“Hey, pretty girl,” a very drunk guy said, stumbling up to my left.
“Oh, umm, hello,” I politely answered, instinctively moving closer to Jason.
“Where are you going?” He laughed, moving closer. When his arm rose to reach me, Jason gently moved me behind him, putting his large body between me and the drunk frat guy.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Harrison.”
“Fuck you, Lucas. She wants to talk to me. Isn’t that right, babe?”
“Not really, no,” I muttered under my breath.
Shit! This was why I didn’t like frat parties. There was always some drunk guy who thoughtnoornot interestedmeant you were playing hard to get.
“Oh, come on! Don’t be like that, babe.”
“Call her babe one more time,” Jason challenged, moving closer to the guy. I hardly knew the guy to have him standing up for me or offering me his sweater and dressing me up like his own little doll.
“Look, I know you like to hit every jock bunny that comes around, Jay, but you gotta leave some untapped merch for the rest of us,” he slurred.
Untapped merch.The guy was disgusting.
Jason’s hand rose, and the drunk guy started to laugh. “What are you going to do? Hit me? Risk hurting that golden hand of yours?” the guy taunted.
I was about to tell him he wasn’t worth it when Jason’s hand wrapped around the guy’s neck in a blur and he shoved him back. He yelped, and suddenly, the backyard went quiet. Even with the new silence around us, I couldn’t make out what Jason said to the guy when he leaned in and spoke in his ear. Whatever it was made him turn a bright shade of red, then pale. He let go, and the guy slumped forward, his own hand rubbing his throat.
“Apologize,” Jason demanded.
“Sorry,” the guy said, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.
“Now leave.”
“Fuck you, Lucas! This isn’t over.” He coughed again before looking in my direction, giving me a look that made me wrap my arms around myself. Jason turned and looked at me.
“Wanna get out of here?” he asked. I licked my lips.
The smart answer would have been to say no.
To explain I came with my roommate and I couldn’t leave her alone. But I wasn’t sure what kind of spell Jason had over me that seeing that touch of violence from him while defending me made me wet. Like a hot and ready Little Cesar’s pizza I was most definitely ready to go.
Not that I could get myself to say the words out loud, so I slowly nodded.
“Text your friend, little bird.”Little bird?“Tell her I’m taking you home.”
“Home?” I rasped in a breathy tone. He stepped closer, tugging on a hair that hung in front of my face before tucking itbehind my ear, then tenderly brushing his fingertips against the side of my face.
“Your dorm.”
“Right.” My face flushed because of course he meant my place! He wasn’t going to take me to his. He was just being a nice guy after some jerk tried to hit on me and, in his drunken haze, couldn’t take no as an answer. I reached for my cell from the back pocket of the skirt I had on and texted Tere.
Tere being Tere didn’t make me wait. That girl was always vigilant of her phone. She called, and I could hear the echo of the loud music playing inside.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“You sure you wanna let the baseball player walk you home?” she asked over the noise of the party.
“Yeah. He’s been… nice.”
