by J. L. Beck
“Yeah, maybe. I love you, Mom. Tell Ben I love him too.” All of a sudden, I feel sad. Sad that I’m here and not back home helping my mom. Sad that I’m alone, and that I miss her and my brother because I know they can’t afford to come and visit me.
“Of course, honey. Love you too, talk soon,” she says a little too cheerfully before hanging up. I pull the phone away from my ear and stare down at it. My heart beats heavily in my chest. This is why I tutor, so that I never have to ask my mom for money, I never have to take from her, especially when I know she needs it more than me.
Burying the emotions deep within my chest, I nearly jump out of my skin when there is a loud knock at my door.
This night just keeps getting worse.
Pushing off the bed, I walk to the door. It’s probably just another girl on the floor asking to borrow something. I mean, who else could it be?
4
Cage
Walking through the girls’ dorm is nothing new to me, but doing it while knowing that I’m probably going to get rejected, and a door slammed in my face is something I’ve never experienced before.
Coach called me about an hour ago, reaming my asshole. He told me to go apologize to her, which wasn’t a bad idea. I’m actually glad he’s on my side without knowing what he is helping me with. He pushed for me to use her as a tutor and no one else since she is not going to take any of your shit.
Little does he know, I want her as my tutor for a whole different reason. The bet with the guys I made earlier weighs heavy in my mind. Was there any way I could actually make this girl like me? Sure, I was attractive and obviously very much liked by the opposite sex, but Blair had made it clear she didn’t date jocks. Then again, I suppose I didn’t have to date her. All I had to do was make her fall for me. It was going to take a shit ton of effort though, effort I wasn’t sure would be worth it.
And there was still the issue that she was the one person that could keep me from failing Calculus and keep me on the roster for the wildcats.
Thankfully, Coach was able to give me the deets on which room she was in. Otherwise, I would’ve been here all night going door to door to find her. Stopping at her door, I lift my hand and knock. Almost immediately, the door swings open, and Blair stands before me, looking adorable and a bit sexy. My gaze rakes down over her body, even though I try to stop it. She’s wearing pajama bottoms with kittens on them and a white tank top without a bra. Her big pink nipples press against the fabric, and I’m mesmerized.
“What do you want?” she growls.
“I came to apologize,” I say, trying not to stare at her tits. “Can I come in?”
“No.”
I almost roll my eyes at her. Why does she have to be so difficult?
“Why not?”
“It’s late.”
I lift my wrist and look at my watch. “It’s nine-thirty.” I say, and then pin her with a questioning look.
“Like I said, it’s late.” She crosses her arms over her chest, which only pushes her cleavage up further. “Bye!” She asserts, waiting for me to leave.
Shaking my head, I step forward, catching her off guard. She stumbles backward as I squeeze myself inside her room, closing the door behind us.
“What the hell?” she shrieks. “I said no. I know you’re not used to hearing the word, but you must know the meaning.”
I roll my eyes.
Of course, I’ve heard the word no, just not very often. Usually, it’s… Yes, Cage. Harder. Faster. Don’t stop.
“I just came here to apologize. Why do you have to make everything so hard? I’m just trying to be nice to you.”
“Nice,” she scoffs and moves to sit down on her bed. Taking her comforter, she wraps it around herself, probably realizing how exposed she is.
Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. I have to make her forgive me. I told Coach I would fix this, and I’m going to. No matter how hard Blair is to deal with, she has to have something she wants, something she needs.
“Listen. I’m sorry, okay? I was a jerk at the party, and it was rude for me to be late, but I really didn’t mean to be. Can we please start over? I really need your help with my grades.”
She glares at a spot on the wall beside my head.
“There are other tutors that can help you. I’m not the right fit.”
“I think you’re perfect, and my coach agrees. His exact words were, ‘She is the only one who is not going to take any of your shit.’ And you know that’s the truth. You poured a fucking beer on my head for joking with you.”
“I just don’t want to do it–”
“I’ll pay you $100 an hour.”
“No.” She shakes her head, strands of long brown hair fly through the air. Her scent swirls around me, fruity, rich like cherries or raspberries. It makes saliva pool in my mouth. I’ve never wanted to smell a chick’s hair or skin like I want to smell Blair.
“No? Seriously?” I’m kind of shocked.
“You can’t buy me.”
“I’m not buying you. I’m paying you for tutoring. $200.”
She stares at me as if she’s trying to figure out if I’m serious or not.
Yes, beautiful, I’m serious, serious as hell.
“Let me get this straight because it seems insane. You’re going to pay $200 for an hour-long tutoring session, twice a week? That’s $1600 a month, you realize that, right?”
Money doesn’t mean shit to me. It’s my father’s anyway, and if I can spend it, I’m going to, I shrug. “See I didn’t even know that. My math is that bad.”
The faintest smile tugs on the corner of her mouth before she sinks her teeth into her plump bottom lip. I can see she is thinking about it, weighing her options, so I push her over the edge with my next set of words.
“On top of that, I promise if I ever miss a session or get there late, I will never ask you to help me again. I won’t bother you about anything. You’ll be rid of me completely.”
