Summer Fling (Players of Marycliff University Book 1) Read online

  Megan studied Abby's face for a moment. "Sure." Her words agreed with Abby, but her face still registered doubt. Abby chose to ignore that. It didn't matter what Megan thought. She knew that what was between them couldn't last. She couldn't afford to let her heart get involved.

  * * *

  "Behave." Abby pointed at Megan as she crossed the room to answer the door.

  Megan put on a fake innocent look. "Moi? I'm always well behaved."

  "Uh huh. Sure." Abby pulled open the door so Lance could come in with the pizza he'd promised to bring. He held the pizza off to the side and gave her a quick kiss before coming in. She reached for her bag to get out her wallet. "How much do I owe you for the pizza?"

  Lance stood in the middle of the living room looking around. "Coffee table or kitchen table?"

  Megan hopped off the couch and took the pizza out of his hands. "We'll just put it on the counter and I'll grab plates."

  "Lance, how much was the pizza?"

  Lance turned to look at Abby. "Don't worry about it."

  She pulled some cash out of her wallet and held it out to him. "Here's ten dollars. Will that cover it?"

  Lance caught her wrist and pulled her to him. He kissed her again. "I said don't worry about it."

  Abby lowered her brows. "You're going to be fixing my car. I want to pay you for the pizza. I only let you get it because you insisted it was on your way."

  "It was on my way. Tell you what, you can make me breakfast tomorrow."

  Abby pulled back her free hand to smack him on the chest, but he captured that one too and she was trapped. "Ha ha, you're so very funny. I'm being serious."

  He only pulled her tighter against his chest, letting go of her wrists and wrapping his arms around her. "So am I." His voice was a low rumble in his chest, and his eyes held heat and promise. He kissed her again. Not the quick kiss of greeting or the teasing touch of lips from earlier. He kissed her slow and deep, making good on the promise in his eyes.

  "Get a room, you two."

  Abby jumped and pushed back from Lance at the sound of Megan's voice. Lance just gave her a wicked grin, humor dancing in his eyes at Abby's discomfort.

  After they ate, Abby took Lance out to her car. "It just went click-click-click when I turned the key yesterday. It didn't even sound like it was trying to start."

  Lance nodded and held out his hand for the keys. He slid into the driver's seat and tried the ignition, getting the same clicking sounds she had. "Did you leave a light on maybe?"

  Abby shook her head. "I don't think so. The last time I drove was during the day and it has automatic headlights anyway."

  Lance reached up and checked the dome light to make sure it wasn't switched on. "Hmm. When was the last time you drove it?"

  "I went to the grocery store on Saturday morning. I walked to work all week, and I didn't need to drive anywhere until yesterday."

  "Did you try jumping it yesterday?"

  Abby shook her head. "No. I was just trying to get to my mom. All I could think was that I needed a ride since my car wouldn't start. I didn't even think about trying to get someone to jump it for me."

  Lance pulled the hood release, then went around and lifted the hood. "Let's try that first to see what happens."

  He brought his car around to the empty spot next to Abby's car. She moved out of the way, but positioned herself so she could watch him working on the cars. She enjoyed watching his muscles bunch and pull as he lifted the hood. What was even better was the way his cargo shorts pulled tight across his ass when he leaned forward to connect the jumper cables to both cars. When he stood back up he caught her ogling him and smiled at her before starting his car again.

  After a couple minutes he slid back into the driver's seat of her Kia. It started on the second try. Abby thought that was a good sign. Maybe it was just a dead battery. Lance left the running cars connected for a few minutes before disconnecting the jumper cables and turning off his car.

  He came over and sat on the ground next to her, bumping her with his shoulder. "We should let it run for a bit so the battery can charge."

  Abby nodded. "Okay. Should we take it for a drive or just let it run here?"

  Lance thought for a moment. "Let's just let it run here. I want to try the lights in a few minutes and see what happens."

  "Uh oh. What do you think is going to happen?"

  "Hopefully the lights will come on and it'll just keep running. But if the car dies, we'll know that the battery's not charging properly, which could just mean the battery's bad, but it could also mean the alternator's bad."

  Shit. I do not need to have to pay to fix my car right now. Abby tried to keep her face neutral and not let the worry show through. She didn't seem to have done a very good job of that based on Lance's reaction.

  He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "Don't worry so much. I can fix it either way."

  Abby relaxed into him, but didn't stop worrying. Her job paid her just enough to cover her bills. She didn't have any room in her budget for expensive car repairs, even if it was just parts. Lance's willingness to fix it would help, but it wouldn't make a new battery and a new alternator free.

