“Oh.” My voice is small but my thoughts…they are filled with all sorts of images. Of me lying beneath Shep in his room. On his bed. Only this time, we’re naked. Oh my God…
He smiles and touches my cheek, his fingers drifting across my skin. “Now get out of my car, go inside and lock your door before I reconsider and throw you in the backseat.”
Wait a minute. He’ll throw me in the backseat and have his way with me if I don’t leave soon? “Really?” I ask hopefully. It’s weird, how I momentarily forget all about my sexual hang-ups with him.
Shep laughs again and shakes his head, giving me a gentle shove. “Go, Jade. Now.”
I open the door and crawl out of his car on shaky legs, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder as I slam the door. I stand there at the base of the steps that lead to the double doors of my dorm hall, staring at his beautiful car, at the beautiful man sitting behind the steering wheel. I’m so freaking confused. I should hate him. But I don’t. Not really. Not when he kisses me like he does and talks to me like he does and is so…sweet.
The passenger side window rolls down and he leans forward, peering at me through the open window. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” I frown.
“Like you don’t want to me to leave.”
“But I do want you to leave,” I say, the words sounding so incredibly lame I want to punch myself in the mouth.
“Yeah right. Keep fooling yourself.” He starts the car and waves at me. “I’m not leaving until you go inside so…”
I turn on my heel and run up the steps, grabbing my key card and waving it in front of the keypad. The door springs open and I hurry inside, turning to watch as he pulls away from the curb. I stay there until his red taillights are swallowed up by the darkness before I start toward my room.
My phone dings just as I reach my door and I pull my phone out of my pocket to see it’s a text from Shep.
You’re in your room?
Aw, he’s concerned about my safety. That’s sweet.
Just got here.
Tell me when you’re tucked into bed.
I smile. Where is he going with this?
Why so you can ask me what I’m wearing?
Of course. I need more masturbation material.
A groan escapes me. He’s so…awful. And funny.
And sexy.
You’re gross.
Don’t lie. You think it’s hot.
I smile. Fine. He’s right.
I’ll call you tomorrow.
My smile fades. He’s also extremely bossy.
Maybe I don’t want you to.
Stop lying. You know you’ll be on pins and needles tomorrow waiting for my call.
Ugh. He’s so annoying. Worse?
He’s right.
* * *
Shep
* * *
“You fucked her didn’t you? Finally. Jesus. This whole thing was starting to get on my nerves.”
I glare at Tristan as he shuffles into the kitchen, headed toward the coffeemaker. I’m on my third cup, hopped up on caffeine and memories of the taste of Jade’s lips. I hardly slept last night, spent most of the time tossing and turning, thinking about her.
“What was getting on your nerves?” I don’t bother arguing over his assessment. He’s wrong. I didn’t fuck her. I’m dying to fuck her, but there really is something to be said for anticipation.
Who knew?
Not me, and the anticipation is slowly killing me inside. I jacked off again last night to thoughts of Jade. Her soft, plump lips. The sounds she made when I kissed her neck, when I touched her…fucking hell. She makes me insane.
“You walking around like a lovesick puppy. At least now you look satisfied. Like you got that girl out of your system once and for all.” Tristan grabs a mug out of the cupboard above him and pours himself a cup of coffee, dumping a pile of sugar and a gob of vanilla creamer into the mug before he stirs it. “So how was she?”
“What do you mean?” I ask warily, knowing exactly what he means.
“In bed. Is she any good? Is she a natural redhead? Come on, I need deets.”
I scowl at him. Fucker. I can’t answer that question because I don’t know. Though I’d bet big money on it that she is a natural redhead. “I’m not going to answer that question.” And I used to, all the time. I had no problem telling Tristan and Gabe all about my hookups. We swapped stories. It’s what we do.
Now, I can’t imagine giving Tristan or Gabe any details about Jade and the way she tastes or the sounds she makes. And once I see her in her full, naked glory—because I will, you can count on that—I’m not going to tell them shit about that either.
