Tame the Beast

Chapter 12

 Finals were over! Choirs of angels sang from every corner of campus. Drops of pure bliss fell on Clara like each gentle snowflake that covered her knit hat as she bounced her way back to her dorm room. Two weeks of locking herself away from the social world had paid off. She could feel it in the brisk air. Better yet, Clara had survived her first semester at Beaumont University and had surprisingly enjoyed most of it.

She was busy dancing to her own little tune when Corin's deep voice called from behind her. Clara resisted the urge to groan out loud as she turned to face him. He closed the gap between them in a few large strides.

"You're in a good mood," Corin said. "Finals go well?"

"I think so. How about yours?"

Corin shrugged. "Can't complain."

"That's good." The words rushed out. The last thing she wanted was to spend too much time with him. Things were still awkward since the night he tried to kiss her. "Well, I promised Rose I would meet her for lunch, so I better get going."

"I'll walk with you." His long steps fell into place beside Clara. "So we've missed you at the apartment the last few weeks."

Clara shifted under the weight of her bag. "Yeah, I've been pretty busy. You know ... with finals coming up."

"I heard." His voice was tense. "Adam mentioned it. Sounds like you had enough time to tutor him again."

The little hairs on the back of Clara's neck stood up at the sound of Adam's name. She didn't want to discuss him. Not with Corin. Ever since the night Adam fought off the drunken wolves, Clara felt obligated to help him again. To her surprise, Adam was nothing but a studious pupil. Gone were the days of his heavy flirting and constant innuendoes. Clara should have been relieved, but instead, it left her feeling confused and slightly annoyed.

"Corin, I don't see why that's any of your business." She was in the perfect mood. She didn't need Corin to ruin it with his misplaced jealousy.

"I just don't get why you'd take him back after the way he lied to you."

"Take him back?" Clara stopped so fast she almost slipped on the icy ground. "We were never going out to begin with. Just because I'm helping out a friend doesn't mean—"

"The fight?" Corin interrupted.

"Was just one friend protecting another," she said with a little hostility. Even her final wasn't this big of a pain.

"If you say so. But it sent a different message to everyone else." Corin sent Clara a heated stare. "Look, there's a lot you don't know about the guy. I've watched countless girls throw themselves at him. They're all the same. They think they're something special just because Adam Beaumont looked their way. They think they'll be the one to tame the beast," he said mockingly. "And what do you know? They're all crushed when he turns out to be exactly like his reputation. Don't be that girl, Clara."

She returned his gaze with a glare. "Try giving me a little credit."

Her effort to storm away was short lived as his large hand pulled her back. "I'm just looking out for you."

"Well don't. I never asked you to. And we both know you're as bad as he is, so don't pretend you're not."

She tried to escape again, but he blocked her with one large step. He moved so fast, she almost collided with his large chest. The familiar pulse of annoyance rippled through her. She was tired of oversized men blocking her path.

"When will you see that I'm the only one looking out for you?" Corin asked. "Adam doesn't care about you. Rose is too busy with Luke. Half of Adam's friends are just there because they know his name will open up future doors. The other half hates him because he slept with their girlfriends. No one's going to give two shits when he uses you."