Another second ticks by, then another. I’m almost certain she is going to say no, even as tantalizing as the offer is, but like everything with Blair, she shocks the hell out of me.
“Fine. I’ll tutor you. I still think it’s a bad idea, but you’ll be the one wasting your money, so whatever.”
I grin, unable to stop the smile from appearing on my lips.
“Great, how about we start now? I really need help with math.”
Blair brows pull together. “Now? It’s nine-thirty.”
“That’s not late,” I point out. “You know most people don’t go to bed until midnight. Plus, this is college, not a nursing home.”
“It will be double for a tutoring session after nine,” she tells me with her head held high. She probably thinks I won’t pay that much and that I’ll turn around and leave, that she’ll be rid of me, but she has no idea how wrong she is.
I’m one determined fucker when I want to be.
Taking my wallet out of my pocket, I fish four one-hundred-dollar bills out and hand them to her. That sweet mouth of hers pops open, and she looks at them like they’re not real.
“Take it,” I press, holding the money closer to her face.
She closes her mouth and snatches the bills from my hand. “You’re crazy.”
“I know. So, tell me about math.”
“Tell you about it? What are you working on right now? You didn’t happen to bring a book, did you?”
“I’m not sure,” I shrug, “and does it look like I brought a book?”
She rolls her pretty blue eyes. “Ugh. What classes are you taking?”
“Math.”
“What kind of math?”
“The one with numbers.” I smirk.
I’m taking first year calculus. I’m not that dumb, but I like playing with her. Plus, I don’t really want to do math right now. I just want to stay here a little longer, figure her out, and get to know her.
“How am I supposed to tutor you if I don’t know what you need help with?”
“Well, since I already paid for your time, why don’t we just get to know each other tonight. That way, when we have our first actual tutoring session, it will be less awkward.”
I sit down next to her, and she scoots her butt all the way back until she hits the wall. I do the same and scoot back until I’m next to her. Our backs pressed up against the wall, an open space between us.
“Tell me about you. Where are you from?”
She wraps the blanket around her body a little tighter, not answering right away. After a while, I think she isn’t going to answer, but then she does. “Small town, about an hour south of here.”
“Why did you come to North Woods? With your grades, you probably could have gotten in anywhere.”
“It’s the only school that was within driving distance, and that I got a scholarship from.”
“Why does that matter? Are you scared of flying?”
“I don’t have money for airfare, and if I would have moved across the country, I’d never be able to visit my family.”
“Oh,” I probably should have guessed that. “I’m kind of the opposite of you.”
“You mean you have money for a plane ticket?” she says sarcastically.
“Well, that… but I mean that I wanted to go somewhere far away, so I didn’t have to visit with my family, but I didn’t get that lucky. I’m from here, my father wanted me to go to school in our hometown. I didn’t really have a choice.” That’s the honest truth.
I could’ve gone anywhere I wanted, but if I wanted my father’s support, money, and help, I had to go to North Woods. Those were his words, not mine. Still, I don’t want to waste what little time I have with Blair talking about my shitty childhood with a drunk father.
“What do you do for fun?”
Blair shrugs. “Read, do homework.”
She can’t be serious. I almost laugh, then I remember who I’m talking to. What am I thinking? This is the same chick who claims that nine-thirty is late.
“Okay, so you don’t watch any TV?” Maybe there is a show we both like to watch.
“Do you see a TV in here?” Sarcasm coats her words.
I look around the room. One half is completely empty while the other–her half– is almost as bare. There are no pictures or posters on the wall, no decorations or anything that says this is her room. The simple wooden desk in the corner of the room grabs my attention. There are a lot of books stacked on top of it. And I do mean a lot, to the point I’d be worried that the piles might tip over at any moment.
Her bed, the one we are both sitting on, is neatly made. Light pink pillows and soft sheets, even though they do look old and washed out.
“So, no roommate?” I question while knowing the answer, and secretly hoping she will elaborate or at least ask me a question in return.
“I had one, but she moved in with her boyfriend.” Blair keeps her answer short.
Honestly, I’m running out of things to ask. I feel like there isn’t anything we can talk about, and she certainly isn’t interested in me, at least not in the way most women are, which involves far less clothing and even less talking. Shit, this might be harder than I thought. I have absolutely nothing in common with this girl.
“Don’t you want to know what I do for fun?”
Turning to face me, she gives me a serious look. “I already know what you do for fun.”
“If you’re implying that I screw and play football for fun, you’re wrong. Those are basic necessities. I’m required to do them.” I give her an impish grin.
She rolls her eyes, and I think I’d much rather see her like this than any other way. There is a fire inside her, and I know the second we collide, we’ll burn and smolder together. It’s getting there that’s going to be hard.
“Screwing is not a necessity.” She shakes her head. “You’re a pig, you know that, right?”
“Says the virgin,” I tease. “Only a virgin would assume sex isn’t a necessity.”
I know I’m poking a bear with my comment, but she makes it so easy to tease her.
