Graduating (Covenant College Book 5) Read online

  “I shouldn’t be surprised,” I said. “She said she was coming.”

  “She just doesn’t know he’s a pervert,” Kelsey said. “Hey! Maybe she can be Will’s second wife?”

  “Ah, the thought of her and Brittany setting up a sex schedule does make me happy.”

  Aric linked his fingers with mine before reaching over to flick Kelsey above her left ear. “Let’s go. I’m starving. There’s nothing left for us here – and I don’t want you to come up with any more disturbing multiple-wives scenarios. They’re going to give me nightmares.”

  I risked one more glance over my shoulder, watching Kate and Will chat amiably, and pushed down the uncomfortable feeling creeping over me. It didn’t mean anything. It was a coincidence.

  So, how come I didn’t totally believe it?

  Nine

  I woke up the next morning wrapped in Aric’s arms, our legs tangled together. I took the opportunity to study him in the morning light. He really was more beautiful than any one man had the right to be. His jaw was strong and angular, his face peaceful in sleep, and his morning stubble gave him the hint of danger that I’d grown so fond of.

  “If your mind works any harder, it’s going to wake the whole house.” Aric shifted next to me, opening one eye sleepily as he regarded me. “What’s on your mind, baby?”

  “I was just thinking,” I admitted, resting myself on an elbow as I leaned forward to run my other hand over his chest.

  “What were you thinking? And, I’m just going to warn you, if you make a multiple husbands joke, I’m going to spank you. I don’t like to share.”

  The threat of a spanking didn’t have the negative connotation in my mind that I was sure he initially envisioned. I shifted closer to him, resting my chin on his bare chest. “That’s not what I was thinking,” I scoffed.

  Aric’s fingers were making lazy circles on my back. “Tell me what you were thinking.”

  “I was thinking that you’ve been really great about spending the night here a few times a week,” I replied honestly. “You didn’t have to be, and yet you are. It means a lot to me. I’m … lucky.”

  Aric’s chest hitched with a barely contained chuckle. “So, you’re thinking deep thoughts this morning? And here I thought you were just debating what position we should do it in.”

  “They weren’t all that deep,” I countered, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I moved my gaze away from his, fighting the burn climbing my cheeks.

  Aric reached over, capturing my chin with his hand and turning my face back so he could gaze into my eyes. “I shouldn’t have teased you. The deep thoughts were nice. I like them.”

  “Oh, cripes,” I muttered. “I can practically see your ego growing.”

  Aric shifted onto his side, keeping me pressed against his long body as he pulled me closer. His ego wasn’t the only thing growing this morning.

  “I think we’re both lucky,” he said, his brown eyes serious. “Things were bad last year. They were really bad. There were times I didn’t think we’d get back here.”

  “You said you had faith,” I protested.

  “I did. I still had doubts, too. As much as I love you, you do have a mind of your own. I was scared that you’d never let me back in.”

  “Oh, don’t get all sappy,” I warned. “I can’t take it when you get all sappy.”

  “I’m not getting sappy,” Aric said. “I’m just … okay, maybe I’m getting a little sappy. I’m happy right now, and I hope you are, too.”

  “I’m happy,” I said. “I haven’t been this happy … ever.”

  “Even though Blake is your professor again, and I told you that the governor wants to force me to take multiple wives?”

  “Meh. Don’t sweat the small stuff, honey.”

  Aric smiled. “I don’t suppose, since we missed naked Friday, that we can make up for it with naked Saturday?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “You might have to convince me.”

  “Done.”

  TWO HOURS later, we finally left the room so we could forage for food.

  “I don’t see why we just can’t go out for breakfast.” Aric is hungry for two things in the morning. I’d already handled one of those needs, and now he was complaining about the other.

  “I don’t want to shower and get all cleaned up,” I said. Although, to be fair, a big breakfast did sound good after our morning workout.