  Abby pulled away from Lance after a few minutes, sweaty and sticky where skin touched skin. "It's hot out today. I'm going to go get a drink. You want something?"

  Lance shook his head. "Go hang out inside. I'll come in when I'm done out here and we'll figure out what we need to do next."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "Shit." Lance had turned on the headlights and the car died immediately. It had been running for almost half an hour since he jumped it. He had been worried that might happen. Abby's car needed a new alternator.

  He snagged the keys out of the ignition and walked back to her apartment. She was leaning back against the kitchen counter between the fridge and the sink. The hopeful look on her face fell when she saw his expression.

  "Bad news, huh?"

  He took the glass of water she held out for him and drank half of it before answering. "It looks like the alternator needs to be replaced."

  Abby grunted in response to that and looked away, pulling at her lip. He reached out and took her hand, holding it until she looked at him again. "I can take care of it, Abby. I know my way around a car." He gave her a smile that was supposed to be reassuring. She gave him a pained smile in return and pulled her hand away from him to mess with her lower lip some more.

  He looked over to the couch where Megan sat watching them. Her eyes widened when he made eye contact and she buried her face in the magazine on her lap. No help there.

  Abby's voice brought his attention back to her. "Let me know how much the parts cost or where to order them from, okay?"

  "I'll get the parts, don't worry about it." He really wanted to erase the worried expression from her face. He started to pull her towards him, but she pushed him away. The worry had changed to anger.

  "No. I don't want you buying the parts. I'll let you fix my car, but I'm at least paying for that."

  He studied her face. Some of the worry had seeped back in to mix with her anger. He opened his mouth, and closed it again before just nodding.

  She looked relieved for a moment at his acquiescence, then started plucking at her bottom lip again. He watched her roll it between her thumb and forefinger for a moment. "How long is it going to take to fix it?"

  "I can do it this weekend if we get the parts tomorrow." She nodded in response, staring at a point over his shoulder. He caught her wrist again, pulling her hand away from her mouth. Her other hand rose to mess with her lip some more. She didn't seem to realize she was doing it. When he pulled that hand away from her mouth, she finally looked at him. "If you need a ride anywhere between now and when I get your car fixed I can take you, okay?"

  She stared at him for a moment, her hands trapped at her sides. "Okay. If Megan's not available, I'll call you."

  He glanced at Megan. She had lifted her magazine up in front of her face and
held it there, studiously ignoring them. He turned back to Abby and kissed her. "Even if Megan's available, I want you to call me."

  Abby narrowed her eyes at him and took a breath. Her nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to say something, and he kissed her again. He didn't want to argue about it, and he knew that she was going to if he didn't stop her.

  She struggled against his grip on her wrists and he broke off the kiss. "You can't just—" He kissed her again.

  This time she yanked her head back. "Lance! Stop it!"

  He let her go and ran his hands through his hair, suppressing a growl of frustration. Why wouldn't she just cooperate? Her right hand immediately went back to her mouth. He took it in both of his and looked her in the eyes. "Abby. I just want to help you. Why won't you let me?"

  She took in a deep breath, but let it out without saying anything, then grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom.

  Lance smirked when he saw the inside of Abby's room for the first time. Clothes and shoes littered the floor in front of her open closet, and a laundry basket with more clothes piled in it sat off to the side. And she'd given him shit about not using a hamper. She didn't seem to be able to manage to even use her dresser, except as a flat surface to pile things on.

  Her room wasn't dirty, it was just cluttered. It was a small room, so there wasn't much floor space. The twin bed against one wall, a small desk, and a dresser next to the door left only a narrow strip of open floor, with a small path from the door to the bed and desk chair through the clothes.

  "What's that look?" Irritation colored Abby's voice, and Lance was pretty sure it wasn't just because of the look on his face.

  "I was just thinking about how you gave me crap about tossing my clothes on the floor. And look, you do the same thing." He gestured with his free hand, encompassing her closet and its current state. "Plus, I at least use my dresser and put my clean clothes away. I just don't bother to use a hamper for the dirty ones."

  Her nostrils flared again before she answered. "I do use my dresser. Just not for clothes."

  Lance raised an eyebrow in silent question. She huffed and dropped his hand, crossing in front of him to get to the dresser. She opened the second drawer, and he saw books stacked neatly inside. "I don't have room for a bookshelf, so I just use the dresser."

