by Sherry Soule
I pulled back, and he disentangled his hand from my hair and cupped my cheek. His other palm traversed my backside, toying with the pocket on my jean skirt. His hand slipped inside briefly, then drew out slowly, before his fingers fanned out and cupped my butt, lifting me to my toes and pressing our bodies together again.
“Damn, you’re driving me completely insane,” he whispered in a husky voice.
“We should slow down,” I said, breathlessly.
Cole placed his forehead against mine and his lashes fluttered closed. “You’re right.” His eyes opened and searched mine. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you tonight, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. But this place isn’t where I want to make love to you for the first time.”
We disentangled from one another, the sexual tension between us gradually draining away into the party atmosphere surrounding us.
“You ready to break the rules yet?” he asked.
“Rules? You mean the Zeta Beta ones? No…not quite yet.” I sighed. “A few hot kisses in a moment of weakness doesn’t change my mind.”
His brown eyes twinkled. “Hmmm, but you don’t sound quite as convinced anymore. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to break you.”
“Not likely.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said a little too confidently.
TRUTH OR DARE
I got a text from Cole to meet him outside the dorms after my afternoon classes had ended. Despite all the warnings about not dating Alpha Tau Omega brothers, I felt all fluttery at the thought of seeing Cole again. And the ZBs didn’t say anything about it being forbidden to socialize with them, so I figured it was safe enough to hang out. Plus, if we hooked up off campus, there was no one around to see us.
In my room, I threw on a clean graphic tee with skinny jeans and my comfy Uggs ankle-boots, then sprayed on some mango body spray and touched up my makeup. I wanted to look hot, but not in an obvious way. Grabbing my Burberry plaid wool coat—the only clothing I’d ever bought online, off-season, and marked down—off the hook near the door and my bag of art supplies, then dashed downstairs to meet Cole.
He stood near the entrance and glanced up when I pushed through the door. He was clad in low-slung faded jeans with a ragged hole in the knee, leather boots, and a snug black shirt that covered a lean, well-defined body. I took in his thick biceps and muscled torso, fighting the urge to jump his bones right there in public—the Zeta Betas be damned!
“Hey, beautiful!”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What? No flowers? And to think I almost considered this a real date.”
“You know, I thought about it, but then I decided that flowers weren’t very original and you’re going to find that I am nothing like the other men you’ve dated,” he said, stretching out his hand. “Let me take your bag.”
I handed it to him. “Thanks, but it’s not that heavy. Just my charcoals and stuff. Sorry, no body paints.”
“Too bad about the body paint,” Cole teased.
We walked across the quad to the parking lot and hopped into Cole’s shiny blue Ford F-150 truck. He threw the truck into drive, and we zoomed out of the driveway. Soft music poured from the speakers and the scent of leather and musk filled the interior of his ride.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“There’s a special place that I like to hang out at near the lake, and I wanted to show it to you.”
“And how many unsuspecting females have you taken to this secluded location for nefarious purposes?” I joked.
He glanced at me with a frown. “You don’t trust me? Or just men in general?”
I touched my nose. “And we have a bingo.”
Cole remained quiet for a moment as he switched lanes. “Truthfully? None.” He glanced at me and lowered his voice. “You’re the first person that I’ve ever wanted to share this place with.”
I’d been treating him like the campus player and he just wanted to do something special for me. Maybe I’d misjudged Cole.
After another five miles, he traveled up a dirt road, and then after another mile parked the truck in a lot next to a rusty Chevy. The trees surrounding the area had burnt-orange leaves and the branches were filled with a winged symphony of birdsong.
“Are we going for a hike?” I unfastened my seatbelt. “Because I didn’t wear sneakers.”
“No. We’re not going too far, so you’ll be fine.”
“First no flowers and now we’re hiking in the woods? I expected romance and sweeping gestures—not mosquitoes and mountaineering.”
