From the Top (Central State)

by Jaqueline Snowe

  “Yes.” Now Michael had to pick up his pace to keep up with me. I wanted to know if her reaction to seeing me was the same as mine was—excitement, joy, and the insane urge to kiss her then and there.

  She laughed at something Naomi said before her gaze landed on me, all teasing and twinkling like she couldn’t wait to share a story with me. Her red lips curved up, and she waved her hand in the air way too fast. It was adorable.

  “Hey!” She moved toward me a bit, and Naomi’s knowing stare hit my face before her own smile snuck out. Normally, I’d overanalyze her look and replay every interaction I had with her the past year. Instead, I was so focused on Cami my brain didn’t do the normal social anxiety routine.

  While they were clearly sisters, they were very different. From how they stood, dressed, and talked. Naomi was subtle and pretty where Cami literally made my pulse race.

  “You don’t look surprised,” I said, unsure of what to do with my hands. Did I touch her? Hug her? Kiss her? I kept them at my side, safe and behaved.

  She leaned closer to me as Michael pulled Naomi in for a kiss, and Cami pinched my ribs. Her head went to my shoulder, and she touched my bicep to stand on her tippy-toes. “Naomi invited me a few days ago.”

  Her breath tickled my ear, and I shivered. “You could’ve told me.”

  She placed her hand on my waist, positioning herself closer so our hips touched. She smelled so damn good and looked so pleased with her bright eyes and the light blush on her face. I hadn’t seen her since last night, and it was strange to miss her. A distant warning bell went off in my mind, telling me I was falling too hard and too fast, but it disappeared just as quickly as it occurred.

  It was hard to be rational when Cami seemed so happy just to see me.

  “What would’ve been the fun in that?” She grinned up at me, scrunching her nose as her gaze moved to my mouth, and my muscles tensed. Were we supposed to kiss? God, I wanted to. This was her sister, but we hadn’t talked about us once.

  Was there an us?

  Were we just a one-time thing? I was cautiously optimistic that wasn’t true… not when she leaned into me and kept looking at my lips.

  “I hope everyone is ready for trivia!” Naomi said, holding Michael’s hand and opening the door. A little bell rang, and after Michael went in, Cami followed. I sucked in a breath at the back of her dress.

  Or lack thereof.

  The dress was entirely see-through. Not quite lace, but sheer? She didn’t wear a bra, that was clear, and her back muscles moved under the neon bar lights. Fuck. The same magnetic pull took hold of me, the one where I forgot everything besides her, and I gently yanked her back outside by her wrist.

  “What—”

  I crushed my mouth against hers, pulling her tight against my chest and wrapping my arm around the back of her waist. She tasted like mint and coffee, and she nipped my bottom lip as I grazed her spine with my other hand.

  “You’re killing me,” I said, staring down at her. She licked her lips and used her thumb to wipe my mouth.

  “A kiss blitz, hm?” she teased, her chest heaving as she removed lipstick from my face. “That was…something.”

  “A good something?”

  “Oh, yes. I don’t know what caused this, but I liked it.”

  “Your back.” I sounded like a caveman, not using sentences to convey my emotions. My cock stirred at our proximity, but I forced myself to take a deep breath. We were out with her sister. I needed to behave. “Sorry.”

  “Wait, why are you sorry?” She squinted up at me as she stepped back, smoothing down her dress as her very pointed and very visible nipples strained against the fabric.

  “Cami,” I said, groaning into my fist. “How do we… what do we…” I stopped, her smile growing as she ate this up. “You enjoy torturing me.”

  “A bit, yes.” She bit her lip and cupped my chin, her damn eyes sucking me in like she had magic powers. “I told Naomi about us, so if you’re worried about how to act, don’t. That cool?”

  Naomi knows.

  “So that means I can touch you?”

  Say yes, say yes, say yes.

  “It means you better.” Her face got that wickedly playful look again, and I yanked her toward me for a quick kiss. Something about her stirred my blood and turned me into this horny bastard where I wanted to rip off this dress and lick every inch of her.

