***
By midnight, the party was going non-stop, and the liquor had taken its effect. I decided to slow down because the football player I was pursuing was so effin’ hot, and I was dying to taking him back to my place.
“Laney!” Jordan waved from across the room. I made my way toward her, noticing she had on a white under T-shirt, which she hadn’t been wearing when we arrived at the party. By the way she was fuming, I doubted she got lucky with some guy.
“Where have you been?”
“Ali and I have been in the bathroom with Gaby.” She huffed. “She’s freakin’ wasted.”
“Aw, hell.” I rolled my eyes. “What happened to your shirt?”
“She puked on me. Mateo had to give me his undershirt.” Jordan grabbed the top of the sleeves with her fingertips. “That sucks. I told her not to do those damn shots.”
“She obviously can’t handle that much liquor.”
“Nope.” She pushed her hair away from her face. “Anyhow, we gotta go. Mateo went to get the car. Are you gonna stay or come back with us?”
“Uh, I think I’ll stay.” I looked behind me, catching a glimpse of the number four guy on my To Do List.
“Oh, I gotcha ya.” She winked. “He’s freakin’ hot.” Using both hands she fanned herself.
“Hell, yeah.” I nodded, watching him laugh with a couple guys on the other side of the room. “He plays for PHU, you know.”
“Football?”
“Yep. Center.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s Matt Russell?”
A smile bubbled from within me. “Sure is.”
Her shoulders dropped, as though her body was melting. “Don’t know how you do it girl.”
I rubbed my fingernails against my shirt and then blew off the fake guy-luring fairy dust. “What can I say? I’m good at what I do.”
“Obviously,” she mocked. “I better go help Ali. If you need a ride home, call me.”
“Will do.” We gave each other a quick hug before she walked off. Although I knew she’d come for me, something told me I wouldn’t need her Uber services tonight.
I headed toward Matt. He stood over a long folding table playing a game of beer pong with a few guys, all of whom happened to be football players. Several girls crowded the area, watching them tentatively. “Hey.” I tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention.
“Hey, you.” Matt turned around and then snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Where have you been?”
My hand automatically landed on his chest. My hand twitched, eager to get a squeeze of his hard pecs. I tried to keep my eyes focused on him, but the scenery was more than divine. I’d never been surrounded by so much muscle and testosterone before. All of PHU’s starting football players were at the table, including The Raven, PHU’s star quarterback. Sandwiched between Matt Russell and Raven Davenport was pure torture, but I managed not to let my confidence wane.
“Um . . . I was talking with a friend.” I motioned with my other hand to nowhere in particular. “But she left.”
“Too bad.” His breath flowed over me, and I quickly shut off any airflow. The guy needed some gum. Badly. Beer breath never bothered me before, but for whatever reason, Matt had a horrible case of halitosis. He held up a small, white ball. “Do you wanna play?”
I retracted my head, trying not to breath. “Sure. But I need to make a bathroom run first.”
“Okay.” He winked before releasing me.
“I’ll be back.” I smiled and then inched my way out of the crammed space, making sure to rub my back along Raven’s arm for the hell of it. Too bad he didn’t seem to notice. As soon as I cleared the crowd, I inhaled. The restroom could’ve waited but the gum couldn’t it. If I planned on hanging out with him or taking him home, he’d have to freshen up his mouth.
I pushed through the horde of people and made it to the bathroom. The line extended through the hallway and into the kitchen. Leaning my right shoulder against the wall for support, I unzipped my wristlet, checking for gum. I was fresh out, but I did have some Mentos, which would be better than nothing.
“I think you’re about to make a huge mistake.” Warmth spread across my neck as a familiar voice echoed in my ear.
A voice I was hoping I’d hear tonight.
A voice that automatically shifted my body into high alert.
Luke Thompson’s voice.
“Really?” I said, turning around. “Why is that?” The blue radiated from his eyes to mine, creating an instant connection. I quickly looked away, determined not to get sucked in.
“Because he’ll just use you and toss you aside when he’s done.”
I laughed. “That’s actually what I was planning to do.”
Luke shook his head. “You’re such a dude.”
“Hey,” I punched him on the arm, “that’s sexist.”
“Sorry.” He rubbed his arm, as if I’d really hurt him. “I’ve just never met a woman, who’s so . . . confident.”
I raised a brow. “Is there anything wrong with that?”
“I guess not.” He smiled and then took a drink of his beer. “It’s kind of sexy, the more I think about it.”
“Sexy?” I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “I like that.”
“Me, too.” His eyes traveled across my face as though committing all my features to his memory. No one had ever stared at me that intently. I crossed my arms and tried to rub the goose bumps away, but as his gaze continued the journey along my body, so did the bumps. “Did you purposely seek out my sister to be your roommate?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I swear I had no idea.”
His wondering gaze stopped, turning into an analyzing one. “You’re telling me the truth.”
“Yes.” I slipped into the dimly lit hallway, unable to tell how many people were ahead of me.
“So you’re not some kind of bat-shit crazy stalker?”
“What?” I stifled a laugh. His expression remained stoic, and I knew he was serious. “Of course not.”