“Like I said, I’m not like the other guys you’ve dated.” Cole glanced at me and winked. “You’re going to have to relax and trust me.”
“I’m not big on trust. Or trekking into deserted areas with no cell service.”
He laughed, then got out of the truck, and went around to open my door. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe from any psychopaths.”
“It’s not the psychos, I’m worried about,” I mumbled.
I climbed down and Cole took my hand. At his gentle touch, a tingling sensation spread throughout my body like a raging wildfire.
Still holding my hand, Cole led me to a well-worn footpath. “How’s Pledge Hell going?”
“Okay, I guess. The only sorority I still want to get into is Zeta Beta.”
“You’re not planning on suicide are you?” he asked, glancing at my face.
“Yup. It’s Zeta Beta or nothing for me.”
A suicide might be risky for some girls, but there wasn’t another sorority on campus that I wanted to pledge. Zeta Beta would be the only house I listed on my preference card.
Cole shook his head. “Just don’t get a personality lobotomy.”
After ten minutes, he turned off the trail and into a wooded area that opened to a small private clearing near the lake lined with towering trees, and a lone picnic table. A whiff of pine wafted on the light breeze and the atmosphere was monastery quiet.
We sat side-by-side on the table and rested our feet on the bench overlooking the water. Four ducks swam past and a frog croaked from the bushes.
“I’m glad you brought your art stuff,” Cole said. “This is a great spot for a landscape. Did you bring everything you need?”
“Almost. But someone didn’t divulge our destination, so I had no idea there’d be the perfect backdrop for some impromptu sketching or painting.”
“We can come back another day. Today, I just wanted to share this place with you and get away from the campus without anyone else around to interrupt us. Did you still want to sketch me?”
“Yup, so just turn your head and don’t move.” I gripped his chin and faced it forward. “Now stay still while I do my outlining.”
I took out my charcoals and a blank canvas, setting up against a large rock, then got comfortable. He stared across the lake at an unknown point, giving me the chance to study his well-defined features. Cole gave good profile. The turn of his lips, the planes of his cheeks, and forehead. His straight, noble nose. His brows lowered, as though he were concentrating too hard on a puzzle.
Vivid brown eyes, the shade of rich chocolate, peered out from a thick fringe of dark hair that surrounded pale skin. I shaded in the hard line of his jaw, unwavering and dominant, and then those expressive, full lips. My gaze drifted from the image to the pencil in my hand and my fingertips smudged black.
Cole stared at the water in silence while I finished my sketch. I lost myself in my work and everything bad that had happened at Beaumont dissipated while I drew the slight slant to his eyebrows and added his piercing. I’d been attracted to Cole from the first moment I saw him, but now that I was actually hanging out with him and getting to know him better, the attraction was a hundred times stronger. He seemed like a nice guy, who was funny and charming. And I knew that smoldering stare of his would be my undoing.
“You’re being unusually quiet,” I said, pausing in my depiction. “Having second thoughts about bringing me here?”
“No. N
ever.” His head turned. “Are you done yet?”
“If you want to go faster, then stick your head in a photocopier. I’m an artist…and stop frowning.” I outlined the angle of his features, creating his visage onto the canvas.
Cole fake pouted. “Can I see it yet?”
“No. Patience is not one of your virtues, is it?”
“Nope.”
I shaded in two more areas around his neck. Charcoal smudges covered on my aching fingers when I finally said, “I’m done. Would you like to see it?”
I handed him the canvas and began putting away my supplies. My heart was racing as I glanced up at his face.
“Wow.” Cole stared at the portrait with an unreadable expression. “This is really good. It’s as if…I have nothing to hide from you.”
“I’m sure you’ve got a whole warehouse full of skeletons, Cole. I know I have a few...” My voice trailed off.
“Serena, there’s nothing you could tell me that would scare me off.” His eyes softened and his chiseled features warmed, and a trace of a smile touched his beautiful lips. “As matter-of-fact, nothing you could say would surprise me, because you’re the biggest surprise to walk into my life. Ever.”
