Litany Of Sins

7 Pure Triumph

CHAPTER 7

Pure Triumph

L I L A

2012

“Lila Rhodes!”

I stopped in my tracks, expecting to see a friendly face from my morning lectures. I turned, only to be hit with a wave of disappointment. There he was again—the dark blond hair, those deep, warm hazel eyes, and that insufferable smirk.

To make matters worse, the expression pulled at a dimple that was far too charming for someone so incredibly irritating. He was looming in the distance and holding my plate of shrimp pesto like a trophy as he jogged to catch up. I whipped back around and quickened my pace, hoping to lose him in the crowd.

“Come on, short legs!” he shouted, clearly entertained by his own growing list of nicknames for me which made him even more annoying. “Wait up!”

I quickened my pace, desperate to lose him, but his long strides caught up to me effortlessly. He fell into step beside me, grinning. “How about a sunset stroll with a handsome guy carrying your leftover dinner?” he asked, offering a wink.

“No,” I snapped, maintaining my speed while he remained infuriatingly relaxed.

“Oh, come on. I thought we were friends by now,” he teased.

I stopped, whipping my head toward him. “What?!”

His smile widened. “Well, you shared your meal with me. Isn’t that the universal sign of friendship?”

My brows furrowed in disbelief. “We are absolutely not friends. And for the record, you hijacked my food with your bare hands, you filthy asshole.”

He let out a low chuckle. “I have been called worse, but you can call me Rett.”

“I would really rather not,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. I tried to surge ahead, but he simply took one effortless, giant stride to stay level with me, smugly reminding me exactly how much taller he was.

“You really seem to despise me,” he remarked, shifting to walk backward so he could keep his eyes locked on mine.

“I do not hate you,” I replied dryly, rolling my eyes at no one while my grip tightened around my bag strap in annoyance.

“Ha!” He grinned even wider as he asked smugly, “So, you like me then?”

“Absolutely NO.” I answered almsot too right away and kept my voice heavy and stern, refusing to look at him. “Do you ever actually shut up?” I risked a glance, but seeing him still staring made me whip my head back around instantly.

“Do not be like that, sweetheart,” he said, casually using my own fork to spear another piece of shrimp pesto. “You were the one who ruined my weekend.”

I stopped, staring at him in total horror. “I ruined your weekend?”

“Well, yeah,” he answered, falling back into step beside me as if this were just a pleasant afternoon stroll by two good friends. “You got me banned from the building before I could even finish what I started with that girl. I did not get laid because of you and have not been able to get my d**k sucked.”

I let out a humorless, baffled laugh, my eyes blazing. “I ruined it? You and that woman charged into my room like you owned the place!”

He gave a nonchalant shrug of his broad shoulders. “I had Arlo’s spare key and figured the room would make a decent place to hook up for the night. Honestly, I did not think his boring roommate would be there on a Saturday night.”

“Well, my dorm is not your personal motel, you disgusting excuse for a human.” I came to a dead stop and turned to face him. “Stay away from me. I mean it.”

He leaned in, his face inches from mine. “How about... no?” he smirked.

I did not flinch. I stared right back into those hazel eyes, unyielding. “Too bad. I am not interested in anything you have to offer. You are a bulky mindless asshole. I would rather choke on a shrimp.”

He immediately broke into a dramatic, theatrical coughing fit. I rolled my eyes and marched away, leaving him laughing through a mouthful of my pasta. “Oh, come on, Lila Rhodes!” he called out. “We are practically best friends now!”

The next morning was a disaster. I had stayed up too late studying and overslept, leaving me sprinting toward my eight o’clock in the monrning Advanced Human Anatomy lecture and laboratory class which lasted for four hours, two hours respectively. I burst into the room, hit instantly by the clinical, biting scent of formalin. The lab was filled with students gathered around long metal tables.

“You are late,” a woman in a white coat stated sharply. Dr. Kline adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses, pinning me with a stern look.

“I am so sorry, Professor Kline,” I panted, throwing out a quick lie about getting lost.

“It is Doctor Kline,” she corrected coldly. “Since you have managed to arrive just as late as the last student, you will be paired with Everett Pierce. Take the last table in the back.”

I looked toward the back of the room, and my heart sank. There he freaking was. Everett—or confidently introduced himself as ‘Rett’—stood out easily, his broad shoulders and height making him impossible to miss as he offered me that same, insufferable dimpled smirk.

“f*****g great.” I muttered under my breath and exhaled heavily through my parted lips.

The moment I approached the table, his large hand shot out, dragging my chair closer to his with that same insufferable smirk firmly in place. I ground my teeth, grabbed the seat, and pointedly shoved it back to a respectable distance before sitting down.

He did not seem deterred; instead, he leaned in until his head was inches from mine. “Well, good morning to you, partner,” he whispered and gave me another nickname. His breath was fresh with mint, and the sharp, masculine scent of his cologne drifted over me, far too close for comfort.

“I will give you the first ten minutes to get acquainted with your partners,” Dr. Kline announced. “The goal is to ease the tension, as these pairings are permanent for the rest of the semester.”

“What?” I hissed under my breath. I caught a glimpse of Everett out of the corner of my eye; he was staring straight at Dr. Kline, but his smirk had grown impossibly wider.

He leaned in, his voice a low, teasing vibration. “This is going to be an absolute blast,” he muttered softly but made sure it was audible for me to hear. “Imagine, having Advanced Human Anatomy with you for four hours two days a week?” He held my gaze for several long, agonizing seconds before throwing me a wink and turning away with a look of pure triumph.