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

“But I think we can make it work, as long as you don’t scream.” He dropped his books on the floor and placed his hands on my waist, pushing me against the bookshelf. My hands flew to his arms. I started to protest but stopped when his biceps flexed in my palms. I squeezed and then ran my fingers up his arms, following the path of his tattoos, curious to find out what he had in mind.

“I’m not sure I can refrain.” I openly admitted, despite knowing I was heading into a dangerous zone. A zone that I swore I’d stay away from.

“You really know how to stroke my ego.” His head tilted to the side, and his lips slightly parted. A cool minty scent escaped his mouth, and his tongue rolled across his teeth.

Thank God his breath smells good!

“I know something else I’m really good at stroking.” I licked my lips, preparing to devour his kiss. His body shifted closer to mine, and he lowered his mouth to mine. Our lips touched for a split second when I felt a vibrating sensation on my leg.

“Sorry about that.” He pulled away, retrieving his phone from his front pocket.

“I thought you had a toy in there,” I laughed.

“I don’t play with toys.” He sneered. “Unless you have some.” A spark flashed in his eyes.

“I don’t own any, but I can buy some.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you can.” The flirting ceased as he glanced at his phone.

“Is your girlfriend wondering where you’re at?” I extended my neck, trying to catch a view of his text message.

“Hardly.” He showed me the screen. “But my mom is probably worse than a nagging girlfriend.”

“Oh.” I held back a smile, relieved that he wasn’t in a relationship. Not that it mattered because it never stopped me in the past.

“What happened to you this morning?” He asked, shoving his phone in his back pocket. “Why did you leave?”

I shifted my weight, cramming my hands in the back pockets of my shorts. “I like waking up in my own bed.”

“Too bad. We could’ve had breakfast in bed.”

“I’m not much of a breakfast eater.” I wanted to tell him there was something else I’d rather eat, but I kept it to myself.

“Oh. So, are you going to give me your number?”

“Depends.” I glanced at the book on the floor.

“Depends on what?”

“If you give me that book.” I pointed to the yellow cover with a big three on it. “It looks like that’s the last one.”

“Are you taking third year Spanish on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 a.m. with Dr. Gustavo Castanella?” he asked with a calculated stare.

“Yes, I am. That’s why I need it.”

“I have an idea.” His brow shot up. “Why don’t we share it?”

“Share it?”

“Yes. You know . . . you do the homework first and then give me the book when you’re finished.”

“Oh.” I picked it up and looked at it, trying to decide how badly I wanted the hardback. “We could always
do it
together.”

“That’s a possibility.” A wicked grin appeared on his face.

“You confuse me.” I picked up the book and shoved it in his chest. I had taken this little escapade too far and had been in the danger zone for too long. I’d figure a way to manage without it and wait until a new shipment arrived. I started to walk off, but he grabbed me by the arm.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just me.” Ignoring the warnings going off in my head, I held out my hand. “Let me see your phone.”

He handed it to me. I scrolled to his contacts and typed in my information. “It’s under D for Delaney Dukakis.”

“Double d.” A sly smirk formed across his face as he took his phone back.

“I wish.” I laughed. “Just don’t blow up my phone, okay?” I picked up my basket and headed toward the register.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He followed me like a lost puppy. I honestly didn’t mind. In fact, I thought it was cute. “Are you hungry?”

“Nope, I already ate.”

“Do you want to grab a coffee?”

I placed my basket on the counter. “I’m not a coffee drinker.”

“Okay. How about a frozen yogurt? There’s a place across the street.” He pointed behind him.

“Not a good idea.” I shook my head. “Your sister is next door at the sandwich shop.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be smart.” He raised his thumb and index fingers to his lips and his eyes darted to the floor for a few seconds. “Do you like gelato?”

“Your total is four-hundred and sixty-nine dollars and twenty-three cents,” the clerk said.

I handed her Martin’s credit card and signed the ticket. Gathering the bag in my hands, I told myself to say
no
. Not to go with him. Not to fall for his tactics. But it was getting harder to stay away from him by the second. Instead of saying no and leaving, I said, “Yeah, why?”

He gave me a one-dimple smile. “I know this great place on West 7
^th
Street.”

“You do?” I shifted closer to him. He handed the clerk his books, and she rang them up. I waited anxiously for him to pay for his books. I was doing everything I knew not to do.

He signed his receipt and said, “Yeah, come on.” We exited the bookstore and headed to the parking lot. The sun was starting to set, and a breeze swirled around us, blowing my hair in all directions.

“I walked, so I don’t have my car, but we can go get it.” I struggled to keep my hair out of my face.

“No worries.” He reached up and brushed the strands of hair stuck to my lips. “I drove here.”

My heart switched to a funny beat. A beat I hadn’t felt in years. I told myself it was nothing, but I knew better. I loved the way Luke made me feel inside.

I wanted more of it.

More of him.

More of this need rousing inside of me.

“Great.” I followed him to a black 1969 Camaro SS. “Is this the same car I rode in last night?”

“No.” He opened the door. “It was in the shop. I just picked it up this morning. You’ll have to roll down the window because the air conditioner is still not working.”

“Oh, okay.” I got in, and he shut the door. Rolling down the window, I noticed how everything was original and in mint condition. The dashboard was incredible. Wood grain accents with chrome fixtures. Even the six-speed gearshift was a shiny chrome ball. I felt nervous sitting in it. Like the sweat from my ass might leave a ring stain on the vinyl seat.

The driver’s door opened, and Luke got in. “This is very nice car.”

“Thanks.” He put the key in the ignition and the car came to life with a roaring engine that could probably be heard from a block away. “It was my dad’s, and he gave it to me.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.” I fastened my seat belt as he backed out of the lot.