His words stole pieces of my heart and a warm glow filled every fiber of my being. But my big mouth ruined the moment.
“That’s really sweet, Cole, but we need to stay in the friend zone,” I said softly.
He stiffened and tension tightened his neck tendons. “Please tell me it’s not because of those Zeta Beta trolls. You’d really disappoint me.”
“Relationships just aren’t my thing right now,” I said.
He was quiet for a long moment, gazing at the water. The gentle wind ruffled his hair and his eyebrow ring glinted under the sun’s warm rays.
“Fine. Then how about a friendly game of truth or dare?” Cole asked, his deep voice was seductive, bewitching.
My eyebrows drew together. “Here? Now? With you?”
“You see anyone else around?”
A big goofy grin pulled at my mouth. “Is this some ridiculous seduction scheme? You are so juvenile.”
“Some would call me fun and entertaining. Are you game, Miss DuPont?”
“Okay. Whatever. But a few ground rules,” I said. “If you say truth, then on your next turn, you have to select dare.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
“And the dares need to be rated PG.”
“Are we twelve?” Cole huffed. “Any further addendums?”
“Nope. You can go first.”
“Ah, but I’m a gentlemen, so after you.”
“Truth or Dare?” I asked.
“Dare.”
“Hmmm, I dare you to pound your chest and do your best Tarzan yell.”
“Your wish is my command.” Cole stood. “With or without my shirt? Or are my abs way past a PG rating for you?”
“Just let it out, Tarzan.”
Throwing back his head, he beat on his chest with both fists and let out a loud howl. This cute, silly side of Cole only made me like him more.
I laughed. “Impressive.”
“Your turn, blondie,” Cole said. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“Admit that you find me irresistible.”
“That’s not even a question!”
“Fine. If you weren’t so hell bent on keeping me in the friend zone, would you have a harder time resisting my charms?”
My cheeks flushed with the truth. “Yes. You’re like chocolate and I’m a diabetic…” I admitted softly.
He smirked. “Hmmm, good to know that I have some affect over you.”
“Your turn.”
“Truth.”
“How many women on campus have you dated?” I asked.
“Only one…besides you.”
“We’re not dating. How many have you had sex with?”
“That’s a second question and not permissible.” He clucked his tongue. “But I’ll allow it just this once. To be truthful, I’ve lost count, but if I had to guess, I’d say about ten or so. Now back to you, Serena.”
“Man-whore!” I laughed, not that surprised by the number. “Dare.”
“I dare you to kiss me.”
My heart skipped a disturbed beat.
“A kiss? I’m pretty sure that kissing violates the friends only policy.”
“You didn’t seem too worried about it at the party when you were all over me—”
“Hey! You seduced me with your sexy dance skills. Not fair!”
“Well, now you have no excuses because there is no one from Zeta Beta around to catch us. We can be like friends with benefits. Now get your cute ass over here.”
“Ugh! Your logic is so annoying.” I sighed. Deep down, I wanted to kiss him. Press my lips against his. Feel his warm tongue mingle with mine. What harm could more kissing do? “Fine. But keep it PG.”
“As you wish, Miss DuPont,” he said.
Slowly, I leaned into him, clutching at the sleeves of his T-shirt, and every aspect of his body—his mouth, his eyes, his scent—unexpectedly overpowered me. It was an electric, all-encompassing feeling that sent fire skipping along my nerve endings. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and our lips met. His tongue touched mine and something hungry and powerful struck my core. His arms embraced me and held me close. Warm tingles mushroomed through my thighs. My long hair fell forward and tickled our faces. The kiss radiated throughout my body, with a promise of so much more. It was the kind of kiss that made a girl believe in possibilities, in that elusive perfect chemistry between a man and a woman. Cole pulled back first, wearing a victorious smile.
“Okay, Prescott. Truth or dare?” I asked, still feeling breathless from the kiss.
