A/N: Can you believe it? I actually updated this story. It wouldn't have been possibly without the help of the lovely (I've never actually met her but I'm sure she is), talented, and very funny KateM, who co-wrote this chapter with me. If Ben Cohen seems familiar, it's because he's the hero of her Grace and Ben saga, which begins with The New Guy. And Eric is the same ex-boyfriend Eric from the arts festival mentioned in Starting Over. I hope this was worth the wait. Read, enjoy, and review. Alexandri.
Adam collapsed on Grace's bed in a heap. He'd never done so much in one day in his entire life. He and Joan had been to three of her classes, met with some members of Circle K at lunch, and gone to the Art Gallery to look at an exhibit for her Art History class. All he wanted to do now was take a nap.
"Adam, get up." He cracked open one eye; Joan was standing over the bed.
"What?" he asked, propping himself up on an elbow.
"It's dinner," she said.
Groaning, he wondered aloud if they couldn't just order a pizza.
"What would be the fun in that?" Joan asked.
"No fun at all, but definitely less work on our part," he muttered.
Laughing, she straddled his hips and stretched out on top of him. His eyes wide at the unexpected contact, Adam simply stared as she folded her hands on his chest and propped her chin on them. "If you go to dinner with me, I promise I'll make it worth your while."
"Is that so?" he asked, his voice strained.
"Mm-hmm." She wiggled a little to find a more comfortable position.
Praying his self-control held, he stared up at the vixen smiling down at him. "And how," he paused to clear his throat, "do you intend to do that?"
"Oh, I have my ways." Joan sprinkled quick kisses on his lips. After the eighth one, he buried his hand in her hair and claimed her mouth. Her warm, throaty chuckle reverberated through him as he coaxed her mouth open. He'd just swept his tongue along her lower lip when she pulled back and shook her head at him. "Dinner first, then reward."
"That was just cruel, Jane."
Before Joan could answer, the door flew open and Grace raced in, dropping her bag on the floor and muttering to herself. "Stupid idiot. Why can't he just…" She broke off when she noticed Adam and Joan tangled on her bed. "Get off my bed, Rove." She eyed Joan suspiciously. "You two weren't…"
"No!" Joan said adamantly as she got up and straightened her clothing. "No … eww … Adam just kinda fell here."
"And you happened to fall on top of him?"
"Shut it, Grace."
"Whatever, get up," Grace commanded.
"Nice to see you, too, Grace. I had a good trip. Thanks for asking," Adam said as he rose from her bed. He tossed Splash at her. "Nice stuffed animal, by the way."
Grace growled at him, "I'm not in the mood."
Before Adam could ask when she ever was in the mood, Joan said, "We were just going to dinner. Wanna come?"
"Fine," Grace agreed, not sounding happy about it. Resisting the urge to tell his cranky friend that she didn't have to come, Adam straightened his hoodie and followed the girls out of the room. The three of them set off for the South Campus Dining Room since it was closest to the dorm. As they walked, they were stopped every few yards by someone saying hello to Joan.
"Hey, Joan," said a tall, brown-haired guy.
"Hi, Pete," she replied pleasantly, smiling. Once they were out of earshot, she explained that Pete was in her American History class last year.
"What's up, Girardi?" a redheaded guy said, falling into step with them.
"Nothing, Marshall, how are you?" she answered. They fell into a conversation about their statistics professor and the upcoming midterm on Thursday, which ended with Marshall reminding Joan about the study group Wednesday night.
Six more guys of various descriptions stopped her before they even made it across the quad. The one thing they all had in common was that they were all fairly attractive.
As Joan stopped to talk to some guy from her art history class, Adam dropped back to walk with Grace. "Do you know any of these guys?" he asked.
"They're just guys, Rove. Calm down," she answered.
"Yeah, but there are so many of them," he muttered.
Finally, they made it to the dining hall, paid, and got their food. The trio settled at a table in the corner and were discussing the differences between NYU and UMD when yet another guy sidled up. With sandy blond hair and blue eyes, Adam immediately knew that this guy was different from the others. He wasn't that tall, maybe Adam's height, but he was broad-shouldered and muscled in that "I've played sports all my life, but it's not my obsession" kind of way. The guy moved with easy confidence and a quick glance around the dining hall told Adam that the female population was far from indifferent to him. But he seemed to only have eyes for Joan.
"Hey," he said, smiling as he touched her shoulder.
