Rushing Into Love (Campus Crush Series)

by Ashelyn Drake

  Rushing Into Love (Campus Crush #3)

  ASHELYN DRAKE

  Rushing Into Love © 2013 Kelly Hashway

  No part of this novel may be reproduced, copied, recorded or used by any means without written permission from the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, characters and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. They are not to be misconstrued as real. Any resemblances to any persons, either living or dead are completely coincidental.

  Trademarks: Kings of Leon, “Sex on Fire”, “Freshman”, The Verve Pipe, Vodka, Taylor Swift, Chevy Silverado, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Super Bowl, Top Gun, “Fools Rush In”

  Author Dedication

  To those who know that falling in love has nothing to do with time.

  Chapter One

  Underclassmen fall in love quicker than rabbits during mating season. As I come out of the elevator, I almost walk into two freshmen groping each other in the lobby. I’m all for romance, but this is just hormones and lust at work as she tugs on his shirt and he reaches behind her to grab her ass. They’ll hook up, hold hands for about two weeks, and then they’ll both move on to someone new as if the whole thing never happened.

  I turn away, heading for the event room, and try to avoid the sight of them slobbering all over each other’s faces. I wonder how long it will take them to realize the elevator is available.

  “Hey, Mindy,” Mike says, looking up from a table covered in streamers. “Think this will be enough to decorate the room?”

  I laugh. “I think you could decorate the entire dorm with all of that.”

  “Too much?”

  “Maybe a little, but go nuts.”

  “I was thinking you and I could do a duet during karaoke. What do you say?” He nudges me with his elbow and then pretends he’s holding a microphone and belts out a few lines of “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon.

  “You sure about that? Remember what happened last year when you left the non-alcoholic drink station to sing a song.” I raise an eyebrow at him.

  He drops his arm and shoves his hands in his shorts pockets. “They manage to spike the drinks no matter what I do.”

  I clap him on the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. Besides, you’re supposed to keep me sane tonight when everyone gets drunk and starts trying to spout out the Greek alphabet in preparation for pledging.”

  Mike smiles. “Come on. It’s a little funny watching just about every freshman scramble around to rush the fraternity or sorority of their choice.”

  “Yeah, until all the Greeks on campus parade around chanting their little songs that basically just spell out their Greek letters.” I shake my head. “Not for me. Never has been and never will be. It’s like being told who to be friends with. I already have great friends.”

  “The best.” His smile widens. “So help me with these streamers.”

  I shrug. “Sure.”

  Mike narrows his eyes at me and reaches for my arm. “You really don’t want to host this event, do you? What’s going on? This isn’t like you at all. You’re always Little Miss Sunshine with the bright personality to match your blonde hair and big green eyes.”

  My mind drifts back to the couple groping each other in the lobby. It’s been so long since I’ve had anything even remotely like that. “Don’t get me wrong. I love doing this kind of stuff, but it seems like lately everyone is pairing up. Either with each other or with some Greek organization.” I look down at my checklist for tonight’s event. Other than decorating, everything has been taken care of. I should be happy, but I’m not.

  Mike puts the decorations aside and drapes an arm around my shoulder. “Chin up. We’ve got two years left in this place. You’ll find your perfect someone.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze.

  If Mike wasn’t the best friend a girl could ask for, I’d want to date him. He’s the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome—with adorable dimples that give him a boyish charm. But we are too good together to risk our friendship. “I know. I guess I’m just being overly sensitive today.” I take a deep breath and smile at him. “Now, let’s make this place look like a party store threw up in here.”

  He laughs. “That’s my girl.”

  We decorate for about an hour, which is all the time we have before the karaoke guy shows up with his equipment. “You can set up over there on the stage,” I tell him. “People should be arriving any minute now.”

  “All the frozen drink machines are ready to go,” Mike says. “I’ll try to keep an eye on them so no one tampers with them, but if this party gets lame too quickly, I might spike the drinks myself.” He winks at me, but I know he’s serious. Even though he’s an amazing guy, I often wonder how he got selected as an R.A. With how often he skips class and sneaks alcohol into his dorm room, he’s not exactly a model student.

  “Hey, party people,” Andy says, walking in with his arm around Noelle.

  “Hi, Mindy. How’s my favorite R.A.?” Noelle asks.

  Andy pouts and squeezes Noelle’s shoulder. “I thought I was your favorite R.A.”

  “No, you’re my boyfriend. Mindy’s my R.A.” Noelle taps Andy on the tip of his nose, which is so sweet and cute that it’s almost sick.

  “Hey.” I smile and wave to them both. “Where’s Julia?” I ask, though I’m already certain Noelle’s roommate is out with Darren. He’s a teaching assistant here at Timberland, which means he can’t be seen on campus with Julia. So ever since they started dating, I don’t see Julia on campus much at all.

