Driven Snow (2 page)

Stupid.

Bitch.

Suddenly the double doors that led from the classroom into the courtyard beyond burst open. Snow looked up.
Who?

The beauty of the woman who stood in the doorway inspired a few gasps, even from Winston, who didn’t like girls. He whispered, “Wow.”

Something about her seemed like a reverse image of Snow. Her long hair was as red as his was black, her skin as deep olive as his was pale white. The professor sucked in a noisy breath, and as he exhaled, he whispered, “Anitra.” He walked quickly to where the woman stood, his hands extended. “Welcome, my dear.”

She flashed white teeth and spoke just loud enough to be heard through the room. “Hello, Harold.”

Amazingly, the professor leaned over and kissed her cheek; then he turned toward the people still mingling in the room, most of whom were members of the chess club. “Everyone, I have a wonderful surprise. This is Anitra Popescu. She’s just joined the university staff as Assistant Dean of Students, and she’s a chess master in her own right, so I’ve persuaded her to assist me as advisor to the chess club. Since our club is growing and I’ll be devoting substantial time to preparing Snowden for the upcoming international tournament, I think you’ll all benefit from Anitra’s assistance.” He grinned. “I’m sure the volume of new members will also increase exponentially.”

Anitra smiled, and her dark eyes swept the room, then connected with Snow’s just for a moment. A shiver traveled from his tailbone to his head.

As if in slow motion, the professor’s fingers intertwined with the woman’s. “By the way, I should also announce that Anitra is my fiancée.” Kingsley beamed, the room erupted in applause, and for some weird reason, Snow felt sick.

Winston leaned over. “That’s great for the professor. He’s been so lonely for the last couple years, don’t you think? Man, she’s quite a catch for an old dude.” He laughed.

“Yes, that’s great. Just great.” The whole room spun.

The professor accepted congratulations all around, but his head rose as he looked toward Snow, while still holding Anitra’s hand.

Snow tugged at Winston. “Let’s go.”

Winston looked confused. “But I think he’s coming this way.”

“I want to go.” He looked up at the football coach, who stared at Anitra’s full-bosomed beauty like she’d just descended from
Penthouse
heaven. Snow took a deep breath. “Coach, I’ll help you, okay?”

The coach’s eyes widened. “But—”

Winston clasped his arm. “Help with what?”

Snow nodded toward McMasters. “I’ll do it. I’ll contact you. Come on, Win.” He started walking, pulling Winston after him, which must have looked funny since Winston stood six five of skinny while Snow barely made five eight.

Winston stutter-stepped to catch up. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing. Just the coach needs someone to explain physics to some of his players.”

“I can help with that. How do you have time?”

“It won’t take much.” He made it out the door of the room and down the hall.
Move fast.

Winston glanced at him sideways. “If it was anyone else, I’d say you just wanted to stare at some football player ass, but I can hardly get your attention enough to look at mine.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“Why are we moving so fast? Don’t you want to go back and meet Professor Kingsley’s fiancée?”

Snow shook his head.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did he tell you about her?”

He shook his head again. Why hadn’t the professor told him? Why was he just finding out now?

“It sounds like she’s going to be a part of your life, so get over it. He’s your mentor, and she’s going to be his wife.”

His wife.
“Yes, I’m so happy for him.”

CHAPTER 2

WINSTON GRABBED
Snow’s arm again. “Forget about it. Let’s have some fun.”

“What fun? Where?” His idea of fun seldom matched Winston’s.

“We’re going to a party.”

Snow pulled back. “I’m not much for parties.”

“Oh come on. You’ve got to loosen up sometime. The Zetas are just the guys to do it.”

“Zetas?”

“Yeah. One of the brothers is in my history class. He invited me.”

Do not think about who you might see at the Zeta house.
“The Zetas don’t want me in their house or at their party.” He didn’t have the heart to say they didn’t want Winston either. The Big-Men-On-Campus jock fraternity did not do nerds. Especially not gay nerds.

“Sure they do. Come on.”

Hardly any motivation on earth could have gotten him through the doors of that frat house—except one thing. What were the chances of seeing Riley? He swallowed hard. “Okay.”

