Rush Read Online Free PDF Page B

but they didn’t know who Max is.”
    “You don’t know that,” she said. “One of
Trent’s frat brothers might have been hanging around and we didn’t see him.”
    “That’s true.” I rubbed my eyes again. “What
if he wanted to be seen with me?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Trent claims he’s a major manipulator
and that he has it in for him. What if he’s getting all cozy with me just to
irritate Trent?”
    “That’s twisted.” She bit thoughtfully
into a maple bar. “Do you suppose he’s really that bad? Maybe Trent is
exaggerating.”
    “I don’t know. What really bugs me is he
wouldn’t say why he hates Max so much. He just said he was a wild kid and ran
away when he was sixteen.”
    “Sounds like you need to do some
detective work.”
    “Do I? Maybe I just need to mind my own
business.” Besides, I hadn’t got a single clue how to be a detective.

 
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Max
    The next time I saw Caroline, it was
several days after our cafe meeting. She was walking along the sidewalk next to
the chem hall, wearing a huge backpack slung over one shoulder. She had on
shorts that exposed the bottom half of her legs and a hoodie to keep her warm
in the morning chill.
    Those were some incredible legs. Tight
with muscle, a sexy curve in her calves, tiny ankles. I swallowed hard as I
watched her stroll down the street ahead of me, unaware of my presence. She
didn’t have Selene’s overt sexuality, yet I couldn’t stop looking at her.
    Our prior conversation had revealed a
different person than the one I’d expected. She wasn’t quite the empty-headed
party girl I’d thought she’d be, but she still looked like Miss Sweet Girl Next
Door with her long shorts...you know, the kind that go all the way down to the
knee. Prissy. And she was still Trent’s girlfriend, so although she might be
friendly on the surface, she had to be like him underneath. Where it counted.
    I quickened my pace to catch up with
her. My heart started its usual frantic pounding whenever I saw her, which was
totally due to the fact I was ruthlessly using her to get back at Trent.
Treating women badly wasn’t normal behavior for me and I didn’t much like it.
But I wouldn’t really hurt her; I’d only go far enough to drive my stepbrother
crazy and then I’d back off.
    “Hey, Caroline,” I said as I came
shoulder to shoulder with her.
    She jerked her head around and stared at
me like I’d really scared her. “Um...hi.”
    Was she afraid of me? Maybe Trent had
already told her what I’d done. My pounding heart seemed to shrivel up inside
my chest at the thought that Caroline saw me as a murderer.
    I forced a smile. “How are you?”
    “I’m good. You?”
    “I’m fine.” Yeah. A scintillating
conversationalist, too. “So...are you headed to class?”
    “Um...” She glanced around as if looking
for someone to bail her out of a bad situation. “No. I have an hour until my
next one.”
    “What a coincidence. So do I.”
    “Oh.” She smiled weakly. Trent had
definitely scared her.
    A good guy would back off at this point
and let her go her way. But I wasn’t a particularly good guy, and I wanted to
shake up my stepbrother badly enough that it didn’t matter to me if I made
Caroline nervous.
    Okay, yeah, it bothered me. A lot. But I
wasn’t going to let that get in my way.
    “I was just on my way to get some
coffee. Come with me, keep me company.”
    She ducked her head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t.”
    “Aw, come on. I promise I won’t bite.”
    Her lips pressed together like she was
trying not to smile. “How do I know you’ll keep your promise?”
    “I always keep my promises.”
    Caroline glanced furtively around at the
other people going to and from classes. “No. Really. Trent might find out.”
    “You’re that worried about him?” Good.
    “Yes. He told me to stay away from you.”
    “Hmm.” I tilted my head, watching her as
we continued down the sidewalk. “I thought you liked to make up