Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2)

by Preston, Jennifer

  “I thought I told you that you were in charge of keeping the refreshment table stocked. We’re out of Diet Coke. Go get some,” Jillian ordered through clenched teeth.

  “I’m sorry, I must’ve missed the meeting where we made you queen of the world. You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Bri pressed angrily.

  “I see.” Anger flashed in Jillian’s eyes as she smiled dangerously. She then turned to Cole. “You’re looking good today, Cole. My offer still stands, when you get sick of this one,” she winked at him and sauntered off.

  Bri froze as Jillian’s words sunk in. Ice gripped her chest and she turned to Cole.

  “What offer?” she asked him. “What is she talking about?”

  “Hell if I know,” he shrugged. “That girl is crazy.”

  Recognizing the guilty gleam in his eye, she pushed. “Cole?”

  “Alright,” he gave in. “Jillian sort of came on to me a while ago.” Her eyes widened, he hurried to clarify. “But I swear, nothing happened. Ask Matt, he was there.”

  “It’s true, Bri,” Matt nodded. “Cole didn’t even hesitate before turning her down.”

  Stunned to hear that Jillian had hit on her boyfriend, Bri felt her anger and hatred towards the girl spike to a whole new level.

  “I’ll kill her,” she glared at Jillian’s retreating form. “I’m going to freaking kill her.” She even stood to go do it, but Cole grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

  “Whoa, hold on there. Why don’t you take a couple of deep breaths before you do something you’ll regret.”

  “I won’t regret knocking Jillian on her ass.” She glared at Cole for preventing her from doing just that.

  “You will if someone calls campus security and says you started a fight,” he eyed her meaningfully. “You promised me you wouldn’t risk your future like that again,” he pushed when she didn’t back down.

  Letting out a deflating breath, Bri forced herself to calm down.

  “You’re right,” she finally relented, seeing the validity in Cole’s words. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to go jump Jillian, he released her. “But I swear, if she ever hits on you again, I’m chasing her down a dark ally and beating the crap out of her.”

  “Okay,” he chuckled. “But you know you have nothing to worry about, right?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Yes,” she grudgingly replied. “Still, popping her in the nose would make me feel a heck of a lot better.”

  Cole laughed, and the last of her tension eased. Seeing that the danger was passed, the rest of the group relaxed.

  “For what it’s worth, I would’ve loved to see you take Jillian down a notch,” Stacie smiled. “Good job standing up to her, though.”

  “Thanks. I’m done letting her push me around. She can’t get me kicked off the team and she knows it. I’m not taking any more of her crap.”

  “That’s right,” Stephanie nodded, and Addison leaned over and squeezed Bri’s hand. “Plus we’ve got your back if Jillian tries to start something. If she messes with you, she messes with all of us.”

  “Thanks, guys.” Touched Bri settled back in her chair. Looking around her small circle, she realized how lucky she was to have such supportive and loyal friends around her. It was a blessing she was extremely grateful for.

  Chapter 11

  Cole felt like he had been constantly running for the past five months, with barely enough time to breathe. So he was able to give a small sigh of relief, amid his vast disappointment, when his team lost in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. The race wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot, but he felt like he could at least stop and catch his breath.

  He was also glad to be done traveling. He’d been on the road for the past three weeks, due to the tournament, and had hardly seen Bri, let alone spent any time with her. He was very much looking forward to making up for all that lost time. And unfortunately, he did have a lot to make up for. Bri had had a couple dance team functions while he’d been traveling, and he felt terrible for missing them. She’d assured him they weren’t a big deal and he shouldn’t worry about it, but he still felt like he’d really let her down. So, as he stepped off the bus, that had brought the very somber team home from the tournament, and made his way back to his room, Cole promised himself he’d make it up to her somehow.

  All of his inner intellection was cut short however, as he came upon the huge crowd of fans gathered in the commons outside his dorm. It looked like the whole school had turned out to welcome the team home, and despite their disappointing loss, the team was still given a hero’s welcome.

  Cole stood, scanning the crowd, as the rest of his teammates made it to the commons. When everyone had arrived, they moved as a team into the cheering crowd. Looking for his favorite red head, he finally spotted Bri making her way towards him. A sudden urgency overtook him, and he had to get to her. Pushing his way through the dense crowd, he called out to her. Finally reaching him, she smiled brilliantly, and he’d never seen anything more beautiful. She threw herself into his arms, and all of his guilt, disappointment, and sadness fled. She was a balm to his soul. Calming, soothing, and uplifting him whenever he needed it most.

  “Surprise!” she yelled in his ear, trying to be heard above the crowd. “Welcome home.”

  Unable to help himself, he picked her up and twirled her around.

  “I am so glad to be home,” he pulled back and smiled at her, completely content.

  “I am so glad you are home, too.” She smiled back, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He held her tightly and kissed the crap out of her.

  After being thoroughly good and kissed, Bri pulled back, her cheeks flushed. She glanced around, embarrassed.

  “So,” she cleared her throat, “want to go somewhere a little more private?”

  Cole’s heart picked up. “What did you have in mind?”