  “I don’t care if you get cleaned up,” Aric said. “I figured we could go to breakfast and then spend the day getting filthy again at my apartment.”

  That did sound tempting. “What if I have a counter proposal?”

  “I can already tell I’m not going to like this,” Aric grumbled.

  “What if we have breakfast here, and then we get cleaned up and run some errands?”

  “I’m still waiting for how this benefits me.”

  “After the errands, I thought you could buy me lunch, and then we could go back to your apartment for the night,” I said. “We can watch a horror movie, and I’ll climb into your lap and let you protect me.”

  Aric considered the offer. “What errands are we running?”

  “I just need to run down to Meijer,” I said. “I need a few things. Plus, I figured we could get some food and I would cook you an awesome dinner. Maybe even a steak?”

  “Okay,” Aric said almost immediately. “Once we get back to the apartment, though, clothes are banned.”

  “I’m not sure I can cook without at least a robe to protect me from splatter,” I said. “Other than that, I agree to your terms.” I stuck out my hand for him to shake.

  Aric grabbed it, pulling me forward so he could cover my mouth with his. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “Oh, please,” I scoffed. “I had you at steak.”

  “And naked,” Aric said. “If we had an endless supply of steak and no clothes, I would be a happy man.”

  “You’re sick.”

  I pulled up short when I entered the kitchen. Heather and Kate, still in their pajamas, were sitting at the small table eating bowls of cereal. They weren’t alone. Mark, his shoulder-length hair mussed from a night of … something … was enjoying breakfast with them.

  “Mark.”

  Mark glanced up, surprised. “Zoe. Oh, um, hey Aric.”

  Aric’s arm was around my waist, his chest pressed into my back, as he regarded Mark. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m having breakfast,” Mark replied, trying to keep his face neutral. “I … um … I met Heather at the political rally yesterday, and we kind of hit it off.”

  Karen’s face was red. “I didn’t realize you knew each other.”

  Well, this would be fun. “We lived in the dorms together,” I said carefully, leading Aric over to the kitchen cabinets. “We used to hang out.”

  “Used to?”

  “We just haven’t seen each other as much,” I said. “You know how those things go.” I pushed a bowl into Aric’s hands. “You want Fruity Pebbles?”

  Aric scowled. “Is that my only choice?”

  I shot him a saucy smile and pulled a box of granola out of the cupboard. It just happened to be his favorite brand. “I got a box of your healthy crap, too.”

  Aric smiled. “And I thought you didn’t love me.” He gave me a quick kiss and then moved over to the refrigerator. “So, how are things, Mark?” Aric’s tone was light, but I knew he was ready to spring into action if he thought Mark was a threat.

  “Pretty boring,” Mark replied. “Just school work.”

  “No … extra-curricular activities?” Aric asked.

  “Not anymore,” Mark said. “I decided to lighten my load after last spring.”

  “That’s good,” Aric said, pouring milk into his bowl, and then mine, before returning the jug to the refrigerator. “I think you were spreading yourself too thin.”

  Instead of settling at the table, Aric opted to lean against the counter and eat on his feet. I rolled my eyes and moved to the o
pen spot between Mark and Kate. “So, Kate, I saw you at the rally yesterday. You seemed to be having a good time.”

  “I didn’t see you there,” Kate said.

  “We were leaving when I saw you,” I said. “Aric took Paris, Kelsey and I out to dinner.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds like fun,” Kate said. “Oh, by the way, I met your old roommate. I think her name was Brittany. She really doesn’t like you.”

  Mark stilled at the table. “Brittany?”

  Kate was clueless. “Yeah. Do you know her?”

  “We went to high school together.” Mark shifted a worried gaze to me. “What was she doing at the rally?”

  “She was there with Will,” I said. “He’s an intern for Reagan.”

  Mark frowned. “Why?”

  “Governor Reagan is a great man,” Kate said. “He’s done great things for this state. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with a second term.”

