She'd given a piece of her heart to another guy surrounded by orange hazard cones.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

Dylan's friends sprawled all over the game room.

He wasn't clueless. He knew he shouldn't keep bringing them to the house. But he never got to see Nicole, so whenever they asked what he wanted to do, he always suggested going to his house. But he could see that it hurt her. Seeing him with Brittany hurt her. He really needed to keep his friends in town.

"Be right back," he said to no one in particular, as he climbed the stairs. He wondered if Nicole was still in the kitchen.

"Where you going?" Brittany followed him.

"Gotta make a phone call." He turned to see Todd flicking a lighter on the black leather couch, having just finished a couple games of foosball. They were getting restless.

"I'll come with." She gave him a seductive smile.

Did she think make a phone call was code for hook up?

"Let's go back to my place," Joe said, getting up. "I can't light up in here."

"You got any shit in your room?" Kevin asked.

"Nope." Why did he have to keep telling them he didn't do drugs? "You go on ahead, and I'll catch up with you."

But they didn't go. They followed him up the stairs. Just as he reached his room, the bathroom door opened. Steam billowed out, along with the familiar scent of honeysuckle body wash.

Oh, hell. The image of Nicole naked, lathering up her gorgeous breasts in the shower made him hard.

"Dude, you got any shit?" Todd asked him.

"He already told you he doesn't." Brittany pushed her way through the guys to reach him. "But we can go to my place. My mom's not home tonight." She reached up to whisper in his ear. "I get so fucking wild when I'm high."

The bathroom light shut off, and Dylan herded his friends into his bedroom. He didn't know why. Well, sure he did. He wanted to avoid another scene between Brit and Nicole. Not that Nicole ever initiated anything. It was always Brit, looking to claim territory she didn't-and would never-own.

Dammit all to hell. He had to stop spending so much time in this house.

Towel wrapped around her, she came out of the bathroom and nearly plowed right into him. Looking up with alarm, her hand pressed the top of the towel over her chest. Her gaze flitted to his room, where his friends laughed about something.

"'Night." She quickly looked away. Hurt.

He blocked her way but didn't budge. Wet hair hung around her face, trickles of water sliding down her shoulders and disappearing into the towel. She looked so pretty, so fucking sweet.

Caught in that magnetic force that always bound them together, neither one made a move. His dick hummed, his hands fisted. He wanted...what did it matter what he wanted?

And then she smiled, breaking the tension. She reached around him for her doorknob.

His heart pounded, his nerves vibrated. He wanted to say something to keep her, but he couldn't keep her. He couldn't have her at all.

Her door opened, and she stepped inside. She'd shut him out in one second, and he'd be stuck with Brittany, Todd, Joe, and Kevin for the night. For all the nights of his college life. And then he'd go home to his Colorado friends and sink back into the sameness, the ugliness of that life.

And this girl? She was like a portal to a whole different world. Fresh, clean, pure.

Fuck. He could feel her warm body curving along his under the covers, smell her subtle, sweet scent, see the look in her eyes in the darkness just before they fell asleep-the soundest sleep he'd ever had in his life-and he fucking wanted that. Wanted it so badly his body throbbed with it.

Her features softened. She had no idea what she did to him. "Hey, you know what I was thinking in the shower?"

The image of her naked in the shower...Jesus fuck, desire slammed him so hard his fingers curled into fists at his sides.

She gazed up at him like he hung the moon. "In the Apocalypse? You're the one everyone's going to look to. You're going to be the world leader because you're strong, smart, and you can do stuff. Harry's cowering in a hollowed-out tree, peeing in his pants."

"That's what you think about in the shower?"

"Well, it didn't start there. It started with Harry, because you let him get you so riled up. And then I was thinking that you just don't seem to understand that you have the potential to make billions of your own dollars, because you're so smart. Harry's a decent guy and all, but he doesn't have your potential. Which led me to the Apocalypse, and how you'd be a world leader." She smiled. "A really hot one. I pictured you in a loin cloth. Shirtless." She gestured to his chest. "All those muscles rippling every time you move."