"Hey." Adam frowned. Joan lit up at the guy's presence, literally lit up. She hadn't reacted like that to any of the others who'd talked to her. Pointing at the tray he carried, she tilted her head toward the empty seat at their table. "Do you want to sit?"
"Uh, sure." He took the seat next to Grace and across from Joan. Barely glancing at Grace, the guy gave Adam a discreet but thorough once-over before extending his hand to him. "I'm Eric Donnelly."
"Adam…Rove," Adam replied, reluctantly shaking his hand.
"Oh, you're the boyfriend. The one who goes to NYU."
"Yeah," Adam said, glad to know the guy knew of his status in Joan's life even though he knew nothing of Eric. Maybe he was just over-reacting.
"I'm from New York," Eric said, digging into his mashed potatoes. "It's an awesome city, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Where are you living?"
"Hayden Hall."
"Right off Washington Square, right?"
"Yeah." Adam frowned at the rapid-fire interrogation. He wasn't sure if this Eric guy was just a fast talker or if he was trying to impress Joan with his knowledge of New York. Whatever his deal, it was wearing on Adam's already frayed nerves.
"My parents live in the Upper West side."
"Mm-hmm," Adam said noncommittally. The Upper West side was where the rich people lived. "How do you know Jane?" he asked with pointed politeness. Just because the guy rubbed him the wrong way was no reason to be a jerk.
"Well, Joan and I are in the same major," Eric explained.
"But we really met at badminton club," Joan finished as she and Eric shared a laugh. Adam didn't join in. Aside from not knowing why that was funny, it was taking all of his willpower not reach across the table and strangle Joan's friend.
"He's staring," Grace said flatly. It was the first thing she'd said since Eric joined them.
"Who?" Joan asked, following her gaze.
Adam twisted in his seat to see who they were looking at. He noticed a dark-haired guy staring at the four of them. "Who's that?" he asked, slightly bitter as he figured it was another one of Joan's groupies. Didn't she know any girls?
"That's Ben," Joan explained with a grin. "He has a crush on Grace."
"He does not have a crush on me!" Grace objected.
"And if Grace were to be completely honest, she'd admit she has a crush on him, too."
"Shut it, Girardi!" Grace warned.
"Otherwise," Joan continued blithely, "she wouldn't have known he was staring."
Adam let out the breath he was unconsciously holding. Smiling, he turned to Grace. "So how long have you two had these crushes?"
"Neither of us has a crush," Grace told him before turning her fierce glare on Joan. "And he's practically boring holes in me, he's staring so hard . . ."
"Which you wouldn't know if you weren't doing the same thing to him," Joan retorted.
"I don't have a crush on him." Abruptly, she stood up. "I'm leaving," she said, collecting her tray. As she turned away from the table, Eric ducked, narrowly avoiding getting clipped by Grace's tray. Adam suppressed a smile. Even when she wasn't trying, Grace always came through for him.
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Two days later, Adam begged off from attending Joan's TERPCorps meeting. All he wanted was to spend five minutes alone with Joan, but that had proved impossible. Since he'd arrived, there'd been nothing but an endless round of meetings for a myriad of clubs as well as badminton practice twice. Then there were her classes, for which she conscientiously studied, and her study groups. None of this included her multitude of friends. Every time he turned around, someone, usually a guy, was around them. If nothing else, Grace constantly came and went, shooting him dirty looks whenever she entered or left the room.
Deciding that he needed to get out of the dorm before he went crazy, Adam pulled on his hoodie, hoisted his backpack over one shoulder, and headed out. He found a bench on the quad and, pulling out his sketchbook, began to draw the library. He pushed all thoughts of Joan out of his head as he sketched. Quickly, the random lines and angles became the outline of a building.
"That's really good," said a voice over his shoulder. Turning, Adam found the dark-haired guy from the dining hall hovering behind him. "You're a friend of Joan's, right?"
Adam nodded. "Actually, I'm her boyfriend."
"Wait, you're Rove?" The dark-haired guy plopped down uninvited next to Adam. "Grace told me about you."
Adam almost did a double take. Grace was on speaking terms with her secret crush? Thinking that he might be mistaken about the guy's identity, he asked, "And you are?"
"Ben…Ben Cohen, engineering, class of 2010. Nice to meet you."
The two shook hands while Adam fought the urge to laugh. No wonder Grace was freaking out about liking him. Who'd have ever thought Grace would end up crushing on a nice, Jewish engineer-to-be. "Adam," he said, figuring Grace had never referred to him by his first name.
"NYU, right?"
"Yeah."
