He could tell she was struggling to move forward. He tried to keep the grin off his face, failing miserably as she stepped closer, a determined look on her face. Cautiously she took another step, watching him as if he might bite her. He stiffened at that thought, wondering if she liked it rough. Gage said she did. He frowned at the thought of Rachel with Gage. What the hell does she see in him? He wondered.
Finally, she reached the table, setting both hands atop it, keeping her bag on her shoulder. He stayed silent, admiring the way her dark jeans clung to her long, long legs, topped in a black shirt that emphasized her ample tits and a whitish sweater. She frowned at him, almost as if she could read his thoughts.
"Are you just going to stand there staring or are you going to sit?" he asked nonchalantly, glancing at the chair next to him.
Sighing, she sat, pulling her bag off her shoulders and setting it on the table.
"So it's calculus you're having trouble with?" he asked, mock seriously, delighting in the annoyed expression on her face.
"Yes, calculus. You already knew that."
"I was just checking," His grin belied his words, and she groaned.
"Look, if you're going to tutor me-"
"That's the plan."
She glared at his interruption, then sighed and flipped open her book.
"Fine. I'm having trouble balancing trigonometric equations."
He was a little surprised at her down to business attitude, but he started to help her on the problems in the section. He couldn't help but tease her when she got frustrated – she was so easy to anger, and she gave as good as she got.
And when she finally solved a problem on her own, the first time, the hundred-watt grin on her face was infectious.
After an hour and a half, she called an end to the session, sighing and stretching in her chair. He tried to ignore the wonderful things that did to the chest under her sweater, but he settled for looking away.
"I've got to say I'm surprised." She said as she packed up her bag. "I'm actually starting to understand some of this."
He very nearly didn't say what he did next. But something inside drove him to make this a challenge.
"Well, that's great. But I don't think I'm up for doing it again."
He nearly flinched when her face paled, but managed to control his expression. "
"What? Why-" She stopped, and the self-deprecating look in her features made him angry somehow. "I guess I should have expected that. But then, it's you we're talking about. You've never stood by anything in your life."
He growled, rising to his feet. "Well, look at you. Hope you're comfortable up there on that pedestal."
Color rose in her cheeks. "I'm on a pedestal? You mock me because I don't get calculus, you call me a whore, and I'm the one on a pedestal? Jesus. I don't know why I even sat down. I should have known you'd never help me."
He studied her for a long moment, taking in her stubborn chin, her soft, inviting mouth, and her sparkling eyes.
"Maybe I will."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, maybe I will help you. The question is, what are you willing to do for me?"
She stared at him. "Wh-what do you mean?"
He leaned against the table, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, I need a little motivation."
"Gallagher, if your sick mind is thinking I'm going to–"
"Oh, calm down, Rach. Give me your number."
"What?"
"Your cell number." He gritted.
"Why?" She looked suspicious, and given their relationship, he wasn't surprised.
"Just give it to me."
She hesitated, and he cursed. "Do you want me to tutor you or not?"
As she bit her lip, he ground his teeth in frustration. "Well?"
Finally, she pulled a slip of paper out of her bag and scribbled a number on it, handing it to him.
He shoved it in his pocket and grinned, showing all his teeth. "When I call you, make sure you answer."
She glared at him, then left the library, her pace faster than usual.
Sighing, he followed her down the stairs, too far behind to see where she went. He touched the piece of paper in his pocket. He didn't need to follow her. He could have her back at his side with one call.
*****
"You did not!" Kate laughed so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Yes! And when he finally pulled over to let us pass, he just gave us this terrified look." Rachel laughed, remembering the jerk from their high school she and Cooper had followed after he nearly rear-ended them.
"Then he realized who we were, and he turned bright red." Added Cooper, grinning as he sipped his drink. The two guys who'd come with them to dinner, Jake and Austin, cracked up. Kate shot Rachel a surreptitious glance, then darted her eyes to Jake. Rachel fought a groan. Kate had been trying to set Rachel up with Jake all night, and even though he was funny and sweet, there wasn't any chemistry there. She rolled her eyes at Kate, who pouted. She hid her smile as she sipped her iced tea, ignoring the questioning glance Cooper shot her. He had opened his mouth to say something about it, when their waiter returned to the table and asked if they wanted dessert.
