Torn (5 page)

“
Are you serious?” He
laughed. “How have you memorized it?”

“
BBC. Now, it’s your
turn.”

“
I’m wishing I’d chosen a
better question. Let’s see . . . I was in a commercial
once.”

“
What?” Katie turned in
her seat to face him. “Which one? I need to see it.”

“
I was a baby. It was a
formula commercial. Enfamil, I think. You can’t even tell it’s me,
they only show the side of my head. But still, if I’d pursued
acting . . .”

Katie giggled. “Yeah, right. I still
want to see it.”

Shortly after the movie began, Branson
slid his hand into Katie’s and waited for her reaction. When she
gazed up at him with a sweet smile, he relaxed back into his seat
and enjoyed the fire that sparked between them.

Branson helped Katie with her coat and
was surprised when she took his hand in hers as they walked to the
car. “The movie was good,” Katie said.

“
Yeah, I liked the part
when the sweet little woman went all Bruce Lee on the bad
guy.”

When they reached the car, Branson
knew he was going to kiss her before he opened the door. His heart
began to race as the nervousness of a first kiss took over. He
focused on keeping his fingers from twitching in hers, and cursed
the setup of the movie theater parking lot. The only space that had
been available when they arrived at the theater now seemed to be on
the bordering state, and the walk toward the car seemed to last
forever.

“
Hurry! Open the door.
It’s freezing!” Katie released his hand and wiggled in anticipation
of a reprieve from the cold air.

Branson opened her door, helping her
slide in, and shut it behind her. The timing wasn’t right, but the
date wasn’t over. He wouldn’t let the night slip away without a
kiss.

***

Not
wanting the date to end, they walked slowly through the dorm.
As they arrived at Katie’s door, she purposely fumbled for her
keys, prolonging their goodbye. Before the key could meet the lock,
Branson gently took her chin in his hand, lifting her face toward
his.

The anticipation of the moment was
nearly too much as Katie’s heart slammed against her chest. Branson
slowly leaned in and it seemed like his lips would never meet hers,
as if each second was stuck in a time warp. Their breath mingled as
his lips slowly touched hers, as light and soft as the first
snowflakes of winter.

She was surprised that such gentleness
could come from someone with such an athletic build, then was
caught up in the most soaring, tremendous sensation that swept
through her entire body. She instinctively slid her hands up his
arms, moaning softly. Branson responded by pulling her body tightly
into his. He must have lost footing and stumbled backward, pulling
her with him. Thankfully, the hall was narrow and they caught
themselves against the opposite wall, instead of tangled up on the
floor.

After sharing a nervous laugh, the
heat resumed and Katie found herself fervently pursuing his lips
again. She pulled away, still breathless and wanting, and broke the
spell. “I—I should go . . .” She didn’t take her eyes off
of him as she backed up. Everything in her wanted to invite him in
to explore the raging heat that he sent through her, but instead
she slipped inside and shut the door.

Even though she didn’t
like Alexa, and never trusted anything she said, the word
player
had been put out
there, and she wasn’t about to find out if that was true
tonight.

Five

Prime 16 Tap House was a small
restaurant with a long bar and tables arranged against the walls.
Branson and Mike found a seat in the crowded pub and ordered
burgers and beer. Mike took a swig of the ice cold brew and smiled.
“Tell me about this girl that’s got you grinning like an
idiot.”

Mike Burrows was tall and slender. His
blond buzz cut nearly matched the color of his pale complexion, and
his eyes were gunmetal blue. He and Branson played football
together in high school and maintained their friendship through
college, although they had taken different career paths and enjoyed
separate extracurricular activities.

Branson leaned back in his chair and
grinned. “She’s amazing.”

Mike waited for more details and was
surprised when none came. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got to say
about her?”

“
What do you want to hear?
You want me to gush about how beautiful she is?” He took a long sip
before continuing, “She’s sweet, funny, and gentle—almost an
anachronism.” He shook his head. “I don’t know—there’s just
something about her, man.”

“
Sounds like things are
getting—” Mike paused as their plates were placed in front of them.
“Are you in love with her?”

Branson took a bite of his
burger and chewed slowly, processing the question.
Am I in love with her? It’s too soon to consider
something like that. Lust—yes. Love—doubtful.
“Of course I’m not in love! I’ve only known her a few weeks.
It’s too soon—but I do think about her all the time. How are things
going with you and Blondie?”

“
Jessica? She’s ancient
history. I thought you knew. Dude, we don’t hang out enough.” Mike
dipped an onion ring into ketchup and took a bite. “I’m interested
in someone else.”

“
Who?”

“
You don’t know her. We
have a class together, and I’ve been coming up with reasons I need
to be on the other side of campus, so I can walk her back to her
dorm. Talk about gorgeous—this girl is a knockout.”

“
Have you asked her out?”
Branson asked before taking another bite.

“
No.” Mike lowered his
head in shame. He had always been confident with the ladies, but
this girl had him questioning his every move.

Branson shook his head and chuckled.
“What happened to Mike Burrows—Womanizer?”

“
I’d like to see
your
confidence
around
this girl. She has these green eyes
that—”

“
Wait! Green
eyes?"

“
Yeah,” Mike replied
slowly.

“
Long dark hair?” Branson
glowered.

“
Shit! Seriously?” Mike
didn’t even have to say her name. He instantly knew they were
speaking of the same girl, and Branson had gotten to her
first.

“
Please, tell me her
name’s not Katie.” Branson raised one eyebrow as he studied his
friend’s face.

“
Katie
Harrington.”

Branson’s jaw clenched, his fist
gripping the glass bottle of Rolling Rock so firmly, he thought it
would shatter.

