Smash into You

by Sherry Soule

  Cole laughed, then lowered his voice. “I don’t need to do any research, Serena.”

  “You’re one smug bastard,” I said.

  “See? You already know me better than most.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Next topic, please.”

  “Any siblings?”

  “Nope. You? Just the younger brother?”

  “No, I have an older brother, too. He’s married and lives in Livermore.” He tilted his head as if studying me. “Tell me about your parents. Are you guys close?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. My mother died in a car accident when I was fifteen and my dad has been married twice since then. Wife number two and I don’t get along. Plus, the fact that she’s almost twenty years younger than him just grosses me out.”

  “What does your father do for a living?”

  This was starting to feel like a police interrogation.

  I smoothed back my hair over one shoulder. “He’s a senator, and I suppose you could call me the black sheep of the family.”

  “Oh? Why’s that?”

  Shit. I hadn’t meant to blurt that out.

  The muscles in his forehead were constricting. “I thought you said your family was in Witness Protection.”

  Sweat prickled my underarms. I forced myself to smile big and wide. “I was just joking around, Cole. Tell me about your parents,” I said, swiftly changing the subject. “What does you mom do?”

  “She was a seamstress until my parents had my kid brother. He’s what they called a happy accident, so now she’s a stay-at-home mom.” He tilted his head to one side, running his index finger across his lower lip. “Any pets?”

  “I had a hamster once, but I’ve always wanted a dog.” I glanced at my watch. “Social time’s up. I’d better go. I have a ton of studying to do tonight. Thanks for the coffee.”

  “Anytime. We still on for the party next weekend?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t count as a date.”

  “I didn’t expect it to.”

  He walked ahead of me and held open the door. On the way out, I stumbled and tripped forward across the threshold. Cole caught me by the waist and jerked my body into his. The air whooshed from my lungs. Even through the clothing separating our skin, his biceps were like smooth boulders beneath my palms, his chest a firm slab of muscle against my breasts. I didn’t move. My head lifted and our gazes locked. His lips parted slightly and I had the strongest urge to kiss him. My legs weakened from the full body contact and my skin flushed hot.

  Cole eased me back gently, and for a split second, he loomed closer. His breath fanned my face and I sensed that he wanted to kiss me, too. Instead, he said, “I’ll walk you back to the dorms.”

  SCARS

  When I walked out of Stevenson Hall and into the bright morning sunlight loaded with books the next day, the chilly winds slapped my cheeks. Brooklyn stood up from a stone bench near the entrance. Her eye was twitching and she rubbed at the tic with trembling fingers.

  “Hi,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “I-I just wanted to ask you something.”

  “Crap. If it’s another secret boyfriend that you need me to break up with, please look elsewhere.” I shouldered past her, but she reached out and lightly touched my sleeve.

  “Please wait.” She cleared her throat.

  I stopped and sighed. Damn, she was pulling the sad ‘puppy dog’ eyes on me.

  “What did Luke say? Not like I care.” Her right eye twitched again as if she was prone to seizures or something. “I just need to make sure he got the message.”

  Brooklyn would totally suck as a criminal. She couldn’t lie to save her soul. I curbed my smartass remarks and dialed down the sarcasm.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “Luke took the news like a champ.”

  Her gaze skittered away. “What did he say?”

  “He said he’s sorry and he wants to talk to you alone.”

  Tears clouded her eyes. She blinked. “Seriously? He wants to talk?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Though I’m not sure why he’d ever want to speak to you again after what you did to him.”

  “I don’t either,” Brooklyn said, shaking her head. “Luke’s a much better person than I am, but it’s not like I had a choice.”

  We stared at each other. A lone tear leaked from Brooklyn’s eye and rolled down her cheek.

  “It’s none of my business,” I said, “but you shouldn’t let Jade and the others tell you who you can date.”

  So then why the heck was I letting them tell me who I could and couldn’t date? I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid to go on that one date with Cole because of the Zeta Betas, or finding out if I really liked him after I’d sworn off men.