She’s like my little secret. And I’m not willing to share. She belongs to me.
Tristan makes a noise and approaches the counter I’m sitting at, standing across from me, clutching his coffee close. “Redheads usually aren’t your thing.”
“You’ve said that before.” And he’s right. There’s always an exception to the rule though. Jade is my exception.
“Well, I’m saying it again. Though you two didn’t seem to last long in your room. I’m guessing it really was a one and done? Please tell me you’ve moved on. Got her out of your system.”
I clench my hands into fists. I’m pissed. I hate how he’s talking about Jade. But what the fuck do I say? I’m in a no win situation. He’ll mock me no matter what. “I haven’t got her out of my system,” I mutter, hanging my head, staring at my phone. Which isn’t lit up. Meaning I’m staring at a black screen.
“What did you say?” Tristan doesn’t wait for my answer. “Are you serious right now? Wait a minute…you didn’t fuck her last night, did you? What the hell are you waiting for?”
“I’m not waiting for anything.” I look up so I can glare at him only to find he’s glaring at me too. “We were interrupted last night.”
“And when has that ever stopped you before?” Tristan asks incredulously.
It hasn’t. But I never actually respected another girl’s opinion before either. “Jade didn’t want to stick around. So I drove her back to her dorm,” I admit, feeling like an idiot because I didn’t close the deal, as Tristan so fondly likes to put it.
“She didn’t want to stick around? More like she didn’t want you to stick it in her. What the hell is wrong with this chick anyway? Is she a lesbian?”
“Aw, fuck you Tristan.” I snatch my phone off the counter and slide off the stool I was sitting on, making my escape. But he’s right behind me, carrying on like the dick he is.
“I’m serious, man. What’s her prob? More like, what’s your prob? Why are you pursuing this chick so hot and heavy when she’s clearly not interested in you? If she’s not a lesbian, then what’s the deal? Is she a virgin?”
I stop in my tracks, dread filling me. Holy shit. What if she is? Yeah, she had that weenie boyfriend of hers, Noel or Joel or whatever the fuck, but that didn’t mean shit.
She didn’t kiss like a virgin. But how does a virgin kiss? There are a lot of virgins out there who are saving it for Jesus—I swear, that line has been used on me before—but they’ll do everything else. And when I say everything else, I mean everything else.
“That’s it, huh. She must be a virgin.”
I turn to stare at Tristan, who’s sipping on his coffee, looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world. And he doesn’t. He’s a rich fuck who skates through life and uses women like they were Kleenex. Just like I used to be until I met Jade.
It’s really hard for me to believe I’ve known Jade for only a few days. It feels like an eternity. And not in a bad way either.
“I don’t think she’s a virgin,” I say slowly.
“Aha! And that’s the problem.” He points a finger at me. “You don’t know if she’s a virgin or not. Meaning you don’t know anything. She’s stringing you along and she’s eventually going to give you a major case of blue balls for your trouble.”
&nb
sp; Sighing, I toss my head back and stare at the ceiling, struggling for patience. If he weren’t my cousin, I would’ve kicked him out of the house a long time ago. Guy never knows when to shut up.
“I’m serious dude. Stop wasting your time on that ice queen. One and done, remember? Those are the rules,” Tristan stresses.
“Who came up with these so called rules anyway, huh?” I look at him again, ignoring my buzzing phone, wanting to hear Tristan’s answer. “Because they are seriously fucked up.”
“You’re the one who came up with them, asshole,” Tristan reminds me just before he turns and stalks back toward the kitchen, muttering the entire way.
I run a hand through my hair, tamping down the frustration that’s rolling through me. I’m so sick of everyone telling me what I’m supposed to do. It’s been that way my entire life. My sisters bossed me around. My parents. Hell, now even my freaking cousin and my best friend are supposedly offering me advice about my sex life.