His feet kind of wanted to go faster, until they got within half a block of the Zeta house. There the sight of giant dudes and dudettes in letter sweaters guzzling beer on the front lawn while two of them arm wrestled and the others threw money on the grass stopped him in his tracks. “Win, we can’t go in there.”

“Sure we can. Come on, I was invited.”

“I’ll bet the guy who invited you doesn’t remember—even if he was serious to begin with.”

“We’ll blend in.”

“You’re kidding.” But a flash of golden hair from the open front door of the frat house captured his gaze just as Winston pulled his arm, and he wound up being propelled into the mass of humanity on the lawn.

They made it slightly farther than he’d predicted. Most of the Zetas were so drunk they wouldn’t have noticed a hippopotamus. Still, two hopeless physics nerds stuck out more than large river horses to guys like the Zetas. It was actually a girl who leaned over the arm of a football player approximately as big as Delaware and slurred, “Who the hell is that?” She pointed directly at Snow.

The guy shook his head like a great, confused lion. “Don’ know. Pretty girl. Thought I knew all the cheerleaders?”

“Junior.” She slapped his arm, missed, and tried again. “That’s no girrr-lll. That’s some kind of freaky guy.”

“Wha? Wha’s he doing here?”

The domino effect began. Junior the giant leaned over to Cyclops number two and asked who they were. Cyclops passed it on until heads started turning, forming a phalanx of frowns. Dark frowns.

Snow pulled hard against Winston, who had stopped to stare in horror at a girl removing her double-D cup bra in order to use it as a slingshot. “We have to get out of here.”

“No way, man.”

“I’m serious.”

A hard hand slammed onto Snow’s shoulder. “What the hell are you doing at a Zeta party, fag?”

Snow shook his head. God, he hated talking in front of people. “Mistake. Sorry. Going.”

The hand whirled him around until he stood face to chest with a guy he’d seen on the football team catching stuff from Riley. Not so big, but his face radiated one clear message. Hate. “Where the fuck do you get off crashing our party?”

The giant who had mistaken him for a girl cocked his head. “Hey, Rog, don’t hurt him. He’s prettier than any fuckin’ cheerleader I ever saw.”

Rog tightened his grip. “All the more reason to rearrange some of those faggy features, don’t you think?”

Winston took a step forward. “I was invited. Honest.”

The guy didn’t even look. He just slammed his hand against Winston’s chest and sent him flying backward into a tree.

Snow ripped his shoulder from Rog’s grasp and raced to Winston’s prostrate body. “Are you okay, Win?”

A hand clamped on his shirt collar and flew him backward into space, legs splayed in the air, arms flailing, headed for God knew where. His heart pounded in his throat as he prepared for pain. Totally out of control.
Try to relax so it doesn’t hurt so bad.
Slam! He plowed into something slightly softer than the ground and landed in a pair of strong arms as surely as if they’d been a circus act. “Gotcha.” Snow looked up into golden eyes, slightly narrowed, with crinkles at the corners.

“Hey, Prince, what the fuck?” Rog charged toward them.

Riley set Snow on his feet and pushed him behind his big body. He extended a hand toward the fuming Rog. “Enough, man. Do you not know that this guy is the school’s giant chess champion, for Christ’s sake? You hurt him, and you’ll lose your scholarship and be expelled so fast they won’t even notify your parents first. Shit, man, he probably makes more money for the school than the football team.”

“This fag?” Rog scowled over Riley’s shoulder. “Get serious.”

Riley crossed his arms and didn’t budge.

“Well, hell. Get him away from me.” Rog spun and headed for the keg.

Winston had managed to struggle to standing with no help from any Zetas.

Courtney appeared at Riley’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

Some piece of Snow’s heart chipped off and lay in the dirt. He stepped around Riley and gave him a glance. “Thanks.” Crossing to Winston, he grabbed his arm and power-walked away from the whole Neanderthal bunch. Blood pounded in his ears, and nerves in his brain fried as laughter drifted after them.

Two blocks away, Winston sagged to the grass and dropped his head to his knees. “I’m so sorry I got you into that mess.”

Snow frowned. “Just learn that guys like that have zero interest in guys like us except to bloody our noses.”