The two chatted amiably about New York for several minutes. Feeling more and more comfortable with Ben, Adam changed the subject, figuring he had nothing to lose. "Do you know this Eric Donnelly guy?" Ben snorted in response. "What does that mean?"
"The man plays badminton," Ben explained. "It's not even a real sport."
"Unchallenged," Adam laughed, liking Ben even more, "but what kind of guy is he?"
Ben shrugged. "He's a senior. He's in a frat. I guess he's OK."
"But you don't like him." It wasn't a question.
"'Course I don't like him," Ben grumbled. "He's after Grace."
"What?"
"He is always hanging around Grace and Joan."
Adam tilted his head, considering this possibility. Maybe this Eric guy was after Grace. Maybe he had nothing to worry about. But Eric almost never looked at Grace. His eyes were almost always trained on Joan with a weird mix of friendliness and predatory sensitivity. Whenever possible, he touched her, always casually, almost like it was unintentional. In fact, Eric didn't just seem to not be after Grace, he seemed totally unaware of her. If it really was Grace he wanted, he hid it exceptionally well. "I don't think Eric's into Grace, Ben," Adam admitted finally, letting go of the brief hope that Ben was right.
"He's not?" he asked, clearly surprised at the thought. "Then who . . . Joan?"
Adam nodded.
Sitting back against the bench, Ben took a moment to process the new idea. Finally, he turned to Adam. "I still don't like him."
"You don't?"
"No," Ben said with an adamant shake of his head. "It was one thing when he was just my rival for Grace, but if he's after Joan, that's just wrong. She's taken. You don't go after someone who's already taken."
"No, you don't," Adam agreed. Ben turned toward the library, lost in thought, while Adam returned to his sketch. He was almost finished when Ben spoke again.
"I know you don't know me," he began, "but, from what Grace has said about you, you're a really good guy. And Joan, the way she talks about you, I'm sure she loves you."
"Thanks. Joan says you're a good guy, too."
"What does Grace say?"
Adam couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "You don't want to know."
Ben frowned and slumped in his seat for a moment before straightening and returning his gaze to Adam. "I've gotten off subject. What I was trying to say is that, if I were you, I wouldn't trust Eric Donnelly around Joan."
"I don't," Adam said, feeling all the frustration he was reluctant to share with Joan rise to the surface. "But I don't see what I can do about it without coming off like a jerk. He never really crosses the line; he just toes it. If I say anything, she'll just think I'm jealous."
"Well, you are, but that doesn't mean you're wrong."
"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do?" Adam demanded. "I'm not going to be around when you guys get back from break and he's not going to have to back off once I'm gone. Jane's not stupid, but she doesn't see what we see."
After a moment, Ben said quietly, "I could look after her for you."
"What?"
"I know about guys like Donnelly," Ben said with a shrug in the same quiet voice. "He likes her and she's not married so she's fair game as far as he's concerned. I could hang out with her, you know, to make sure he doesn't go too far."
"Why would you do that?"
"Aside from the benefit of getting to spend more time with Grace?" Ben answered, stating the most obvious reason first. "I've seen guys like him operate. I know what it's like to suddenly not have a girlfriend anymore because she's now dating the guy she insisted was just a 'friend.'
"Joan loves you, but you're right. You're not around. One day she's going to need you and you're not going to be here, but Donnelly will be and . . . I'd hate to see two people so important to Grace get hurt."
Adam smiled at how Ben's motivation revolved around his feelings for Grace but he wasn't sure how he felt about the arrangement. Ben appeared to be the only male on campus who wasn't interested in Joan, but he didn't like the idea of yet another guy hanging around his girlfriend in his absence. And if she ever found out that he'd had Ben "looking out" for her, she'd be livid. As tempted as he was to accept Ben's offer, he feared the potential danger it posed to his already fragile relationship wasn't worth the peace of mind it would give him. "I appreciate the offer but I can't accept."
"I understand," Ben said, nodding. "If Joan ever found out, she'd think you didn't trust her. She wouldn't be too inclined to forgive you either."
"Right," Adam said, glad that Ben picked up on the problem so quickly.
"That doesn't mean that she isn't in over her head where Donnelly's concerned," Ben continued, looking Adam in the eye. "She could definitely benefit from some friendly male advice. You know, an honest male prospective from a guy whose interests lie elsewhere."
"You just want to get close to Grace."
"I never denied that."
"At least you're honest," Adam laughed before sobering. "It would be nice to know that Jane had one guy friend on campus. Someone who'd point out the intentions of her other guy 'friends.'"
"Consider it done."