But what the hell do they know? What does anyone know? I have no idea what’s happening between Jade and I, and I’m not going to stop pursuing her either. I want her. Badly. One shitty interruption by an obnoxious girl who yells toodles isn’t going to stop me. I can be patient when I want.
With Jade, I’m willing to do just that. Be patient. Coax her into this. I know she’s reluctant. I think…I scare her. Hell, she scares me too. I don’t do this sort of thing. I’m not a believer in relationships. My parents cured me of that. They have one of the most fucked up relationships I’ve ever seen.
Then again, maybe I’m coming on too strong, though I’ve behaved like a freaking saint most of the time when I’ve been with her. I could’ve fucked her the night she was drunk but I was respectful enough not to.
I almost want to laugh. Me, respectful? That’s all kinds of hilarious.
My phone starts buzzing in my hand again and I glance at the screen to see that it’s my mother calling.
Hell. I don’t want to talk to her. She’s bound to give me an endless bunch of shit, like she usually does.
“Thank you for the birthday gift darling,” she coos when I answer.
Great. I forgot to call her on the most important day of her life. I’m never going to hear the end of it. “Happy Birthday, Mom.”
“Ah, thank you, Shepard. I do adore that candle. It will go perfectly in the house. And it smells absolutely divine.”
I think of Jade. How she thought it was so boring that I bought my mother a white candle. “Glad you like it. Are you having a good day?”
“Well, your father isn’t around, but that’s par for the course so his absence hasn’t disappointed me yet. Though he claims he’ll be here tonight to take me to dinner.” I wonder sometimes why they’re still married. They hate each other. Reminds me yet again that marriage is a complete farce, forced upon us as the right thing to do.
“I’m guessing you’re going out with your friends then?” I ask.
“Yes. A late, martini soaked lunch is on the agenda. I can’t wait.” She laughs and I wince. I don’t want to hear about Mother and her martini soaked birthday lunches. Bad enough I feel like a shit for forgetting to call her. Though thank God my father reminded me of her upcoming birthday a few days ago.
“Listen, I need to go to class.” Lies. “But I hope you have a great day, Mom. You deserve it.”
“Thank you, darling.” She sighs, sounding wistful and just before I end the call she says, “Trust me, though. The older you get, the harder these birthdays are to face.”
Huh. I guess that’s why she wants to get drunk on too many martinis. When I celebrated my twenty-first, I got drunk because I finally was legally able to. Mom’s getting drunk because she wants to forget she’s getting old.
And this little realization is exactly why I have zero desire to get serious about…anything.
Chapter 13
Jade
* * *
You’ve been avoiding me.
I drop my phone after reading Shep’s latest text and press my face against my pillow so I can groan into it. Can’t he be like every other shitty guy out there on the planet and leave me alone? Guys have ignored me pretty much my entire life and I was used to it, thank you very much. The first gorgeous one who comes along has for some reason set his sights on me and now he won’t leave me alone. I should be thrilled.
And I am, I swear. I’m also scared. He makes me so incredibly nervous it’s stupid.
It’s been three days since the kissing incident—or as Kelli likes to call it, the fuck birds moment. Yes, I told her about Miss Toodles and my roommate and tormentor found the entire story hilarious. I’m glad she can laugh at my pain.
Anyway.
Shep called me as promised the next day, but not until the late afternoon. Yes, he kept me on pins and needles, just like he predicted. He made me laugh. He flirted heavily. He asked what I was doing. I told him I was writing a huge paper that was due the next day. Eventually he ended the call but not before murmuring in that sexy, melt all my bones voice that he would call me again tomorrow.
And he did. I mean, what the hell? I don’t get his fascination with me. I really, truly don’t. I’m a bitch toward him most of the time and it’s like I can’t help it. I think he brings out the worst in me. He’s been so sweet though. Calling me, making me laugh. Sending me silly texts. Asking me if we can get together again and I keep putting him off with lame excuses.