  “My room is completely empty right now. If you can pull yourself away from your adoring fans.”

  “Are you kidding? Why aren’t we already there?” And not stopping to even drop off his duffle bag, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the throng.

  They practically sprinted back to her room. He dropped his bag by the door as a warning to any of her roommates that might decide to come home, and pulled Bri up against him. He let his lips pour over hers, and was rewarded with a soft moan.

  Smiling, he whispered against her lips, “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you more,” she breathed before devouring his mouth. Then she began pushing him back towards her bedroom.

  Cole’s heart began pounding in earnest as Bri kicked the door shut behind her and, never breaking their kiss, backed him onto her bed.

  “Bri…” he trailed off, not sure whether he was asking permission, or giving her a chance to back out.

  “Shh,” she placed a finger on his lips. “We don’t have a lot of time.” Then to his utter shock and delight, she pulled off her Duke sweatshirt, leaving her in just the tight, white tank top she wore underneath.

  Trailing her curves with his eyes, he couldn’t wait to get her glorious body beneath him. Carefully, there wasn’t much room on her twin bed, he flipped her under him and gazed down at her. Unabashedly, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. She then reached for her tank top, but he stayed her hands.

  “Let me,” Cole whispered, his heart pounding in anticipation. Looking deep into his eyes, Bri raised her arms up over her head. Slowly, he lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. His eyes took in her sexy lace bra before she pulled him down to her and captured his lips. The feel of her bare skin against his was the sweetest thing he’d ever felt. A part of him couldn’t believe this was actually going to happen. He’d imagined this moment so many times, and it still didn’t seem real. This was Bri, after all. The woman he loved, the only woman he ever would love. She was all that was good, and right, and beautiful in the world, and he wanted to give her the best of everything. She deserved the
best of everything.

  Which, he realized with a sinking feeling, meant that he couldn’t do this, not now. He could not deflower her in the back of a ratty dorm room, like some inconsequential nobody. That wouldn’t be fair to her, and he’d never forgive himself for doing that to her.

  Oblivious to his inner battling, Bri reached back to undo her bra, and it took every ounce of self-control he had to stop her.

  “Ambria, wait,” he heard himself say. For a moment he couldn’t believe what he was about to do. But looking down into her beautiful, golden brown eyes, he knew it was the right decision. Even if his entire body was protesting angrily. “This… this isn’t right.”

  “What?” He saw confusion and hurt in her eyes, and he rushed to reassure her.

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I want to make this special for you. I don’t want our first time to be in some crappy dorm room where we have to rush because we don’t know when one of our roommates will come bursting through the door. You deserve so much better than that. You deserve candles, and flowers, and the whole nine yards. And I want to give that to you.” He released a silent sigh of relief when the hurt left her eyes, and she smiled lovingly at him.

  “Really?” she asked. “That all sounds great, but how are we going to be able to do that? We don’t exactly have a lot of options.”

  “You leave that to me. I promise you I’ll figure something out. Soon,” he smiled down at her. “So do you think you can wait, just a little longer?”

  “Do you?” she returned coyly.

  He leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “No. But I want to do this right. You deserve the best of everything. Besides,” he pulled back to grin at her, “we don’t exactly have a lot of room to uh, maneuver here. I want to make sure you’re getting my best effort, and not having to settle for less due to space restrictions.”

  “Well, when you put it like that,” she laughed and wound her arms around his neck. “So, the boundary lines have been drawn. What do you want to do now?”

  Not trusting himself or his hormones, Cole rolled to the side, and snuggled Bri up against him.

  “Can we just lay here for a while?” he murmured against her hair. “I’ve missed you, and I just want to feel as close to you as possible.”

  “Sounds perfect,” she replied, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She then pulled the blankets up around them. Loving the way her warm body felt against his, Cole’s eyes drifted shut.

  The end of the semester was fast approaching, and Cole’s time was consumed by catching up on his classes and turning in his submissions for the student art show. He was surprised and ecstatic when one of his paintings was selected for inclusion. It wasn’t often that freshmen pieces were selected. Having learned his lesson the hard way the last time, he met Bri after class one day to tell her about it.

  “This is a pleasant surprise,” she smiled. “What’s up?”

  “One of my pieces was selected for the student art show next week,” he replied as they began walking.

  “Oh my gosh, Cole! That is amazing.”

  “Yeah,” he smiled, a swell of pride filling his chest. “It is kind of amazing. But in the interest of preventing history from repeating itself, I wanted to make sure it was okay with you if they displayed it.”

  “What is it?” she asked warily.

  “It’s a painting I did of one of your ballet poses. Daymon had thought my sketches were good, and pushed me to capture one of them more fully. Apparently, the committee liked it.”

  A committee that Daymon himself was a part of. Cole wasn’t convinced that Daymon hadn’t chosen the painting because he had a thing for Bri. Cole was trying not to let it bother him, but knowing that your TA had a crush on your girl was a little disconcerting.

  “Oh. Okay.” She still seemed hesitant.

  “Would you like to see it first?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind. I think that’d be a good idea.” She relaxed a little, and he couldn’t help but smile at her insecurity. How a girl like Bri could be insecure about anything was beyond him, but he found it awfully endearing sometimes.