  Kate was really starting to bug me. “What great things has he done for the state?” I challenged.

  Kate seemed surprised by the question. “Well, you know, things.”

  “What things?” Aric asked.

  Kate’s smile when she regarded Aric was small and flirty. “He’s trying to eradicate unions, and he wants to outlaw gay marriage.”

  Aric took a bite of his cereal, his face unreadable. “And why are you for those things?” Aric asked after he swallowed.

  “Are you for them?”

  Aric shrugged. “We run a lumber company,” he said. “Our workers are union. It’s a mixed bag. They’re not all good, and they’re not all bad. And, as for gay marriage, I’m of the opinion that what doesn’t hurt me doesn’t affect me. I’m not gay. I don’t care if gay people want to be married.”

  “Well, I … .”

  “Your father is Senator Winters, right?” Heather broke in.

  “How did you know that?” I asked.

  “Someone at the rally yesterday mentioned that Senator Winters’ son was there,” Heather said. “It just clicked for me right now.”

  Kate was enraptured. “It must be so exciting to be the son of a senator. You were talking about it at the party, but we got interrupted.”

  “It’s not,” Aric said. “He’s just a regular father.”

  Who also happened to be a werewolf, I added silently.

  “But you’re in the thick of things,” Kate said. “I can’t believe that’s not exciting to you.”

  “It’s never been exciting to me,” Aric said. “My father is many things. A senator is only one of them, and it’s the least important thing he does in my book. He’s also a good provider, and a great sounding board. He’s also a bad poker player, and poor loser when it comes to playing pool.”

  “Of course,” Kate said hurriedly, glancing at me for support. “Aren’t you excited his father is a senator? What’s he like?”

  “I’ve never met him,” I said, finishing off my bowl of cereal.

  “Really? How come?” I knew what she was hoping. She thought Aric was ashamed to introduce me to his parents. She had no way of knowing that other things had conspired to keep us apart – and one of those things was my own uncertainty.

  “It’s just never timed out right,” I said. “It’s not a big deal.”

  Kate shifted her gaze to Aric. “How come you never introduced her to your father?”

  “Because he’s always in Lansing and I’m always here,” Aric said. “I barely see the man twice a year these days.”

  “But … you had the whole summer,” Kate pressed, clearly convinced there was something bigger going on here. There was. She just didn’t understand what it was.

  “I was with Zoe all summer,” Aric said. “We were up at her home.”

  “But, you’re going to introduce her to your father, right?” I think Kate wanted him to say no.

  “I’m going to introduce her to my father,” Aric agreed. “I’m thinking Christmas.”

  I suddenly felt like I had something lodged in my throat. I think it was my tongue. “Christmas?”

  Aric smirked. “My mom is insisting. You’ll have a good time.”

  Crap.

  Luckily for me, the sound of someone shuffling on the overhead landing caught my attention. I slid a look in Mark’s direction. “You know Paris lives here, too, right?”

  Mark froze. “No.”

  Heather’s face screwed up in confusion. “Why would Paris care?”

  I leaned back in my chair, exchanging an amused look with Aric before fixating on Mark. “Should I tell her, or do you want to?”

  October

  Ten

  Even though we weren’t teenagers anymore, it certainly seemed like we were in our house over the next few weeks.

  You could cut the tension with a knife.

  No, seriously. I know that’s a cliché, but it was like there was a curtain of hostility following some members of our unhappy household around the campus. It was like we were all taking a course in High School Drama 101 – and we were all failing miserably.

  For her part, Kate had taken to wearing “Re-elect Governor Reagan” shirts every chance she got. She had a cute figure, but even she couldn’t make one of those shirts attractive.

  She’d spent weeks trying to get everyone else in the house to join the campaign. Tally and Kristy had no idea we even had a governor in Michigan. No, I’m not joking. Paris was a diehard liberal – and took every chance she got to inform Heather of just that.

