Page 13 of Full Court Press

I put a little pep in my step to catch up to her. Once I caught up, she looked up at me and frowned.

“You know, if you keep frowning like that, you’re going to get frown lines on that pretty face.” I could tell I shocked her because her face immediately relaxed.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm.”

“What do you want?” she asked as we walked out of the building.

“For you not to be mad at me.”

“Why would I be mad at you? And why do you care if I’m mad at you or not?”

“I wasn’t being very nice to you the other day. I want to apologize because you didn’t deserve that energy. I was just cranky because of exhaustion, so I’m sorry that you had to take the heat from that.”

“Mm. Okay. Enjoy the rest of your day.” She dismissed.

I chuckled. “Damn. I can’t get confirmation that you accept my apology?”

“Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She continued walking, and I followed.

“Let me walk you to your dorm.”

“For what? We aren’t friends. I don’t need security.”

“I know you don’t. You look like you got hands. I don’t want no smoke with you, and I’m sure nobody else does either.”

I could see her trying to suppress her smile as she looked away from me. That made me feel good, even though she was giving me fuck-off vibes.

“Mm,” she mumbled as we continued to walk. The Coretta dorms were about a mile from the main building, so I had a little time to pick her brain before we departed.

“Where you from?”

“Saturn.”

I chuckled. “You answered that shit too fast. With all this alien and robot shit going on, I can believe it.”

She stopped walking. “Why are you trying to make me like you?”

My smile broadened again. “You like me?”

“Hell no. If I never see you again, it would be too soon.”

“Damn, shorty. If I’d known my irritation that day would have put me in the doghouse, I would have come at you differently.”

“From my observation, your doghouse is pretty plush. I’m sure you enjoy it there, so there’s no sense in letting you out.”

“Damn, that’s cold.” I chuckled. “I mean, I ain’t forcing you to like me, but I am kinda dope if you get to know me. I want to show you that I’m not the asshole you think I am.”

Those big, pretty-ass eyes came to me again, confirming what I already knew she thought of me. I smiled down at her. She hurried and looked away, then started walking again.

Damn, she was pretty.

And off limits.

Even though shorty had a mouth on her that would have women like Sabrina wanting to put hands on her, I discerned Piper’s attitude and tough exterior was a guard that she put up over time. What was she guarding herself from? I wasn’t sure, but I knew if I were to pursue her in that way, she wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure I’d bring. Besides, Kiyanne was my only concern at the moment.

We were silent until we reached the entrance to her building a few minutes later. She turned and glared at me for a moment before asking, “What do you really want, Khalil?”