by L. P. Maxa
She was right. He’d almost forgotten how to make a joke, how to smile and laugh. He’d been half of a person away from his pack, away from his family. Maybe this bubblegum pink firecracker was what he needed right now. Someone to demand he have fun, someone to not take no for an answer.
Maybe Blake could help him survive the next few weeks, and then after that, Jasper would be moving in and everything would feel right again.
Chapter Two
Riley sat up, groaning at the incessant dinging coming from the floor beside his bed. He peered over the side, snatching up his cell, which had somehow fallen. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry as hell and sore. He uncapped the bottle of water sitting on his nightstand, draining it in a few gulps. His head was pounding, but getting out of bed to search for medicine was not about to happen. He was hung over, which meant he’d basically drank the bar dry. He was a shifter. He was of another world. It took a hell of a lot of alcohol for him to be hurting the next day. Usually, his healing sleep would take care of the headaches and grogginess.
He clicked his cell open, noting that it was barely eight o’clock in the morning. He’d only been asleep for five hours. No wonder he still felt like shit. He needed to go back to bed. He needed the wolf inside him to do its damn job and heal them both.
His phone pinged again, reminding him of what had woken him up in the first place.
Blake: Morning sourpuss, I wanted to make sure your body survived your first college party last night. I know that much of a good time can be taxing.
Blake: Hey. Wake up.
Blake: Are you dead? If you’re dead, it wasn’t my fault.
Blake: Shit. I’m going to have to come steal your cell and erase these messages if you’re dead. I’ve basically incriminated myself as the means of your demise.
Blake: Is your door unlocked? Maybe I can YouTube lock picking?
Blake. The demanding girl who had burst into his room wearing a pink sheet and all but forced him to be her friend. Some friend she was. He was pretty sure she was the one pouring vodka down his throat last night. She’d dragged him to a bar a few blocks off campus, they’d danced, and she knew everyone. They’d drunk for free, and then they’d stumbled back to campus eating cheap tacos. He’d walked her home, and then he’d weaved his way to his own dorm, promptly passing out.
Riley: Morning Barbie Doll. I lived. No thanks to you. What the hell was in those drinks you made me?
Blake: Little of this, little of that. And Barbie Doll?
Riley: Big blue eyes and blonde curls, you look like a tiny Barbie Doll. Little of this, little of that? Isn’t that what douche bags say before they roofie people?
Blake: Funny. What are you doing? Brooding in your room wearing all black?
He looked down, picking up his comforter. He wasn’t really wearing much of anything, although his boxer briefs were actually black.
Riley: I am wearing black. But I’m not brooding, I was sleeping. I don’t have to be up for another few hours for weight training with the team. See? I leave my room.
Blake: When it’s mandated by your coaches.
Riley: And apparently when bubbly strangers hijack my bathroom.
Blake: My bitchy roommate is here with her gross emo boyfriend. If I have to listen to them coo at each other for another minute I’ll die. I’m coming to hang with you.
He chuckled at her dramatics. Blake seemed to tackle everything with all she had: meeting people, dancing, drinking, conversations.
Riley: Forcing yourself into my life again so soon?
Blake: Force? Nah. You need me sourpuss. I’m basically saving your boring ass life.
Riley: I can assure you, my life is anything but boring.
Blake: Well now it’s not, I’m your new bestie.
He didn’t need a new bestie, but telling her that wouldn’t make a difference. Blake had decided that they were going to be friends, and he knew from last night arguing wouldn’t deter her.
He lay back on his pillows, staring at the white popcorn ceiling. Going out with her had been fun. He’d laughed, he’d danced, he’d drunk enough to drown a fish. He supposed that having a friend at UNC wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Riley: Door’s open doll face.
Chapter Three
Why did all his mornings seem to be starting the same way? Him lying in bed, being woken up by the incessant pinging of his cell phone. Blake didn’t seem to need sleep like the average human. She was always full of energy, always looking for the next adventure to drag him to. It had been a week since they’d meet, a week since she’d barged into his room and demanded his compliance as her ever-present accomplice.
He had to admit, he felt lighter. He was happier. He was actually enjoying college for the first time since he’d gotten here four months ago. The only thing giving him pause was knowing Jasper was going to definitely try to nail Blake once he moved onto campus. She was gorgeous and flirty. She’d be able to keep up with his sarcastic innuendos. In short, she was fucking catnip for Jasper, and a juicy bone for his wolf. It wasn’t jealousy causing him concern. He knew Blake was a fucking snack, and she’d made his dick hard as stone on more than one occasion. But she wasn’t for him. She wasn’t his forever. So what was the point in pursuing her? He’d end up losing her as a friend, and the thought made his chest ache.
Jasper? He’d have no issue severing a blossoming friendship in order to get his dick wet. That was a problem for another day he supposed. He couldn’t seem to shake her, and there was still a whole Christmas vacation before Jasper would be gracing the UNC campus with his larger-than-life presence.
Blake: I think I died.
Always so dramatic.
Riley: So, on a level of one to a hundred, how bad is your hangover?
Blake: One hundred, for sure. What the hell happened last night? It went from let’s go play pool, to stop dancing on the bar, Barbie.