  “Out again,” Noelle says, knowing I’ll get what she means.

  “Good for her.” I see the hurt on Mike’s face. He’s been into Julia since they made out at the social during freshman orientation. Maybe Mike and I can find a nice brother and sister pair to date. “So, shall we get into position?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

  Mike forces a smile and heads to the drink station. “I’m on it.”

  “Noelle and I will handle the door,” Andy says, motioning to the table by the entrance.

  “Then I guess I’m on the floor tonight.” That means I have to oversee everything and make sure everyone is having a good time. It’s usually my favorite job, but tonight I’m just not feeling it.

  “You’re the girl for the job,” Andy says. “My dad’s always telling me I should be more like you.”

  Dean Decker has high expectations of his son. I know it can’t be easy for Andy, especially with Dean Decker frowning on Andy’s relationship with Noelle. I don’t understand why he doesn’t want them together. It’s not against campus policy for an R.A. to date an underclassman, and Noelle is a sweetheart.

  About ten minutes later, a group of freshmen enter the event room. I smile up at them and nod to the karaoke guy so he gets some music playing while we wait for more people to show up. Within the hour, everyone is laughing and having a good time. I don’t even care that people are talking about Rush Week.

  I walk over to Mike, who is sniffing a frozen drink. I do my best to hide my smile as I look at my watch. “Well, you managed to hold them off for an hour before they spiked the drinks.”

  “Seriously, I don’t know how they do it. I haven’t left this spot.”

  I look around the room and see a pretty blonde holding a cup and smiling at Mike. “Let me guess. She came up for a drink and you got caught up talking to her.”

  “How did you know?” Mike stares into the cup as he swirls its contents.

  I motion to the guy walking over to the girl, carrying a cup in his hand, too.

  “I didn’t even serve him. Where did he get—?”

  “He obviously spiked th
e drinks while you were flirting with Blondie. Got to love a guy who’s willing to pimp out his girlfriend just to get a decent drink.” This is why I don’t date younger guys. One of the reasons at least.

  “Man! So I got played.”

  “Yup.” I laugh some more before saying, “Have a drink. You’ll feel better.”

  He raises a brow. “You’re not going to tell me to dump it?”

  “Have you ever listened to me in the past when I’ve asked you to dump it?” Mike’s usual solution for spiked drinks is to consume as much as he can, with the pretense of keeping it out of the hands of the underage coeds.

  He shrugs. “Good point.” He tips the cup back, draining it, and pours himself another.

  “Pour me one, too.”

  His eyes widen. “Little Miss Perfect is going to drink while running a social event?” He places his hand over his heart and fakes a heart attack.

  “Just give me a drink.” I take the cup from him and turn away, shaking my head. I’m not sure why everyone assumes I do everything by the book. I was the one who tried to help Julia and Darren get together. Well, I gave her advice at least. “I do know how to relax like everyone else.”

  “But I’ve yet to see you drunk, even though I’ve known you for going on three years now.”

  The karaoke guy taps the microphone to get everyone’s attention, and I’m thankful for the interruption. “Our next victim—I mean singer—is a freshman by the name of Ben Whitmore.”

  A few people in the back cheer and clap the back of a guy with brown hair. Must be Ben.

  “Ben’s song was chosen by some of his friends,” the D.J. continues. “So come on up here, Ben. You’ll be singing ‘The Freshman’ by The Verve Pipe.”

  “Appropriate choice,” I say to Mike, but I’m kind of surprised any of them know the song. It’s pretty old.

  “Not all that original though.”

  “Well that’s because they’re all drunk from your frozen drinks.” I smile and pat him on the shoulder. He lowers his head, still not sure how a bunch of freshmen spiked the drinks, and it makes me laugh.

  “You just wait,” Mike says. “I bet they’re coming for you next.”

  “Nah, my dorm residents love me.” I take a sip of my drink and cringe at how strong the Vodka is.

  “Everyone loves you, Mindy. You’re probably the sweetest person on campus.”

  “Spoken like a true best friend.” I raise my plastic cup and clink it against his. “Cheers.”

  The music starts, and immediately I’m drawn to Ben’s voice. It’s low and…well, sexy. Goose bumps pop up on my arms, and I rub them, pretending to be cold instead of awestruck by Ben’s performance. I turn toward Ben as he sings the song without looking at the video prompter.

  “He’s not bad,” Mike says.

  “Not at all.” Suddenly, I’m not sure if I’m talking about his singing or the rest of him. He’s pretty tall, not quite six foot, but I’d guess five eleven. His short brown hair is the perfect length to run your fingers through, and his eyes are a deep brown. If he wasn’t younger than I am, I’d say he was exactly my type.

  Mike leans closer to my ear. “Looks like you have an admirer.”

  Ben’s eyes are locked on me. I raise my cup and take a sip, trying to look casual and also to cool myself down. I feel like the temperature just rose about ten degrees, yet I still have goose bumps.