“Thank God that big hunk was more of a gentleman.”

“Gentleman? My ass. He was just protecting the eligibility of his damned football team.” Snow leaned against a tree. Some bubble in his brain—or maybe his heart—went
poof
.

Winston shook his head against his knees. “I thought he seemed nicer than that.”

Snow blinked fast. “Don’t kid yourself.” Good advice as long as he was paying attention. He blew out a long stream of breath. “I have to tell the coach I’m not going to help with the tutoring.”

Win looked up. “Why? I don’t think this should be the deciding factor. Hell, it makes no sense for you to take time to be a damned physics tutor, but two hours ago you were all hot to do it. The big hunk saved you. He saved both of us. Maybe if you help the team, they won’t be so obnoxious in the future.”

“We shouldn’t need saving.” Snow kicked at the sidewalk with his sneaker.

“True, but facts are facts.”

“It was a stupid idea.” He crossed his arms.

“Yes. But I get the feeling you’re just being pissy, not sensible.”

“Then you do it.”

“Okay, I will.”

“What?”

“I’ll do it. Tell the coach I’ll help his stupid players.”

“You just want an invitation to a Zeta party.”

“Yes, and I’m not too proud to admit it.”

“But—”

“Snow, do you or do you not want to tutor the football team?”

That was the question of the damned century.

ANITRA PULLED
her lips back from Harold’s. “Everyone seemed very happy for us.”

He smiled and the wrinkles popped out around his eyes. “Of course. They know that somehow I ended up with the fairest one of all.”

“Thank you, my dear.”

He leaned in for another kiss, but she stepped back against the door to her apartment. “Have you thought any more about the tournament?”

He frowned. “I’m so sorry to disappoint you, but you know that I’m already dedicated to training Snowden for the Anderson tourney. Perhaps we can find you another coach to assist you.”

She stuck out her lip. “But you’re the best. And the Anderson is the highest profile tournament in the US this year. I have to be there.”

“There are a number of other good coaches I can recommend.”

“What will people think? I’m your fiancée, and yet you won’t coach me. Won’t people assume I’m not as good as Reynaldi?”

“They won’t assume anything. They know that I’ve been Snow’s coach since he started at NorCal.”

She smiled tightly. “But if you coached me instead, they’d assume I’m better. That I have the superior chance of winning.”

He sighed. “They would only assume that I’m a turncoat coach who isn’t dedicated to his students.”

“But—”

He held up a hand. God, she hated that gesture. Who did he think he was? “Anitra, you know I think you’re an exceptional player. I’ve never suggested that you’re better than Snowden. Few people are. If you continue to apply yourself, you may be his equal someday.”

Her nails dug into her palms. “But how can I get better if you won’t help me?”

“I will help you exhaustively, my dear, but after the tournament.” He smiled benignly. “I’m sure Snowden himself will be more than happy to assist you in your training, once he’s won the tournament and has more time available. After all, didn’t you say his presence at the University—” He smiled. “—along with my own, was the main reason you applied for the position? Just be patient. You’ll achieve everything you desire.”

What the hell did he know about what she desired? She ran her hands across the lapels of his suit jacket. “It’s hard to control my dreams, Harold, when you’re right here and I know you can propel me forward so easily.”

He kissed her forehead. “It’s my goal to make you supremely happy. We’ll achieve all your dreams—together.”

She shivered. “I’d best go in. I’m still not used to your California drops in temperature.”

He pulled her a little closer. “I’m happy to take on the task of keeping you warm.”

She shook her head and pushed away. “It’s such a bother having these religious scruples about sex before marriage, I know. But you wouldn’t want me if I wasn’t true to myself.”

“That’s so, but we are engaged.”

She smiled. “All the more reason to get us to the altar quickly.”

“Once the tournament is over, the wedding will be my top priority.”

She controlled her frown. “I hate playing second fiddle, you know that.”

“You’re never second fiddle, my dear. But I must be true to my commitments—or you wouldn’t love me.”

She forced out the word. “Yes.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it.”

He stood watchfully while she unlocked the door, then waved, stepped off the porch, and glanced at her once as he walked to his car. Probably headed back to work out a strategy for Reynaldi.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.