“Is this seat taken?”
I desperately hope I sound like one of those super-sexy older women who hit on lonely men in bars and not like the annoying preteen we all were, the ones that dressed up in slutty clothes and looked like, well…preteen hookers.
“Yes,” he bites, not even bothering to glance in my direction, and I love it!
“Why? Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what if she doesn’t show up? I can sit here while you wait for her.”
“You know, that sounds like a great idea. How about we sneak in a quick trip to the men’s room while I’m waiting for my girlfriend?”
I gasp and punch his shoulder. “You’re so annoying! Would it kill you to play along with me?”
He finally, finally graces me with his gorgeous face and grins. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it when I get dirty.”
I blush; the man can get dirtier than the inside of an erotica when he wants to, but now is not the time to remind me!
“Ugh, stop, we’re in public.”
He groans, “Don’t remind me.” But then instantly he’s on his feet and hauling me to his chest. He buries his face in my hair and inhales. “You smell too good to just be a dream.”
“Surprise?”
He wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear, “The best one ever.”
And that makes my mini panic attack worth it.
The sound of someone’s throat clearing makes us break apart. I see Cami standing near us, clearly not uncomfortable with our PDA, but feeling out of place in such a rowdy crowd.
“Oh, Cami, sorry, I just…”
“It’s okay, I was having fun, it’s just that some guy tried to lick my elbow, and if that’s not a cause for concern, I don’t know what is.”
My face scrunches up in disgust while Cole just takes a second to allow all that is Cami to sink in.
“You guys know each other?”
“Right,” I smack my forehead, “Cole, this is Cami, my neighbor and new friend. Cami, this is Cole, my boyfriend, as you already know.”
She immediately extends her hand toward him. “Cole Grayson Stone, it is such an honor to finally meet you in person and not spy on you from my barely cracked bedroom door.” She says this without missing a beat, and Cole’s starting to get increasingly confused, perhaps a little alarmed.
“Uh, that’s good to know. Nice meeting you, too, Cami; that’s an interesting name.”
“Isn’t it? My parents desperately wanted to name their firstborn Cameron. But when they got me, they didn’t think I’d appreciate having a guy’s name, so I got Camryn; isn’t that clever? But I go by Cami because they ended up naming my brother Cameron, and I should probably shut up now because I’m freaking you out.”
Her cheeks turn red as she watches us nervously, but when Cole laughs, she literally starts to gleam. The Cole Stone effect is unstoppable, and she’s certainly having the pants charmed off of her right now.
“I’m so glad Tessa found you; you guys are going to get along great.”
I grin at him. “I know, right? It’s like the heavens took pity on my loner self and custom made her.”
“Right down to the neurotic rambling, it’s like you guys could be twins.”
“HEY!” We both yell at him at the same time, and he actually clasps his hands together and looks toward the ceiling. “Thank God I don’t have to talk about cramps anymore.”
***
Cami’s sitting with one of the guys on Cole’s team, and he looks absolutely dazzled by her. I know the guy, he’s Parker, and probably the only decent person besides Cole on that team, so she’s in good hands.
Speaking of hands, I swat Cole’s off of my backside. “Need I remind you we’re inside a very crowded bar?”
“Need I remind you that I don’t give a shit?” We’re standing chest to chest, Cole’s back pressed against a wall, the screen over my shoulder, and he’s pretending to watch the game while he’s groping me quite publicly.
“Well, I do.” I relocate his roaming hands to a safer location. “So, you want to tell me why you weren’t bonding with those meatheads when I showed up?”
He sighs, leaning back slightly. “I was wondering when you’d bring that up.”
I wait for his answer, dreading it just a little.
“These guys are…well, they’re not the best, but most of them are good guys, but they’ve come to college with different goals in mind.”
I pause, and it seems like it’s taking a lot for Cole to tell me this. It makes me wonder if I make him feel like he can’t talk to me about these things, and suddenly I feel as good about myself as Miley Cyrus probably does when she looks at those Hannah Montana albums.
“They don’t understand commitment, don’t understand why I choose a single girl for probably the rest of my life over a different girl every night. When they talk about stuff like that, try to bring me to their side or whatever, it pisses me off.”
I go through a myriad of reactions while he’s telling me all this. Elation when he mentions a forever, fear when he talks about other guys not wanting the same, and anger when he says that they’re trying to change his mind, too.
Change his mind how, exactly?
“What do you mean? What do they do?”
“I don’t want you to get mad, okay? It’s nothing, and if I see the situation getting bad, I get the hell out of there.”
“Cole, tell me, please. I know you wouldn’t do anything, but I just…I need to know.”
“Fuck. Look, the team has this bunch of girls that hangs around when they’re needed. Some of them go to our school; most don’t. And whenever they come around, you know they’re going to try to flirt, try to hook up with the guys.”
I feel bile rise up my throat; he notices the look of utter horror on my face and cups my face in his hands so that our foreheads touch.
“I would never put myself in a position like that, Tessie. That’s why I was sitting alone, because they called the girls when this was strictly supposed to be a team-only thing. I’m pissed off and they know it. It’s hard for me to get along with them because they keep pulling shit like this, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever compromise what we have for them. I’d rather die than do that.”