He laughed to himself because he definitely had to make her get off the bar. She was performing for everyone, Coyote Ugly-style. Her blonde hair was swinging, and bodies were packing in tighter and tighter to see the show. Riley had plucked her off the slippery surface moments before she faceplanted, inciting shouts of disapproval from the predominantly male crowd.
Riley: I don’t know, I went to the bathroom and when I came back you were doing shots with the basketball team.
Blake: Why didn’t you stop me?
Riley: I did. And after you put ten dollars in the jukebox and set it to play the same Taylor Swift song on repeat. We were basically asked to leave.
Blake: Thanks for driving me home.
Riley: Anytime.
Riley would never let anything bad happen to Blake. Not if he could help it. His pack always joked that he was all the chicks’ favorite. He was because he was a fucking nice guy, a good guy, and he didn’t see anything wrong with that. He grew up watching out for his mom. Being protective and sensitive was basically part of his DNA at this point. Even when he and Jasper were sharing, he was always the nice one. He was the one who made sure the girl was okay, was into it. He was the one who made sure she got home, checked on her the next day. Jasper never even remembered their damn names.
Jasper. The closer it got to Christmas break, the closer it got to Jasper moving to Greenly. Riley was increasingly nervous about introducing him to Blake. He’d want her, and he wouldn’t understand why Riley hadn’t already taken her. He’d want to share. Riley dragged his hands down his face, silently cursing the dilemma he knew was coming until his cell distracted him once again.
Blake: I’m ordering food. I want them to deliver it straight to my bed. You want in?
Riley: I have a paper to finish.
Riley had fallen a bit behind in his class load since he’d met Blake. It’d been easy enough to handle homework and training with his new team when those were the only things he did. Blake dragged him out of his room and out of his comfort zone on the daily. She liked to have fun, and she demanded he par
take as well. She was a bit of a bad influence. More to the point, Jasper was going to be all over her.
Blake: So come do it here. My troll of a roommate is gone and as soon as I eat I’m going back to sleep. You’ll have a full belly, peace and quiet, and the calming presence of your favorite person. What more could a reluctant baseball stud ask for?
Her words reminded him of a playful argument they’d gotten in last night before she’d hopped on the bar and started shaking her tight ass.
Riley: This baseball stud is still slightly pissed at how adamantly you agreed that basketball players were the true “gods of organized athletics.”
Blake: Those gods were buying my drinks. I can’t be held accountable for what I say out of gratitude. But, nonetheless, I apologize. Baseball rules, and basketball drools.
Riley threw his covers off, knowing that fighting her request was useless. He wasn’t dumb. He knew he had free will and all that shit. However, it seemed the more time he spent with Blake, the more he wanted to make her happy. She was becoming part of his pack without even knowing it.
Concern tingled somewhere in the back of his brain, but he pushed it away. His family wasn’t here, and he was inadvertently forming a bond with Blake. It made sense that she mattered to him, that her happiness mattered. He was a wolf, a shifter, he had instincts that demanded certain things of him. No big deal.
Riley: Be there soon.
Chapter Four
Riley made his way through campus, pulling his jacket around him to ward off the chill of the winter breeze. He wasn’t usually bothered by the cold. He’d been in Colorado for most of his life, and was fine with the changeable weather. For some reason, the wind here in Greenly was cutting through to his bones. There were only five more days until Christmas break. Only five days until he would be home with his pack. He was planning on spending a few nights with Dom and Corey, and then heading to Jace and Axie’s house.
They’d planned a big Christmas Eve dinner with the whole pack, everyone crashing there and waking up to open presents Christmas morning. He felt like a kid again. The idea of the holidays with his pack meant so much more since he’d been living away from them for so long.
He shivered, pulling his cell out of his pocket when it vibrated against his jean-clad thigh.
Blake: You left your laptop here.
Riley: I know, I’m walking over now to grab it.
Blake: We need to talk.
Riley rolled his eyes, already knowing where this conversation was headed.
Riley: Did you snoop through my computer?
Blake: Yes.
Riley: Is nothing sacred to you?
Blake: We met when I walked into your room unannounced to use your bathroom without permission.
He glanced up, making sure that he wasn’t going to plow into a person or a bench while he was walking and texting at the same time. Campus was basically deserted today though, the windchill keeping everyone in their dorm rooms unless they absolutely had to leave for class.
Riley: I remember.
Blake: Anyway. You have a problem, and I really think you need to talk to someone about it.
Riley: You’re so dramatic. It’s not a problem, millions of people watch that stuff.
Blake: Look. There’s a lot of things I can handle, but this? Good. Lord.
Riley: I’m not ashamed.
Blake: You own every season of the Real Housewives of Orange County. Every season. You OWN them Riley. Like you spent money so you could watch them more than once.
Riley: I like trashy reality TV. It’s not a crime.
The truth was, re-watching those episodes made him feel better when he was missing Corey too much. He’d let them play in the background for three weeks after he’d moved into his dorm room. It’d made him feel a little less lonely. Lonely. He sighed, remembering how forlorn he’d felt until Blake had burst into his room. She’d filled his life with light, and he’d be forever grateful.
