The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)

by Elle Kennedy

“Enough.” One word. Deep. Commanding.

I already regret what I’m about to ask, but curiosity wins. “Who was the slut in yours?”

“Tucker,” is the instant reply.

I take another sip from my coffee mug, eyeing him over the rim. “Tucke...

“Of course.” Dean blinks ...

The bill arrives then, and the two begin bickering about who’s going to pay it. I’m pretty sure it’s only like twenty bucks, and finally, I grab it myself.

“Please, let me treat my dear uncles.” I offer a beaming smile. “Young people should always be kind to the elderly.”

They both bal...

“Oh, I’m going to remember that,”...

“I’m telling your father,” ...

“He knows he’s old. You don’t need to...

Drunk girls give the best compliments.

His rough voice fills my ear with two inexplicable words. “Use me.”

Then his mouth is at my ear as he whispers, “Anything you want, Gisele.”

Fucking hell. I initiated a conversation. Willingly. What is happening and how do I stop this? Why can’t I stop this? I’ve never been interested in digging deeper with the women in my bed, but I’m a bit eager for a glimpse into Gigi’s head.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Ryder is on his phone. Texting, I think. Which activates a jolt of suspicion. It suddenly occurs to me that maybe the reason he hasn’t contacted me all week isn’t because, like me, he was overwhelmed by how mind-blowing the sex was. Maybe he’s sleeping with other people. The notion weakens my pulse, and not in a good way. For some reason, the thought of him in bed with another girl makes me feel⁠— My phone buzzes in my purse. I wait a few seconds, trying to remain nonchalant, then fish it out of my bag. My breath promptly gets stuck in my lungs.

RYDER: I can’t stop thinking about you.

I did not expect that. Slowly, I lift my head to find him watching me. Completely expressionless. Then he turns his head away, but not before I spot the gleam of heat.

Unlike our last sexual encounter, Gigi and I remain in constant contact after our library hookup. We haven’t seen each other all week because our schedules have been hectic, and midterms are in full swing. But she’s a constant presence in my phone. We’re always texting. To the point that if I don’t wake up and see a message from her, I’m genuinely disappointed.

“Fine,” he finally relents. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Wow. Such a thought-provoking question.”

“Green,” I tell him. “What’s yours? Wait, let me guess—black to match that enchanting disposition?”

“Gray.”

“That’s pretty much the same thing. What shade? L...

“A deep slate gray. Stormy, like...

Amusement gleams in her eyes. “Flower boy. How’s it going?”

I give her a pained look. “Let’s not make ‘flower boy’ a thing. I have a reputation to protect.”

“Baby. We’re in a tiny theater in Maine. These seats cost like fifty bucks and almost every box was available.” He called me baby.

“That’s it,” Ryder encourages roughly. “Show me how much you want it. Take what you need.”

Then he brushes his lips over the side of my throat and whispers, “You’re a goddamn dream.”

While I desperately try to convince myself that I’m not in love with him.

She releases that melodic, feminine laugh, and I pretend it doesn’t affect me when the truth is, everything about her does.

My heart clenches at the sound of her voice. It’s crazy how much you can miss someone’s voice when you’re no longer hearing it every day.

Guilt pricks me at the reminder that I snapped at my woman.

I’m so crazy gone for this woman that not following her isn’t even an option.

“Maybe we’ll get a skate in at the pond down the street,” Gigi pipes up. “I want to see a shootout between you two—” She flicks her finger between Wyatt and me.

He scowls at her. “Please don’t force me to play hockey.”

“You’re good at it.” She sounds ...

“Yeah. Do you know how exhausting it is to be good at something y...

Garrett snickers. “Ungrateful little shit. I give you all my talent, and what do you do...

“Hey, that’s my talent,” H...

He’s quickly shamefaced. “Sorry, Wellsy. Your talent is way better th...

I’m adding another item thanks to his behavior during the Boxing Day Beatdown. Beau Di Laurentis and AJ Connelly were named team captains that morning, and Dad was so outraged about getting picked fifth that he glared at the teenage boys and growled, “Is this a joke? Do you realize I’m Garrett Graham?”

Alex is Uncle Tucker and Aunt Sabrina’s youngest daughter. She’s twenty, so a year younger than me, while her sister is a lawyer and a few years older. It’s so crazy to me that one daughter is toiling away to make partner, while the other is worth a hundred million dollars and rides on private jets.

“No. Because I don’t gossip. I’m a grown man.”

“Nobody likes failure, G. But I maintain that this isn’t failure. This is just one moment in time.”

“A moment in time,” she echoes weakly.

“Yes, and right now, in this moment, you’re down. But that’s okay because I’...

“Always?” she whispers, peering at me with thos...

“Always. You fall, I pick you ...