Page 19 of Campus Heat

“What happened with the guy you met the other night?” I asked when she returned.

She rolled her eyes. “It was the worst date I’ve ever been on. When you meet him, you wouldn’t think that. He was gorgeous, smart, charming, funny but I’ve never been so bored. He tried his best not to get overly excited about biology, but he failed. And then he started talking about his mother and I wanted to slice my wrists with a butter knife.”

“Oh, God,” I said, barely able to contain my laughter. “Did you stay through the whole thing, or did you end up leaving early?”

“Oh, no, I stayed. I stayed much longer than I should’ve. I learned everything there was to know about the man, his studies, and his family. Then after all that we went to a movie, and it was something he had already seen so he kept spoiling it with comments about how they did it wrong and what they should’ve done better.”

In my opinion, that was the best kind of guy for Jenna. He was good looking, so he’d fulfill his needs. He was smart, so he could help her with stuff she struggled with. And he was open about his family so she wouldn’t be walking into a situation that she wasn’t prepared for. I could also see why she’d find that boring.

“So… if you hated it so much, why have you been so down? I mean, with the way you’ve been acting, I would’ve sworn a priest stole your candy cane.”

“Because I actually like him a hell of a lot and I think we could have some amazing times together. Getting him there will be one hell of a mission, though.”

I broke the balls and sunk a solid. Awesome. I always preferred solids.

“And when have you ever been the type to back away from a challenge?” I asked as I walked around the table to take my next shot.

“Since I don’t know if he’s worth the effort,” she said, preparing to shoot. “Getting him where I want him will take months, and I don’t know if I’m up for that kind of commitment right now.”

She sank her first and second balls. Then she slipped up and sank the white while she was going for the third. I took the ball out and lined it up for the perfect restart.

“Enough about me and my terrible date,” Jenna said, leaning down next to me. “What’s going on with your love life? Do you have any potential suitors lined up?”

I sank the ball I had in mind, and with a stroke of pure luck, the one I hit out of the way also ended up in a pocket. Excitement coursed through my veins, and I quickly sank two more. If Jenna wasn’t careful, I was going to whip her ass.

“I’m not too hung up about that at the moment,” I said honestly. “Dates come with some admin and drama. First, you have to find a decent guy. Then you have to worry about your hair, makeup, and nails. And at the end of the day, they’re probably not even worth all that effort.”

I missed my shot, giving Jenna a chance to catch up.

“It’s too much of a hassle for me,” I continued. “I’m so much happier just focusing on my schoolwork and cheerleading. At least that is something I can build a future on.”

“So you’re not into guys at all right now?” she asked, looking slightly disgusted.

“It’s not that I’m not interested in them. I’ve just come to the point where I believe the right guy will come along when he comes along. There’s no point in kissing a million frogs with the hope that you’ll find a prince. The knight always shows up when the damsel needs him the most.”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Jenna said, and motioned to the door.

My eyes followed hers, and I saw Ethan standing in the entrance. His hair was slicked back like he had just gotten out of a shower. The black shirt he had on was so tight I could see the outlines of his muscles. And those molten eyes were scanning the room as if he was looking for something. Then he stepped inside and I saw he wasn’t alone. The entire team was there.

“Do you feel that?” Jenna asked, rubbing her arms. “The tension in the room just went up a few notches.”

“You suck,” I said, jokingly slapping her arm.

But she wasn’t wrong. There had been a few encounters between Ethan and me, and each one affected me more than the last. I had to start admitting the truth to myself at some point. I liked Ethan so much more than I should’ve. He stirred things within me that I never knew existed. And the more it happened, the more I wanted.

“Oh, it’s getting hot in here now,” Jenna said as the guys started moving closer to us.

I tried to get my mind off the situation and lined up to take the next shot but just as I pulled back, his delicious scent enveloped me. My hand slipped, and the ball bounced right into the corner pocket. I guessed that I wasn’t as good as I thought. At least not when he was around.

“Well, hello, boys,” Jenna said, with a loaded look. “How are you doing this fine evening?”

“Hello, ladies,” Malik said before giving me a hug. “It’s good to see you out and about.”

“Do you guys wanna join us? It never hurts to have some eye candy,” Dylan said, earning himself a serious eye roll.

“I’d rather be burned at the stake than get within five feet of your nasty ass,” Jenna said, shooing him away.

“Burn,” Cam laughed, but he quickly gave us a quick bow. “I hope you ladies have a good night.”