Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

"Why didn't you come home for my birthday? And who's this guy? Are you dating someone at school now?"

Scarlette was totally blindsided, the questions hitting her all at once. She just stood there, stunned.

"How long have you been waiting out here? You're soaked! What if you get sick? Where's the driver?"

Nicholas sniffled, wiping his nose. "I ran here by myself. Ah-choo..."

Scarlette shot an apologetic look at her classmate. "Sorry, can we talk about this tomorrow? Do you mind if I borrow your umbrella? I'm really sorry."

The boy glanced over at Nicholas, feeling a little uneasy. There was something way too possessive about the way the kid clung to Scarlette. And honestly, he got this weird, hostile vibe from him. But Nicholas was her brother, after all. He liked Scarlette, so naturally he wanted to be nice to her little brother too.

"Sure. See you tomorrow," he said.

Scarlette slipped off her jacket and wrapped it around Nicholas, then took his hand.

"How could you just run over here by yourself? Didn't the driver come with you? Never mind, let's get you upstairs to change. You'll have to wear my clothes for now."

Her class was the honors class, so even at this hour, most people were still in the classroom working through practice tests.

She brought Nicholas into her dorm, grabbed some of her clothes, and started helping him change.

But Nicholas clung tightly to his wet shirt, refusing to let go.

couldn't help but

fine. Change

quickly swapped his wet clothes for

fair-skinned, and just so pretty. That was all Nicholas could think: Scarlette was the most beautiful woman in

faintly sweet, and it made him strangely embarrassed. For the first time, he felt a

standing there, head down, the tips of his ears bright red. She

you're burning up.

totally blank. In that moment,

his hand, checked in with the dorm matron,

the umbrella to

whe

the

on the umbrella, filling the world with that steady patter. To Nicholas it felt like everything around

gate, the Greenard family

He looked so

"Thank goodness. Miss, your

called you a ton

off

the car door,

soon as they sat down, she started scolding him. "What