Hidden Mate

10

However, if I went back to Roxy without food, I’d never hear the end of it. She was already teasing me; I didn’t need to push it and make her suspicious. She’d never let it go, and I had a feeling my new vampy friends wouldn’t either.

Donovan got in line a few people behind me.

The smart thing to do would be to keep my eyes forward and not engage, but I quickly learned I was, in fact, not a smart person. We had a class together, so playing nice would be in my favor. “Don’t even try to claim I stole your food this time,” I said teasingly.

He hmphed and licked his bottom lip, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he focused on the menu above the grill.

Well, he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to talk to me. Great.

The two guys between us stared awkwardly at the ground.

Yeah, I didn’t blame them. I’d be doing the same thing.

“Dude.” Axel walked over, oblivious to my presence. “I thought you were getting pizza. You talked about it the entire way here.” He paused and followed Donovan’s gaze right to me.

“R

eally?” Axel sighed. “Of course you’d want a burger now.”

My heart warmed even though it shouldn’t have. If he’d come over here because of me, then he was struggling with the same damn feelings.

“Shut up.” Donovan glared, his jaw set. “I want both.”

Axel lowered his voice. “Because we have that kind of cash?”

He’d said it quietly, so he didn’t think I’d heard, but with my hearing, he might as well have said it in his normal voice.

“I told you, I’m going to look for a job tonight.” Donovan avoided looking at his friend. “Everything will be fine.”

“I sure hope you’re right.” Axel cracked his neck. “I’ll grab us a table.” He turned and made his way to the registers.

“What kind of burger do you want?” the cook asked, getting my attention.

My stomach rumbled. “Two double bacon burgers, please. Medium-rare.”

The older man put four patties on the grill. “Uh … are you sure you want medium-rare? It might make you sick.”

“Positive.” It shocked me how humans wanted their meat fully cooked. It lost all its flavor when it was cooked through.

“Okay.” He grabbed four buns, coated them with butter, and put them on the grill. He then pulled some already cooked bacon out of a tin tub.

He took the next few people’s orders while I stood there, playing on my phone again. I needed a distraction so I wouldn’t be tempted to look at him.

After Donovan placed his order, he stood closer to me. His scent overshadowed the smell of the delicious, greasy meat.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, and his head jerked forward.

He was stealing glances at me, and it should have terrified me, not thrilled me.

He bounced his leg and ran his hands through his hair. He nibbled on his lip, and his face softened as he faced me. “Two double burgers, huh? Want to become a fat-ass?”

His words took a second to register. He’d been a growly ass to me, but this was a cheap shot, especially since it had looked like he was going to be nice. “Well, you keep stalking me, so I have to figure out a way to get you to leave me the hell alone.”

The fact that he’d hurt me made this attraction even worse because I still wasn’t repelled by him. I mean, what did that say about me? I refused to have a mate who treated me the way my father did. Why was I even using the word mate when referencing him? I wanted to face-palm myself for the thought.

Needing space, I grabbed the plate with both burgers and stepped toward the cashiers.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Donovan straightened his back. “There’s only one place to eat on campus, and it’s lunchtime.”

“Maybe you should’ve gotten your pizza first, then.” I marched away from him, keeping my head straight and refusing to cower.

When I made it back to the girls, Roxy lifted an eyebrow and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I slipped onto the seat next to her and placed the plate between us. “Just starving.”

“Your heart is racing a mile a minute.” Lillith took a huge swig of her blood. “If that doesn’t prove you’re lying, I’ll dress up in rainbow colors tomorrow and pretend to be a unicorn.”

“Oh … and poop out rainbows.” Roxy grinned and nodded. “While carrying around four puppies.”

“Stop getting excited,” Lillith said, shooting Roxy a go-to-hell look. “She’s obviously lying, so this won’t actually be a thing.”

“Uh …” Roxy jerked her head from side to side. “She’s not lying.”

The air around us smelled like rotten eggs.

“Oh God.” Katherine rubbed her forehead. “Everyone, just stop. Obviously, Sadie lied, but she doesn’t want to talk about it, so we’re going to be good friends and let it go.”

“Wait.” Roxy frowned. “I never agreed to that. Letting it go doesn’t make you a good friend.”

“I don’t know.” I had to give her s**t—anything to get the attention off me. “You do always force yourself on me. Maybe she has a point.”

“Please.” Roxy flipped her hair over her shoulder and grabbed the burger. “You know you love me.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon in my dorm room, working on my homework. I needed to get a head start on my classes. Dad had made a point to tell me if my scholarship fell through, I’d be coming home. He’d almost sounded like he hoped I’d fail. Just another thing for him to hold against me to prove I was an embarrassment.

A loud knock sounded on the door, startling me from my psychology reading.

Let me guess. Roxy lifted her head from her pillow and glared at the door. Satan is here.

Don’t insult Satan like that. I’d hoped that football practice would run over and keep Brock from making dinner. He has more redeeming qualities than that jackass.

True. Roxy tossed her phone aside and stood. You’re making me answer the door, which is cruel.

You’re watching videos while I’m trying to finish this chapter. I swore I’d read the same line at least five times. It’ll just take a second.