by E B Brooks
Cody lowered the bottle. “Your ankle seems better.”
“It is. I stayed off it most of yesterday and today and got a brace for it. Thank you again for bringing the crutches and the camping chair. Any time you want them back, let me know.”
He played with the label on his beer. “You can keep them for now. I don’t need them. Do you want something to drink?”
Maddy glanced toward the dance floor, searching for Ryder. Maybe he took the skank to dance instead of having sex with her. “No, I think I had enough. Thank you.”
Why couldn’t she stop thinking about that asshole? What was up with that look he gave Cody? She knew he felt the same connection she did. She turned back to Cody who was playing with the back of her neck. They were so different. She knew Cody had feelings for her, but he had this wall around him. Then there was Ryder who liked to play with girls.
The alcohol was messing with her head. She needed to go home. “It was nice seeing you again, Cody. I’m going to find my friend and head home. I have a busy day tomorrow with orientation.”
Cody opened his mouth.
“There you are. We lost you,” Torr slurred as she stumbled up to Maddy. By the goofy smile on her red face, Torr wasn’t feeling anything.
Crusher kept a steadying hand at her waist.
Maddy gave him a thankful nod. “I looked for you two, but it’s impossible to find someone in that crowd. Torr, Crusher, this is Cody. He saved me the other day when I twisted my ankle.”
Torr gave a bubbly, “Hi.”
She couldn’t help but smile when Crusher gave Cody a death glare as they shook hands.
“We were just about to go up and have more drinks. Do you want to come up with us?” Torr asked as she sank against Crusher’s side.
“Actually, Maddy was just saying how she wanted to go home,” Cody mention. “If you two want to stay, I can take her.”
Torr beamed. “That would be great, if it’s okay with Maddy.”
I shrugged. “That’s fine with me.”
Crusher had a silent conversation with Cody before he turned a stern look on me. “Make sure you call me as soon as you get home.”
This protective shit was too much.
“I will, big brother Crusher.” Maddy saluted, then grabbed Crusher’s arm. “You better watch her. I’m trusting you.”
He gave Torr a soft look. “She’s safe with me. I’m more worried about you. How well do you know this guy?”
“I’ll be fine.” She let go of his arm. “I can take care of myself.”
Crusher nodded, put his arm around Torr, and walked away.
Maddy smiled. They made a cute couple.
Cody stood. “If you’re ready, we can go anytime.”
Guilty for pulling him away from his night out, Maddy shook her head. “You don’t have to take me home, Cody. I can get a cab.”
“I told your friend I’d take you home. Don’t make me look bad.” He placed a hand on her lower back.
“Don’t you have to take home Player—I mean Ryder?”
“I texted him. He left with that girl. He’ll find his own way home. He always does.”
That didn’t sit well with her, and she ground her teeth. She wanted to go find that bitch and rip her off Ryder. She hated feeling like that. She needed to forget him.
Cody pointed to the right. “My truck’s over on that side.”
Cody held onto Maddy as they wove their way to the exit, and tingles ran through her body.
Outside, Cody directed her to his trunk and held open the passenger door while she climbed in. He then ambled over to the driver’s side, hopped in, and started the truck. “So, Lucca Cardone is your brother? I thought you said you grew up in an orphanage?”
She shot him a sour look. “I know you don’t know me that well, but I don’t lie. I just met Crusher a few days ago. He likes my friend Torr. For some reason tonight, he started calling me little sis. I have no idea why.”
“You make people want to protect you.” Cody glanced quickly at her, then back to the road. “Sounds like you were having fun up there.”
Maddy chuckled. “You could hear that? We were drinking Huskey shots. First drink of alcohol I ever had.”
“Huskey shot… That’s just pure whiskey. Damn, that was a rough first drink. No wonder they were barking.”
“It burned, but it wasn’t too bad. Poor Torr ended up choking.”
Cody pulled into a parking spot in front of her building and turned the truck off.
She reached for the door handle. “You don’t need to walk me up, Cody.”
He ignored her and got out of the truck to help her down.
They walked up to her floor in silence.
Before Maddy could put the key in the lock, Cody turned her around and kissed her.
She was shocked at first, then she relaxed and wrapped her hand around his neck.
“I wanted to do that since I first saw you.” He kissed her again, this time with more heat before he pulled back, his voice breathless. “I’m no good for you, little one.”
Her heart pounded. “Isn’t that up to me?”
He shook his head and pulled away from her. “I’m sorry.”
And he walked away.
Dumbstruck, she stared after him. This couldn’t be happening to her twice in one night.
Maddy unlocked her door and slammed it behind her.
9
Jace
“I can’t believe you made us late because you had to have your dick sucked by some skank that Ryder screwed.” Jace pounded the dashboard in frustration as the cars in front of them moved at a crawl. “Now we’re stuck in this endless traffic.”
“Chill out, dude.” Skylar relaxed behind the steering wheel, calm as could be. “It’s just orientation. And Ryder didn’t fuck her. Something happened. When she came out of that room, she looked all sad and put out. I mean, I had to cheer her up.”
“I don’t know who is worse, yo—” Jace’s breath caught in his throat.