Blood roared in his ears, and need crashed over him. He cupped her chin. Those warm eyes gazed up at him, those beautiful lips parted. When her tongue flicked out to dampen them, he couldn't take it anymore. He touched his mouth to hers. So sweet. So incredibly sweet.

He tried to hold back. Tried to get a handle on this thoughts-remind himself why this was wrong-but she opened her mouth-just a little-just enough for him to feel the rush of her breath on his lips. And then she leaned into him-so gently, so easily. Christ, like they belonged together.

Holy hell. This was bad. This was so fucking bad. He should stop, walk away while he still had possession of his balls. But he needed this taste. This one little taste to make the want go away.

He pressed his mouth to hers-lightly-just to keep a hint of her to savor for later-but she opened to him, tilting her head to let him in. She got up on her toes, a gentle hand wrapping around his neck-and God help him-but he leaned into her, gave into her. He fell into that delicious mouth, stroking inside with his tongue. And it was so fucking hot, it just cut him wide open, letting all that need come gushing out.

He reached for her ass, covered in the damp terrycloth towel, and he stroked the curves, familiarized himself with her shape. Oh, fuck, she felt good. Firm, round, with enough flesh to get a good grip. He couldn't help himself, he took handfuls of her luscious ass and squeezed. She moaned, her hips pushing hard into his, and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, taking advantage of her vulnerability, selfish bastard that he was.

Their tongues tangled and danced, while his heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. He wanted her, needed her beyond his ability to control.

It was too much, too overwhelming, so he broke the kiss but not the contact-God, he could not let go of her ass, couldn't remove himself from the scent that invaded his dreams, his every waking moment.

He felt her breasts against his chest, felt the sting in his scalp when she gripped the hair at the back of his head, as his lips moved across her soft skin, gliding down to the graceful curve of her neck. He sucked on her, letting his tongue flick over the pulse point, relishing this warm, sweetly-scented place to hide from the world.

"Dylan," she said on a breathy, exhale. "God." She pressed up harder to him.

They fit together so perfectly it was like coming home, finally falling into the place he belonged. This moment, this overwhelming moment with her, felt like they'd created their own time and space outside the cold, impossible world. It was intoxicating-this closeness, this profound connection. Fuck, she felt so good. His mouth sought hers, his tongue seeking, exploring, begging for connection.

And when he got it, when he got her total surrender, his hands slid deeper between her legs and he lifted her, backing her against the wall. He pressed his aching cock between their bodies and ground against her hard enough to tear a cry from her throat.

Her hips bucked, and her kiss turned desperate. Jesus, the rush of blood in his veins made him dizzy. She kissed him like she felt the same kind of urgent, frantic need.

"What the hell?" Brittany's voice landed like a punch to his stomach.

Tearing Nicole away from him was like ripping his heart out of his chest. But he did. Breathing hard, he set her carefully to her feet. She wobbled, bracing her hands on his chest.

"Are you fucking her?" Brittany asked.

Dylan turned away from Nicole, wanting to shield her. His heart raced, his palms tingled, and he felt like he'd been slammed into a wall. "Don't talk about her like that." He glanced to his bedroom door, but the others hadn't come out.

Brittany nailed him to the spot with her hostile glare. "Answer me."

He needed to take care of Nicole first, but when he turned back to her, she was gone. Her door closed.

He hadn't even heard it shut. "It's none of your business what I do."

"What is your deal? I don't get you at all. I've been trying to get with you for weeks, and here I find you nailing some chick in the hallway."

Todd leaned out of his doorway. "What's going on?"

And then Joe came out. "Let's roll."

Dylan had had enough. He looked over her head to Joe. "Can you guys get her out of here?" And then to her. "Don't come back here if you're going to talk to my friends that way. I've never misled you. We're friends. We hang out. If you can't handle that, it's not my issue."

"Fuck you." She spun around, racing down the hallway and trampling down the stairs. "Stupid fucker." Her voice rang in the cavernous entryway, and Dylan just closed his eyes against the familiarity of the moment. His mom, Kelsi...all the women in his world.

"Dude, what just happened?" Joe said.

But Todd grabbed his arm. "Come on."