  I never had urges like this before. Never with Maddie and not even as a hormonal teenager. It was as terrifying as it was wild, and she gasped when I bit her bottom lip. All the worry about us being a one-time thing evaporated like water in the dead of summer, and a new, confident feeling surged through me. “I’m gonna need to taste you tonight, Cami. All of you.”

  She gulped and nodded as a bright red blush painted her cheeks. “I-I’d like that.”

  “Good, now try and behave so I can survive trivia night. Please.” She turned to head inside, and I stopped her by putting my hand on her shoulder. “Hold still for a second.”

  “Wondering if I’m wearing anything underneath?”

  “Christ, now I am.” I sucked in a breath and tried to find evidence that she wasn’t bare under the dress, but nothing showed besides the smooth curve of her ass. “I need to adjust myself before going in, but with you looking like this, what’s the point?”

  She giggled, the sound like a happy little bell, and my chest puffed out. I loved knowing I made the ice queen giggle. The thought made me frown though. She wasn’t the flirty ice princess everyone thought she was, and I knew better than to cater to those falsehoods. With a mission to survive the night, I forced myself to think about my schoolwork, insects, and cutting grass--anything and everything that wasn’t even remotely sexy.

  By the time we joined Michael and Naomi at the table, my dick seemed more in control. It didn’t even twitch when Cami moved her hair over her shoulder, her vanilla scent wrapping around my lungs.

  “Is there a theme tonight, or is it all random?” Cami asked, searching around the bar with a cute line between her brows. “I need to be honest and upfront. I suck at trivia. All of it. I came for the drinks and company.”

  “Hey, that’s okay!” Naomi said, a little too fast. “I don’t care if we win or lose, really. Ever since Mona got in a legit fight with another player, we’ve eased back some.”

  “Mona got in a fight? Shut up.”

  “For real. Punched the dude in the face over a baseball answer.” Naomi’s eyes got all wide, and Cami slapped the table with her palm and laughed.

  “Fucking hilarious.”

  “Best part is, they’re kinda dating now. It’s wild.”

  Cami and her sister continued talking back and forth, almost like a verbal ping pong game. I glanced at Michael who seemed content as hell with a light beer and his entire Central State outfit.

  “Are they always like this?”

  His face softened, and he grinned at his girlfriend before answering me. “Yes, for the past six months at least. You need to be prepared though.”

  I watched as Cami spoke loudly with her hands in the air. Naomi leaned in with a grin already on her face. They were in their own little world, and after everything Cami shared with me, it thrilled me that she had her sister. “Be prepared for what?”

  “Settle the debate, boys.” Naomi pointed to us, her brown eyes wide and a little scary. Cami followed suit and leaned onto the table, crossing her arms on the surface. “Is chemistry better if you hate someone? Like, I think indifference would be the worst, but Mona and this guy Patrick…they were nemeses who now sleep together?”

  “Yeah, because all that competitiveness, the tension…. chef’s kiss.” Cami even kissed her fingers in the air. “Enemies with benefits has its purpose.”

  “Sleeping with the devil…. To what, attack them at night?” Michael said, clearly amused as he leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful expression—brows drawn close together and one finger tapping his chin. “To weaken them? You could totally use powers
of sex to spy on your enemy.”

  “Exactly,” Cami said. “Getting your rocks off and having a mission. I see no harm.”

  “Nor do I,” Michael said, holding out his fist for a bump. “So, what do you think Frederick?”

  “I mean,” I said, clearing my throat and feeling my face flush. I certainly didn’t hate Cami when we became reluctant neighbors. I did think about her body a lot though. My entire body heated, and something warm rested on my upper thigh. Cami’s hand. I wasn’t sure why her touch reassured me. “I get it.”

  “See that, Fletcher? Three to one. Let me know when you need another sample of answers, nerd.”

  Naomi narrowed her eyes at Michael, the two of them fitting together in every way possible. Michael had been through some shit, I knew that, and seeing him so happy made me happy. That was the thing I didn’t understand about mean people—happiness wasn’t a competition, and there wasn’t a race of who got to be happier first. We should be lifting each other up and enjoying each other’s wins.

