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“Good morning, gorgeous,” a voice purred behind me, and I paid no notice as I assumed they weren’t talking to me. Until a large hand rested on the small of my back and a large body sidled up against me. “You don’t mind me cutting the line here, do you, Ash?” “Actually, I do.” I glanced behind us at the half-dozen people who’d joined the queue behind. “This guy is cutting the line!” I told them. No one responded. Hell, they all looked like they were trying not to look our way at all. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?” Heath asked, as though I hadn’t just tried to get him kicked out of line. I folded my arms and huffed an irritated sound, refusing to look up at him. “If you’re talking about the party, yes. If you’re talking about the stupid rumor that I made out with Royce, then you and your smug crap can go jump off a cliff.” Heath’s fingers flexed on the small of my back, and he made a small sound of...surprise? “You did what with Royce?” I rolled my eyes. “Absolutely freaking nothing. I don’t know if he started the rumor himself or if someone else was drunk and thought that’s what they saw, but—” I broke off with a frustrated growl. “Why am I explaining this to you? If you hadn’t lied in the first place, I wouldn’t be in this mess.” “Is it really such a mess, having people you don’t know think you’re romantically entangled with one or two of Nevaeh’s most influential students?” His voice was so neutral that I tilted my head to peer up at him. Still, his gaze gave nothing away. I don’t know why I’d expected anything more. Annoyed, I clicked my tongue and turned my attention back to the slowly moving queue ahead. We were almost inside the shop now, so that was a plus. “Why are you here, Heath? My hangover doesn’t have the patience for mind games.” “I want coffee,” he replied, sliding that hand on my back around to my waist. Holding me like we were some kind of couple. “And the line looked really long, so I cut in with you.” “How convenient,” I muttered. Heath sighed, his breath ruffling my hair like he was looking down at me. I was steadfastly staring at the counter ahead and trying to ignore him, but damn, it was hard. “Look, I didn’t know about this Royce rumor. He’s still dead asleep and I haven’t spoken to him since last night. He’s also not the type to make stuff up, so my guess is that someone else is responsible. Were you even with him last night?” I almost admitted yes but then I might be treading too close to telling him I’d been eavesdropping on their secret society business. So I deflected, instead. “Oh, he wouldn’t make that up, huh? I guess that’s more your wheelhouse. Why are you lying about us again?” He shrugged, his shoulder bumping me lightly. “Reasons. You know people stop making up rumors when they have some irrefutable truth to run with.” “People need to stop freakin’ caring what I’m doing. Is it a scholarship student thing?” I glanced around, and couldn’t help but admit more than one set of eyes were on us. Heath laughed quietly. “Something like that. They’ll quit speculating if you have a boyfriend...” I barked a laugh, unable to help myself. The sound was so loud, I drew a whole lot more attention and my cheeks flamed as I clapped a hand over my mouth. Bloody hell. “Are you offering?” My voice was pure sarcasm, but his lips tilted in a lopsided smile and his magnetic gaze captured mine. “Absolutely yes. But I get the feeling we got off on the wrong foot, so I won’t push the issue.” He winked, then shifted his gaze away as we moved forward to the front of the line. “Hi, can I please get a quad shot americano, a white chocolate mocha with dark chocolate drizzle, and a salted caramel latte with an extra shot and cookie crumb?” He glanced at me, thinking, then continued, “And two grilled cheese sandwiches.” Surprise held me immobile as Heath paid for the order, then guided me to the side to wait. “Uh...why do you know my coffee order? And Carly’s for that matter?” Heath just grinned. “I have eyes and ears everywhere, Ash.” That was a splash of ice water in my face. It reminded me that he was somehow involved in a secret society which—according to the diary I’d found—had killed people. “I see,” I murmured. To my relief, some guy I didn’t recognize came up to talk to Heath and I was spared the awkwardness of small talk while we waited for our order. Instead, I wandered away and perched on a stool by the window to read. Just like when I found it, the diary instantly sucked me in. The author’s writing wasn’t necessarily the best, jumping all over the place and leaving out what felt like key information, but there was enough there to hook me. ...my name, in case you want to do your research, is Abigail Monstera. I’m twenty-one, and I come from Whispering Willows, California. “What are you reading?” Heath asked, making me startle enough that I dropped the diary. His hands were full of our coffees and food, yet somehow he still managed to put it all down and scoop up the book before I could react. “Nothing,” I snapped, grabbing it out of his hands so quickly he squinted at me with suspicion. Way to make it weird, Ash. “It’s, um, just personal.” He arched a brow, lips tilted in another grin. “Smutty romance, huh? No judgment here, I’m a fan of them myself, but I’m more of an audiobook kind of guy, you know?” What in the world is happening? Why is he flirting with me? “Uh-huh. Well, thanks for the coffee.” I stuffed the diary into my bag and picked up the tray with mine and Carly’s order, then Heath handed me one of the grilled cheese sandwiches in a paper bag. “Think about what I said, Ash. You’re a new, shiny toy right now but people will let up if you’re claimed.” He dipped low and brushed a kiss over my cheek before I could pull away. “It was nice to see you. Have a great weekend.” I watched him saunter out of the coffee shop with that confident, sexy swagger of his and I was painfully aware that I wasn’t the only one watching him leave. The man was steaming hot, and he damn well knew it. But what was that cozy interaction all about if he was telling me to get a boyfriend? Grumbling under my breath about his head games, I made my way back to my dorm with the free coffee. It wasn’t until after I delivered Carly’s to her, then tucked back into bed with the diary that I realized what felt so strange about seeing Heath. He didn’t live on campus. And there were much better, much less crowded coffee shops a lot closer to his apartment building. Had he spent the night with someone in the dorms? Ugh, why did that thought sour my mood so dramatically? I didn’t even like the guy. —Dear Reader (Devil's Backbone Book 1) Audible Audiobook