Too weak. He was quicksand. He was dangerous and I knew that the little niggling of emotion that I felt toward him would be so much stronger if we were to go further. I savored the last moment or two, kissing him while my hands moved down his neck, onto his shoulders, and to his chest, where I gave him a light push.
He stopped and stepped back. Flecks of water showered from his lips with his heavy breaths. When I realized that my hands were still on his chest, I let them drop and they slapped against my wet sides. That was an earth-shattering, cinematic kiss; it felt as if the clouds would clear and the stars would align.
“You’re a good kisser,” he murmured, his gaze lingering on my tender lips for a touch longer than was subtle.
I inhaled and pushed my hair back. It had become matted where Drayton had held it, but it was worth it. I smiled and pulled the sliding door open, peeping over my shoulder as I stepped inside. “I guess I won.”
He laughed, then ran a hand through his hair as rain continued to pitter patter against his firm chest and shoulders. “Game isn’t over, Cheer.”
Chapter 12
I woke up before Drayton. Once again, his sleeping concerned me on a number of levels, and I checked his pulse to make sure he hadn’t died. He lay on his stomach, his tan back on full display because the sheet only just reached the top of his hips.
Last night’s kiss had been playing on repeat in my mind since it happened. We’d continued playing the game, and things had ultimately returned to normal between us, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My gaze traveled over the dips and crevices of his back, which was rising and falling deeply and slowly.
I figured that I’d use the time while he was asleep to get ready for the day. We’d decided last night that we would go to the college campus and scope out what sort of information or tour would be available on a Sunday without previous arrangement. The whole trip had been last minute, so I wasn’t going to expect a lot. I got up and showered, changing into a pair of denim high-waisted shorts and a thin long-sleeved cropped shirt. I pulled my wet hair into a bun on the top of my head and put some makeup on.
When I came out of the bathroom refreshed, I found Drayton sitting on the edge of the bed, still in last night’s sweats with his cell phone in hand.
I picked up my duffel and started shoving things into it. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, getting to his feet as he threw the phone onto the bed and fluffed his hair. “My mom’s just flipping out because she saw my credit card statement online saying that I’m in California and not Dallas, where I said I was going.”
“I thought that you were allowed to do what you want?”
“To an extent.” He shrugged with a cavalier attitude. “I did say that I was visiting family friends in Dallas. They’ll get over it.”
I sighed but didn’t comment. His parents, his business. “Checkout is in an hour. Want me to see how long for an Uber while you shower?”
“Sure.” He sauntered toward me with a devious grin. “Unless you want to join me?”
“Ugh.” I shoved his chest so he stepped back. “Go and have a shower.”
The little curl in his lips and the gleam in his gaze made me weak at the knees. He was just too damn attractive for his own good.
“Maybe I should apply to this college.” Drayton watched a leggy, toned girl with caramel-colored skin strut past us in a sports bra and gym shorts. She was one of the many model-looking babes strolling through the campus courtyard.
I scoffed with amusement. “Don’t worry, I’ll get on with looking around so that you can go and pick up all the girls who will fall at your feet.”
“Are you jealous, Cheer?”
We walked toward the administration building on the other side of the quad.
“Get a grip.” Even I noticed the lack of denial.
When we’d arrived in Valencia, the first thing we’d done was book a hotel for the night. It was a lot smaller than where we’d stayed last night, but absolutely gorgeous and resort-like. Drayton had covered most of the costs so far, but I used my account for the Uber and had paid for last night’s room service. I’d tucked into a little of my savings before we left, knowing that it wouldn’t be right to let Drayton pay for absolutely everything. Even if he did insist.
“This place is amazing.” I glanced around the administration office with awe. There were large blown-up photos all over the walls of performers, dancers, actors. The space was made up of a reception desk in the middle of the room and there were doors leading off, to other offices no doubt. A leather couch and coffee table made up a waiting area and there was an assortment of magazines on a little shelf.