“The weird thing is, I honestly didn’t think I’d see you again.” His face softened. “What happened to you? I thought you were going to summer school?” He inched closer to me, brushing my thigh with his knee.
“I was—” a sudden flash of heat consumed me, causing my forehead to break out in a sweat. Casually, I lifted my hand and wiped the nervous evidence with the tips of my fingers. “I had a party at my apartment, and the place kind of got messed up.” I took a deep breath, not sure why I was struggling to breathe. “My parents were pissed and made me take summer classes at a community college instead of PHU. I also had to work to pay back the cost of the damage.”
“That sucks.” He took a step closer, and his manly scent infiltrated my space. “That explains why I didn’t see you around.”
“Yep, but I made the best of my summer.” I shifted my weight, giving myself some space to breathe. Although I didn’t mind breathing him in because he smelled so damn good. I wasn’t sure if it was his cologne, aftershave, or body wash, but whatever it was, it had my body screaming silently with each inhalation. I was like one of those women on an Axe commercial ready to devour him.
So much for being confident.
“What about you?” I asked, hoping to catch a breath while he talked.
“I stayed busy going to class, working out, and going to summer practice.” His eyes didn’t leave mine, which made me sweat more.
Great! Now my pits are going to stink!
“What’s with this line?” I looked over my shoulder at the mile-long wait, suddenly feeling the urge to pee like never before.
“I know where there’s another bathroom with no wait.” He shoved his hands in his pant pockets.
“Where?” I shot him an incredulous look.
He pulled out his keys and jingled them in front of me. “At my place.”
“I should’ve known.” I threw my head back and laughed. Luke thought he was smooth with his moves, but I was dete
rmined to show him I would hold the upper hand this time. “Thanks, but I’ll just wait it out.”
“Oh, I forgot.” He rolled his eyes. “You want to take Matt home.”
“What can I say?” I shrugged and turned my back to him.
“Let me guess, he’s on your To Do List?” He scoffed.
“Maybe.”
Whispering in my ear, he said, “I think you should come home with me, instead.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I thought about his request. How much I wanted to have sex with him again. Screw his brains out. Let him fuck me until I couldn’t take it anymore. But the way he made me feel inside was a huge warning not to do it. I couldn’t fall for him because if I did, that could lead to the four-letter word, and I wasn’t going there.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I retorted, keeping my back to him. I moved forward in the line, and he followed me, positioning his body practically against mine. Every muscle froze, and my lungs stopped working. My heart pounded, and my ears started ringing, and it wasn’t from the music or the alcohol.
“Why not?” His voice was tempting me. Luke had an effect on me that threatened to break down the brick wall of protection I’d spent so much time building. “You wanted me a few hours ago.”
“True. But that was then, and this is now.” I waved him off, trying to convince myself not to give in.
“So, this is my punishment?” He turned me to face him. “For turning you down at the dorm?”
“Yes.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head. “Stop denying what we both want, and just come home with me.”
I stared at him, trying to find the courage not to give in. But he was making it so damn hard. Even with little light, Luke was so pretty. His dark wavy hair made my fingers ache with a desire to dive in and pull. Everything told me to forget about Matt. To go home with Luke. Stop denying what I wanted. But my head was determined to protect my heart.
His finger skimmed my cheek and then dragged across my lips. With his thumb he parted my mouth, enticing my tongue for some action. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
A whimper escaped my lips, and I lost all self-control. The taste of his skin was too damn tempting. My tongue slipped from my mouth, caressing his finger as I broke my own promise and gave him a little preview of what was to come.
Damn it!
Chapter 3
Luke
My phone dinged repeatedly, causing my head to pound harder. With my eyes still shut, I reached for my phone, determined to silence the shithead that continued to text me. I blinked a few times, trying to focus on the screen. As my sight cleared, I noticed several messages from my mom and a few from my sister asking about church. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and flipped the phone to vibrate. Church was the last thing on my mind.
I reached across my bed only to see it empty. The dark bathroom told me Delaney wasn’t in there, either, and had apparently left during the night. It didn’t surprise me, though. She wasn’t the clinging type or looking for an insta-boyfriend relationship. No, she was the exact opposite.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I grabbed the half empty pack of cigarettes. I pulled one out and lit it. Collin and Forbes hated when I smoked inside of the apartment, but I didn’t give a shit. Taking a long drag, I held it for a few seconds before exhaling. Why was Delaney so detached? Not that I wanted a girlfriend, because after the last one, I swore I wouldn’t do that again.
“Hey, Luke.” Collin knocked on the door.
“Yeah, come in.” I pulled the cig from my mouth and dropped my hand to my side. It was pointless trying to hide it because the smoke wafted in the air, but I at least tried.
“Are you going to church?”
I shook my head. “No, man, not today.”
“Long night?” He adjusted the collar on his shirt. Collin always dressed in slacks, a button down shirt, and a jacket for church. I, on the other hand, threw on a pair of jeans and whatever shirt didn’t look wrinkled. Since his dad was the preacher, I guess he had to look the part. I honestly didn’t care. God would accept me however I showed up.
