the same ruse, and he asked abruptly, “Who’s the other person?”
“A…friend,” she answered after a beat and tried not to squirm, knowing she was deliberately withholding the fact that it was another girl who said so. And that , Lilac thought miserably, did not feel right . So she added, “Dorothy…did.” She gestured to her friend, who was not hiding the fact that she was avidly listening in on their conversation.
Dorothy offered her hand quickly with a grin. “Hi.”
“Hi.” But Nick’s eyes were on Lilac. She could have left it a secret, could have tortured him with the thought that another guy was making a move on her. They both knew he would have hated it.
But she hadn’t.
When Dorothy turned away to wrangle more students into signing up for the SAC, Lilac smiled at him. “No guy…would ever say I’m…blooming.”
“I’m a guy.” Nick wondered if he should be offended.
Lilac shook her head. “You’re…different.” She paused then added very simply, “You’re Nick.”
Nick’s heart clenched, the way Lilac said his name making him breathe just a little more easily. To hide how fucking affected he was, Nick asked teasingly, “Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Lilac’s smile widened. “Both.”
He laughed.
Dorothy came back to their side, asking Lilac to save another student’s number on her phone. When Dorothy left, Nick already had his own iPhone out. “Give me your number.”
She did so, but only after frowning at his demanding tone.
He shrugged. “Don’t give any other guy your number.”
She blinked.
“And never flutter your lashes like that at another guy either.”
She blinked again.
He warned, “Lilac---”
Lilac quickly pressed her hand on her eyes, as if combing down her lashes. “I’m…trying.”
“Try much, much, much harder,” Nick said darkly. “Better yet---” Still looking at her, he muttered something in Greek.
Lilac rolled her eyes when she saw one of his bodyguards hand him a pair of shades. “I…haven’t even returned the other pair.”
“Keep them. Put one in every bag you’re using.” Nick slapped the shades on her face. Pretending he didn’t hear Lilac heave out a large sigh as he did, Nick checked his watch and cursed. He only had ten minutes before his own class started.
Ah God, it felt like this MBA shit had no end in sight.
Nick scowled at Lilac. “I have to go now. Remember your promise.”
She scowled back but did not say anything.
“Till next time, sweetheart,” Nick murmured before walking away.
Lilac tried not to stare after him, but it was like trying not to breathe. When he suddenly stopped halfway across the street, this time her breath stopped with him. Nick turned – and then he bowed.
Lilac’s heart crashed.
One day – one day she would know what tortured him so. And maybe, maybe when that day came she could help him feel…okay.
But for now, all she could do was bow back.
And then they turned away, neither of them knowing that they had just created what would be one of Christopoulos University’s most romantic mysteries, one that would be dissected and analyzed by thousands of students for years to come. Their guesses would range from strange to funny to the fantastic, but none of them would ever come close to discovering yet another secret that Nick and Lilac shared.
The Sixth Encounter
Nick rubbed his aching temples, feeling like he had half of his life drained out of him – the effect of spending an hour in Beatrice’s company. Beside him, Jason appeared the same, his face grim and lacking its usual charming smile.
Just thinking about how Beatrice talked to them – how she had the utter gall to provoke them made him want to smash something. If murder was not a crime, he had a feeling he would have killed Beatrice ten times over by now.
The FBI agent handling their case had been just as frustrated with the results of their meetings with Beatrice. “We can’t hole
“A…friend,” she answered after a beat and tried not to squirm, knowing she was deliberately withholding the fact that it was another girl who said so. And that , Lilac thought miserably, did not feel right . So she added, “Dorothy…did.” She gestured to her friend, who was not hiding the fact that she was avidly listening in on their conversation.
Dorothy offered her hand quickly with a grin. “Hi.”
“Hi.” But Nick’s eyes were on Lilac. She could have left it a secret, could have tortured him with the thought that another guy was making a move on her. They both knew he would have hated it.
But she hadn’t.
When Dorothy turned away to wrangle more students into signing up for the SAC, Lilac smiled at him. “No guy…would ever say I’m…blooming.”
“I’m a guy.” Nick wondered if he should be offended.
Lilac shook her head. “You’re…different.” She paused then added very simply, “You’re Nick.”
Nick’s heart clenched, the way Lilac said his name making him breathe just a little more easily. To hide how fucking affected he was, Nick asked teasingly, “Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Lilac’s smile widened. “Both.”
He laughed.
Dorothy came back to their side, asking Lilac to save another student’s number on her phone. When Dorothy left, Nick already had his own iPhone out. “Give me your number.”
She did so, but only after frowning at his demanding tone.
He shrugged. “Don’t give any other guy your number.”
She blinked.
“And never flutter your lashes like that at another guy either.”
She blinked again.
He warned, “Lilac---”
Lilac quickly pressed her hand on her eyes, as if combing down her lashes. “I’m…trying.”
“Try much, much, much harder,” Nick said darkly. “Better yet---” Still looking at her, he muttered something in Greek.
Lilac rolled her eyes when she saw one of his bodyguards hand him a pair of shades. “I…haven’t even returned the other pair.”
“Keep them. Put one in every bag you’re using.” Nick slapped the shades on her face. Pretending he didn’t hear Lilac heave out a large sigh as he did, Nick checked his watch and cursed. He only had ten minutes before his own class started.
Ah God, it felt like this MBA shit had no end in sight.
Nick scowled at Lilac. “I have to go now. Remember your promise.”
She scowled back but did not say anything.
“Till next time, sweetheart,” Nick murmured before walking away.
Lilac tried not to stare after him, but it was like trying not to breathe. When he suddenly stopped halfway across the street, this time her breath stopped with him. Nick turned – and then he bowed.
Lilac’s heart crashed.
One day – one day she would know what tortured him so. And maybe, maybe when that day came she could help him feel…okay.
But for now, all she could do was bow back.
And then they turned away, neither of them knowing that they had just created what would be one of Christopoulos University’s most romantic mysteries, one that would be dissected and analyzed by thousands of students for years to come. Their guesses would range from strange to funny to the fantastic, but none of them would ever come close to discovering yet another secret that Nick and Lilac shared.
The Sixth Encounter
Nick rubbed his aching temples, feeling like he had half of his life drained out of him – the effect of spending an hour in Beatrice’s company. Beside him, Jason appeared the same, his face grim and lacking its usual charming smile.
Just thinking about how Beatrice talked to them – how she had the utter gall to provoke them made him want to smash something. If murder was not a crime, he had a feeling he would have killed Beatrice ten times over by now.
The FBI agent handling their case had been just as frustrated with the results of their meetings with Beatrice. “We can’t hole
Similar Books
