My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) (5 page)

“Relax, man.” I laughed. “If you told me you finally had sex with my sister, I’d give you a big round of applause.”

A scowl formed across his face his eyes narrowed. “I have no intentions of breaking my vow, and neither does Lexi.”

I clapped. “That, my friend, deserves a huge round of applause. God knows I couldn’t do that.”

“It’s not easy, but it’s possible. You have to keep yourself out of situations that would lead to it. That’s why parties and drinking don’t work for me. You should give it a try.”

“Whatever.” I waved off his rambunctious remark. “I’m not going to knock your beliefs, but don’t try and convert me.”

“Luke, we’ve been friends since we were thirteen years old. I only tell you things to make you a better person.” His eyes darted toward my dropped hand. “For instance, you should really give those up.”

I glanced at the white stick between my fingers. “I know, but I don’t want to.” Lifting my hand, I placed it between my lips and took another drag.

“Switch to dip if you have to.” Collin slipped his jacket on. “Riley says he likes it better than cigarettes.”

“No, thanks.” I made a twisted face. “That shit’s gross.” My body shuddered thinking about the crud Riley spit out. The brown tobacco in his mouth reminded me of a wad of shit.

“Just a suggestion. I know your lungs have to be screaming when you’re working out and on the field.”

I didn’t respond, partially ignoring his good advice. The truth was it did bother me, but not enough to stop. And since I wasn’t planning on being a professional baseball player, I didn’t have an incentive to stop anytime soon.

“Did you get into that accounting class you wanted?” I switched the subject, done with talking about my bad habits.

“Yes, I did.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know why they dropped me from it when I had already paid my tuition.”

I shrugged. “Shit happens.” I took a few more puffs and then snubbed the fire in an ashtray on my nightstand.

“True. But I made sure my classes were in order the first day enrollment opened. Makes me mad when I have to work extra hard to get things fixed when they should’ve been correct in the first place.”

I got up and headed toward the kitchen. Patting my friend on the shoulder, I said, “There’s a reason why we have people like you in this world.” Collin was so rigid. I wondered how my sister dealt with him at times.

“Hey, I play to my strengths.” Collin tugged on the lapels of his jacket. “And so should you.”

“I do,” I reminded him. Opening the fridge, I took out the milk and grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes from the panty. It was a Tony the Tiger kind of morning. Tomorrow and the rest of the week, I’d be back to clean eating. Today was going to be my cheat day.

“Can you guys talk any louder?” Forbes stumbled into the kitchen wearing his Batman boxer shorts. He poured himself a glass of water and popped two pills in his mouth.

“Hung over?” I asked, before shoveling a spoonful of cereal in my mouth.

He rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Yeah.” A strangled grumble came out of his mouth. “I knew I shouldn’t have had that cheap ass punch.”

“That’s another reason I don’t drink.” Collin cheerfully smiled. “Now your entire day is wasted.” He shook his head. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thanks.” Forbes mumbled. “Do we have any chicken noodle soup?”

“I think I saw a can in there.” Using my spoon, I pointed to the pantry.

Collin pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“See ya,” I said with a mouthful of food.

The door shut, and Forbes cringed. “Ugh.” He groaned. “This freakin’ sucks.” He opened the can, poured it in a bowl, and placed it in the microwave. Leaning against the counter, he swayed side to side with his eyes closed and released a long moan.

“Go throw up. Maybe you’ll feel better.”

He shook his head. “I should’ve done that last night, but someone kept me up.”

“Huh?” I stopped, spoon mid-air. “You talking about me?”

The microwave beeped, and he turned around. “Yes, you.” He took the bowl out and set it next to me on the bar. “What chick were you banging last night?”

I laughed. “You heard us?”

“She was loud, dude,” he said, taking a seat. “I thought you two were going to bust through the wall.”

“You should’ve pounded on the wall to let me know.”

“To hell with that.” He shook his head. “It was like listening to a porno.” A huge smile formed on his face.

“I wonder if Collin heard?” I realized that I needed to be more careful because if I didn’t want my sister to find out I was screwing her roommate, I’d better not let Collin see her at the apartment. Picking up the bowl, I slurped the sugary milk until the bowl was empty.