  “Okay nerd-alerts, the game is starting. Come get some paper and a pen and we’re getting this 2000s trivia game started!” The trivia master wore a Jimmy Buffet shirt with a straw hat, and my blood pumped with excitement. This wasn’t the same as when Camden dragged me here with his friends or latest fling.

  This was with people who I could totally be myself with. I didn’t dare jinx anything, but it felt damn good to be this content. I didn’t even worry about what was going on with Cami. I just played the game with my friends and counted down the seconds until Cami and I could be alone again.

  CHAPTER

  NINETEEN

  Cami

  Naomi and I stood at the sink in the bar bathroom, each of us washing our hands. I reapplied my lipstick, and she met my eyes in the mirror and widened them dramatically. “Cami.”

  “Nana,” I said back, unable to hide my grin. There was so much to be fucking pleased about that it seemed like a dream, unreal almost. The girls having my back. Not just in theory. Like, legit set up a meeting with Audrey tomorrow.

  Then, Freddie. Ugh. I was worse than all the girls in high school who swore they found real love for ever and ever and ever. My heart was like a damn hummingbird in a sugar water buffet from the way he kissed me hard, fast, and desperate.

  My face reddened, and Naomi’s smile turned maniacal.

  “You like him! Oh, hell yes. I love it! You! Him!” She gripped my forearm and let out a sound that kinda reminded me of a cartoon fox. “Oh, I’m so pumped for you.”

  I wasn’t prepared for Naomi’s arms to come around my waist, her head resting on my neck and her citrusy scent tickling my nose.

  “Thank you.”

  “Seriously, Cami. I know things haven’t been the best for you, and I haven’t been there as much as I should’ve. But this?” She pulled back and gave me a fierce look, the same one she wore when someone told her math was useless. She was for real. “You deserve this. Don’t downplay it or think it’s not for you.”

  A nervous laugh escaped me. “Are you in my head or something?”

  “I know you.” She still had her arms around me as she spoke, and someone else walked into the bathroom and frowned at us. Naomi didn’t care though. She kept her grip and waited for me to meet her eyes. “Freddie is a nice guy. He’ll be so good to you.”

  “Don’t think he’s too good for me?” I asked, a sliver of insecurity flowing from me like air leaking out of a popped tire. I couldn’t stop the comment from slipping out.

  Naomi frowned hard. “No one is.”

  I gave her a grateful smile, the flutters of butterflies growing as we headed back toward the table where the guys stood chatting. Freddie wore dark black jeans and a gray and white striped shirt with his Chucks, and I wanted to climb him like a tree. The broad shoulders and height, the complete lack of athletic skill, and those damn glasses. I never would’ve picked all those attributes to describe the perfect guy, but now? It seemed weird to picture anyone else. He was perfect as is.

  “Thank you both for tonight! I need my trivia fix until Mona can return.” Naomi looped her arm with Michael’s and gave me a long look that I interpreted as you better tell me every detail next time we’re together.

  I nodded. “Thanks for the invite. This was fun.”

  Freddie put his arm around my shoulders as Michael and Naomi headed out, and his clean, woodsy scent made me lean a little closer to him. Without saying anything, we walked out of the bar, and he moved his arm to my hand, interlocking our fingers as the evening air swirled around us. “Thank god you wore flip-flops.”

  “Why?” I looked at my feet, confused by his comment.

  “Walk fast, Cami. Walk fast.” He grunted a bit, and his meaning was clear. Very clear. We headed down Center Street where bricked walls and bars lined each side. It was the best part of campus, and normally, I’d hop between place to place to distract myself from going back alone. Tonight though? I just wanted Freddie.

  But… I had to tease him. It was only fair.

  “Don’t you want to stop and stare at the stars? Maybe do a tour of campus?” I stopped walking, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You devil.”

  I winked at him, then he pounced. For a big guy, he made little sound as he backed me up against a wall and kissed me hard. His hand wrapped around my throat as he slid his tongue into my mouth without waiting for permission. He devoured me right there in public as he groaned.

  It was so fucking hot to see him unravel like this. I matched his passion, stroke for stroke, and he ran one hand up my side to pinch my nipple hard.