“Dare.”
“I dare you to take out your phone and randomly poke someone you don’t know on Facebook.”
Cole removed his cellphone from his pocket and signed into his account. I leaned over his shoulder as he scrolled through names, then poked someone.
“Done. My turn again,” he said. “Which is it, blondie?”
“Truth,” I said.
“I need a straight answer, if it wasn’t for all this pledging nonsense, would you want to be with me?”
“As a one-nighter? No.”
“I didn’t say that. I meant be with me. As in my girlfriend…”
Whoa. What the what? My eyes blurred as I stared at up him, trying to figure out why he suddenly had all these strong feelings for me and if they were real.
“This is all going a little too fast, Cole. We need to put on the breaks.” My forehead wrinkled. “And why do I get the feeling that you’re toying with my emotions? Is it just the challenge? Because I won’t fall into bed with you like some freshman who’s going to blame it on alcohol in the morning?”
Cole leaned away from me. “Ouch. You wound me.”
“I doubt that. Your ego seems pretty rock solid.”
“Look, the truth is, that since I met you, all other girls bore me now. But not you. You’re like an enigma I want to unravel…and you make life more interesting.”
“Unravel?” I snorted. “Don’t you mean undress?”
“Well, there’s that, too. But it doesn’t matter how many women I’ve been with,” he said, locking gazes with mine. “With you, I feel this definite pull—like a magnet. You have to admit, whatever else we’ve got going in our lives, we keep being drawn together.”
“And why’s that, Cole?”
“Undeniable sexual chemistry.” He smiled, then took my hand and laced our fingers. “I know you feel it too. It’s so weird, but also sort of awesome. And I really like this artsy, creative thing you’ve got going on.”
“Thanks. I think.” I bumped his shoulder with mine. “Is this your favorite hideaway?”
Cole smiled wickedly. “Yup. The best place to do some skinny dipping on warm days.”
I laughed. “In broad daylight? You’re joking, right?”
Cole yanked h
is blue shirt over his head. Hot damn. My gaze drank in his naked torso while my hands itched to feel his smooth skin and the hardness of those rippling muscles. He had six-pack abs and a super sexy V of muscle on his pelvis that I’d only seen on male fashion models.
“You’re crazy,” I said. “There’s no way I’m going swimming with you.”
“Come on. Don’t be a baby. Just swim in your bra and panties.”
“No.”
“Please? It’s a dare, so you have to do it.”
I shook my head. “Forget it. That water looks ice cold.”
“Well…I have a feeling that you’re going in one way or the other.”
Shaking my head, I scooted back on the table. “No way, Cole. Not gonna happen.”
“That’s what you think.” Cole tugged off his sneakers and undid his jeans to reveal black swim trunks.
“I swear, if you throw me in, I’ll never forgive you!” I said, laughing.
He moved toward me, and I scrambled off the picnic table, giggling. Cole chased me around the table until he finally caught me and crushed his body against mine. My laughter died in an instant. Our gazes fused together and every fiber of my being pulsated with desire. Electricity and heat ignited between us.
“Serena DuPont, you’re an absolute goddess,” Cole whispered, then softly put his mouth on mine.
My whole body instinctively pressed against his, my skin achingly aware of every heated, solid inch of him. His mouth felt warm and flavored with mint. All the chaotic emotions writhing around inside me since I started recruitment instantly evaporated. I ran a hand through his hair and clenched the strands tight. He deepened the kiss and his tongue danced with mine. My insides melted and unfurled. Raging emotions raced between us. Heat. Desire. Passion. One of his palms slid under my shirt and traveled up to my fuchsia La Perla bra, his fingertips skittering ever so gently over my breast.
I gently pushed him back. “We need to stop.”
“Right. A cold shower might help.”
Cole turned, running toward the water’s edge, then dove in. He broke the surface several feet away from where he went under, drops of water glimmering in his hair and on the tips of his lashes. “Hey, tell me something.”