Finding You (By You #3) by Kelly Harper

down at her, admiringly. "Yeah, it really is."
    They walked for a while, with no real destination in mind. He knew he had to get her back to her dorm, eventually. But he was going to enjoy every second of his time with her until then.
    "So tonight was kind of a disaster, wasn't it?" he said.
    "Why do you think that?"
    "Everything that happened," he said, waving a hand. "It wasn't exactly what I had planned."
    "And what exactly was it that you planned?" She leaned into him when she said it. The feel of her body against his like that made him think those thoughts he was trying to stay away from.
    "Well, the police were definitely a surprise." He looked at her, uncertain. "Not to mention your ex."
    She gave him a pinched, nervous smile. "Yeah, sorry about that. You probably think I'm a complete crazy person."
    He shook his head. "Not at all. We all have our baggage."
    She nudged him with her arm. "Does that mean you have a crazy ex that's going to show up and start yelling at me?"
    His stomach twisted in knots as she gave him that playful, buzzed grin, only this time it was because of what she said and not because of how attractive he found her. He shook his head.  
    "No, nothing like that."
    His voice trailed off and he looked away. They walked on a bit further in silence. He had left the past in the past for a reason. What was done was done, and he didn't want to spend any more time thinking about it. At least not tonight. Not with her.
    Eventually, they found themselves in front of her dorm. Jeremy walked her up the steps to the entrance, but stopped well short of the door. Sarah gave him a questioning look.
    "Are you coming up?" she asked.
    Jeremy's heart raced just from the thought of it. He knew it was a mistake, but he still wasn't ready to leave her side. Not quite yet.
    "Just to make sure you get back to your room safe," he said.
    That goofy, little smile appeared on her face again, and Jeremy's chest buzzed even more. Inside, the dorm felt empty. Probably because it was Thursday night and everyone was out partying, which suited him just fine. He didn't want to be around a lot of people, he just wanted to be with her.
    When the doors opened on the fourth floor, Jeremy realized his fingers were suddenly cold. Sarah was still tucked under his arm, and he followed her lead, but with each step they took, a nervous energy filled him. And when they finally reached the end of the hall, and she stopped in front of a door, he wasn't sure he could take another step forward if he'd had to.
    Sarah took her time unlocking the door, and when it cracked open, she turned to face him, giving him a soft smile.
    "Safe and sound," she said. She lingered there, a curious look on her face, not in a rush to get anywhere. Maybe it was because she wasn't leaning against him anymore, but he noticed she was swaying back and forth while she looked at him.
    "Sorry again, for the way everything happened tonight," he said, giving her a tight smile.
    She took a step closer, the corner of her lip turning into a half smile.
    "You shouldn't be. I had a great time."
    He grinned. He'd had a really good time, too, and he honestly wasn't sure how the night could have been much better--minus all the drama, of course.
    "I have a bit of a confession," he said. Her brow scrunched together as she looked up at him. "Earlier at the coffee shop, when I invited you out tonight, I might have told a little white lie about something." The concerned look on her face was a stark change to the playful smiles she'd been giving him all night, and he rushed to tell her the truth. "I mean, it wasn't anything too big. It's just...When I invited you to the party, there wasn't actually a party planned, at the time."
    The look of concern turned into one of confusion, and she shook her head.
    "I don't understand."
    He gave her a nervous smile.
    "I mean that I invited you to a party that wasn't happening. Oz pulled everything together last minute for me as a favor."
    Her eyes went