“
She hasn’t given you the
idea that she’s available . . . has she?” Branson asked. They
hadn’t talked about being monogamous, or labeled their relationship
as anything, but she didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would
date more than one guy.

“
Nah, she’s sweet and she
talks to me, but since I never had the guts to ask her out, she
never had to tell me she was dating someone.” Mike got the server’s
attention. “Another round, please.”

***

For two months Katie and Branson spent
every moment outside of class time together. Each morning she
received a sweet text with a quote of the day attached at the end,
and every evening ended with a passionate kiss that threatened her
propriety.

On Tuesday night, as Katie was
studying for her finals in the library, Branson slipped in behind
her and set a pumpkin spiced latte on her desk. “Hey! What’s this?”
Katie beamed. “You can’t bring coffee into the library.”

“
You’re not supposed to
make out in here either, but it happens a lot. Wanna break another
rule?” He grinned nefariously.

“
That would be one for the
books.” Katie laughed and slapped her knee.

“
Oh, that was bad.”
Branson grimaced.

“
I know, I
know.”

“
Anyway, I knew you would
be up here all night, so I thought a coffee might be a nice
treat.”

Katie stood and kissed Branson
sweetly. “You’re the best treat, but thank you for the coffee. Now,
if you’ll leave me to study, I’ll ace my finals and we can
celebrate this weekend. Besides, don’t you have finals this week
also?”

“
I do, and I’m studying
right over there.” He pointed to the cubby across the room where a
matching latte awaited him.

“
Good. How long will you
be here?” Katie knew she had to dig into her books and study hard,
but it was comforting to know Branson was there. She hoped they
could walk back to the dorm together, so she wouldn’t have to walk
alone.

“
I’ll stay long enough to
walk you back. It’s not safe for a girl as beautiful as you are to
be left alone on campus after dark. That creepy old lady
from
Paranormal Activity
4
could be lingering in
the shadows.” His eyes widened for effect.

“
Branson!” Katie shivered
and rubbed her arms. “You know how terrified I am of those
movies.”

“
Yes, I do.” He winked and
pulled out her chair for her to sit.

“
Thank you. I won’t be too
long. Let’s say no later than eleven thirty?”

“
Sounds good, babe. If you
want to take a break, just meet me in the Shakespeare section.”
Branson grinned before kissing the top of her head and walking back
to his desk.

Katie watched as he walked
away. He was wearing loose jeans, with the design on the pockets,
which sat ever-so-nicely on his hips. His navy sweater was snug and
showed off his broad shoulders.
Shakespeare section, huh? Jeez, how am I supposed to
concentrate with that image in my head?
Katie allowed her thoughts to deviate from her studies and
roam into a steamy rendezvous against the bookshelves. She peeked
over at Branson, who was reading intently. After a sip of latte,
she did the same until she was interrupted by the buzz of her
phone. It was a text message:

Hi love. How’s it going over there? In
the mood for Shakespeare yet?

Katie looked over at a Branson and
returned his smile before sending a text back:

Meh. He hasn’t offered much help with
my finals ;)

Branson stood and walked as he
typed:

All work and no play . . .

Katie read the text and watched as he
rounded the corner and disappeared. She felt a thrill run up her
spine as she contemplated the situation. Looking around the
library, her assumption that everyone was looking at her with
knowing eyes was erased. She slowly stood and walked toward the row
of books that held promise of an exhilarating moment.

Without a word, Branson pulled Katie
in close. When his lips found hers, desire took over and her fear
of being caught was washed away. Her body ignited as he slid his
hands up her waist, over her ribs, and onto her breasts. She
twisted her fingers in his hair as their kiss became deeper, and
moaned when his thumb grazed across her nipple.

“
Shh,” Branson
smiled.

Katie pulled away and tried to catch
her breath. “Sorry, but jeez . . .” She gave him a quick peck on
the lips and turned to walk back to her desk.

***

Katie was vastly aware that she was in
a dream state as a thin fog lingered over the ground and snaked
through the naked tree branches. The difference between dream and
reality was his voice behind her. Branson called out, “Wait up,
green eyes!”

The air was chilled and steam exited
her mouth and nose as she exhaled. She hated to be cold, but knew
warmth would come soon as Branson wrapped his arms around her. She
turned, grinning too wide, but unable to hide her excitement. She
tried to say hello, but the cold air paralyzed her vocal
chords.

Branson wrapped his arms around her,
pulling her into him and giving her the warmth and safety she
craved. His lips found hers, hungry and forceful, taking more than
she was accustom to. During their short time as a couple, he’d been
gentle, taming the appetite they both shared. He was a gentleman,
taking their journey in measured, attentive steps, respecting her
as a lady. His lips tugged against hers, causing her to whimper.
Passion swirled through her, mingled with anxiety. Although she
enjoyed the heated moment, he was taking more than she was ready to
give. His fingers dug into her hips, making the seam on her jeans
cut into her flesh.

“
You’re hurting me,
Branson.” Katie tried to pull away, but he was strong and greedy.
His hands moved to her breasts, mashing them through her sweater.
“Please, stop!” She jerked away, pushing against his chest with all
the power she could manage.

“
Tease!” he answered,
wiping the back of his hand across his lips. They were swollen from
the aggressive make out session, too swollen.

Katie’s eyes roamed over his mouth,
lifting slowly up over his nose, and finally to his dark eyes. She
stumbled backward, unable to catch herself from falling when she
realized it wasn’t Branson. “Who are you?” she pleaded, falling . .
. falling . . . falling. Would the ground ever come up to cease the
endless decent? “Who are you?” she screamed.