“There’s no one here,” Drayton noted as we glanced around the deserted space.
“Maybe we can come back tomorrow?” I suggested. “There’s no point looking around if I’m not getting to see how things actually operate.”
“We can come back whenever you want. We’ve got until Wednesday.”
“You don’t want to spend the whole time in Valencia, do you?” We headed back out the doors we’d come through and the warm air left me with a craving for the beach—a real Californian beach.
“Not if we don’t have to.” Drayton slipped his sunglasses on and slung an arm over my shoulders as we walked across the quad. I couldn’t help but feel a little elated at the stares that we received from a few scattered girls practicing dance or rehearsing skits in the sunshine. “If we look around tomorrow then we can go to Hollywood? It’s only forty-five minutes from here.”
“Ohh!” I gasped and glanced up at him. “I’ve always wanted to see the Walk of Fame.”
“Done.” He grinned. “Hollywood it is. Guess I’ll have to make sure that I find us a good frat party tonight.”
“Oh geez,” I mumbled, quite content with movies in the hotel room for the evening.
“Think of it as getting some precollege experience in. At least you’ll know what you’re in for.”
“I’ll try anything once. Might as well do it while I have you here as a buffer.”
He laughed and I watched him. How couldn’t I? He had the most beautiful laugh and the crescent shape that his eyes made when his cheeks lifted was perfect.
“But I mean, now that I think about it, I’ve been to house parties before. It won’t exactly be a new experience.”
“You’ve never been to a college party though,” he informed me. “Trust me, they’re in a league of their own. I’ll show you the ropes, Cheer.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Hey, excuse me!”
We stopped and turned around to see a lean guy with chocolate-brown waves jogging toward us. He was wearing a black tank top that had CalArts written in graffiti font across the front of it and a pair of joggers. “Hey, sorry, are you two new around here?”
“Sort of,” I answered, giving him a subtle once over. He had to be a dancer. His build was incredible, and his deep-brown eyes were mesmerizing. “I’m hoping to come here next year. We’re just looking around. I’m Dallas.”
“Oh, beautiful name. I’m from Dallas, actually.” I thought I’d heard a mild southern twang. “I’m Cooper.”
He offered Drayton his hand, who slowly unwrapped his arm from my shoulders and gave Cooper’s waiting hand a sturdy shake. “Drayton.”
“Nice to meet you, man,” Cooper smiled a wide pearly smile, but when I looked up at Drayton, he was scowling. God, he was so rude. “I stopped you guys after I saw you coming out of administration. I’m a tour guide around here. Sort of a friendly face for the newbies. I’d be happy to show you around?”
“We were actually thinking of coming back tomorrow while the classes are going,” I told him with hesitation. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “Just so I can see it in real time.”
“That’s a great idea.” He snapped his fingers and I couldn’t help but smile at his jovial attitude. “Where are you from?”
“Castle Rock, Colorado,” I inform
ed him.
“Oh nice.” He looked at Drayton and didn’t seem bothered at the frown he received in return. “Are you applying too?”
“Nope.”
“Drayton plays football.” I glared at him before I turned back to Cooper and attempted to keep Drayton’s mood from spoiling mine. “He’s holding out to get scouted.”
“Oh dude, UCLA is, like, half an hour away.” Cooper slapped the side of Drayton’s arm with excitement. Drayton slowly glanced down at the spot Cooper’s hand had just been and stared at it with boredom. “It’s not a long commute at all. At least you wouldn’t have to do the long-distance thing.”
“Oh. No,” I laughed and glanced at Drayton, who was still seeming entirely unfazed by the conversation. “Drayton and I are just friends.”
“I’ll be going to Baylor,” Drayton said dryly.
“Oh, Baylor. Nice. My cousin went there,” Cooper told an uninterested Drayton before he turned back to me. “Why don’t I get your number and we can meet up tomorrow. I’ll show you around, give you a little tour?”
