by Hazel Kelly
“Right.” I fell in step beside her as soon as she picked a direction, crunching the rock salt beneath my boots with every step.
“These are fantastic,” she said, shoveling another bite into her mouth before holding the open bag out to me.
“No thanks,” I said. “I'm about to hit the gym.”
“Of course you are.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Who's asking?” she said. “You or your ego?”
I assumed that was a hypothetical question. Speaking of ego, though… “Look, about Saturday. Or Sunday morning, rather. I just wanted to say-”
“I wish you wouldn't.”
I shoved my hands in the pockets of my puffy North Face. “You don't even know what I was going to say.”
“I know it doesn't matter.”
“Because…?”
“Because it's not a big deal.”
My neck pulled back. “Ouch.”
“Don't get me wrong.” She stopped and turned to face me. “It was a big deal in every way that counts.”
Did she just drop her eyes to my dick?
“And you know it.”
“Thank you?”
“And I haven't been avoiding you, okay? In case that's the real reason you ambushed me.”
I held my face still so she wouldn't see me flinch.
“I've just been recovering.”
“Recovering?” I repeated.
“In a good way.”
“I don't know what the hell that means.”
She sighed. “Not everything has to be analyzed to death, ya know? Especially good things. It only sucks the joy out of them.”
Does that mean she thought what happened was a good thing?
“You look confused.” She started walking again.
My lips fell apart, but she spoke first.
“For example, they did this study to see if music could improve people’s moods.”
Oh here we go.
“And some of the people were instructed to just listen while others were told to consider their happiness while they were listening.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “The latter group felt less happy than the group that just enjoyed the music without overthinking it.”
“Bingo.”
I stopped in front of Tiller Hall when she did.
“So we're good?” Her expression was hopeful.
“Yeah,” I said, perplexed by her nonchalance. “We’re good.”
“Great,” she said, batting her lashes at me. “Well, thanks for the brownies-”
“So you're down to talk about other stuff then? As long as I don't mention the way you bit my pillow and clenched around my dick?”
She blushed before responding with a single nod.
“Cool. Let's hang Sunday afternoon then.”
She furrowed her brow.
“You can't keep putting off your frisbee lessons if you expect to win all that Gatorade.”
“First of all, if we actually won- which would be a miracle- we would not spend the prize money on Gatorade.”
“Gatorade, condoms…you decide.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Is there a second of all?”
“Second of all-”
I held my breath.
“Okay.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said, shrugging. “Why not?”
I pointed at one of her rosy cheeks. “I think you have some enthusiasm on your face.”
“I'm sure I don't.”
“Perhaps your excitement will increase when I text you the details.”
“Don't hold your breath,” she said, backing towards the building. “And I should warn you, I really, really suck.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, smiling. “I can help with that, too.”
F I F T E E N
- Nina -
I was having one of those days.
Sure, last night was great. Sadie invited Zoey and me to a house party hosted by some Argentinian exchange students, and we took more shots than most pediatricians give in a lifetime of practicing medicine. Adding to the magic, all the people who lived there had this amazing sex appeal, even the ones who weren't that attractive.
Just being around them made me want to be a more confident woman. And a better dancer. Honestly, the way those girls unhinged their hips on the dance floor was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I was sweating Fireball just thinking about it.
Unfortunately, I'd have to start Operation Tango tomorrow because today I was feeling like…whatever the least sexy thing ever is. Oreo teeth? The spray that comes out your nose when you sneeze? Shitting with the bathroom door open?
Whatever.
I’d be cranky even if it weren’t for my impressive hangover because I had to drag my sloppy ass all the way down to the main lecture hall in Morton just to hear some celebrity entrepreneur speak.
Okay, so I didn't have to go, but I was a big fan of his TV show where he helped make over struggling businesses, and since I hoped to have my own someday, I figured it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few tips. Plus, I got extra credit in my Intro to Business class for going.
And thank God for that because this was so not my idea of a fun Saturday night. Then again, the guest speaker probably worked twenty-four-seven and didn't even know what day it was.
As expected, the lobby was crowded as fuck when I arrived.
What I wasn't expecting, however, were the life-size cutouts of the guy at the auditorium door, the stalls hawking his new book (so naïve of me), and the- wait- was that Carter?
What the heck was he doing here? Shit. I looked like shit. My hair was in a messy bun, and I didn't have a lick of makeup on. Hell, I was impressed I washed my face.
Ugh.
Maybe he wouldn't see me. He was busy talking to some annoying redhead. Okay, maybe she wasn't annoying, but come on. Whose winter jacket is tight? And she was wearing leggings in January. Oh wait, so was I. Whatever, she sucked.
Maybe I could just sneak by, find a seat, and pretend I didn’t care if he spent the next hour flirting with her.
If only there was another way in…
He spotted me and waved me over.