Right in front of them, walking with a small limp along the side of the road, was the hottest backside he had ever seen. Long red hair cascaded down her back, black shorts emphasized her ass, and don’t even get him started on her long, toned legs.
He adjusted his shorts. She reminded him of that girl he saw at Walmart. The closer they got to her, the more he realized she was about to fall over from heat exhaustion. Why the hell was she walking, anyway? This had to be one of the hottest days on record for this time of year.
Skylar must have noticed because he stopped talking. He followed Jace’s line of sight to see what captivated his attention and whistled.
Jace grabbed his arm. “Pull over. She’s about to fall over.”
Skylar cast him a disbelieving look. “I can’t right here, dude.”
Skylar pulled alongside her and put on his hazard lights. Right where they were, there was no shoulder to pull over in.
Jace hit the button to lower the window and leaned out, keeping a smile on his face.
As she slowly turned toward them, her eye blazed with fury.
Oh shit, it was the girl from Walmart, he didn’t think he would ever see her again. Her shirt was clinging to her body like a second skin, outlining her perfect body. Jace wasn’t dumb. Every guy who drove past her must have said something sexist. So, he knew he had to tread lightly.
“Hi!” He waved and pointed up the road toward the school. “Are you heading to registration?”
Recognition flickered in her expression, and she slowly stepped closer to the Jeep. She kept licking her cracked lips, and it was making him hard as hell. He needed to stop thinking like that. She needed help.
He tapped on the vehicle’s door with his long fingers, hoping to distract himself.
Skylar kept smacking his shoulder, but he shrugged his hand away. Whatever he wanted was just gonna have to wait.
Jace looked up the road. “You know, you’re more than likely going to be late. You have about a half-m
ile to go.”
She swallowed a couple of times, which drew his eyes to her long neck, where he wanted to kiss every inch. What the hell was going on with him? He was acting like Skylar.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious, for stating that fact. I figured out half an hour ago I was going to be late.” Shaking her head, she turned and started walking away.
Argh. Jace slapped his forehead. What the hell was he thinking to say that? He got tongue-tied when he talked to girls. He always had. That was why he usually let Skylar do the talking.
“Wait, I’m sorry. I’m not doing this very well.” He swiped his hand across his forehead.
Finally, Skylar pulled over to the side of the road. He chuckled. “Yeah, you suck, bro.”
The girl narrowed her eyes, trying to see who was in the driver’s seat.
Jace punched Skylar in the arm to get him to shut up. “Please, let us drive you. We’re heading that way. If you keep walking, you’ll fall over from dehydration or heat exhaustion.” He pleaded with his eyes.
She frowned before taking a step back.
He held up both hands. “We promise we’ll keep our hands to ourselves.”
Skylar pushed his way around him so he could see her. “Speak for yourself. She’s hot as hell.”
Jace turned and gave Skylar his best I’m going to kill you look before turning back to the girl. Before, he was concerned about her falling over, but the longer they talked, the more worried he got. She swayed while she stood there, and she looked so pale. She was minutes away from dropping.
Skylar raised his hands. “Under great protest, I promise not to touch you unless you want me to. And I guarantee that you would like it.”
Jace elbowed Skylar in the stomach and got out of the car. If she left because his friend couldn’t keep his mouth shut, Jace would kill him. He opened the back door for her.
She took another step back. By the way she tilted her head, she was trying to figure out if she could trust them or not.
Jace leaned against the Jeep with his hand in his pocket, trying to look normal and not scare her off.
At last, she climbed into the back seat.
When he got back in the front seat, he turned up the air as high as it could go. “My name’s Jace Shields, and this is my best friend, Skylar Anderson.”
She fanned herself. “Thanks for picking me up. I’m Madeline Walsh, but you can call me Maddy.” She barely got that out before a coughing fit took over.
“Jace.” Skylar glanced between the road and him. “There should still be some bottles of water in the cooler in the back to give to her.”
Jumping into the back seat, Jace leaned over the seat to grab the bottle of water.
Her breath hitched, and he glanced to the side to catch her staring at his ass.
Jace sat back down and handed her a cold bottle of water. She grabbed it and quickly drank half of it.
“Try to go slow. You don’t want to get sick,” Jace warned.
Leaning sideways between the door and the seat, he put his arm on the back of the seat and pulled his right leg up between them. He watched in fascination as she placed the bottle on her neck and droplets of water dripped down her throat and into her cleavage. Wishing like hell his tongue was the water, he ran his hand through his hair.
He just couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. He had never been one to believe in soulmates, that somewhere out there was one person who would complete him, but as he stared at Maddy, he couldn’t deny what he felt. It excited and terrified him all at the same time.
“Thank you so much. I wasn’t expecting it to be this hot. I got dehydrated so fast. I never should have drunk that much on Friday night, and don’t get me started on the hangover. I guess I didn’t spend the weekend hydrating myself too well.” She lifted her long, red hair and put the bottle of cold water on the back of her neck.
He swore he heard Skylar moan.
“Believe me, I learned my lesson.” She took another drink of water.
“Yeah, sun and booze don’t mix. It takes a few days to get back into shape after drinking. Where are you from, Maddy?” Jace asked, unable to tear his gaze away from her.