  Lance didn't know quite how to respond to that revelation. He had a lot of books, and understood not always having room for all of them. But it had never occurred to him to use a dresser to store books.

  He opened his mouth, but she waved her hand in dismissal before he even got the question out. "That's not important right now." She stopped and seemed to gather her thoughts and her anger. "Look, Lance. I pay my own way. I'm not looking for a handout or someone to take care of me. And you don't get to kiss me to shut me up when you don't like what I'm saying." She poked him in the sternum to punctuate each sentence. Actually poked him! The third time she jabbed her finger into his chest it was starting to hurt a little.

  He grabbed her finger and held it a few inches away from him so she'd stop. She tried to wrench her hand out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go. "Fine. I won't kiss you to shut you up any more if you quit poking me."

  She stopped struggling long enough to make an annoyed sound of agreement and he let go of her hand.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm serious about the rest of it, too, Lance. I don't need you to buy me dinner all the time or pay for my car to get fixed. I'm not a charity case."

  Lance sighed and placed his hands on her upper arms. She stiffened under his grip, but he didn't let go. "I know you're not a charity case. That's not why I buy you dinner. I like taking you out. I like getting you things. I want to fix your car because I know how to do it and I'm good at it. I would be really insulted if you insisted on taking it somewhere. Stop getting mad at me for wanting to be good to you." He squeezed her arms for emphasis and then pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. After a moment she finally relaxed into him and he felt her nod against his chest.

  She pushed away from him and looked up into his face. "I just don't get why."

  Lance compressed his lips. So they were back to why. "Because I want to and I can. Quit trying to analyze it so much. Just go with it. You can trust me, Abby."

  He watched her blue eyes moving back and forth searching his. Her gaze was still troubled, but she finally nodded. He let out a breath and hugged her back into him for a moment before letting her go. "How about you get some clothes and stuff together and we can go back to my place."

  Abby's eyes snapped back to his. "What? Why?"

  He gestured to her bed. "Sweetheart, we're not both going to fit on that. Hell, I'm not sure I could fit on it by myself."

  She crossed her arms again. Uh oh. "I don't remember inviting you to get in my bed anyway, so I'm not sure why it matters that you wouldn't fit."

  If her posture hadn't given away that she was pissed, the dead evenness of her voice would have told him. Too late he remembered that she didn't like it when he assumed her into things instead of asking. He ran his hands through his hair and down his face, trying to figure out what to say to calm her down and agree to come home with him.

  "You're right. You didn't. I'm sorry." She relaxed and stopped flaring her nostrils at him. Her arms were still crossed, but she didn't look as tense. That was good. "I liked having you over last night. I'd like it if you came over again and thought it would be easier for you if you had stuff to get ready for work tomorrow with you. Do you want to come over and stay with me tonight?"

  She eyed him, her expression still closed and wary. "Why?"

  Lance grabbed her by the arms again, but this time he kissed her hard. He poured all of his frustration and anger at her constant questioning of his motives and intentions into that kiss. All of his lust and sexual tension as well.

  "That's why." It came out more as a growl than words.

  Abby raised her hand to her mouth and touched her fingers to her lips. Her expression was dazed and her lips were slightly swollen. "Oh."

  Megan's voice cut through the tension. "Just put him out of his misery and agree to go with him!"

  A smile crept onto Abby's face. "Our apartment isn't very soundproof," she whispered.

  "No kidding." Lance felt his lips curving in a smile to match Abby's.

  She studied his face for what felt like an eternity before she finally nodded. "Alright." She turned and started rifling through her clothes.

  Lance wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "Alright?"

  She nodded, keeping her back to him. "I'll go with you. Just let me get some stuff together."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Abby grabbed her shampoo and conditioner out of the shower. She wiped the bottles off on her towel before sliding them into her backpack. Next she stuffed her everyday makeup into a small zippered case. She added her razor and deodorant and dropped that into her bag as well. Her hairbrush with a couple hair bands came next.

  She looked around, taking a mental inventory of the things she would need for tonight and tomorrow. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. "What am I doing?" she asked herself. She knew what going home with him tonight likely meant. Was it smart to keep getting more involved with him? Letting him fix her car and sleeping at his house? The smart thing would have been to not agree to keep seeing him yesterday. She just couldn't bring herself to turn him down when he so obviously wanted her. No one had ever treated her the way he did.

  She gave herself a mental shake and decided to just get on with it. She'd already agreed to go, and she'd never hear the end of it from Megan if she backed out now.