Naturally, the ground missed its cue to swallow me up.
“Hey,” I said, feeling better about myself when I saw that she had to draw her eyebrows on.
“Are you stalking me?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Yeah,” I said, refusing to cower despite the way the redhead's eyes were boring into me. “That's why I'm undercover.”
“Ali,” she said, shoving her hand in my direction.
“Nice to meet you,” I lied, shaking her hand.
“And you are?” her painted brows drifted up her freckled face.
I could tell she was an upperclassman because she was looking at me like I was something sticky on the bottom of her shoe. “Nina. Sorry. I'm…a little tired.”
“You weren't tired last night, though, were you, tiger?” Carter said, slapping my ass.
I shot him a look.
“Oh,” Ali said. “I didn't realize-”
“Great catching up with you, Ali,” Carter said. “See you around.”
She looked shocked to be so readily dismissed and was slow to skulk away.
I bit my tongue till she was out of earshot. “What the heck was that about?”
“Some people can't take a hint,” he said. “I had to slap your ass for her own good.”
“How convenient that it was within reach.”
He smiled and his cheek dimple appeared. “My thoughts exactly. Besides, if the rumors are true, you probably deserved it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I heard you and Zoey had a big night.”
“Too big,” I said, blushing at the memory of how he felt inside me.
“That's what she s-”
“I walked into that, didn't I?”
“You want to grab seats?” he asked, point
ing towards the door.
“If you're happy to be seen with me when I'm-” I splayed my fingers out and looked down, grateful that I’d at least managed a fresh hoodie that was free from stains and stench.
“Undercover?”
“That's putting it nicely.”
“For what it’s worth, I like you undercover,” he said, his eyes lingering on my legs in a way that made my lower body tense. “And undercovers, but you already knew that.”
“Are you going to whisper innuendos during the whole lecture?” I asked, falling in with the students filtering inside.
“Of course not,” he said. “I'll pass notes like a normal person.”
“Seriously, this might be the only time I ever get to hear this guy speak and-”
“Don’t be silly,” he said, our shoulders bumping as we pushed through the door. “I can get you an audience with Uncle Tony any time.”
“Uncle Tony?” I scanned the crowded room, which was filled with the enthusiastic chatter of students who should’ve already been wasted, and found two seats together in the middle of a row near the back.
It wasn't until after we scooted past a dozen students and got to our seats that I attempted to address him again. “He's not really your uncle, is he?”
“Technically, no.”
“Technically?”
The lights began to dim and the surrounding noise followed suit. “He and my dad were college buddies, and my dad's given him legal advice a few times over the years. Long story short, he's been Uncle Tony for as long as I can remember.”
“Cool.”
He shrugged. “He's all right. He always messes up my hair, though, which I've never liked.”
I laughed.
He turned towards me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I just pictured you as a pouty-faced kid with messy hair and-”
“And what?”
I was getting addicted to the feel of his blue eyes on me. Christ, he was so handsome the mere sight of him was enough to make me ovulate. “Some things never change.”
He shot me a disapproving look, turned his attention to the stage, and fell silent as the moderator did his thing. But as soon as the audience welcomed Uncle Tony with applause, he leaned back into my personal space.
“You smell great, by the way,” he said as the crowd cheered.
How was that even possible?
“Like cinnamon and booze,” he added, shooting me a sidelong glance.
I cringed. “Sorry.”
“Don't be,” he said, his smile pulling to one side. “Makes me want to lick you all over.”
S I X T E E N
- Carter -
“Thanks for introducing me to Uncle Tony,” Nina said, beaming as we left the auditorium.
“You're welcome,” I said, amused at the burst of energy the meeting had inspired in her.
“Didn’t you think his advice made so much sense?” she asked, the wheels clearly turning in her head. “Totally the highlight of my day.”
“I'm glad things have turned around for you.”
She looked at me sheepishly. “They certainly have.”
“What are your plans for the rest of the night?”
“Gatorade,” she joked. “And food.”
I laughed and tried the knob on a random classroom door. When it opened, I tilted my head in invitation. “A moment of your time?”
Her stance shifted as she looked up and down the deserted hall. “I don't think you're supposed to just break into classrooms after hours.”
“The door was open.”
She followed me inside the dim room, which was lit only by the evening light streaming in through the windows on the far wall, and flicked the switch by the door.
I reached over her shoulder and turned it off before the fluorescent bulbs overhead flickered on.
She looked up at me, her shallow breath the only noise in the empty room. “What are you up to?”
“I want to start over.”
“What?”
“With you,” I said. “I want to start over with you.”
“What are you talking about?”
I leaned one hand on the wall and used the other to tilt her chin up, bringing her pink lips out of the shadows. They were bare and unglossed. Naked. I thought of the way she'd curled against me in bed, how her warm body fit perfectly in my arms. “We have unfinished business,” I said, licking my own lips.