“He would’ve probably knocked on your door, knowing him.”

“Probably so.” Using my hand, I wiped the milk from my chin. “But I’m glad he didn’t.”

“Did she already leave, or is she passed out in your bed?”

I shot him a quick glance. “She’s gone.”

“Did you meet her at the party?” Forbes blew on his soup.

“Yep.” I got up and walked to the sink.

“So that’s what happened to you.”

I nodded as I washed and rinsed my dishes. “Yeah, I ran into her and convinced her to come home with me.”

“So you already knew her?” A loud slurping noise reverberated against his spoon.

I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if I was going to tell him who she was. Chances were he’d probably see me with her at a party and see Lexi talking with her on campus or something.

“Yep. Met her at a party at the end of spring semester.” I grabbed the hand towel.

“Really?” He kept his head positioned over the bowl, eating slowly.

“Yeah, and . . . she also happens to be my sister’s roommate.”

With a thud, he dropped the spoon. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, man. Can you believe that?” I dried the dishes and placed them in the cabinet. “But Lexi and Collin don’t know, and I want to keep it that way.”

“Okay, I won’t tell them,” he said with indifference. He resumed eating and then stopped. “Why don’t you want them to know?”

“I don’t want things to get complicated. We’re just messing around, so I’d rather not go public. Besides, I have no idea if I’ll see her again.”

“Good luck keeping it under wraps.” He stood up and pushed the bowl away from him. “I’m going back to bed. I’ll clean up my mess later.”

“Sleep tight. I’m going to shower and run a few errands.”

He waved, not bothering to say anything as he shut his bedroom door.

I went to my room and picked up my phone. I had to know why Delaney left. Was she mad? Did I suck in bed? Did I scare her off? What was the deal with her? Was this truly a sexual relationship with no strings attached? Whatever it was, I wanted to see her again. I scrolled through my contacts and rolled my eyes when I realized I didn’t have her number. But I did know where to find her.

***

Delaney

“Hey, Delaney, did you still want to go to the bookstore?”

“Huh?” I turned away from my window and looked at Lexi. “Oh, yeah,” glancing at my phone, I noticed the time. “I guess we better go before they close.”

“I’ll grab my purse.” She scurried to her side of the suite.

“Okay.” I rolled out of bed and shook my head, unsure why I continued to think about her brother. My heart just couldn’t understand why I constantly had Luke on my mind. But for whatever reason, he refused to leave, no matter how hard I tried to push him out of my thoughts.

If I didn’t stop this nonsense, I was going to be in big trouble. I kept telling myself it was just sex and nothing more. But I knew better. There was something else that kept me curious. And it wasn’t just what he could do in bed. There was something about this guy that made me want to know him on a more personal level.

We left Charter Hall and walked across the campus commons area. The sun was hot for late in the afternoon, and although fall semester was starting tomorrow, it felt like summer hadn’t ended.

“How many hours are you taking this semester?” Lexi asked, fanning herself.

“Fifteen.” I grabbed my shades from my purse. “What about you?”

“The same. I’ll be student teaching, and I didn’t want to overload myself. I’ve been taking online classes during the summer, so I’m actually ahead with my degree plan.”

“That’s great. What’s your major, elementary education?”

“Actually, I’m an English major with a minor in education.” She smiled. “I’m not sure what grade I want to teach, but I’m leaning toward high school.”

“Good luck with that.” I smirked. “High school kids are the worst. Or at least the ones I went to school with were.”

“Oh.” Her smile waned. “I thought it would be fun. I was homeschooled, so I didn’t partake in the fun.”

I did a double take. “Seriously?”

Her chin dipped toward the ground. “My parents thought it would be best.”

“I see.” We crossed the street and headed toward the bookstore. “So, was your brother homeschooled, too?” I had to ask.

“Yes, and he hated it. But he managed to make lots of friends playing baseball. Unlike me.”

I felt bad for her. This poor girl had missed out on so much, including friends. “Sorry your parents did that to you. Is that why they didn’t want you to live on campus?”