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By Friday, Adam had had it. He and Joan had spent a grand total of thirty minutes alone together spread out over five days. When they were in her room, Grace was there. When they went to dinner and Grace begged off, Eric came and sat with them. When they were walking around the campus, trying to have a conversation, they were besieged by all these people who simply had to talk to Joan at that moment.
With the whirlwind of midterms and meetings at an end, Joan had suggested they catch a movie, so the three of them were standing in line together. The wind had whipped up and Joan was huddled against Adam for warmth, hands in the pockets of his jacket.
"Hey guys," Ben greeted them as he cut into the line with them.
"You can't just cut!" Grace exclaimed.
"It's not a big deal," he replied.
"Yes, it is!"
"Grace, it's subverting the system. I thought that's what you were all about."
As the two of them bickered, Adam had a sudden flash of brilliance. "Let's go," he whispered to Joan.
"What?" she said, startled by his suggestion. "What about the movie?"
"Forget the movie. Let's go hang out."
"Adam, we can't."
"Why not?" he demanded.
"Because we made plans."
He took a deep calming breath, thinking carefully about his next words. "I haven't seen you at all this week."
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "Yes, you have. We've spent the entire week together."
"Jane, I've gone to your classes with you, I've gone to all these meetings with you. I've even gone to your study groups with you. But we haven't spent any time together. Just us, Jane and Adam."
"Oh, Adam, I'm sorry. This week has just been so crazy."
"So let's go."
Before she could answer, Grace turned around and handed them their tickets. "Let's go," she grumbled, following Ben in.
The moment lost, Adam shrugged and gestured for Joan to go in after Grace.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "We don't have to if you don't want to?"
"No, it's okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She beamed at him. It was the first time one of her brilliant smiles had been directed solely at him since he arrived. "Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Adam scoffed as he entered the theater. "I'm not holding my breath."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked indignantly.
"It means," he began as he handed the door person their tickets, "that you still haven't made the dinner thing from Monday 'worth my while.'"
Joan gave him a saucy smirk as she ran her hand down his chest. When she reached his stomach, she grabbed a handful of his hoodie and leaned into him. "The night's still young," she said before brushing a kiss on his lips and tugging him after her toward the busy concession stand.
"What took you guys so long?" Grace demanded as they got in line.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Joan teased.
Grace rolled her eyes and turned toward the register, studiously ignoring Joan, Adam and Ben.
Adam flashed a sympathetic smile at Ben as Joan leaned forward and tapped Grace's shoulder. "He's still here," she stage-whispered, making Ben blush.
"Go to hell, Girardi," Grace responded without turning around.
"You don't believe in hell."
"But you do."
Chuckling, Joan leaned back and patted Ben's arm. "She'll come around," she whispered.
Ben blushed even harder as he turned toward the register as well.
Slipping his arms around Joan's waist, Adam kissed the curve of her jaw. "That was a pretty bold thing you did, provoking Grace like that," he teased.
"Someone needs to." She leaned back in his arms. "But I'm done for the night. I have a boyfriend to flirt with."
Laughing, he leaned down to receive the kiss she offered. His lips were a hair's breadth from hers when he heard a now familiar voice say, "Joan." Somehow, his stomach managed to sink and heave all at once as he looked up to find Eric coming to a stop next to them.
Eric nodded to him before returning his gaze to Joan. "Imagine running into you here."
Yes, imagine, Adam thought sarcastically as Joan said hello. She asked what he'd come to see. Adam wasn't surprised to learn that it was the same movie as theirs.
"It's filling up fast," Eric continued. "One of you should go get seats before there aren't any left."
Joan looked up at Adam. "You want me to go while you get the popcorn? I'll try to get seats in the back."
He wanted to say to hell with the seats, why don't they just do something else, but seeing the faux harmlessness in Eric's eyes prevented him from doing it. As much as he wanted to leave, he wasn't going to give the guy the satisfaction of running him off. Pasting a smile on his face, he nodded. He didn't think his voice would be normal enough to fool her.
"Okay." She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a little squeeze before leaving with Eric.
Staring after her, he realized he was an idiot. He should have looked Eric in the eye and told him to back off his girlfriend. Instead, he practically handed her to him.
"Hey."
Adam turned to Ben.
"I'll go keep an eye on him," Ben said.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Ben replied as he thrust his money in Adam's hands. "Get me some Junior Mints," he said as he dashed off after them.