Her eyes dropped to my mouth. “Shut up.”
“What?”
“Shut up and kiss me or I'll scream.”
I stepped back. “There's a mindfuck if I ever heard one.”
“I dare you,” she said, her eyes sparkling in the dark. “I want you to.”
Her boldness caught me so off-guard I was unsure how to proceed.
“This is ridiculous,” she said, grabbing my face and pulling it down to hers. Her puckered lips crashed into mine for a second before she let go. “See? No big deal?”
“Is that the best you can do?”
“What?”
“I said is that the best you can-”
“I heard you.”
“Then answer the question,” I said. “Is that how Southern girls kiss, because I feel more passion from my grandma?”
She groaned and put her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. Then she pressed her soft lips against mine again, only more gently this time and for a few beats longer.
I laughed in her face.
Her expression fell. “What? At least I tried! If we don't have chemistry, we don't have-”
I stopped her rant with my mouth, pulling her to me with one hand and cradling the back of her head with the other.
She bent back in my arms, and when I parted her lips with mine, I sucked the breath from her until she wilted against me.
Her tongue met mine tentatively at first, but when I pulled her messy bun back to kiss her more deeply, she let me taste her until she was smiling so hard she made me smile, and we had to come up for air.
The sound of her breathlessness made me hard. “Well?”
She lifted her hands to her cheeks.
“What's the verdict?”
“I didn't think it could be that good.”
“I'll try not to take offense at that.”
“Good,” she said. “But don't let it go to your head either.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “It's too late for that, I’m afraid.”
“Shit, really?” Her eyes dropped to my hard-on.
I laughed. “You say that like you haven't been wet since I slapped your ass.”
“I suppose I have been, but-”
“What?”
She looked at me.
I kept my eyes on hers.
“Do you have a condom?” she asked.
“Is the pope-?”
“Timing, Carter.”
“I always have a condom.”
“Who brings a condom to an academic lecture?”
“Responsible optimists?”
Her mouth curled up on one side, and she glanced at the door.
“The kiss was that good, huh?”
She reached over and locked the door. “Can we just do this before I change my mind?” She dropped her coat on the floor and pulled her hoodie off so she was standing before me in a sheer white tank top, under which she was clearly braless. Her leggings didn’t leave much to the imagination either.
“Your seduction tactics are unorthodox, but I know a great idea when I hear one.” I pressed her against the painted stone wall a second later, my lips on hers as she pushed my fleece off my shoulders and reached for my belt, undoing it in a hurry as if her need was even more urgent than my own.
My tongue watered against hers, and I cupped her breasts over her thin shirt as she pulled me out, her breath hitching as she flattened her palm against the underside of my dick.
I pushed my jeans down, stumbling a bit when I tried to kick my shoes off, and she laughed at me b
efore stepping out of her soft boots.
“Wait,” she said when I pinned her against the wall with my boxer-clad hips.
I leaned back and looked at her, noticing her face had taken on an innocence that seemed a stark contrast to the fearless woman who'd demanded sex two minutes ago. “What is it?”
Her eyes searched mine. “This is what you want, too, right?”
There was barely any fabric between us. Couldn't she feel how much I wanted her?
“Carter.”
“Of course this is what I want. I mean, I'll strip down to my boxers if it'll convince you, but-”
“Sorry,” she said. “Stupid question.”
I looked down to where her chest was rising and falling against mine.
“Will you touch me like you did the other day?” she asked.
“I'll touch you any way you want me to.” I hooked my fingers in the elastic of her pants and pulled them to the floor, taking her panties along for the ride. My jaw clenched when the smell of her sweet sex filled my nose, and it took all the strength I had not to fall to my knees and worship her with my tongue right there.
I forced myself to my feet and wrapped a hand around her delicate throat, her pulse hammering against my palm. Then I dragged a finger from the edge of her jaw down to the hollow of her collarbone, my eyes on the way her soft skin gave way to my touch.
When I lifted my gaze, she was staring at me, her delicious lips slightly parted. I dragged my mouth across them like a breeze and slid my hand between her legs, smoothing her silk over her and crushing her clit in gentle circles as I'd done before.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “That's just what I want.”
She dropped her head against the wall and sighed, closing her eyes and biting her lip.
I watched every flicker of her expression as I worked her, loving the way her brow furrowed when I spread her open and pushed into her warmth.
“Oh God,” she breathed.
I twisted my fingers inside her and curled them towards me, her body trembling before me like a flame. She was so feminine, so responsive, and my desire to make her come was outweighed by my desire to drag out her pleasure.
I dropped to one knee and dug the condom from my wallet before pulling my boxers off.
“Let me,” she said, taking the packet.
I watched as she opened it carefully- more carefully than a guy ever would- and surged when her eyes fell to my dick.