I nodded. “Okay.”

Declan looked up at that moment, his gray eyes zeroing in on mine, and I lifted a hand in a wave. I shoved thoughts of Colby away.

He tucked his book in his backpack and headed our way.

“Just watching him walk is like art moving.” Shelley sighed.

He stopped in front of our crew, gave Dax a fist bump and nodded at the rest of us. We all headed inside Zoe’s, a pizza place.

Declan slowed his steps until he was walking next to me. “Hey, you. Been wanting to talk to you.”

“Hey.” I set my pace with his. “You didn’t come to class today.”

He sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Yeah. I had an appointment at a bank. We had some flooring issues come up at the gym, and I went in to see if I could adjust my loan.” He rubbed his jaw.

My lips parted. He needed more money? “I wish I could help you.”

He shrugged. “I’ve got a plan. Always. But enough of that.” He sent me a serious look, his eyes roaming over my face as if he were devouring it. “I’m sorry about Nadia showing up at the diner … and then we didn’t really get to finish talking about everything.”

“About having sex and how great it was?” I inhaled.

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Wanna meet tonight?”

“I get off work at seven.”

“Hey guys!” Nadia waved, a bright smile on her face as she said excuse me’s and cut in front of several students so she could be directly behind us. “Are you having lunch too?”

What the hell. She was like a tick you couldn’t get off a dog.

And this whole showing up everywhere we were? Not cool.

She smiled. “So happy I saw you! I wanted to tell you good luck on your jewelry interview.”

I blinked. How fake could she be? I’d just told her how annoying she was the last time I saw her.

She bobbed her blond hair. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. Declan told me all about it. Do you make rings? I’d love to see them sometime.” She flashed her right hand where a huge diamond rested. “Daddy gave me this one on my eighteenth birthday, but I’d love something more quaint.”

I looked at Declan. “You tell everything you know?” I left asshole off.

He frowned. “We were talking at the diner—after you so abruptly left—and I happened to mention why we were at Minnie’s to begin with—”

“Oh no. Did I say something wrong?” Nadia said, biting her lip and batting her lashes. “Please don’t misunderstand. It’s just Declan and I have a deep friendship. We will talk even if we don’t date anymore. I hope that doesn’t bother you. Oh, but you guys aren’t dating anyway, right?”

Oh, she didn’t fool me.

Just the thought of her with Declan made me want to pull every hair on her head out. In clumps. Hell, it made me want to pull every hair on his head out.

Maybe some chest hairs too.

But I reminded myself that Nadia was a pro at manipulating people, and I refused to be toyed with so easily. Two years ago, I’d let myself break in half when girls had trash-talked and run me into the ground, but that wasn’t ever going to happen again.

Bitchy girls with a hard-on for Declan would not determine my happiness or lack thereof.

Declan took my hand and laced his fingers through mine. His thumb caressed my palm. Did he know I was jonesing to smack her? “You ready to eat, love?” he asked softly.

I speared a last look at Nadia’s face, her eyes locked on our intertwined hands.

The cave woman in me wanted to jump on her and have a tussle right here in the cafeteria. But I was better than that.

I nodded at Declan. “I’m starving.”

“Oh, and by the way, Elizabeth and I are dating, Nadia,” Declan said. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to eat lunch.”

What? I felt my eyes widen, but I played it cool.

What on earth was he up to? Was he just trying to get rid of her?

She blinked rapidly, her mouth opening and closing, and then she turned and flounced off.

As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned to me. “You know me telling her about your jewelry was completely innocent, right? She twisted that to make it more than it was.” He studied my face. “I don’t want Nadia. I think you know exactly what I want.”

Okay.

I didn’t bring up his comment about us dating as we went through the line, got our pizzas, and found the large table where our friends were already seated.

Because you like the idea.