Seven minutes later, Adam finally made it to the movie and what he saw made his stomach lurch. Joan sat next to Eric, who'd just said something to make her laugh. With an annoyed sigh, he went to the aisle they sat in and made his way to them.
As he passed Ben, whom he'd be sitting next to, the guy shrugged and mouthed, "I tried."
Adam nodded and sat down, passing out the refreshments. Joan slipped her arm through his, but continued talking to Eric.
"What happened?" he whispered to Ben.
"Donnelly moves fast," Ben whispered back. "He'd already gotten her here before I could catch up with them. But the girl on the other side of him is his date."
Surprised, Adam looked around to see a pretty blonde beside Eric pleasantly chatting with him and Joan. Turning back to Ben, he said, "He's hitting on my girlfriend while he's on a date?"
"Looks that way."
"What are you two whispering about?" Grace and Joan asked simultaneously.
"Nothing," they said as the lights began to dim.
Joan scooted closer to him and propped her chin on his shoulder. "This isn't so bad, is it?"
Catching one last glimpse of her face in the waning light, he shook his head despite the uneasiness in his stomach and smiled. "No."
She returned his smile and laid her head down. Since he wasn't remotely interested in the movie, he focused his attention on Joan. Adam rested his cheek against her hair, soaking in its vanilla scent. She'd changed shampoos, he noticed. He was acutely aware of every movement, every laugh, every little kiss she brushed across his upper arm. Her absent caress on the back of his hand made his heart race and he shifted in his seat to ease the increasingly uncomfortable fit of his jeans. To preserve his sanity, he turned his hand over under hers and twined their fingers together.
Squeezing his hand, Joan turned toward him. She leaned into him, her free hand clutching his arm and her eyes locked on his lips. Needing no further invitation, Adam kissed her. Bearing in mind how eager she'd been to see the movie, he pulled back only to stop when she cupped his jaw and drew him back to her. Slipping his arm around her waist, Adam relaxed into the kiss, smiling when she prodded his lips apart with her tongue.
It started out gradually, a mere reacquainting of lips with the slightest hint of tongue. Then she slid her tongue along his as her fingers tangled in the hair at his nape and the last of his restraint was lost. With a groan, Adam grabbed her to him, mentally cursing the armrest between them. Joan came eagerly, whimpering even as she attempted to devour his mouth. Somehow, his hand found its way under her shirt. The warm, silken skin at the small of her back combined with the feel of her firm, lush breasts against his chest was sending him into sensory overload but stopping was the furthest thing from his mind. Joan's hand slid from his nape to his neck then continued down his torso to hover above his waistband. Her hand toyed along the edge of his jeans, making him crazy. Adam was certain he would combust at any moment but he was helpless to stop it. Sighing, he surrendered to the inevitable.
Joan's fingers dipped inside his waistband. With a gasp, she broke the kiss. Struggling to catch his breath, Adam stared at her. Even in the flickering blue light, he saw the blush heating her cheeks. She tucked her hair behind her ears, her hand trembling, and cast furtive glances at him. Finally, she gave him an embarrassed smile. He smiled back and cupped her cheek. Joan lowered her eyes and leaned into him. When her lips were next to his ear, she whispered, "I don't know what came over me."
"Me, either," he whispered back, "but I'm glad it did."
She giggled and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"I guess that makes Monday worth my while," he teased. "So what do you have in mind for tonight?"
She giggled again but didn't move or answer. Adam closed his eyes, enjoying her closeness and the caress of her breath on his neck. When she stirred again, she whispered, "I want you."
He sat back and stared at her. She stared back, clearly anxious about his reaction but he saw the passion in her eyes. It was hotter than the day two years ago in his truck. The memory of that afternoon rushed back, filling his mind's eye. He'd wanted her so much, almost as much as he wanted her now. Just like that, he realized that he was tired of waiting and wanting. Sweeping his fingertips over her cheek, he nodded. "Okay."
Her mouth dropped and she searched his face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Joan tried to find words but gave up with a gasp. "Okay," she said finally before laying her head on his shoulder.
Adam kissed the top of her head. As he turned back to the screen, he caught sight of Eric's face. He had been staring at Joan. Now he raised his eyes to Adam. For the first time since they'd met, Adam felt the full brunt of Eric's hostility. Letting all his anger and frustration fill his eyes, Adam sat a little straighter and stared back. "Leave her alone," he mouthed.
Eric didn't respond, just glared back. Then he turned back to the movie.
Brushing another kiss on her hair, Adam wrapped his arm around Joan, letting the feel of her snuggling against him take his mind off of Eric for the rest of the movie.