  Brooklyn sniffled and her big eyes suddenly crammed with tears. “I know, but…”

  I gripped her arm, and she turned to look at me. “You’re not okay, are you?”

  “No…not really.” Brooklyn took out a tissue from her designer purse and blew her nose. “I know you didn’t tell the Zeta Betas about Luke and that was cool of you,” she said under her breath. “But this conversation never happened. Got it?”

  “Whatever. Am I still a pledge or is Jade pissed at me?”

  “You followed orders…so no, she’s not upset with you. And yeah, you’re still an official PNM. Why? Were you thinking about dropping?”

  “The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I’ve come too far to quit now. As long as the hazing doesn’t get any worse, I still want to pledge.” I squinted against the afternoon glare and wished I had my sunglasses. “But I don’t get it. What’s the big deal? Why aren’t the Zeta Betas allowed to date guys from the Alpha Tau Omega frat?”

  She slipped a pair of dark sunglasses on over her eyes. “It’s been a strict policy since last year that only allows the sisters to date certain frats. Well, basically just not any guys from ATO.”

  My shoulders slumped. “It sucks that the Zeta Beta and ATO are rivals. But why?”

  “How should I know? Just another stupid rule!” she said curtly. “I’ll see you around, Serena.”

  Brooklyn took off in a rush, and left me standing there scratching my head. I went to class, and afterward I skipped lunch to study in my room.

  The door banging open made me jump. Vanessa burst into the room. She had a stinky green mask smeared all over her face, and her hair was pulled back by a headband so tight the average plastic surgeon would be jealous of her technique and she resembled a cartoon villain: The Green Menace. She’d been hanging out in another girl’s dorm room all day.

  “Come on! It’s almost eight o’clock!” She waved frantically for me to follow her back into the hall. “Movie time.”

  I sighed and hoisted myself up. All the girls on our floor gathered in the common room to watch a chick-flick. I followed Vanessa down the hall and plopped on the sofa beside her.

  Once the opening credits rolled, Vanessa asked, “What do you usually do in the evenings, Serena?”

  “Study,” I said. “And paint my masterpieces.”

  Raven rolled her eyes and Vanessa nodded.

  I yawned. “Sorry, but dancing naked in the moonlight just wasn’t working for me. I blame the mosquitoes.”

  Their jaws dropped, and each girl exchanged a glance.

  “I was kidding!” I said, then smiled wickedly. “About the mosquitoes.”

  I only half-watched the film. Although for an older guy, Tom Cruise was still drool-worthy, my mind was elsewhere. I should be back in my room studying. The only courses I wasn’t feeling stressed about were my art classes. But as much coursework as I had to do, I also still wanted to be social with the other girls on my floor. I needed to be now that my hopes of joining a sorority might be squashed like a bug under Jade’s stilettoes if I wasn’t more careful. Speaking of being more cautious…

  “When is the RA having our locks changed?” I asked Vanessa. “It’s been forever since we sent in the request.”

  She shrugged. “Gues
s we’re not a big priority on the janitorial staff’s to-do list. I’ll follow up in the morning with Colleen.”

  “It might be faster if we do it ourselves,” I mumbled.

  Vanessa flipped through a The Walking Dead comic book. “Anyone going to the ATO party next weekend?”

  “I’d rather kiss a cockroach,” Raven said. She pushed herself up from the floor where she’d been painting her toenails, and sat on the couch, capping the nail polish bottle.

  Personally, I sympathized with the roach.

  “What about you, Serena?” Vanessa asked.

  “I’m going,” I said. “Cole invited me.”

  “He asked you out on a date?” Vanessa squealed, cracking her mask when she grinned.

  “I’m not sure hanging at a party qualifies as a date,” I said. “We’re only friends.”

  “Let me drop a truth grenade…if you’re pledging Zeta Beta, Serena, I suggest you blow him off,” Raven said, adding a clear topcoat to her long red nails.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, but my voice cracked.

  “You’d better take my advice,” Raven said, lifting her chin. “Or come bid day you’ll be without a house.”