He watched his friends leave. Standing alone in the hallway, he flicked off the light, wanting darkness, wanting to hide.

"See you," he heard James call from downstairs, and then the front door banged shut.

Great, how many others had heard the scene? He hoped to hell no one knew what he'd done to Nicole.

Nicole.

He turned to face her room, just for one fleeting, stupid moment, falling back into their kiss. Kiss? Right. He'd practically banged her against the wall.

Blowing out a breath, he tipped his head back, rubbing the spot on his neck she'd touched. If Brittany hadn't interrupted them-shit. He started to get hard again.

Oh, hell, no. No, he couldn't go there. Couldn't think about her like that. He didn't need to imagine how good they'd be together. He did not need those images winding through his brain.

He had to talk to her. Apologize. He rapped lightly but, as expected, she didn't respond. Probably for the best. He didn't think he could apologize at the moment-not when he had a semi.

But he couldn't just leave things like this. If she wouldn't answer, he'd have to- His phone buzzed. Kelsi? What the hell? They'd agreed to cut off their relationship cold turkey and she'd-surprisingly-held to their agreement. So hearing from her only meant one thing.

He opened the text.

Remember Jeff Blakely? Saw ur mom with him 2nite at Pit Stop. Just thot u shud no.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. No. Jesus, she couldn't be going down this path again. Not so soon.

He had to talk to his mom. He started for the stairs. Too many voices downstairs, so he couldn't go there. He needed to get a hold of her now. Locking himself in the bathroom, he hit her speed dial. He had to stop her from going down this path. It rang three times, four. Answer the damn phone. He felt like he was standing on the highway with an eighteen-wheeler bearing down on him.

Had he been neglecting her lately? He forced himself to think about it. Truthfully, yeah. Between classes, work...yeah, of course he had. Look at him-tonight he'd been completely out of control. Fuck.

This is what happened when he pulled his attention off his mom.

Nicole stumbled into the kitchen, glancing at the oven clock. Great, she didn't have time to eat breakfast before her nine AM class. She'd hardly slept last night. Every time she'd remember last night's kiss a bolt of electricity would shock her wide awake. It had been the hottest moment of her life.

And yet...the whole time Brittany had been waiting for him in his room. What was that about? One woman in the hall, another in his bed?

She'd heard him tell Brittany they were just friends. Could that be true? If she thought back, she could clearly remember Dylan pushing the girl away every time she'd laid her hands on him. He always seemed irritated with her. But, then, he didn't seem the type to like clingers.

God, his mouth. That kiss-so fierce, so wild. His hands on her ass...oh, God. He'd wanted her so badly. Just...maybe he wanted all girls the same way?

She came downstairs to find the pretty pink box of cupcakes all ready to be delivered to Professor Englander. Thank you, James.

"Hey, can I have one?" Harry met her at the door with a pack of his Sigma Phi friends.

"Sorry, these are for someone's birthday."

"Nice." One of the guys eyed them hungrily.

Nicole glanced down at them. Oh. James had made perfect purple swirls. Guess he figured out how to use the fun bags. "Yeah, thanks."

She headed out the door, her thoughts immediately returning to Dylan. What if he was ready to be with her? Last night, beyond a quick knock on her door, he hadn't tried all that hard to get in. And, really, after the way they'd gone at it, a guy who was ready to be with her would've shouldered that door open and claimed her.

A shudder rocked through her. She wanted-no, needed-him to claim her. Please, Dylan. But her gut told her he wasn't ready.

She needed to talk to James. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she shot off a text.

You up yet?

Of course. What's up?

The air had just started to turn chilly, as the end of September neared. I need to talk to you.

Is this about Dylan and the ho who went all trailer park last night?

Yes. Meet me for lunch?

K. Where?

Definitely not in the house. I'll make us a picnic. We can eat at the lake.

OMG. Who are you? You're like some gift from God. I can't believe you fell into my life.

She smiled. James was crazy. What do you mean?

You're good for me. I need wholesome and healthy, and I sure got it in you. Did my dad hire you? He totally would, you know. Yes, I'll meet you at the lake. I'll bring my bible. We can read the part about how Jesus sent you down to smite temptation right the hell out of my life.