“It is, but it came with some stipulations.” He revved up the engine before turning on to the street.

“Everything in life has stipulations.” I huffed, thinking about the conditions my parents gave me after the apartment fiasco.

“True. But where would we be without them?” He winked as he sped down the street.

My hair flew around me, and despite my efforts to control it, it wasn’t happening. The hot Texas wind felt good, and the vibration of the motor had me thinking of what Luke and I could do in his car. I asked him a few random questions, keeping the conversation light. It didn’t take long for us to get to West 7
^th
Street. I ordered three different types of a gelato in a cup, and Luke got one flavor, peanut butter.

“So, you’re from Dallas?” I asked, wiping my mouth.

“Yeah, what about you?”

“Originally, I’m from Waco, but I moved to the Dallas area when I was eight.”

“No shit.” His eyebrows shot up. “I used to live in Waco, too.” He licked the top of his cone, and I watched purposely, loving how the tip of his tongue curled with each swipe. “So what part of Dallas?”

“Greenville.”

“Why did y’all leave Waco?”

I shoved my spoon back into the heap of gelato. I didn’t like to talk about what happened to my parents and how screwed up my life was because of it, but for some reason, Luke was easy to talk to. But I knew my limits. “After my parents died, I moved in with my grandmother until I was twelve. When she passed away, I was adopted by some family friends who also lived in Greenville.”

“Oh.” A sullen look crossed his face. “I didn’t realize your parents had died. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. It was a long time ago.” I quickly asked him a question, not wanting him to pry for details. “What part of Dallas do you live in?”

“The Highlands area.”

“Aw, the Highlands.”

“I know.” He rolled his eyes. “I hate telling people that’s where my parents live.”

“I understand. I mean . . . ” I gave him a quick scan from head to toe. “You don’t look like the Highlands type.”

“There’s a type?”

“Uh, yeah. Pressed collared shirts, plaid bottoms, and sockless with loafers. Oh, and driving expensive cars like Range Rovers, Lexus, Mercedes . . . ”

He laughed. “Sounds like my parents and my other sister, Ashley, and her husband, Ryan.”

I shrugged. “I guess they fit in perfectly.”

“Trust me, they do. So, did you go to Greenville High?”

“Yes.” I reluctantly admitted. “And you were homeschooled.”

His eyes narrowed. “How did you know that?” A second later, his eyes relaxed. “Never mind, Lexi told you.”

“Yeah, she did.” I smiled. “She said it sucked.”

“It did.”

“I could never homeschool my kids.” I shuddered at the thought. “I don’t have the patience, and I’d be dying to get them out of my hair. Let someone else deal with them for a few hours.”

“I guess it’s safe to say you’re in no hurry to get married and have a family.”

“Very safe.” I emphasized each word.

“And it doesn’t sound like you’re majoring in education?” He inclined his head, and I loved the way the front of his hair swooped down, partially covering his right eye. It was sexy.

“Oh, hell no.” I licked my spoon. “I’m a fine arts major studying photography.”

“Cool. Maybe you can take some shots of me?” He gave me a sexy pose.

“Sure.” I bit my lip, thinking of how I’d love to take some pictures of him with or without clothes on. Luke was gorgeous—model-like with a strong jaw-line, perfect nose, perfect teeth, and light baby-blue eyes that I could stare at until he went to sleep. “My goal is to open up my own studio one day. What about you? Do you want to be a professional player?”

“No.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I play for fun, even though that’s what my parents want.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but your parents seem to be a little controlling.”

“You have no idea. They think I’m going to land a contract with a professional team, but the truth is, I’m not that great of a player. My roommate, Collin—”

“Is that Lexi’s boyfriend?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Now he’s good enough to land with a Major League team.” He licked the sides of the cone, the gelato running down to his fingers. “I can’t wait until I graduate so I don’t have to deal with my parents anymore.”

“Sorry they’re that way with you. So tell me, what do you want to do?”

“I’d like to be a sports trainer—and that’s the reason I’m majoring in sports and exercise sciences. I just got a job at the rec center, and hopefully I can get hired on by PHU’s baseball team as their trainer when I graduate.” He sucked a big lump of gelato into his mouth.

“That would be awesome.”

He nodded with a huge grin that quickly turned into a twisted face of pain. He squeezed his eyes tightly as his tanned skin flashed bright red. “Are you okay?” I reached across the table for his hand, but it flew to his head, and he balled the other one in to a fist.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Brain freeze.”

“Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Like this.” I demonstrated, opening my mouth so he could see.

His face longed, and I could tell he was trying to do what I said, without opening his mouth. After few seconds the tension in his face dissipated, and his expression relaxed. “Hey, I think that worked.”

“Told ya.” I smiled. “It’s the warmth of your tongue that helps the capillaries.”

“Oh.” He moved closer to me. “In that case, I think I need your help.”

“Really?” I played with my spoon, using my tongue to circle around the edge of it.

Luke’s eye widened with a satisfying delight. “You’re turning me on with that spoon.”

“I am?” I teased him more until he grabbed my hand.

“I think we should go.” He stood up and urged me to get up.

“Go where?” I feigned ignorance, loving how I was torturing him.

“Back to my place so you can show me what you can really do with that tongue of yours.”

I laughed and didn’t waste any time following him to his car.

Chapter 4

Luke

I dropped the weights on the rack, releasing all my frustration. Why did I keep thinking of Delaney? I didn’t want to think about her. The harder I tried not to, the more I did. Seeing her in Spanish class three times a week didn’t help, either. Sometimes we hooked up, and other times we avoided what we wanted most. I wasn’t sure how much longer we’d keep up this charade. It was nice, but for whatever reason, I didn’t like seeing her with other guys.