“That sounds perfect,” Drayton interjected, pulling his phone out of his pocket with a sudden peak of enthusiasm. “You can have my number and if there are any parties happening around here tonight, let me know about those too.”
Cooper cast an uncertain glance between me and Drayton, no doubt hoping that I would interrupt before he actually had to give Drayton his cell phone. I should have interrupted because Drayton’s weird behavior was doing my head in. But I couldn’t. I just stood there and watched the awkward digit exchange. It might have been because I was so enthralled at the prospect of Drayton being jealous that I was rendered stupid.
“Parties, huh?” Cooper cast his gaze down to the pavement with thought as he slid his cell phone back into his pocket. “Oh, perfect.” He snapped his fingers and glanced over at a group of girls doing a series of hip-hop moves. “Carrie! Anything on tonight?”
The entire group looked our way with curiosity and obvious admiration for the quarterback standing beside me. He was sort of hard not to notice. The girl, Carrie, I assumed, nodded her fire-red head before she shouted back, “James is hosting talent week. Starts tonight!”
“What’s talent week?” I asked.
“It’s basically who can drink the most and still be standing at the end of the night.” Cooper rolled his eyes. “Everyone goes to drink but most don’t participate. There are a few guys who do it subtlety among themselves. Beer pong, keg stands, card games. That sort of thing. There’s a winner at the end of the week for whoever was last man standing the most nights of the week.”
“That sounds ideal.” Drayton grinned and nudged me with his elbow. “I’ll text you later for the address, Coop.” He slapped Cooper’s shoulder and then reestablished my spot beneath his arm, giving Cooper a small wave. “See you tonight.”
“O-Okay, yeah,” Cooper mumbled as Drayton all but dragged me in the other direction. “Nice to meet you both!”
“What was all that about?” I removed Drayton’s arm from my shoulders when we hit the path outside of the college campus.
“What do you mean? I was just abiding by friend code.” He lit a cigarette but I didn’t bother commenting on it. I did wonder why he might be anxious. “You know, some creepy guy hits on you, and I step in to save you from the awkwardness of rejecting him. You’re welcome.”
“Who said I wanted to reject him?”
He turned his head toward me with eyes wide, and a large puff of toxic smoke blew directly into my face. “Him? You’re into that? He’s so scrawny.”
“He’s lean, Drayton. There’s a difference.” I waved the smoke away from my face and pressed the pedestrian button when we stopped at an intersection. “And he seemed really nice. It wouldn’t hurt to have some potential lined up before I move here.”
When the cars came to a stop on either side of the intersection and the little man signaled our turn, we crossed the road along with the rest of the foot traffic. “I’ll find you better potential, Cheer. I’ll wingman you tonight. Trust me. You can do better.”
“You’ll have time to find me a guy while you’re busy chatting up all of the hot dancers who will be there tonight?”
“I’m a man of many talents,” he boasted. I didn’t bother to dignify his egotistical nonsense and instead stopped in front of a sandwich shop that smelled incredible.
“Should we get some lunch?”
“I could eat.”
He opened the door for me and gestured that I lead. His occasional moments of chivalry never ceased to surprise me. “We can go back to our room for dessert.”
His smug grin was shit eating. But it didn’t surprise me.
Nor did it disappoint me. His crude sense of humor and inability to filter himself was one of my favorite things about him. It was part of the reason that I would trust him so much later on that evening.
“How do I look?” I walked out of the hotel bathroom wearing a black bandage crop top and a pair of high-waisted champagne-colored shorts. They were a silky fabric and complimented the summer tan that I’d developed over the recent months.
Drayton glanced up from his cell phone. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in his own nighttime attire. His signature look didn’t differ but even I had to admit that he looked mighty fine in a pair of slim black jeans and a navy-blue V-neck T-shirt that hugged his biceps. The seams stretched as he leaned his elbows on his knees.