Her green eyes lifted to his. “Up north, a small town called Martinsville, Ohio.”
Oh, man, her eyes were unbelievable. They reminded him of the leaves in the middle of summer.
“That’s a long haul.” Skylar chuckled. “Didn’t want the parental unit doing any surprise visits, huh?”
Jace knew instantly they said something wrong. Her whole demeanor changed. Her eyes instantly left his, and she played with the water bottle.
She scratched the arm that held the bottle and let out a ragged breath. “Um, the truth is, I don’t have any parents.” She kept her head lowered.
His heart broke for her. “I’m sorry, Maddy. How did they die?”
“They didn’t.” She shook her head. “They dropped me off on the steps of the local orphanage, Little Tikes Orphanage,” she said, like it was no big deal. “Then, once I turned fourteen, I got moved to Wing of Refuge group home, and that was where I stayed.”
The car fell eerily quiet after that, with Skylar and Jace unsure what to say.
Jace looked out the window. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid he’d embarrass himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his life would be without Dad or Skylar. Jace watched her through the window as she sighed and wiped away a tear.
He didn’t notice that they’d pulled onto campus until Skylar turned off the car.
Skylar shifted around to face her. “I’m sorry you never knew your parents, but that’s on them, not you. I’m not even going to try to comprehend how hard it had to be. Your life has been anything but easy having to grow up in a group home.” A wicked grin spread over his face. “I guess that means you haven’t experienced a lot of fun things?”
Skylar did this weird thing with raising his eyebrow that he always did when he was hatching a plan.
She chuckled. “No, I haven’t experienced much fun in my life.” She grinned cheekily. “I guess I can cross off having a ball fight in the middle of Walmart?”
“So, you do remember me. Yeah, that was fun, until I got kicked out of Walmart, again.” Skylar chuckled, putting his head back against the headrest.
She smiled sweetly. “You’re Cody’s brother.”
Skylar’s eyebrow arched. “Yes… Wait, shit, are you the girl he almost ran over?”
She smiled and nodded.
He scratched the side of his head. “Holy shit, it’s a small world.”
She turned to look at Jace. “I was so mad when the Walmart Associate finally showed up. I wanted to help you pick those earbuds up.”
One corner of his mouth curled into a smile. “Well, I was coming over to help you. You looked so lost.”
“I’ve never had a phone before. There were so many. All I wanted was one that worked. It took an hour, but I got one.” She giggled.
“Well, I guess we should get this orientation shit done.” Skylar slid out of the Jeep.
Jace looked out the window again, lost in thought.
“Um… Jace? Are you okay?” Maddy touched his arm. “I never told people that I grew up in an orphanage until I came here. Most get this sad look on their face or they pity me. I don’t need their pity. I don’t need anything from them.” She tilted her head to the side. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you?”
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I’m imagining what it would be like if I didn’t have a family. I don’t think I could handle it.” Jace took her hand. “I don’t know much about growing up in an orphanage. I can only imagine what you had to deal with. I don’t pity you, Maddy, I admire you.”
She gave him a smile that would bring any guy to his knees.
Before he made a fool of himself, he shoved open the Jeep door. “We better go. Leaving Skylar alone is always a bad idea.”
10
Jace
From the parking lot, Jace could
see it was a madhouse with parents and kids everywhere. They had tents and booths set up around the stone walkway where the large statue of a Husky sat.
Before they got to the crowd, Jace turned to Maddy. “Here’s where you need to make a decision. You can go off on your own, or you can stay with Skylar and me. We’d love for you to stay with us, though. Maybe with you here, it won’t be so boring.”
She glanced over to where Skylar stood with a big smile on his face, his head bobbing up and down. Jace internally had every finger and toe crossed. She’d gotten in the car with them, so she had to feel comfortable around them.
She bit her bottom lip. “I’d like to stay with you two, if it’s all right. I don’t do well with crowds.” She gave them a half-smile.
“Of course, it’s okay.” Skylar bounced up and down. “Let’s go find something fun to do.”
Jace took Maddy’s hand and entwined their fingers. A tingly feeling raced through his body.
“Don’t want to lose you now that I met you.” He gave her a wink.
Her cheeks turned pink.
They headed to what Skylar called Tent City. Each club had a tent, and there were banners, music, flyers, and anything else to catch people’s attention.
Jace squeezed Maddy’s hand. “Is there anything you’re interested in?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
Skylar grabbed Maddy’s other hand and pulled them to another row of tents.
Her cute nose wrinkled, and she tilted her head as she looked at the Greek letters above each tent.
Jace rolled his eyes. “Of course, you’d drag us to this aisle, Skylar.”
“Oh, come on, you know if we want to find any fun, this is where we’ll find it.”
“Skylar, what row is this?” Maddy questioned.
“Fraternity and Sorority Row.” He cocked his one eyebrow. “Are you thinking of joining one?”
She shook her head adamantly. “Hell, no. I lived that way for eighteen years.”
Skylar rubbed his chin. “I guess I could see where you’d want to live on your own for the first time. But, let’s see if they’re planning any fun activities.”
