The Love Series Complete Box Set

by Melissa Collins

  Jake and I have been friends since freshman year and we go to the gym pretty regularly. He usually makes an appearance at my parties and he also finds something, and yes by that, I mean someone, to occupy his time, but his most recent hook-up turned into a pretty steady thing.

  “Oh, cut the shit. You were all about the newest someone until Jocelyn came along. Now you’re all wifed-up. So if anything, I should be giving you shit!” I push him knocking him slightly off balance and he almost falls off the bench that runs between the two rows of lockers.

  Recovering his balance and pulling his hoodie out from his locker, he turns to me. “Whatever, man. At least I know I’ll be getting some tonight and I don’t have to waste my energy playing some chick just so I can get laid!” he scoffs as he slides his gym bag over his shoulder.

  I get the last of my things out of my locker and pull my bag across my chest. Jake’s words echo in my thoughts. I’ll never admit it to him aloud, but he’s partially right. Three years of playing the game—being all douchey and aloof, being in permanent “I don’t care” mode—is exhausting. I’m still shocked that so many girls are attracted to it.

  Can someone say Daddy issues?

  As Jake and I walk across the quad to the parking lot, he continues his ribbing. “Seriously, dude. You can fuck around with me all you want about being with Jocelyn, but at least I know who I’m waking up with.”

  I roll my eyes and slap him on his back. “That is where you’re wrong, my friend. I know exactly who I’ll be waking up with.” He eyes me suspiciously like I’ve just confessed a huge secret. “Chill the fuck out. I just meant that I’ll be waking up alone. You know I never let the ‘One Nighters’ stay over.” How could he forget my number one rule!

  He shakes his head in disgust. “Whatever. Maybe I’ll catch you later.”

  “Sure thing.” We do the whole fist-bump-and-slap-on-the-back dude handshake thing and he stalks off to his car.

  Never in a million years did I ever envision Jake being the one to give me relationship advice, or whatever the hell that just was. Jake was an even bigger player than me in his prime. Then Jocelyn came into his life and it was like a complete turnaround. In all of my disillusioned wisdom, the only reason I can muster up is that she must be fucking amazing in bed.

  As I approach my car, I see someone leaning up against it. It’s Jessa. Thoughts of Jake and his pussy-whipped mentality vanish immediately. The only thing I can think of in this moment is Jessa bent over the side of my bed as I drill into her from behind. That’s how we spent last weekend, anyway.

  Even though I can’t stand her, I can’t deny that she looks fucking smoking hot. She’s a pain in the ass, clingy as fuck and all that, but she’s a good lay. As I get closer to her, I take in her long, skinny legs, which are barely covered in the too-short-to-be-worn-in-public mini skirt. The skirt, along with her extremely miniscule top, makes her look more like a prostitute than a college student. She must be on the prowl.

  “Hey sexy,” she purrs as I approach her. Sometimes I just wish she would cut the shit and just get to the point.

  I nod my head curtly in her direction. “Hey yourself. What are you doing here?” She’s clingy and I hate it, but I tone down my words. I could use a good lay.

  She moves away from the car and straightens her skirt. Even straightened, it still doesn’t cover much.

  Probably won’t even have to take it off. Slide that right up over her ass, move the thong to the side, fuck her and send her on her way. Won’t even have to wait for her to get dressed again.

  My dick throbs at the thought.

  “I was hoping we could get together later.” She’s trying to be coy. Like her fucking outfit and body language aren’t already screaming “I want to fuck!.”

  “Sure. Whatever. Stop by the house later. There’s a party.” She leans into me seductively, like my words were just some kind of magical foreplay or something like that. See what I mean, be a dick and they come flocking.

  She runs her hands over my chest and reaches up on her toes. Pressing her lips against my neck, she whispers, “You got it, babe. I’ll see you for more of this,” she traces her tongue along my neck and nibbles on my earlobe indicating what she means by this, “later.”

  She struts off in front of me purposefully swaying her ass and hips. I have to laugh at her over-the-top behavior. If she only knew that I don’t really care how the hell she acts, as long as she spreads her legs, which she never seems to have a problem doing, then I’m fine.

