Heart of Thorns (Shadow Valley U Book 2)

Rhys follows me through the wide fourth-floor hallway of the Administration building. He keeps opening and closing his mouth like he’s going to say something, but so far, no sound has actually made it past his lips.

He probably wants to tell me that of all the girls in the world, and of all the harebrained ideas, mine is the worst.

The girl and the idea.

I just need to keep reminding myself that none of this is real. Briar and I are faking a relationship—of which we haven’t had much public-facing time yet, minus the pizzeria—and that means faking glances and pointed looks and touches. It means not really reacting when her hand brushes mine or my fingers wrap around her calf to help her stretch in the weight room…

Even when my whole body buzzes at the contact.

I hate it.

“This is a bad idea,” Rhys finally mutters. “Are you sure about this?”

I roll my eyes, but I’m far enough ahead that he doesn’t catch it. Of course I’m sure, but my plan is flimsy at best.

What started as a simple inquiry with Aaron Westin, my center, turned into a full-blown online investigation. I didn’t think I’d be sitting with my coffee at the kitchen table this morning, leaning over his shoulder while he showed me all the drama on social media that I apparently missed.

There was a lot of chatter about Briar a few months ago…

My stomach twists.

I didn’t want to read it, but Aaron looked me dead in the eye and said I should know what I was getting into with her. He backtracked, saying she was lovely at dinner the other night, but people are going to talk.

What the fuck do I care?

I’m not saying my reputation is untouchable. No—judging by first, the love Briar garnered on the hockey team, then the way the court of public opinion reversed on her after her injury… no one is untouchable.

I just don’t want public opinion to dictate who I date.

Fake date.

What-fucking-ever.

It’s fake, yes, but the hurt in her eyes when she admitted that my teammate cheated on her?

That was as real as it gets.

“Did she ask you to do this?” Rhys jogs a few steps to catch up and grabs my arm. “Don’t fall for her manipulation⁠—”

“Do not.” I shake off his grip. “She wouldn’t ask this of me.”

And I’m doing it anyway.

I reach the right door and stop dead. Through the narrow vertical window in the wooden door, I can see the students in class.

There’s Briar, her head down over a notebook, her pen scribbling furiously. And farther back, her ex.

The cheating snake.

The time ticks closer to the top of the hour, and finally, the professor releases his class. Briar doesn’t rise when the rest of the class does. Everyone seems to scramble to put their laptops back in their bags, to pack up and hurry out, while she moves much more methodically.

“Grab him when he leaves,” I say over my shoulder.

Rhys groans.

I cut through the tide of students exiting and slip up the aisle. I lost sight of Ben, but he was one of the ones packing in a hurry. Somehow, sticking around to be the last one out of the room doesn’t seem like something he’d have the patience for.

Did he rush her after the accident, too?

Or did he just stop giving a fuck entirely and leave without her?

I force my jaw to unclench and drop into the chair in front of her.

She jerks her head up, her eyes narrowing—then, shockingly, softening.

“Hey, kitten.” I smirk. “How was class?”

“Fine…” She glances around. “What are you doing?”

“I figured I’d walk you to your next one. Or lunch, if you’re free.” Because I don’t have her class schedule memorized… yet.

She nods once. “I don’t have class until three.”

I can’t stop the bright smile that takes over my face. I grab her bag and sling it over my shoulder, then offer my hand.

She takes it, and I gently help her to her feet. And I keep the hand, just because she lets me.

That lasts until we get into the hallway, anyway, and come face-to-face with Ben and Rhys. While my best friend isn’t holding Ben, in the physical way that I was hoping for, he does seem to be doing his best effort to keep him distracted.

“Patterson.” My voice comes out like a whip, and Briar immediately stops in her tracks.

My teammate glances from Rhys to me, and his expression flattens.

“Show him what we found,” I tell Rhys.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a point.” I squeeze her hand.

Rhys shows Ben his phone, and he goes still.

“That goes public if you so much as peek at Briar again,” I tell him. “No glances. No stopping to check up on her. Those days were over the moment you fucked her over.”

He looks from me to Rhys, then back again. “What is this, some sort of shakedown? You want to blackmail me?”

I release Briar’s hand and get up in his space. It takes a lot of effort to leave my hands by my sides instead of balling my fists in his shirt. Slamming him into the wall would probably feel real fucking good.

“What do you think Coach would say about your flagrant cheating? We have a code of ethics, Patterson. And honestly, I’d love nothing more than to see you kicked off the team. But since you’re good at your fucking job, you get one more chance.” I stare him down.

Finally, his gaze shifts away. “Okay, fucking hell. Fine.”

I smile.

We watch him walk away, and I turn back to Briar, expecting her to be furious with me.

Because I didn’t do it for her—I did it because of her. Because of the gleam in her eye. Although I highly doubt she’ll see it that way.

Instead, she seems… gleeful. “What the hell did you find to make him shake in his boots like that?”

I lift one shoulder. “Just proof that he pays someone to write his papers. His GPA sucked freshman year, but it got better. Now we know why.”

“Holy shit. Do you think he’ll leave me alone?” She bounces on her heels, then winces. Then smiles.

A true smile.

“I think he likes football enough to not test me.”

I hold out my hand again. She takes it, and I reel her in.

There are plenty of people around. Plenty of witnesses.

It seems only right to kiss her in this moment.

Our lips touch. Brief but holy shit. She pulls away too fast, and I mask my frown.

“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

My dick twitches in my pants. “We’re going to have to work on that. After all, practice makes perfect.”