sure I can make it.”

“Good. I’m thinking the League.”

“Grant,” she muttered, “that’s not why I called.”

“What’s up? You f*cking too many dudes right now?”

“Grant!” she cried. Her voice wavered and then broke. “I-I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?” It was as if she’d flipped a switch, and suddenly, I was in big-brother mode. No one f*cked with Sydney on my watch.

“Have you…have you heard from my dad lately?”

“No. Should I have?”

She hesitated before responding, “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I think this is too big to keep from you.”

My heart sped up as I waited for whatever she was about to say. “Tell me what?”

“Your dad came by the restaurant tonight.”

“Sorry,” Grant said, peeking his head into the room. He looked right at me and tilted his head out into the hallway.