  I leaned back. It was all I could do to keep from staring down the wide holes of her nostrils. “Maybe joining a sorority isn’t high on my priority list anymore. All this hazing seems out of control.”

  “Oh, suck it up,” Raven said. “I’m doing the same crap that you’re doing and you don’t hear me whining about it. Last night, I had to drive to the store at two in the morning to get one of the ZB’s a pregnancy test. We are their slaves until bid day.”

  “It’s not just that,” I said. “I’m not sure Zeta Beta is the right sorority for me now.”

  Raven shook her nail polish bottle before applying another coat. “Whatever. But there’s no way anyone from Zeta Beta would go to an Alpha Tau Omega party, or approve of any pledges that attend. Not like you ever had a prayer of getting a bid, but if you do, then you can kiss any chance you had goodbye.”

  My blood started boiling hot enough to spew lava. Was it just me, or did Raven have a face that was made for punching?

  Three girls snickered. Vanessa glanced warily in my direction as if waiting for me to explode.

  There were about a zillion snarky things I could’ve said back to her. But whatever I said would only come off as a defensive rant. And it might get back to the Zeta Betas. I stood without saying a word and calmly walked out of the room.

  Without thinking, I texted Cole and told him to meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes. I went back to my room and threw on a clean shirt, and then reapplied my lip-gloss. After straightening the books and notes littering my desk, I left the room, locking the door behind me.

  He was waiting for me off to the side partially hidden by shrubs and wearing all black like a secret agent. Cole wore a hood pulled low over his head and he peeked out. “What’s with the 911? Another bad day?”

  “Yeah, I seem to be having a lot of those lately,” I confessed.

  “Then my job is to cheer you up. Come on.”

  Cole grabbed my hand and led me to the student parking lot where BMWs, Mercedes, Accords, and Jeep Wranglers waited for their owners, and his 4x4 truck was parked. He helped me into the bed where a thick blanket and pillows had been laid out.

  “What’s this? Did you bring some cheap wine and Twinkies, too?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not having sex with you on a makeshift bed in the back of a truck.”

  “I just thought we could lay here undetected and gaze up at the stars while we talk. But if sex is an option—then I’m all yours, baby.” He winked.

  “Clever.” I lay down, fluffing a pillow behind my head.

  Cole lay beside me with his hands tucked behind his head. “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know. I just wanted to see you.”

  “Hmmm, somehow I think there’s more to it, Serena.”

  Cole gave me that look. The sweet sexy, pouty-lipped look that sent a rush of fire to my lower regions. Lord, that boy could melt butter with a single glance.

  “What were you doing before you came?”

  “Usually foreplay, unless the girl’s in a real rush.”

  Leaning up, I punched him in the stomach, and he laughed, clutching his gut. The sound was throaty, raw, and masculine. I rolled onto my side, leaned up on my elbow, and gazed at him. “Seriously. What were you doing?”

  “Shooting a game of pool with a few of the guys at the house.”

  I lay back down, and we stared up at an opaque sky draped with twinkling stars. It felt strangely intimate and cozy lounging with Cole in the truck, as if we were the only two people in existence. A wispy cloud swept the skies and eclipsed the crescent moon.

  Cole flipped onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow. His fingertips grazed my bare arm feather-light. “You have so many little scars,” he said, tracing lazy circles on my bare skin. “Where did they all come from?”

  “My mom had a cat with a bad temper.”

  He lifted his sleeve to reveal a crescent shaped scar on his forearm. “My aunt had a feral cat. She bit me once, and that’s why I like dogs better.”

  I smiled. “Which one bit you? The cat or your aunt?”

  “The cat, silly.”

  I turned my head to face him. “Any other scars?”

  “Well, I do have quite a few claw marks on my back…”

  “Gross!” I playfully smacked his arm. “Seriously, do you have any? No one can be this perfect. It’s not natural,” I teased.

  “I might have a few…” Then Cole went quiet, gazing up at the stars for a moment, then said, “Serena, I think we owe it to ourselves to find out if there’s anything between us. If what we have could be something more than just friendship…and I’m thinking a kiss could settle the indecision. Then we’ll know without a doubt.”