  Kelsey, even though she was a fan of Reagan’s party, couldn’t get over the plural marriage thing. Instead of telling Kelsey why she wasn’t a fan, she opted to feign indifference. I could tell it was killing her.

  Kate had stopped approaching me when I’d finally snapped and yelled at her. We’d made up, but things were far from comfortable.

  The ambiance between Heather and Paris was an entirely different story. When Paris had stumbled down the stairs to find Mark sitting at our breakfast table – the evidence of a long night with Heather obvious – she’d initially pretended she didn’t care.

  I knew she was faking, but I didn’t know how to broach the topic with her. She’d dated Mark for a few months. The buildup to the relationship had been longer than the actual relationship. Then, after they’d broken up, she’d found Seth almost immediately.

  And, yes, Seth is never going to be one of the great thinkers of our time. The man is smoking hot, though. He’s like a Greek god. He could honestly give Aric a run for his money. In fact, I’d like to see the two of them in a flex off. Still, Paris was acting as if she was losing interest in Seth now – and I couldn’t quite figure out why.

  Since it was just the two of us watching an old Halloween movie marathon on AMC tonight, I figured now was my chance to question her.

  “So, how is Seth?”

  “He’s fine,” Paris said, her voice flat. “He’s working tonight.”

  “He still likes his job?”

  “He’s a bouncer. What’s not to like?”

  She wasn’t giving me much to work with here. “He hasn’t been around as much.”

  “I’ve had some projects to work on.” Paris was an art major. And, while she often had numerous projects going at the same time, all in varying degrees of completion, she’d never used her work as an excuse to escape from Seth before.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Paris finally turned away from the television and focused on me. “Why would you ask that?”

  It’s always a hint when someone answers a question with another question. “You just haven’t been the same since Heather started dating Mark.”

  Paris scowled. “Why would I care about that? I dumped him, remember?”

  “I remember. You said that you didn’t like that he was so boring.”

  “I didn’t say he was boring,” Paris countered. “I said that he was always so agreeable, and it bugged me.”

  “Seth is agreeable, too.”

  “Yeah, but he always distracts
me because he’s so hot,” Paris admitted. “Every time I think he’s too agreeable he takes his shirt off and I forget what I was thinking about.”

  As someone who saw Aric Winters naked on a regular basis, I got that. “Still … you seem off.”

  “I’m not off.”

  “Well, you’re certainly not on either.”

  “Whatever.”

  I pressed the mute button on the remote control and leaned forward. “Hey, do you want to talk about this?”

  “What? There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “You seem like you’re all … weirded out. At first I thought it was the Mark thing. Now, I’m not so sure. Are you rethinking your decision to break up with Mark?”

  “No,” Paris said. “Only an ass decides that breaking up with someone was a bad idea after someone else shows interest in them.”

  I pursed my lips. “I decided that breaking up with Aric was a mistake.”

  “That was different,” Paris said. “You thought he betrayed you. He was acting strange. You were all depressed. You guys had a lot of stuff going on.”

  “You know, if you want Mark back, I think you could probably steal him away from Heather,” I said. “It will make living here a complete and total nightmare, but if you want him, I’ll stand with you.”

  “I don’t want him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Can you just turn up the volume?”

  I did as she asked, focusing on the movie for the next half hour. The silence in the room was only broken when the front door opened to allow Aric entrance. “Hey,” I greeted him. “You’re late tonight.”

  Aric threw himself onto the couch dramatically. “I had a horrible day.”

  I patted the floor in front of me. “Do you want me to rub your shoulders? I can listen to your day and rub you at the same time.”

  Aric glanced over at Paris, picking up on the tension in the room. “You guys are a barrel of laughs over here these days. I’m not going to say no to a massage, though.”

  Once he was settled between my legs, and my hands were busy on his tight muscles, Aric unloaded. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for this. When I pictured working for my dad’s lumber company, I thought I would be surfing the net and occasionally handling inter-office fights.”