A moment of utter silence passes between us before I mash my lips to his and kiss the hell out of him, slipping my hands into his hair and smiling against his lips when he groans against mine. This time I don’t stop his hands from reaching down toward my butt, because why the hell should I?
When we come up for air, Cole looks slightly dazed. “Whoa, what was that for, Shortcake?”
“Did your groupies get a good look?” It takes him a few minutes to process what I’m saying but then grins a massive, stupid, goofy grin and kisses me again.
“It’s so hot when you get possessive.”
“Well, you better get used to being constantly turned on, because from this moment onward, I’m not letting you get molested by a bunch of pot-smoking coeds, the highlight of whose life will be being named employee of the month at Hooter’s.”
“Can we seriously get out of here? Everything coming out of your mouth right now is just killing me.”
Smirking, I grab his hand and take him to where Cami’s sitting with Parker, coincidentally right next to a bunch of the other guys and their fan club.
“Oh no, we’re staying, and we’re socializing, and you better be all over me, mister.”
He clutches his chest theatrically. “Damn, this is definitely what heaven’s going to look like.”
Chapter Fourteen: Do You Really Need the Extra-Large Can of Whipped Cream?
“What do you think? Sexy nurse or French maid?”
“Neither.”
“But you have to pick one; you can’t be without a costume on Halloween.”
“I’m not opposed to costumes, just ones with the word slutty in them.”
Cami sighs and plops down on my desk chair.
“You make my job so difficult.”
I finish typing up an e-mail to my professor and face her. “I never gave you the job description of ‘help Tessa get rid of the crazy hoes who are superglued to her boyfriend.’ Besides, I don’t think I could pull off those looks, right, Sarah?”
My roommate, Sarah, is the total opposite of Cami in the way that she’s really shy around new people. It was a really awkward experience for the both of us to be sharing the same small space the first couple of weeks after moving into the dorm. But one night I heard her fighting with her boyfriend on the phone and tried to console her; we had a heart-to-heart abusing all men on the planet, and soon got along great. She’s a Texan, absolutely gorgeous with her big brown eyes and curly dark hair, but looking at her it’s easy to tell that she’s not aware of that. With me, she’s started coming out of her shell and opening up, but I’m starting to think Cami terrifies her.
She pokes her head up from the textbook in her lap and glances toward Cami, who’s watching her intently, and that can be pretty intimidating, but Sarah squares her shoulders and declares, “I think you should wear the costume Cole got you; it’ll definitely keep the hoes away.”
I nearly double over when I hear the word hoe coming from her prim-and-proper mouth; the girl wears a pearl necklace to class, for god’s sake! But I definitely appreciate the support and grin at her.
“I know, right? Why be a slutty anything when I have the greatest costume ever in my possession already?”
“Wait, what costume? Why have I not heard of this?”
In the three weeks that I’ve come to know her, it’s become apparent that Cami’s the kind of person who fits into your life so seamlessly that it feels like they’ve always been there. I have no objections to her suddenly being a big part of my life because it doesn’t seem like she’s imposing.
“Because I really like it, and I didn’t want you to take your scissors to it.”
“But…but can’t I at least see?”
“You will in a couple of minutes,” I tell her as my phone blinks with a text, and a huge smile comes across my face. “Just a slightly different version of it.”
She’s confused, and Sarah blushes because she actually knows what’s going on, and the presence of a certain male always makes her flustered.
Right on cue, someone knocks on the door and I rush to open it, flinging my textbooks aside. Outside I see Cole in all his sweaty glory and kiss him quickly on the lips before dragging him inside.
“Hello ladies.”
Both of them, no matter how different, turn into giggling preteens as my boyfriend directs his blinding smile toward them.
Cami sits up straighter, and Sarah tries to cover up the fact that there’s a huge Tweety bird on her bed, sent to her by her boyfriend a couple of days ago. I almost laugh at how nervous they are, given the fact that they see Cole all the time.
When all he gets is star-struck smiles and a partly manic wave, Cole turns to me and gathers me in his arms. “You all set?”
We’re going home this weekend because it’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve seen our families. It’s also the only week Megan and Alex can come down and visit, so it seems as good a time as any. Cole and I have also been struggling to find some time to spend together, and this feels like the perfect time. Even though being on campus has started growing on me and I’ve met people I get along with, there’s an excitement coursing through me at the prospect of being home and with my friends.
Yes, the same town that I couldn’t wait to run from is now home, strange times indeed.
Telling the girls goodbye, Cole and I walk to his car that’s parked outside my dorm. Now that Cami’s made me aware of it, I do see how much people stare at us when we’re together. Half of the time I’m trying to figure out whether they’re looking at Cole and having the obvious reaction to his enormous presence, or whether they’re looking at me and wondering why he’s with me. But I need to constantly remind myself to not think about other people and not allow them to affect my relationship; I’d made that mistake before, and it wasn’t happening again.