I don’t want to tell him the truth. Not only does he scare the crap out of me because he so does, but there’s also that pesky little monthly issue that I’m currently dealing with.
As in, Aunt Flo is making a visit. And she’s a real nasty bitch sometimes.
It started with the small migraine headache the morning after the kissing incident (aka fuck birds moment). I knew when I woke up I was in trouble. By that afternoon I had major cramps. I really did have to write a huge paper that night so the excuse was legit. But since then?
Nope. It’s been all about the period.
“Your misery is making me crazy.” Kelli slams her laptop shut, startling me. I glance up from my pillow to find her glaring at me. We’re usually in sync. It’s that weird female hormonal thing that causes women who are together a lot to be on their periods at the same time, which is just…odd. But she finished last week and is all perky and happy while I’m drowning in my grouchy mood.
“Sorry,” I mumble, not sorry at all. My phone dings again, reminding me of my text from Shep and I inhale deeply, wishing I could answer him. But what could I say?
Oh hey, Sheppers I wish we could hang out tonight but I’m surfing the crimson wave at the moment and there’s no way you want to get near that so…toodles!
Yeah. That wouldn't go over so well. And I bet no one in his life has ever called him Sheppers.
“We’re going out,” Kelli announces as she stands, stretching her arms above her head and making her spine crack. I really hate it when she does that. “So put on some shoes and let’s go.”
“I don’t want to go out.” I sit up in bed and glance down at myself. Favorite faded pink T-shirt that has a hole in it, black leggings, no makeup on and my hair pulled back into a sloppy braid, I look like a train wreck.
“We’re just going down to the field. The summer soccer league has started practicing there every Tuesday and Thursday night.”
Hmm. Well, it is Thursday. And what’s the big deal about soccer? Blech. “Why do we want to watch them?”
“The dudes on the summer soccer league team are hot. And they always take their shirts off halfway through practice.” Kelli grins. “So throw on some flip flops or whatever and let’s go. It’ll take your mind off your womanly problem.”
“Fine,” I grumble as I grab my phone and stare at Shep’s text yet again. Should I answer him?
“Just answer him,” Kelli says like the total mind reader she is.
“What do I say?”
“What did he say?”
“He accused
me of avoiding him.”
“He’s right. You are avoiding him, which is silly because even though he’s a guy, of course, he knows about periods and all that stuff.” She rolls her eyes and rests her hands on her hips.
“Yeah, he’s a guy who doesn’t know what the word commitment means so he’s probably never been with a girl long enough to have to deal with her period.” I ignore my phone and stand, slipping on my flip flops that are under my desk. I grab my small purse—the one I keep a couple of tampons in—and shove my phone inside, then sling it across my body. “I think I can get away with putting him off for the next few days.”
“Playing hard to get does seem to work,” Kelli points out.
“See? Then that’s what I’m doing. I’m playing hard to get.” This entire situation is ridiculous. I’m not a game player. I never have been.
“No, you’re avoiding him because you have cramps. That’s a whole different scenario,” Kelli says. “You should take birth control pills. It would make your periods shorter and less crampy.”
I shrug. There’s been no point. I haven’t had frequent enough sex to warrant birth control. Besides, what’s wrong with making the guy wear a condom? “Let’s just go,” I mumble, feeling grumpy. I don’t want to talk about birth control and sex. I could probably be having sex with Shep right now if I wasn’t dealing with my current issue.
My entire body flushes hot just at the thought of being with Shep like that. Naked. Having sex…
“Come on.” Kelli hooks her arm through mine. “Let’s go ogle hot guys without their shirts on. It’ll make you feel better.”
“I don’t know how,” I say as she drags me out of our room.
“Don’t you feel hornier when you’re on your period? Seeing dudes without their shirts on is just the fix you need,” Kelli informs me.
Keep This Promise Page 34