  It’s a shame none of these girls realize that sex is all I’m after with them. No one is getting close ever. That’s how it’s been for the last four years, and as long as I have any control over it, that’s how it will remain for the foreseeable future.

  When I pull up to the house ten minutes later, the party is already in full swing. Either these things are starting earlier or I’m staying at the gym later. I park my car far enough from the chaos that is our driveway. I don’t want anyone to fuck up my car.

  Walking through the living room and into the kitchen, I don’t see Jack anywhere. He must be out back. I think I remember him saying something about Cammie and her new roommates coming over tonight. I’m going to have to avoid them at all costs. Clingy freshmen who make it their life’s mission to get to know everything about everyone they meet is the most fucking annoying thing ever. I like not knowing anything about anyone. I’m even happier to know that no one knows anything about me.

  As I walk into the kitchen, I notice a few guys from Jack’s PT program doing shots along the counter and I nod a “hey” in their direction. They don’t hold my attention for long, though. As my gaze falls to the ass that’s bopping up and down from behind the refrigerator door, the rest of the room fades away.

  That’s one seriously fine ass. Now, I’ve got my back-up if things fall through with Jessa tonight.

  I slide in behind her and notice that her tight ass is attached to tiny waist. Her legs are to die for and I can’t help but think about them wrapped around my hips or up around my ears—either will work for me.

  When she turns around and crashes into my chest, the scent of her hair invades my nose and scatters my brain. Light and citrusy, she literally smells like a breath of fresh air. I just shake it off. I mean what guy doesn’t love the smell of a gorgeous woman.

  Hmmm, I wonder what the rest of her smells like.

  “Hand me one?” My voice catches a little in my throat as I try to take in her face. She’s fucking beautiful. Bright green eyes, a perfect little nose, but what’s most disarming is the look of shock as I catch her off-guard. If I’m not mistaken, she might have actually blushed when I spoke. Do girls actually blush? Most of the girls I’ve known aren’t embarrassed by much of anything—blushing and embarrassment aren’t part of their behavior.

  “Here you go.” Her voice is soft and sweet. It quivers with uncertainty and it does some serious damage to my game. Not knowing exactly how to react to this sweet creature in front of me, I chug down my bottle of water to avoid having to say anything. I swipe my arm across my mouth to wipe away the water that’s dripping down my chin.

  It’s water. Not drool.

  Her eyes rake ravenously over my body. She likes what she sees, most of them do.

  “Thanks . . .” My sentence ends abruptly. I don’t know her name. Waiting for her to fill in the blank, I eye her up and down. She’s beautiful, perfect really. I quirk my eyebrow up at her prompting her to tell me her name.

  She finally catches onto my unasked question. “Maddy. Sorry, my name is Maddy.” I can’t suppress the lopsided grin which curls up the corner of my lips. Her voice is so shaky and unsure. It’s been so long since a girl has been caught off-guard with me, since someone has been real around me, that I almost don’t know what to do with it.

  She continues talking to me and I have a hard time focusing on her words. All I see are her soft, full lips moving quickly, trying to explain her presence. “My suite mate, Cammie, is
dating one of the guys who live here,” she says.

  Hmmm. So maybe hanging around with Jack and Cammie tonight might actually pay off.

  I realize I still haven’t said anything to her earlier statement. I’m still lost in the thought of what her lips taste like, what her creamy skin would look like if I could make her blush all over.

  “I’m not that much of a drinker so I hope you don’t mind if I steal one of these from you?” She’s so freaking adorable. Wait. Did I just think that a girl was adorable? What the fuck?

  Returning to my standard dickishness, I say, “Help yourself. It’s just water. I’m going to go grab a shower. Maybe I’ll see you later, Maddy.” Effectively putting an end to the conversation, I walk away from her and head upstairs to my room. She might be downstairs, but thoughts of her sweet mouth will definitely be accompanying me as I shower.