Cole is oblivious to my mental tug-of-war and is unaware of the number of eyes following us. I only breathe easier once we’re in the car, having loaded our things. When we finally pull away from campus, I relax and let Travis know we’re on our way.
***
“So, my parents were wondering if you’d have dinner with us tomorrow. Do you have any plans with your dad?”
Cole’s hand rests on my knees as he drives, and it’s exhilarating to know that he finds ways to touch me whenever he’s near. I lean back in my seat, put my book aside, and hum contently.
“No, well, not anything formal. I’ll have dinner with him tonight, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be with his girlfriend tomorrow.”
I don’t even cringe at the word girlfriend anymore. My father is honest-to-god trying to be a better man, and it’s good for him to be with someone other than the vicious person my mother has become. This someone may be over ten years younger than him and possibly be after his money, but hey, at least he’s back in the game.
“Great, I’ll tell them to keep their hands to themselves and not embarrass me.”
I smack his arm. “Your parents are cute and crazy in love! It gives me hope for the future, so don’t you dare say anything.”
He grins at me. “You’re hoping I’ll be like my dad, a romantic sap, in about twenty years’ time?”
I don’t let on how much happiness I get from the fact that he always talks about our future so assuredly. “You’re a romantic sap now; I doubt that’ll ever change.”
“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”
“And you say your dad is mushy, jeez.”
But he’s so perfect, and I doubt he can’t see the big fat smile on my face. As always, my eyes go to the charm bracelet on my wrist, a birthday present from Cole. Among other things on there that symbolize our relationship, there’s also a ring charm, subtle enough not to make me freak out but still a constant reminder of where he sees us going, and I’m so on board.
“So, Jay’s going to be there as well,” Cole tells me quickly, and I smile thinking about his stepbrother, my friend and former crush. Jay and I don’t have the best history, and our friendship is tentative at best, but he was around during a tough time in my life, when I thought Cole had cheated on me. He was there as a constant support, and I do feel like I owe him for that, regardless of our past.
“That’s nice; I haven’t seen him for months.”
Cole grunts; things are still a bit tense between him and Jay. Not as bad as they were before, back when Cole thought I would forever be in love with his brother and that he would come second. It took a lot of time and persuading to show him that what I felt for Jay was never love and that what I feel for him is infinitely stronger. Of course, he doesn’t doubt my feelings now, at least I hope so, but he still thinks Jay wants me, which of course leads to things being really awkward in the Stone household.
“He texts you enough to not let that be a problem.”
Once, just once Cole caught a text from Jay, and he’s taken it to mean that we’re the best of buds. Yes, Jay does send the occasional text asking me how I’m doing, and I give the acceptable reply and that’s the end of it. But trying to convince Cole is about as useful as playing tennis with a brick wall.
“Do you really want to go there? Need I remind you of the number of girls that text you because they need your help with their ‘homework’?”
“Come on, they have my number on the class roster, how am I supposed to stop them?”
“Exactly! How can I just ask Jay to stop texting me? We’re…friends.”
“But he wants more.”
“He’s a baseball player in college, for Christ’s sake, it’s not like he’s going to be lacking female attention and pining for me.”
“You seriously underestimate yourself, don’t you? If I were in his place, and I thank my lucky
stars that I’m not, I’d do everything in my power to make you mine.”
I blush; even after all this time, I blush. Placing my palms against my cheeks, I feel how heated they are and look over to Cole, who’s looking at me with an intensity in his eyes that makes my skin feel like it’s on fire.
“What?” I ask, feeling a little breathless.
“I just really love you, you know that, right?”
I place my hand over his on my knee and squeeze it.
“Yeah, I do, and I love you, too.”
***
When we get home, it’s around six in the evening, and Cole drops me off at my house, telling me he’ll be back in around fifteen minutes. I let myself into my empty home, but with a stocked fridge courtesy of the housekeeper. Now in my room, I’m sifting through my clothes and trying to find something good to change into when I’m attacked from both sides by what feels like twin poster children for a Chanel perfume, and the next thing I know, I’m lying on the floor, the air being squeezed out my lungs by two very overenthusiastic huggers.
“Guys! Can’t breathe here.” I choke as my best friends continue to shriek and laugh. The lack of oxygen stops mattering, and soon I crack up, too, as Megan and Beth roll onto either side of me.
“What was that?” I ask between laughs.
“An ambush.”
“Our strategy was to barge in with our eyes closed so that we wouldn’t catch you and your man with his hands all over you.”
“Hey! We do have some restraint, you know.” We are all laughing breathlessly at this point for no reason, and it’s the best feeling ever. I stretch my arms on either side so that I’m giving them both a one-armed hug, “God, I’ve missed you guys.”
Because Cole doesn’t show up immediately, I know he’s giving me space with my friends, which I appreciate a lot. Skyping is never the same as being in the presence of these two, and now that we’re back to those days when we’d just sit on my bed and talk for hours, it feels like we were never that far away from one another.
“I didn’t think it was possible to laugh that much.” Megan clutches her stomach as she falls onto her back on the bed. “Did that really happen?”
The Bad Boy’s Heart Page 17