Jake ordered cake to share, and she was about to add ice cream when her phone rang. She excused herself and stepped to the side, pressing her phone to her ear to hear better.
"Hello?"
"Isme. Come aget me." She scowled. It was Hunter, and it was obvious that he was falling down drunk.
"No. I'm busy."
"You wan me tutor you? Or you rather I drive home?" His voice was slurring less, she was relieved to hear.
Sighing, she grabbed her purse from the table, waving off her friend's questioning glances. "Gotta go. Call you later!" she called over her shoulder as she left.
"Where are you?" she asked, digging through her purse to find her keys.
Why the hell are they always, always at the bottom?
She wondered as her fingers closed around them and she unlocked her car.
"Downtown. Rico's." was his reply. She scowled again. Rico's was one of the seediest bars in the worst part of town. Usually she didn't worry overmuch about being downtown, but she had her reservations at ten on a Saturday, and at Rico's, where fights were the rule, not the exception.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Wait outside."
"Can. You godda get my keys."
Groaning, she pulled out of the parking lot and started towards downtown.
"Fine. Sit at the bar."
"Bossy."
Her angry response was cut off as he hung up. Cursing at the phone, she fought her way through late night traffic. Fifteen minutes turned into thirty, thanks to the construction going on as she got closer to downtown. Finally, she squeezed into a parking space near Rico's and hurried inside.
Wading through the hordes of people, most of them still sober enough to push back, she found her way to the bar. It took her a second to find Hunter in the madness, but there he was, slumped in a stool at the end of the bar.
"Finally." He complained as she took his keys from the bartender.
Ignoring him, she groaned as he tried to stand and swayed.
"There's an alley out back, if you can't get him to the street." Offered the bartender.
"Wait there." She told him, figuring he could at least haul his own ass across the bar. "I'm going to pull the car around." Turning back before she got too far away, she added, "And if you're going to throw up, do it here. I just washed my car."
Pushing her way back through the bar, she turned into the alleyway behind the bar, shivers crawling up her spine at the deep shadows there.
Hurrying out of her car, she reached for the back door of the club.
A strong hand wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her back and slamming her against the wall. Heart pumping, she struggled, but the man was bigger than she was, and he pressed her to the grimy brick wall, preventing her from moving. She sucked in a deep breath to scream, but he squeezed her throat with one large hand, cutting off her air. She choked, coughing when he released his grip.
"I like 'em noisy." He grunted in her ear as he ground against her. "But you need to be quiet." She realized with a jolt that he was already hard, pressing against her stomach.
She tried to get an elbow between them, but he was stronger than she thought. Squirming only seemed to excite him more, and she cringed as his hands swept beneath her skirt, roughly yanking it down. She let out a startled shriek, panic surging through her.
"No!" she managed, finally giving him a weak push. He stumbled back only a foot, but his face twisted into a mask of rage. Growling, he slammed her to the wall again, harder this time. He pinched her breast sharply, making her whimper in pain. She kept struggling as he shoved a hand into her panties, wincing as his nails raked across her hip. She pushed as hard as she could against him, but it was blow delivered from her left that sent the man stumbling back.
Breathing hard, she leaned against the wall as Hunter stumbled into the alley. Light and noise floated out of the bar behind him, and the man took off. She struggled to pull her skirt up as Hunter started towards her.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice clearer now.
"Y-yeah, I think so." She answered, mentally checking her body for injuries. She would be sore and bruised, but there was nothing serious.
"Sure?" he persisted, coming closer.
"Yeah. Come on, get in the car." She helped him into her passenger seat, trying not to shake as the adrenaline left her. Ignoring his gaze, she maneuvered out of the alleyway and back towards campus. The ride passed in silence, seeming to take forever. At long last, they reached his apartment, and she helped him to the main entrance, though he wasn't leaning on her much anymore. Just as he began to open one of the heavy double doors, she cautiously put a hand on his arm.