  When I come back downstairs a while later—the shower took a little longer than planned—I see her moving and swaying on the dance floor. Our eyes meet and I’m mesmerized by her body flowing in rhythm to the music. The girl can move. In that moment, I need to feel her body up against mine. I need to know if the real thing lives up to the fantasy I just created in the shower.

  Slinking up behind her, I glide my hands over her waist and pull her close to me. Leaning into her hair, I inhale deeply. I can’t deny it. I want her.

  Leaning in so my lips are no more than a centimeter away from her ear, I say, “I think you owe me a dance.”

  She turns around sharply, caught off guard by my flirting. “Owe you? For what?” There’s so much innocence in her voice that I’m thrown a bit. “For the water of course,” I say sweetly.

  I register the shock and apology that spreads across her beautiful face, “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize . . .” I have to laugh. Does she really think I’m pissed about a bottle of water? My God, how fucking cute is that? Okay, something is definitely wrong with me tonight. I’ve just thought of the words “cute” and “adorable” to describe a girl. I need to walk away now before I’m completely and totally knocked off my game.

  I want to walk away, but I can’t. I’m drawn to her and this playful banter is kind of fun. I laugh at both her embarrassment and my extremely abnormal behavior.

  She looks wounded as I laugh. Before I can even get the words together to explain myself, she places her hands on my chest and leans up on her toes. Close to my ear, so close in fact that chills course through my body, she pitches her voice low and says, “I could pay you back with more than a dance, Reid.”

  Holy fuck! She’s sweet and sexy. This can’t be for real.

  Quickly regaining my composure, I cock my head to the side. “So you did a little digging, huh?” I need to stay on top here. I’ve never been out of control like this, but Maddy is fucking killing me here. I’ve only known her five minutes and already I never know what to expect from her.

  “My name—you just had to find out who I am, did you?” I’m messing with her, but I have to admit that part of me is very turned on that she had to figure out who I am.

  “Of course I dug. I needed to know who was responsible for getting me all hot and sweaty before.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she regrets saying them. Heat blooms across her neck and chest; her cheeks turn pink.

  Going in for the kill, I put my lips right up against the outer shell of her ear. “So I got you all hot and bothered? Hmmm. Let’s see if I can do it again.” I pull her onto the makeshift dance floor in the living room and thank fucking God that it’s a slow song. Now, I have the perfect excuse to keep her tight ass pressed up against my groin.

  When she raises her arms above her head and starts shimmying against my body, I nearly lose it. Needing to feel her skin under my fingertips, I trace lightly over her arms. Her skin flames and my desire for her is out of control. I feel her skin raise as goose bumps cover her arms. When her hands start roaming all over my back and chest, I want nothing more than to take her up to my room.

  We move, perfectly in sync with one another. Her soft body pressed up against mine is pure heaven. I spin her around and our eyes meet again.

  Fuck. Her eyes are wide but crinkling in the corners. She doesn’t have to try all that hard to figure out what I’m thinking. Thousands of unspoken words are exchanged in that one simple stare. I feel vulnerable and exposed. She knows I want her. But what’s even scarier is that I do—I want her so badly and not just for one night.

  Remembering my vow to myself from so many years ago, I remind myself to keep my walls intact. I have to get away, now, before she figures me out, before I do something I regret.

  “Thanks for the dance,” I say sharply as I help her stand up straight from the last spin. She tenses at the cold, hard change in my demeanor.

  Whatever. I can’t risk being hurt again.

  As I strut away from her, I see Jessa across the room. Desperate to forget Maddy, I spend the rest of the night making out with Jessa on the couch, certain for Maddy to witness the whole sickening scene.

  I want her to see me with Jessa. I want her to be disgusted with me. The more I can piss her off, the more I can guarantee that she’ll leave me, and my dark secrets alone.

  Bonus Scene #2

  Alternate POV from Let Love In

  The movement at my side wakes me up. Reaching my hand the other side of the bed, I feel someone next to me. What the freak? No one ever stays the night. Who the hell? Then, as the fuzziness clears from my head, I remember everything.

  Maddy being drugged.

  Me saving her.

  Tucking her into bed and then sleeping peacefully for the first time in as long as I can remember.