His eyes landed on my body and, as I waited for a little bit of shameless validation, they not so subtlety swept my frame from head to toe. A lusty expression filled his face and I felt about two feet tall.
A small grin lifted his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. “Wow,” he chuckled lightly and stood up. The fluttering in my chest became even more erratic and I shifted from foot to foot. “You’ll have no trouble landing a California guy tonight, Cheer.”
The temptation to suggest that the Colorado boy in front of me would do just fine was real, but instead I pushed my hair behind my shoulder and smiled. “Thanks. Do you have the address?”
“Yep.” He waved his phone at me while I slipped into my black ankle boots. I was surprisingly excited about tonight.
We double checked that we had everything and then headed downstairs to the Uber. The party was being held at student housing, which was about five minutes from the campus.
When we pulled up in front of the two-story house, there were people everywhere. If this was what a Sunday-night party looked like, then I couldn’t even imagine how things got on a Saturday night. Red cups, beer bottles, and caps littered the entire front lawn. Broken furniture spilled from the front deck, and there was a worn-out old couch that I thought might have been doused in gas smack in the middle of the grass.
That was concerning.
The music was loud when we were in the Uber, and once we got out, it only got worse. Or better. Depended what kind of mood you were in. Personally, I was into it.
We were greeted from all directions as we made our way into the house. It didn’t seem to matter that no one knew who we were. Slurred “hello”s and “hey”s were thrown our way from drunken college kids.
“Everyone’s super friendly!” I shouted over the music.
It was crowded inside the house, so making it to the kitchen looked like it was going to take a while. Suddenly, an enthusiastic boy jumped in front of us and lifted his hands in the air. “CALARTS FUCKING TALENT WEEK!”
As quick as he’d appeared, he was gone again, but I could hear him shouting the same thing over and over again as he moved through the living area.
“A participant, I suppose?”
We kept walking in search of something to drink. My small size left me vulnerable to being trampled and pushed around. Even the odd elbow got me in the side of the face. Drayton slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me against his side, acting almost as a human shield, and quickened our pace toward the kitchen. I was grateful because at this rate, I’d have b
een knocked unconscious before I’d even had the chance to throw back one beverage.
When we got to the kitchen, I took note of its enormous size. The actual appliance side was relatively average, but the dining area was large enough to have a beer-pong game set up, and dozens of people watched the match. At the end of the room was a sliding door that led to a backyard where, of course, there were multitudes more people.
Drayton, with his arm around my middle, leaned in close. “Beer? Or should we have some vodka shots?”
“I want to play that!” I pointed at the beer-pong table and gave him a determined nod. “Doubles?”
“I don’t know, Cheer. I’m a seasoned beer-pong player. I can only have the best of the best on my team.”
Just then Cooper appeared beside me and placed one hand on my shoulder, while the other cradled a beer. “Hey,” he smiled. “You guys made it! Have you had a drink yet?”
“Hey! I was actually suggesting that Dray and I should have a game of beer pong. Apparently, though, I’m not worthy of his team.”
“I’ll be on your team.” He handed me the cup of beer. I reached for it, but it was snatched from Cooper, and I turned around to find Drayton downing it behind me.
“What the hell?”
He threw the cup over his shoulder and glared at Cooper. “Don’t accept open drinks from strangers, Cheer.”
“If you still want to play,”—Cooper grabbed the girl closest to him, Carrie from the quad—“this is Carrie; she can be on your team, Dray.”
She stumbled into Drayton’s chest. She was wasted but she stared up at him with goo-goo eyes. “Yes, I can.”
It would be a miracle if she could walk in a straight line, let alone throw a little white ball into a cup. I had this.
But as it turned out, it didn’t matter what terrible aim Carrie had because Drayton and I became so competitive that Carrie and Cooper got pushed to the side, and the game went from doubles to singles.
The QB Bad Boy and Me Page 14