  “Oh, I see.” Mike smiles and nods.

  “What?” I turn away from Ben, but I keep glancing back at him. He’s moving toward the edge of the stage closest to me. His eyes are still on me, and I can’t turn away.

  “That.” Mike nods in Ben’s direction. “I believe that’s what they call love at first sight.”

  “Stop it. He’s a freshman. You know I don’t date younger guys.” So why can’t I take my eyes off Ben?

  He steps off the stage with the microphone in his hand and walks over to me, placing one hand on my waist.

  I have no idea what he’s doing, but for some reason, I’m not making a move to stop him. “What are you—?”

  Mike grabs my cup and places my hand on Ben’s shoulder. Ben continues to sing and starts swaying side to side. I don’t know what to do. I feel ambushed, but everyone is watching, so I smile and dance with Ben. It’s only one dance after all.

  The song ends and everyone cheers, but Ben doesn’t let go of my waist. His eyes search mine—for what, I don’t know. “I’ve been watching you all night. You’ve been all over this room making sure everyone else is having a good time. I thought you could us a little fun yourself.”

  The crowd cheers again and a group in the back—Ben’s friends—chant, “Kiss him! Kiss him!”

  Oh God! Ben said all that into the microphone for everyone to hear. I try to step back, but Ben still has me by my waist.

  “I took a request,” Ben says with a smile. “Now the question is, will you?”

  Chapter Two

  The chanting gets louder as others join in. Mike gives me a nudge in Ben’s direction, which practically sends my lips crashing into his. Ben must think I’m giving in because he leans the rest of the way and, before I know it, we’re kissing. It’s like I lose myself in the moment. The second his lips touch mine I forget where we are. I forget everyone is watching us and that Ben is only a freshman.

  My lips part, and Ben pulls me closer, his tongue slipping into my mouth. He might be younger than me, but he definitely knows how to kiss. Good Lord! I can’t get enough of him. My mind is telling me that everyone is watching me, that this isn’t right, but Ben’s kiss is making me too lightheaded to listen.

  He pulls away first, and I stare at him, dumbfounded. My hands are on his waist, and I don’t even remember putting them there.

  “Now that was one hell of a kiss.” Ben keeps his voice low so no one else hears. He steps away from me and brings the microphone back up to the stage as if this was all completely normal. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  I turn around, suddenly wanting to run from the room. I don’t know what to make of what just happened. I’m pretty sure I was serenaded by a freshman and then shoved into his lips by my best friend. I look at Mike, who must see the embarrassment on my face because he yells for Andy to cover the drink station. Mike drapes his arm around my shoulders and walks me out of the event room.

  The evening air has a crispness to it that instantly wakes me up from my confused state. “Why did you do that?” I ask, whipping around on Mike the second the door closes behind us.

  He raises his hands. “What? I was only trying to help out a friend. I hope you’d do the same for me if a smoking hot girl sang to me like that.”

  “He wasn’t singing to me.” I feel my cheeks getting warm.

  “Oh, he was,” he comments with a sly grin.

  I shake my head. “That kind of stuff only happens in the movies.” But even as I say it, I know it’s not true. Some guys really are that romantic. Only I’ve never known any freshman guys to be like that. They usually either get swept up in a fraternity and partying or they’re big on hitting the books. But maybe Ben’s not the typical freshman guy.

  “So are you saying you’re not going to give the poor guy a chance?”

  There’s no telling that Ben wants a chance with me. His friends could have dared him to pull a stunt like that. “It was a song and a kiss.” I glare at Mike. “And the kiss was your fault.”

  “Hey, I may have bumped your lips into his, but you put your tongue down the guy’s throat all on your own.”

  I smack his shoulder, but I can’t be mad because the kiss was incredible. I laugh, and Mike laughs with me. We’ve never been able to get angry with each other. “I guess we should go back inside,” I say. “Who knows what trouble everyone is getting into with only Andy watching them?”

  “If Andy’s watching anyone other than Noelle, that is. You know how those two get. It’s like there’s no one else in the room.”

  “Good point.” I grab his arm, and we hurry back
inside.

  A group of girls are on stage, singing a Taylor Swift song. I glance at the clock, noticing there are about forty-five minutes until the social ends. A few people point and whisper as I walk by. Just great. I can imagine what they’re saying about me—or more specifically, the way I kissed Ben.

  A blond-haired guy walks up to me and tries to hand me a drink. “Think I can get a kiss, too, or do you only do that when a guy sings for you?”

  “Not funny, man,” Mike says. “Keep on walking before I show you the door.”

  I hold my hand out for another drink. “Pour me a drink and make it a large, please.”

  “Relax. I give it ten minutes before some girl gets on stage and flashes everyone.” Mike smiles. “I’m hoping it will be that girl over there with the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder.”