  There were no nightmares last night.

  I roll over on my side to a wide-eyed and obviously afraid Maddy. Cupping her cheek in my hand, I need to try to calm her down. She looks like a frightened deer caught in the headlights.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” I don’t mean for my words to sound as sugary sweet as they just did, but she really is beautiful, all sleep mussed and drowsy—she looks perfect, really.

  Shock is still washing over her as she comes to. “Um, did we . . . you know.” She’s flailing her arms all over the place trying to communicate what her words aren’t. Finally, she spits out what she’s been trying to get at. “Did we . . . umm . . . do it?”

  Holy fucking shit! She can’t even say the word. She’s so damn adorable that I can’t help but laugh at her. I pull myself up against the headboard and she joins me. She thinks I don’t notice, but I see her peaking under the covers to check out her state of undress. I’m pretty damn proud of myself that I didn’t touch her last night. God, I wanted to, but even I’m not that much of an asshole.

  When she’s situated next to me, I stare into her eyes. “No, Maddy. We most definitely did not ‘do it.’ Believe me when we ‘do it,’ you’ll remember.” I arch an eyebrow at her and fold my arms behind my head.

  “Did you just say when we sleep together?” Her shock just adds to my desire for her. Does she think that I don’t want her? Fuck. I thought I made that pretty clear last night.

  “Yes, I did.” I’m not going to hide that I want her any more. Seeing her with that dick last night, gutted me. I won’t do that again.

  “So Maddy, what do you remember from last night?” I hate thinking about what could have happened to her if I wasn’t there. I never would have pegged myself as the protective type, but her vulnerability and sweetness have done all sorts of messed-up shit to my head. To be honest, I can’t say I hate how I’ve changed since I met her.

  She looks so freaking hot chewing on her lip and twirling her hair as she tries to place what happened. “Um, well I remember being at the pool hall with everyone. And then I remember Mike and I hanging out at the bar for a little bit. After that, things get a little fuzzy.”

  She’s got bits and pieces of the story straight, but the big part, the part about her almost being kidnapped and raped—because I’m certain that’s what t
hat guy would have done to her—that part is eluding her memories.

  I see her panic rise as some of the big picture comes into focus. She’s almost shaking with nervousness. The need to calm her is like needing to take my next breath.

  “Don’t worry, Maddy. Nothing happened. I was walking back into Shooters when Mike was trying to leave with you. You guys walked past me and I saw that something was off. Your eyes weren’t clear. They were all glassy and you just didn’t seem with it. I had been watching you all night, so I knew you weren’t drunk. That’s when I realized he must have slipped you something. I knocked him on his ass and then brought you here. I know you probably didn’t want to wake up next to me, but I didn’t want you to be alone and scared when you woke up.”

  As she’s trying to take this all in, she freaks out and tries to call Mel. She nearly falls on her face as she stumbles out of the bed. God, how much did he fucking give her? If I ever get my hands on him again—well, it just won’t be pretty. He’ll get a lot more than a knee to the sac.

  “Shh. Don’t freak out. It’s okay. I texted her last night and let her know that you were here. Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of.” I lean in close to her needing to touch her, to inhale her intoxicating smell. When the pad of my thumb traces over her face, across her lips, my groin twitches with the electricity that moves between us. In all of my experience, I have never gotten this excited from a simple touch. I’m lost in her beauty; she’s mesmerizing and I’m completely disarmed by the charge between us.

  “You were watching me?” Her question brings me out of my erotic musings about doing much more to her lips than just trace over them with my fingertip.

  “Um . . . yeah. I guess you could say that. It’s just . . . well . . . I didn’t trust that guy. I’d never seen him there and he was staring at you like a wolf eyeing up a lamb while you were leaning over the pool table. I wanted to make sure that you were okay, that’s all.” Pulling my hand from her face, I readjust the sheets across my lap to hide my growing erection. I shouldn’t be turned on as we sit here discussing her attempted attack, but I want her. Thinking about protecting her just makes me wish she was mine. That’s what’s turning me on. Her being mine and only mine.