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“That was such a rush,” chimes Riley. She blinks the water from her long, dark lashes. “We better get out of here before we get in trouble.” Her soft voice has a thick Southern twang to it. “My daddy will whoop my ass if I get suspended.”
Even with her hair mussed up and water dripping from her face, Zoe is drop-dead gorgeous. It’s not hard to see how she won so many beauty pageants. A true Bama girl, I would’ve expected her to attend The University of Alabama. Her parents thought she would, too. Like me, Zoe wanted to experience life outside her comfort zone. I could have stayed in Lancaster, helped my father with the farm, and married my, now ex-boyfriend, Corey. Sometimes, you just need a change.
Zoe checks out our surroundings, a worried look on her face. “Me, too. My dad will stop paying my tuition if we get caught.”
I doubt I would have the same problem. My father is used to Jordan getting into her share of compromising situations. She was always the wild child, the rule breaker of the family. My older brothers and I stuck the course, did as we were told. Jordan was never like us. She couldn’t wait to get away from home. The second she graduated, she moved to Philly. Now, she lives in the Kappa Delta chapter house with her sisters.
“Ready?” One of the girls to my left says to us.
“Ready,” we repeat in unison, and then take off across the lawn.
At this hour, the Quad is bustling, packed with at least a hundred students. Some are hurrying along the walkways to their next class. Others are lounging on the grass, getting a tan. A bunch of shirtless guys are playing football. Booths are set up along one side, where students are handing out flyers for various organizations.
I’m too busy taking in the campus, somewhat distracted by my thoughts, when someone latches onto my arm, tugging on it. Before I can comprehend what just happened, I’m attached to a man I’ve never seen before. He’s big, all muscle from the feel of his body pressed against mine.
A musky scent fills my nostrils as we spin around a few times in a circular motion before we hit the ground together. I crash to the grass on top of him, with his gargantuan body breaking some of my fall. I push out my hand to sit up, grabbing a chunk of something thick and now… getting hard. Staring down at my hand in horror, I can’t believe I’m gripping some random dude’s junk in my hand.
Holy shit. He’s huge. Like, hot damn, one hand is not enough. What was once softer is now expanding, and I now have enough sense to let go of him. My mouth falls open when our eyes meet. Humming with electricity, my body practically vibrates in his presence. Every inch of me is now aware of him. All of him, for that matter.
“Hey, Red,” he says, laughing it off as if I wasn’t just groping him in public. “If you wanted to cop a feel, all you had to do was ask.” A cocky smirk turns up the corner of his mouth, and then he winks at me.
Wow. The nerve of this guy.
“Red?” My teeth clench in anger. “Don’t even think about calling me that.”
He reaches out to twist a lock of my hair between his fingers, as if indicating his reason for the rude nickname. So, why am I letting him touch me? Why haven’t I pushed him away yet? Because he smells so good I want to lick him and wish he would do the same to me.
He winks again. “Beautiful. How about that?”
The most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen up close thinks I’m beautiful. Okay, maybe I hate him a little less right now. But still, I’m not cool with anyone calling me Red.
He presses his palm to the grass and pushes himself to his knees. His blond hair is so light it looks bleached. But I can tell it’s natural because his eyelashes and eyebrows are the same color. Tiny spikes stick up in front, gelled in place. A dimple in his right cheek creases his sun-kissed skin. He’s beautiful, even though I know that’s not the right word to describe a man. Handsome doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Tiny bumps run down my arms and legs, a strange effect I wasn’t expecting. No one has ever made me feel… this. What am I even feeling? Heat courses over my body in waves. The harder he stares at me, with so much intensity and determination, my cheeks flush. My nipples are like hardened peaks, poking right at him, saying hello. Because my body wants him. Craves him, even. It’s so weird to feel this after being with the same guy since high school. The only man I’ve ever been with.
