When I realize too much time has passed since either of us has said anything, I gently pull my hand from his and clear my throat.
“I don’t know aboutinfamous,” I say, laughing lightly and passing Jeremy to walk to my dresser on the other side of the room, swaying my hips. “If my sources are correct, you have a much larger reputation around here than little old me.”
Once I set my clutch down on my nightstand, slip out of my high heels and turn around, I see Jeremy has returned to his spot leaning against the length of my bed, his long legs stretching out in front of him and crossed at the ankle, his eyes trained on me.
“Sources, huh?” he says with a half smile, drawing my attention to his mouth. “What sources?”
I shrug, feigning ignorance. “A girl’s gotta have her secrets,” I reply.
But honestly, what am I supposed to say? I know three girls he’s hooked up with, and they’re all friends with each other, which is kind of gross when you think about it. I know who he is. I’ve just never matched a face with the name. Which is sad because it is one amazing face.
He’stheJeremy Jameson. He’s the captain of the soccer team and his name has been tossed around campus frequently enough during my first few weeks at Glendale College that I know without a doubt he’s quite the man about campus. But this is the first time I’m seeing him in the flesh. Literally.
I look away from him and take my earrings off, hooking them each carefully into the earring organizer I snagged on clearance from Anthropologie during move-in week.
“And what if I want to know your secrets?” he asks.
I glance at him in the mirror and wonder whether I should be playing hard-to-get. But it’s not normally my style, and flirting is much more fun.
“You want to know my secrets?” I ask coyly, running my hands through my hair and pulling the thick locks over one shoulder. When he just nods, I give him a seductive grin. “I don’t share secrets with strange men, whether they’re in my bed or not.”
“So I’m a strange man?” he asks.
“What else would you call a nearly naked man you don’t know in your bed?”
“Me? A prank. You? It should be considered an invitation.” He bites his lip and re-crosses his arms, drawing my eyes to those muscles.
I give him a sardonic smile. “I typically don’t invite men into my bed when I don’t know them, but Idoknow a secret or two I can share.”
“Oh, really?”
I nod and move towards him, resting my butt on the edge of the bed just a few inches from where he sits. I lean in close, pressing slightly against him. His face is a breath away from mine when I whisper, “RJ snores really loudly.”
His head jerks back and he looks at the full smile on my face before barking out a laugh.
“What? Not the secret you were looking for?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “You’re crazy if you think that’s a secret. We shared a connecting bedroom wall growing up. She’s a chainsaw.”
I laugh, closing my eyes and thinking about the earplugs I have tucked into my nightstand, the lifesavers that they are.
“Nothing about Rachel is a secret to me,” he adds, and I roll my eyes. “What? She’s my sister. I know her better than anyone.”
“Sorry, mister, but that time has come and gone. You might have known our sweet, little RJ since the day she graced the world with her presence, buteverygirl has secrets. The fact that you call her Rachel when everyone else calls her RJ is just one example of how you might not know her as well as you think.”
He rolls his eyes.
“The whole RJ thing is a college thing. She’ll always be Rachel to me.”
I laugh. RJhatesthat he still calls her Rachel.
“And, I can tell you this much,” he adds, leaning into me and pushing my hair that has fallen forward back over my shoulder. “Maybe shecankeep a secret, because she has never mentioned how absolutelybeautifulyou are.”
My breath hitches and my stomach swoops.
And my mind takes a moment to just go completely fuzzy like an old TV on the fritz.
Now, lets make something clear. I’m not one of those girls from a teen movie that doesn’t realize she’s attractive. I know I have a lot going for me. The looks that won me theElle Girl“Make Me a Model” campaign when I was 14 haven’t faded away over the past four years. Rich, silky brunette hair. Big, caramel eyes, and long legs that make shopping for pants a serious hassle, but definitely attract male attention.