  “You know we’re in public, right?” I said, my voice breathy and deep. My decision to go sans underwear was a mistake as moisture pooled between my thighs. “How unseemly of you.”

  I swore he growled as he looked down at me, his thumb rubbing my lip as his nostrils flared. His gray eyes seemed darker and more intense through his lenses, like he had to catalogue every part of my face this second.

  “You confuse me in the best fucking way, Cami.” His jaw tightened, and he swallowed hard, still keeping his hand around my throat. The raw emotion in his voice was enough for my heart to skip a beat.

  It was totally, without a doubt, a compliment from him. I wanted to wrap my arms and legs around him and not let go, assuring him he confused me in a million good ways too. Like, maybe I did want to be monogamous and in a relationship. To be the person he told everything to and shared his Skittles with. To know what it was like to really be with someone through good and bad.

  “I know this tall fucker,” a voice said, making Freddie jump off me.

  “Camden.” He turned around, his voice still carrying a hint of lust.

  “Dude, you’re out? I love it.” Camden threw his arm around Freddie and patted his chest before introducing a very tall and very skinny blond dude. “This is Peter. Peter, my brother Frederick and his…”

  “Cami.” I finished for him, not wanting Freddie to try and fill in that blank. I knew it’d stress him out. “Nice to meet you both.”

  Peter was polite and looked as unsure as I did, but Camden took the lead. “We’re heading to a house party at Gallagher’s. Join us. You’re down for it, right, Cami?”

  I wasn’t sure if it was a challenge or a dare in his eyes as Camden moved his gaze from me, to Freddie, then back to me. Like… did Camden want me to bring his brother? I totally could, but why? “I’m always up for party, but weren’t you saying you were tired?”

  “He’s always tired or has a test or something.” Camden pursed his lips. “Did he tell you that I force him to come out with me twice a month just so he’s social? I planned to do a stamp card for it. After ten, he’d get a free night away from me, but—”

  “Shut up, Cam. We’ll go.” Freddie tensed, and I wanted to rub the worry from his muscles away. His jaw flexed a couple of times and then he held out his hand. I took it without question, and Camden and Peter kept walking.

  “I’m
so sorry,” Freddie said, whispering to me as his face paled. “We don’t have to go. I didn’t even ask you.”

  “No, it’s okay.” I smiled up at him, wanting to kiss the frown off his face. “I don’t mind. Hanging out with you is perfect.”

  A few of his worry lines disappeared, but his grip on my hand tightened. Was it his brother? Peter? The place we were going? I wasn’t sure, but I was game for whatever. Sure, I was horny, but at some point, Freddie and I would make our way back to the dorms.

  Freddie’s body was tense the entire walk to Gallagher’s—which, I wasn’t sure was a place or a name. Maybe both. That detail didn’t bother me though. It was Freddie’s demeanor. I let go of his hand and smacked his ass, making him slide me a look. “What was that?”

  “For fun.”

  “Do I get to return the favor?”

  “If it helps your mood, then yes.”

  He sighed, did not smack my ass, and ran a hand over his face. “It’s just—”

  “Here we are!” Camden said, pulling Peter in for a very loud, wet kiss. “You know where the drinks are, FB3. Peter, follow me to the porch. I plan to sit on a hammock and do dirty things with you.”

  Peter shrugged and went with Camden, leaving Freddie and me outside on a big porch. Gallagher’s seemed to be a white house on the edge of campus and east of Center street.

  Freddie eyed the door like they had a history. “Do you need a drink?”

  “Um, maybe?” I tugged his hand and made him look at me. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “Maddie and I used to hang out here all the time, so I don’t know why Camden is doing this to me.” He pulled his shirt from his chest a few times. “I’m over her. I need you to know that, but this also wouldn’t be a place I’d ever willingly take you? Does that make sense?”

  Every time he mentioned Maddie, I got the urge to fight this woman who hurt him. Even now, a year later, Freddie was sad or at least down because of her. “It makes perfect sense, but I have an idea. A really, really good idea. If you’re up for it, that is.”