My surprised gaze meets Rhys’, whose lips flit into a satisfied grin, before I shake my head. “No, thank you,” I murmur before gathering my music and leaving the auditorium. Beads of perspiration dot my forehead, which I wipe off with the back of my hand. I lean against a bulletin board right outside the door, and when it opens, I can smell Rhys’ delicious, exotic scent even before I look over to him.

“You did well,” he says. “And now, to celebrate, you’re coming to dinner with me.”

“Are you asking or telling me?” I laugh past the nervous lump in my throat. I’m on such a high right now from performing that I’ll probably accept either, but he lifts his muscular shoulders.

“Take it however you want, but you’re mine for the next couple hours.”

“Don’t you have papers to grade? Performances to sit in on?”

“You’re my last.” Something about the way he says this in his sexy Southern lilt causes the back of my mouth to go dry.

Straightening my shoulders, I stride over to him, feeling my heart pound harder and faster with every step because of the way he’s grinning at me.

“Alright,” I say softly, “where are we going?”

***

Once we’re outside and he tells me that his car is parked on the other side of campus, I offer to take mine. By the time we reach the Hyundai, the sky has opened up and tiny droplets of rain kiss my face, intermingling with the cool October day and cooling my flushed skin.

“Here,” I tell Rhys and toss him my keys, which he catches effortlessly, even as he cocks a dark eyebrow.

“You must still be rattled from the exam,” he teases as we climb inside and he cranks the car. “You’re not one to give up control like that.”

“Hmm,” I murmur, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath of relief at being done with exams—at least for the time being. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Mac had me all nervous thinking Cameron would slam me with a big surprise, and then ... nothing.” Opening one eye, I add, “And when it comes to driving in Richmond, I’ll gladly give up control. I get too distracted to deal with traffic.”

Surprisingly, though, he leaves Richmond altogether. I touch my forehead to the cold window and silently listen to the ethereal, haunting sound of Agnes Obel’s voice playing from the radio and the windshield wipers flinging the rain away from outside. I watch the fall colors swirl together as he takes a scenic route to Williamsburg. When we arrive at a little bistro on Main Street around five and we’re seated near a window that gives us a clear view of the storm, I finally speak.

“You know, there are plenty of places we could’ve gone in Richmond,” I tell him as I open my menu. Still, I can’t deny that aroma drifting from the table next to ours makes my mouth water. I’d skipped eating this morning and afternoon so I wouldn’t have a complete Pitch Perfect moment the second I stepped on stage. I’ve regretted my decision to not eat all day.

“You’ll like this place,” he assures me. After we order, we make small talk, focusing on everything from our plans for the long weekend to the aggressive approach he’s planning to take to get me ready for finals in early December, and even to his assessment of my improvement in Sight Singing and Dictation. We talk about everything but the elephant in the room—our attraction to each other—that he doesn’t bring up until our waiter brings the check.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen, Evelyn,” he tells me after he slides his credit card in the thin black binder and places it on the edge of the table. “In a few minutes, I’m taking you back to Richmond, picking my car up, and going back to my apartment. I’m not gonna be at the bar tonight or tomorrow night, and there is nothing I want more than to spend every waking moment naked with you.”

My mouth floods with moisture as he continues, “I’m telling you this because it’s the last time I’m gonna bring up the fact I want you.” He pauses for a moment to hand the waitress the payment before he continues, “Remember that day you told me how I wanted to kiss you?”

I nod, gasping a second later when his hand finds my thigh beneath the table and he cups my sex. “God, Rhys,” I breathe as heat rushes through my body. Carefully, I look around to make sure nobody’s watching us, but they seem oblivious to where his fingers are at the moment.

Giving me a wicked, heart-stopping grin, he gets to the point. “Well, now it’s my turn to tell you what I think. What I said about you and me naked in my bed? You want this too.”

Chapter Seventeen

I do want him. Badly. So much so that I have a hard time sitting comfortably at all during the ride back to Richmond because all I can think about is his hand between my legs and his eyes tracing over my skin, committing each part of me to his memory.

He thinks he’s won, and maybe—maybe he has.

True to his word, an hour later, Rhys drops my car and me off on campus. My legs are trembling as I stalk into my room, and toss my purse and keys on my desk and throw myself on my bed. I stare up at my ceiling.

Did all that really just happen?

There’s a knock at my door, and I prop myself up on my elbows when Lara pokes her head inside. She tilts her head to the side, causing her loose bun to flop forward. “Hannah and me are about to take off for Charlottesville,” she announces and then worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “You sure you don’t want to come home with me? I hate to think of you being all alone here all weekend.”

When I told her last night that I had no plans to go home for fall break, she had stared at me like I was the most pitiful thing she’s ever laid eyes on. Immediately, she invited me to come home with her—much to Hannah’s disappointment—but I had declined. Lara probably thought I had nowhere to go, but my parents had given me several chances to travel with them to Louisville.

Saturday will be two years since Lily’s passing, and Mom and Dad have decided to stay away from Bristol until Wednesday. It’s their way of coping with her being gone, but me being here is mine.

Because there truly is no such thing as escape.

The only way that would happen is if we put Lily out of our minds completely, and that’s not something I’m willing to do to numb away all the hurt.

“Evie ... are you sure?” Lara probes.

“I’ll be fine,” I promise my suitemate with a smile, finally coming to the decision that I’m absolutely not spending the weekend by myself. “See y’all next week.”

As soon as she and Hannah are gone, and I leave a message on Corinne’s voicemail to see how she’s holding up, I shower and get dressed in tight black skinny jeans, a white V-neck that makes my boobs look amazing, and my bright red rain boots. Donning my jacket, I head out into the rain.

***

When he pulls open his apartment door ten minutes later, he stands frozen, staring at me like he’s never seen me before. I clear my throat uncomfortably, wondering if I’ve made a mistake in coming.

He could have changed his mind by now. After all, I hadn’t called to warn him ahead of time. But he looks so good, like he just stepped out of the shower—barefoot, in a basic brown American Apparel t-shirt that clings to his slightly wet skin and jeans—that I have to touch him. Just once, even if he does immediately respond by telling me to get out of his apartment.

Reaching up, I run my fingers through his off-black hair, until he gathers me to him and jerks me inside.

“You weren’t expecting me?” I whisper breathlessly as he pins me up against the door, the impact making me dizzy. Tangling my fingers in his damp hair, I draw his face closer and he kisses me roughly, rolling his tongue around inside my mouth. I’m a mess when he drags his mouth away from mine, but I put on my calmest face. “Oh God, Rhys? Where’s all that confidence?” I wonder.