  “This way then.” He took her hand and led her to the art building. All the pieces for the show were being stored in one of the larger studios. Cole wove through the maze until he came to his. He heard Bri’s sharp intake of breath and turned to her. “What do you think?”

  “Coleston, it’s beautiful. It seriously reminds me of those classic ballerina paintings. I can’t believe that’s me.”

  “Thank you.” He pulled her against him and kissed her head. “So, can they display it in the show?”

  “Of course. I would be honored,” she smiled up at him, and he couldn’t resist beaming back at her.

  As finals loomed ahead of them, Cole was still trying to find a good getaway for him and Bri. He didn’t have a lot of money, and borrowing money from his dad to take his girlfriend away for the weekend wasn’t something he wanted to do. He’d even gotten desperate enough to ask Matt for some suggestions. Of course, he’d told Matt that his dad was coming out to visit and they were looking for a cool place to stay. But when the two of them put together couldn’t come up with anything, Cole began to wonder if he’d be able to pull this off after all.

  And then, one afternoon, after their team shoot-around was over, Matt sat down on the bench next to him and grinned.

  “What?” Cole asked as he changed his shoes.

  “I have a solution to your problem.”

  “Really?” Cole sat up, giving Matt his full attention. “What is it?”

  “My family has a beach house out on the coast. I called my parents and told them about your dilemma, and they totally offered to let you and “your dad”,” Matt even did the air quotes with his fingers, “borrow the beach house for the weekend.”

  “Seriously?” Cole couldn’t believe it. He felt a smile spread across his face.

  “Yep. We are going to my cousin’s wedding the weekend after finals, so no one will be using it. It’ll be perfect for whatever you have planned.” Matt gave him a knowing grin. He obviously wasn’t buying the whole family vacation cover.

  “And your parents are really okay with this?”

  Matt handed him a padded envelope. “My mom even overnighted the keys. There are some instructions on how to turn on the water and stuff, and how to turn everything off before you leave. She even threw in a list of some fun things for you to do while you’re there. Not that you’ll need it, I’m sure.” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

  Cole was overwhelmed. “Matt, this is… Seriously, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Really, it’s not a big deal. Just send my mom a thank you note, and she’ll be thrilled. But do me a favor. For the love of all that is holy, never, ever tell me about what actually happens there. For once in my life, I do not want to know the details. As far as I’m concerned, this is just an innocent family vacation, and I don’t want to know otherwise.”

  “Of course it’s just a family vacation,” Cole grinned. “What else would it be?”

  “Yeah, right,” Matt laughed. “Sorry it’s such short notice. Do you think it’ll work?”

  Finals were in a week and a half, which didn’t leave much time for planning.

  “Oh, it’ll work. Thanks, Matt.”

  A week and a half later, Cole and Bri packed up her Jeep. All of their finals were done by Thursday, so they set off on Friday morning. He had purposely kept their destination a secret, wanting it to be a surprise, but had told Bri to pack for a weekend at the beach. He hoped that meant nothing but bikinis.

  Bri had been excited about their weekend away together, but as they drove, she was unusually quiet and a sort of awkward tension settled in the car. Cole did his best to lighten the mood and keep her talking, but he could tell that she was nervous. Doubt began to creep into him, and he began to second guess his plan.

  They arrived at the North Carolina coast that afternoon, and as they pulled up to the beach
house, Bri gasped.

  “Wow,” she breathed as they both took in the picturesque house and the sprawling beach beyond. “This is amazing.”

  “Come on,” he got out and opened her door. “Let’s go check it out.”

  He unlocked the front door, and they spent a few minutes looking through the house, before wandering out to the large deck in the back that looked out over the ocean. He put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. Kissing her temple, he could feel the tension running through her.

  “You okay?” he asked softly, suddenly worried that this had been a very bad idea. “You know, we don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I’m fine. It’s just…,” she let out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous,” she admitted sheepishly. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or how to act. I’m a little out of my element here.”

  “Hey,” he lifted her chin. “You don’t have to do anything. We’ve been alone together many times before. This isn’t any different.”

  “Come on,” she gave him a disbelieving look. “This is definitely different. I mean the whole reason we’re here…”

  “Hold on,” he cut her off gently, understanding the reason for her nervousness. “I’m not expecting anything, Bri. Seriously. Whatever does or doesn’t happen, there’s no pressure. I’m just here to spend time with you. That’s all I want, just some uninterrupted quality time with my beautiful girl.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” she smiled back at him. Unable to resist the sparkle in her eye, he leaned down and kissed away any last traces of tension from her body. “I love you,” she beamed at him.

  “I love you, too,” he smiled back, his heart swelling as she gazed up at him. “Are you hungry? Let’s go get some lunch.”

  They quickly unloaded the Jeep and brought in their bags. Cole put Bri’s bag in the guest room, claiming the master suit for himself. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve given Bri the bigger room, but he had ulterior motives. He didn’t want her to feel pressured into anything, but if future events turned fortuitous, the fireplace and the king sized bed in the master bedroom suited his plans perfectly.