“Sort of.” I ran a hand through my matted hair. “You should’ve gone with us.”
He eyed me for a minute. “Luke, you know I don’t care to be around drunks.”
“I know. But man, we’re juniors and you gotta have at least one night of fun.” Since I’d known him, he was straight-laced, never doing anything that could jeopardize his baseball career and never doing anything to dishonor his family.
“Hey, I have plenty of fun with your sister.” His eyes widened when he realized what he said. “I didn’t mean fun in a demeaning way. I was referring to . . . ” He stumbled for words. “I meant we enjoy each other’s company.”
“Relax, man.” I laughed. “If you told me you finally had sex with my sister, I’d give you a big round of applause.”
A scowl formed across his face his eyes narrowed. “I have no intentions of breaking my vow, and neither does Lexi.”
I clapped. “That, my friend, deserves a huge round of applause. God knows I couldn’t do that.”
“It’s not easy, but it’s possible. You have to keep yourself out of situations that would lead to it. That’s why parties and drinking don’t work for me. You should give it a try.”
“Whatever.” I waved off his rambunctious remark. “I’m not going to knock your beliefs, but don’t try and convert me.”
“Luke, we’ve been friends since we were thirteen years old. I only tell you things to make you a better person.” His eyes darted toward my dropped hand. “For instance, you should really give those up.”
I glanced at the white stick between my fingers. “I know, but I don’t want to.” Lifting my hand, I placed it between my lips and took another drag.
“Switch to dip if you have to.” Collin slipped his jacket on. “Riley says he likes it better than cigarettes.”
“No, thanks.” I made a twisted face. “That shit’s gross.” My body shuddered thinking about the crud Riley spit out. The brown tobacco in his mouth reminded me of a wad of shit.
“Just a suggestion. I know your lungs have to be screaming when you’re working out and on the field.”
I didn’t respond, partially ignoring his good advice. The truth was it did bother me, but not enough to stop. And since I wasn’t planning on being a professional baseball player, I didn’t have an incentive to stop anytime soon.
“Did you get into that accounting class you wanted?” I switched the subject, done with talking about my bad habits.
“Yes, I did.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know why they dropped me from it when I had already paid my tuition.”
I shrugged. “Shit happens.” I took a few more puffs and then snubbed the fire in an ashtray on my nightstand.
“True. But I made sure my classes were in order the first day enrollment opened. Makes me mad when I have to work extra hard to get things fixed when they should’ve been correct in the first place.”
I got up and headed toward the kitchen. Patting my friend on the shoulder, I said, “There’s a reason why we have people like you in this world.” Collin was so rigid. I wondered how my sister dealt with him at times.
“Hey, I play to my strengths.” Collin tugged on the lapels of his jacket. “And so should you.”
“I do,” I reminded him. Opening the fridge, I took out the milk and grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes from the panty. It was a Tony the Tiger kind of morning. Tomorrow and the rest of the week, I’d be back to clean eating. Today was going to be my cheat day.
“Can you guys talk any louder?” Forbes stumbled into the kitchen wearing his Batman boxer shorts. He poured himself a glass of water and popped two pills in his mouth.
“Hung over?” I asked, before shoveling a spoonful of cereal in my mouth.
He rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Yeah.” A strangled grumble came out of his mouth. “I knew I shouldn’t have had that cheap ass punch.”
/>
“That’s another reason I don’t drink.” Collin cheerfully smiled. “Now your entire day is wasted.” He shook his head. “I hope you feel better.”
“Thanks.” Forbes mumbled. “Do we have any chicken noodle soup?”
“I think I saw a can in there.” Using my spoon, I pointed to the pantry.
Collin pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“See ya,” I said with a mouthful of food.
The door shut, and Forbes cringed. “Ugh.” He groaned. “This freakin’ sucks.” He opened the can, poured it in a bowl, and placed it in the microwave. Leaning against the counter, he swayed side to side with his eyes closed and released a long moan.
“Go throw up. Maybe you’ll feel better.”
He shook his head. “I should’ve done that last night, but someone kept me up.”
“Huh?” I stopped, spoon mid-air. “You talking about me?”
The microwave beeped, and he turned around. “Yes, you.” He took the bowl out and set it next to me on the bar. “What chick were you banging last night?”
I laughed. “You heard us?”
“She was loud, dude,” he said, taking a seat. “I thought you two were going to bust through the wall.”
“You should’ve pounded on the wall to let me know.”
“To hell with that.” He shook his head. “It was like listening to a porno.” A huge smile formed on his face.
“I wonder if Collin heard?” I realized that I needed to be more careful because if I didn’t want my sister to find out I was screwing her roommate, I’d better not let Collin see her at the apartment. Picking up the bowl, I slurped the sugary milk until the bowl was empty.
“He would’ve probably knocked on your door, knowing him.”
“Probably so.” Using my hand, I wiped the milk from my chin. “But I’m glad he didn’t.”
“Did she already leave, or is she passed out in your bed?”
I shot him a quick glance. “She’s gone.”
My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) Page 3