  My body tensed. Warning bells blasted in my head. Kissing would take us out of the friend zone and into dangerous territory. Yet…I felt as curious as he did.

  What harm could one little kiss do?

  “Only one. That’s all,” I said.

  Cole leaned over and kissed me softly, tasting the faint trace of my strawberry lip-gloss. Then he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me slow and passionate. The hot silk of his tongue danced with mine, and the electricity that had crackled between us seemed to detonate. He deepened the kiss and my body responded by leaning into him. The way Cole held me set my pulse pounding. My fingers entwined in his hair and pressed closer into his firmness. I wanted him to stop, to beg him to stop, yet I wanted him to kiss me into submission. We clung to each other kissing and touching until he slowly pulled back and smiled triumphantly.

  “Still no sparks?” he asked softly, holding my gaze captive.

  I swallowed. “Nope. Not a thing. You’re not that good of a kisser.”

  “Next time I’ll do better.” His eyebrows lifted. “So, you think I’m perfect?”

  “No.”

  He chuckled. “You’re like the worst liar, ever!”

  “Shut up.”

  He touched a spot on my elbow. “You have another scar here.”

  “I fell off my bike when I was eight. Why are you examining my scars?” I asked.

  “I was hoping you’d let me play connect the dots.” He tugged on my shirt so I slapped his hand away.

  “Why are you so interested in me?” I asked.

  Cole took my hand and laced our fingers, his rough one against my softer one. “Because I sense that you’re the kind of person that everyone instinctively looks at, but never really sees,” he said, his brown eyes appraising me. “They just get a glimpse of this flawless image of a smart, beautiful girl, but they don’t see beyond that. Not the real you. Only the one you hide behind with your impeccable clothing and shiny hair…”

  “You think you see the real me?”

  “Yes, Serena, and I’ve become enchanted with what I’ve seen so far.”

  My chest tight
ened with raw emotion. For several seconds, it was hard to breathe. Cole was the first person to look past the designer clothes, flawless makeup and hair, and get a peek at the actual person underneath my outward façade.

  Cole softly kissed me again, and a tingling sensation spread throughout my body. I didn’t protest or try to stop him. He pulled me closer to him, meeting my lips with his. I sighed, settling into the crook of his arms. His lips seemed to convey feelings he couldn’t articulate of trust and openness, of need and desire. My body responded to his touch, to his lips. My heart was betraying my head as his mouth left mine to place a quick kiss on my nose.

  Leaning back, Cole picked up a strand of my long hair and twirled it between his fingers. “Scars…” He kissed his way down my forearm to my elbow. “Are like badges of courage to be respected for what they taught us. And I’m just paying them homage.”

  “Is that why you’re always touching me?” I whispered. “Because you think I’m scarred?”

  When he stared down at me, his eyes raged with a predator’s gaze. “No…I can’t seem to stop myself. Why does it bother you?”

  “No. I seem to have the same problem.”

  His mouth slowly descended to cover mine again. He kissed me gently, teasing with his tongue until I forgot everything except his taste, his lips, and his roaming hands. My skin started tingling all over. My body responded in a primal way, inching closer to him, engulfed in him. He leaned in and brushed his mouth against mine again. When our lips met, it felt like a flash of fireworks. Tentative, at first, but deepening as Cole pulled me into his side. I felt claimed, possessed by him and those lingering kisses.

  He leaned back and stared at the sky. “Now, why did you really text me?” he asked again. “Straight answer.”

  “I can’t explain it, but I just suddenly needed to see you.”

  He smirked, his dimple winking at me. “I knew you’d come around.”

  I rolled my eyes and glanced down at my bare arms. “All these little scars are so ugly,” I whispered.

  “No, they’re not. Those scars are what make you unique. What make you—you. Stop hiding that girl. She’s the one I really want to get to know.” Cole played with another lock of my hair. “Promise me something?” he asked, his voice sounding warm and husky like melted chocolate.