Blake: It should be.
Riley: Get out of my computer.
Blake: Your porn collection is also subpar.
Riley: Stop looking through my porn.
Only Blake would feel comfortable talking so casually about snooping through someone’s private porn collection. His new bestie didn’t have boundaries. She didn’t even understand the word. Sometimes it was endearing and funny, sometimes it was invasive as fuck.
Blake: I’m going to upload some better-quality spank material for you, no worries.
Riley: Do NOT fill my computer with porn.
Blake: Too late. See you in a few.
Riley shoved his cell back into his pocket, resigned to the fact that his laptop would no doubt need to be tossed after it became filled to the brim with viruses. He had a hot-as-hell girl piling his computer with filthy porn, not really a reason to complain.
Although, every time she did something like this, something that reminded him of Jasper, he couldn’t help but get a little twitchy.
Jasper was going to adore her, there was no doubt about it. Would that adoration turn into friendship like Riley’s had? Or would it turn into a three-day fuck-fest, and then consequential awkwardness for the next four years?
Chapter Five
“Finallys are soon, right? That’s what those big important tests are called? The ones you’ve been rambling about?”
Riley rolled his eyes at Jasper, making his friend smile on their FaceTime call. “My finals are over. I aced every single one of them, thanks for asking.” Thankfully, Blake had begrudgingly agreed to him pausing the constant partying so he could get in a bit of studying. “And you better get the terminology down, you’re joining me next semester.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved away his concern. “I’ll get all the words right when I get there, don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you.”
“We both know that’s not true,” Riley joked, making Jasper chuckle. “I can’t wait to come home, bro, it’s been weeks.”
“I hate that you haven’t had a chance to meet Allison yet.” Allison was Jasper’s cosmic little sister, like Hadley was Riley’s. “She’s so fucking cute.”
“Yeah, me too, I can’t wait to see her.” Riley had been all packed and ready to head back to Haxton to meet Linc and Maddi’s newborn daughter last month, but Jace had called and told him to stay at the dorms. Whichever mafia wannabe they’d been exposing at the time was acting like he was going to retaliate and they didn’t want Riley vulnerable on the road to and from school. He assumed nothing more came of it since he hadn’t gotten any more warnings from his pack.
“All right, I’ve got a meeting with Jace and Baze. I need to go be all serious and dull for a couple of hours.”
Riley glanced at his watch, nodding. “Yeah, I’ve got lunch plans with Blake, I’ll—”
“Blake again? You better not be replacing me, bro.” He winked, letting Riley know he was joking.
“I could never replace you. You’re one of a kind.” He rolled his eyes again, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Bye.”
He clicked off the screen in the middle of Jasper’s newest round of laughter. The truth was, Jasper was one of a kind, and he was completely irreplaceable. Also, Riley had never mentioned Blake was a girl. He knew Jasper would have so many questions, and he’d want pictures. He’d stalk her on social media and constantly ask Riley why he wasn’t currently balls deep inside her. Then there would be comments about them sharing her when he moved to Greenly next semester. The torment would be endless, and Riley wasn’t about to go down that road until he absolutely had to.
It’d been three weeks since Blake had come bouncing into his room all wrapped in pink. Three weeks of constant coffee breaks and study dates. They went to parties, they went to the movies, they had dinner, and played video games. In general, they hung out. Somehow, in the span of that time, she’d become his best friend. Which, she said, was her plan all along.
Blake was gorgeous, there was no denying it. Between her looks and her bubbly personali
ty, she turned heads everywhere they went. But Riley had kept her at arm’s length, had kept things between them platonic. Sure, she turned him on. When she’d dance with her tight little ass pressed up against his dick, he’d get hard as fuck. But he never acted on it.
He was a shifter, and shifters mated for life. He’d never seen the point in casual dating. It’d never made much sense to him. If the girl wasn’t his forever, why even bother? He didn’t want the hassle of a girlfriend if he knew that they’d only break up in the end.
That didn’t mean he didn’t hook up at parties. He did. A lot. Back in Haxton, he and Jasper had a bit of a notorious reputation. He was always down for a good time, and he was always down to share with his best friend. If it wasn’t the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with, what the hell did it matter? If they agreed to be passed back and forth, if they were into it, then no harm no foul.
When it came to Blake, he’d automatically put her in the best friend category. He didn’t want to hurt her, and he didn’t want to lead her on. He certainly didn’t want sex to ruin their dynamic. He cared too much about her to fuck her, and he cared too much about her to date her. He’d never come right out and say it, but the fact that every guy in any given room was drooling at her feet and begging to take her home and he never had, must have clued her in.
“Hey, loser, let’s go get some pizza.” Blake came into his room, using the key she’d demanded when she realized he was the only person in the whole damn building that locked his door. “I’m starving.”
He couldn’t help but smile. She was dramatic, to say the least. Everything was to the extreme. If she was hungry, she was starving. If she was tired, she was utterly exhausted. If she was bored, she was contemplating joining the circus. Hell, the only reason he’d even met her was because she had to pee so bad, busting into a stranger’s room seemed like an okay thing to do.