Her cheeks turn a rosy hue. “Would you stop. If you’re trying to get on my good side, you’re not doing a good job at getting there.” I notice how she doesn’t deny that she’s a virgin and store the information away for later.
I’ve never been with a virgin, and that just adds to Blair’s appeal. Feisty, red hot, and virginal. Fuck, she is the perfect package.
Nudging her shoulder with mine, I lean into her side. “If you need help losing that pesky little v-card, I can help. I’ve got loads of experience that I could share with you.”
“I’m not a virgin, and if you try and come near me with that stick between your legs, I cut it off.” She fires back, flames of fury in her eyes.
“It’d be a damn good way to go.” I laugh into the quiet room.
She sighs and tips her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. My eyes gravitate to the delicate slope of her neck. A vision of her beneath me, my teeth dragging across the sensitive flesh fills my mind. Fuck. Would she whimper as I entered her, or would she moan my name and pant for more? I swallow down a groan and banish the thought away. Thinking with my cock is not going to help get my grade up, it might get something else up, but my grade, not so much.
“This isn’t going to work if you keep hitting on me.” She turns her head, her blue eyes piercing mine. “Believe it or not, I’m not interested in you, Cage, so if you can’t handle that, if it’s going to be a problem, you might as well leave now. “
The finality to her words tells me she is serious, and so I rein it in. Can’t go screwing up already, not when I know I’ll screw up at some point down the road.
“Got it. No funny business.” I drag my teeth over my bottom lip and turn away from her. It hasn’t been an hour, but my rock hard cock and the day I’ve had, hang over my head, plus Blair doesn’t seem to want to talk about anything else, so it’s probably time for me to leave.
Tugging my phone out of my pocket, I unlock it. “I need your number.”
“Why is that?” She sits forward, and the comforter slips a little at her movement.
“So I can message you, silly, that’s why. You’re my tutor, we should stay in contact with each other.”
“Fine, but I swear to God, Cage, if my number is found circulating around the university, I will kill you.”
I lift my arm and flex my bicep at her, enjoying how her eyes gravitate toward the muscle. “Love to see you try, sweetheart.” I wink. “Now give me the digits, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
Rolling her eyes, she rattles off the numbers, and I plug them into my phone, saving her number under the name: Nerd.
“I guess this means goodnight. It isn’t often that I’m the one doing the walk of shame.” I joke as I climb off the bed. “Maybe I can at least get a good night kiss?” I flick the question over my shoulder.
“Get out!” Blair yells behind me, and just as I reach the door, a book flies past my head and lands against the wood with a thud.
I don’t even try to suppress my smile, this girl is fire, and I’m the gasoline that’s going to keep her going.
“Jesus, maybe you should try out for the MLB with that arm.”
“Cage,” she growls, and I look at her over my shoulder. She’s gritting her white teeth, and more of the blanket has slipped down, showing off her incredible rack once more. My cock is quick to rise to attention.
“One day, you won’t say my name with so much disdain. In fact, maybe you’ll even moan it.” I snicker before ducking out of the room, knowing that another book will be headed my way if I don’t.
As I quietly close the door behind me, I grin, my cheeks aching from the smile that splits my face. I’m pretty sure I just found my new favorite thing to do.
5
Blair
Sipping on a hot coffee, I let the caffeine goodness fill my senses. There is nothing like coffee and a good book, though all I have right now is the coffee part.
/> “Tell me what’s new,” Jude probes, a bright smile on her face. “Still no roommate?”
“No, and at this point, I think I’m scared to get one. I don’t fit in or get along with anyone but you. You were like a unicorn roommate; I don’t think I’ll get so lucky twice.”
Jude frowns, her brown eyes softening. “I’m sorry, Blair. I feel like a horrible friend.”
“Oh, stop, like you could do anything about it. You’ve got a baby and a husband. You don’t need to feel sorry for me. I’m sure the university will take pity on me eventually and saddle me with someone.”
“I could always talk to Lex’s brother, Sebastian. He’s the dean. I’m sure he would be able to find you a roommate.”
“No, no. You don’t have to do that. In fact, please, don’t do that,” I beg. “I don’t need nor want a roommate that badly. I’m just lonely sometimes.” I whisper the last part while looking into my cup.
“Oh, Blair, you could always come and hang out with Lex and me.” She reaches across the table and places her hand against mine. Having her here is comforting, even if this doesn’t get to happen every single day.
Jude and I became roommates when I first arrived at the university, she was still staying here at the time. Then she met Lex, her then friend, who later became something else. She swears they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, but I know better.
That man of hers only has eyes for her. Given her past and her parents, though, I didn’t blame her for being cautious. Just like me, she didn’t want to fall into an old habit. She didn’t want to be ruled by a man, just as I didn’t want to turn into my mother. I love my mom, but I couldn’t count how many times she became a doormat for a man, or worse, how many times she let a man take control of her life, of her kids.
Taking another sip of coffee, I let the liquid warm me all over. “I’ll be fine. I’ve still got you, and I’m making an effort to make new friends. Being the quiet bookworm isn’t easy though.”