“You caught that, huh?” She tucked the strands of her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah.” I inclined my head toward her. “But don’t worry, my parents wouldn’t let me live in an apartment anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“I kind of screwed up. Had a big party and some stupid shitheads punched a hole in the wall and nearly burned the place down. Luckily, we got the fire out before it spread, but the fire trucks and police still came.”

“Oh, wow.” She stopped walking and stared at me. “My parents would’ve died.”

“Mine almost did.” I snickered, even though it wasn’t a laughing matter. “Now I’m paying for my mistakes. I’m just glad they let me come back to PHU. But they said I had to live on campus in a dorm.”

“It could’ve been worse.” She held the door to the bookstore open for me. “The university could’ve expelled you.”

“True. But it was an off-campus apartment, and it was a week after school was out.”

“Laney, whatcha doing?”

I turned to see Jordan and her roommate, Ali. “Hey. Came to get my books.”

“Good luck. Two of mine are on backorder, but I was able to get everything else.” She huffed as she set her bag on the floor next to her.

“Shit.” I frowned. “That’s what I get for waiting to the last minute. Oh, this is my roommate, Lexi.” I turned to her.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” She shook Jordan hand and then Ali’s.

“I’ve met your before.” Ali eyed her, still shaking her hand.

“You’re dating Mateo Macias? First baseman?” Lexi asked, one eye narrowing.

“That’s where I know you from.” Ali smiled and released her hand. “Collin Norris is your boyfriend, and Luke Thompson is your brother.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Lexi smiled. “Are you going to the open practice in a few weeks?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. I told Jordan she needs to go. So many hot guys.” Ali nudged Jordan.

“You can count me in,” Jordan said as she checked out a group of guys walking past us. They were all wearing Hawaiian shirts, khaki shorts, leis around their necks, straw hats on their heads, and neon colored oversized sunglasses.

“They must be rushing.” Ali remarked with a roll of her eyes.

“I guess. But hey, I want to go to the practice.” I blurted.

“You can come with me,” Lexi offered. Little did she know it would be her brother I’d be checking out. It made me slightly guilty hiding it from her.

“Alright.”

“I’m starving so we’re going to grab a bite to eat. Wanna come?” Jordan asked.

“Thanks, but I ate a late lunch,” I informed them.

“Lexi, you wanna come?” Ali adjusted her book bag.

Lexi glanced at me, as though seeking my approval. “Go ahead if you want. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” A tinge of guilt flashed in her irises.

“Yes. Besides, I should’ve come earlier in the week.” I sighed as I signed into the university’s portal site to get my schedule.

“I got mine two weeks ago,” Lexi explained. “Collin doesn’t like to wait until the last minute.”

I glanced up from my phone. “Collin sounds like he’s anal about everything.”

Lexi’s eyes widened. “Um, not everything.”

“I gotcha.” I winked, but she gave me a blank stare. I wasn’t sure we were on the same page. Blowing it off, I said, “I better get started.”

“Okay. I’ll head to the dorm once I’m done.” Lexi smiled sheepishly.

“Let’s meet up in the student union for lunch.” Jordan picked up her bag of books from the floor. “I’ll text you.”

“Sounds good.” I waved as I trotted off.

I headed up the large staircase to the section where all the academic books were kept. Reviewing the textbook requirements for each class, I started searching for them. I found three of them with no problem but was having trouble locating the Spanish book. Shelf by shelf, I searched and just as I turned the corner, I caught sight of a guy bending down. It took me half a second to figure out the tight ass in the faded jeans belonged to Luke.

Pensively he skimmed through the books. His white T-shirt showed the broadness of his shoulders and clung to his thin waist. The swirls of his tattoo peeked outside the sleeves of his shirt, and I was eager to touch them again. My body automatically moved in his direction and there was no stopping it.

I leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Stalking me?”

He jumped as his head whipped around. “Hey.”

“Last night wasn’t enough?” I teased, setting my basket of books on the floor.

“Never.” His eyes roamed over my body, and a chill shot up my spine.

“Quieres más?” I asked, noticing the Spanish book in his hand.

A huge grin formed across his lips. “Por supuesto.” He stood slowly and then looked down the aisle in both directions. “But we might get caught.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”