Stay (4 page)

             
This just gets him to smile wider, making a second dimple appear.
Jesus
. I swallow nervously.

             
Shit!
I can’t believe I told him my full name. I haven’t been called that since I left my mother’s house. I hate it.

             
I mentally chastise myself
. Nope, I’m not going there. That’s in the past.

             
“I like Alexandra better, but I’ll try…
Alex.
It’s a little early to call it a night. I was about to check out a different party across the street that my friends said they were at, if you care to join me?” He asks grinning, placing a finger on his chin.

             
I don’t think I can breathe at this moment.
Did he just ask me out?

             
I know I’m just looking at him like an idiot not answering his question but I can’t help it, he’s just so gorgeous.

             
No man should be allowed to be this beautiful. It’s unhealthy for the female species.

             
I get lost in thought about his mouth, those luscious pink lips calling out my name.
Dammit, Alex, pull it together.

             
Trying to muster up some courage I say playfully, “Well, I was looking forward to walking to my dorm and studying some more for my Anthropology exam but another party sounds like it would be much more fun." I bring my finger onto my chin, mimicking him.

             
He laughs and winks at me.

             
My mouth hangs open slightly because of his sexy gesture.

             
God if I could melt right now, I would at this very moment.
What is wrong with me?
I have not felt like this about any guy.
Ever
. This is weird for me.

             
I’m lost in thoughts of him and that wink when I feel him grab my hand, leading me to the exit. His hand is like an electric shock to me. It does things to my stomach that I can’t describe other than getting that butterfly feeling in the pit of it when you’re overly excited about something or
someone
. In my case it’s someone. 

             
I walk behind him while he pushes through the packed room and out the door.

             
We exit the packed house without looking back.

             
Ten minutes later, we arrive at the entrance of the next party house on Marsh Street in silence.

             
Still holding my hand he walks up to the door and knocks. No sound comes from inside the house. He knocks again, but no one comes to the door.

             
We walk around the back and see a car parked there so we walk up the steps.

             
He knocks on the back door to check it out but there’s still nothing even after trying several times.

             
“Are you sure this is the right house? Looks empty,” I ask breaking the silence between us.

             
He lets go of my hand and peeks through the window on the door even though it’s obvious there’s nobody here. It’s dead silent and dark as hell in there.

             
“Shit. They told me to meet up with them a long time ago. I guess I took too long. I’m sorry. I thought for sure I would be able to turn your early night into a long one,” he says turning around to face me.

             
I can see his eyes clearly now because of the light on the back porch and they look like sapphire blue…just deep blue eyes that are intense and intimidating.

             
It’s the thought that his eyes can see right through me that gets me fidgety again.

             
He obviously knows I’m just gawking at him.
God, I have to get away from this guy. I am a blabbering and stumbling idiot in front of him
. I don’t know how much more I can embarrass myself.

             
I ignore my inner voice. “No biggie. This is actually the most fun I’ve had all night, so I should be thanking you, Jason…uh....Jason..?”I say, wanting to know his last name to make sure I find him on the internet.
Wow, stalker anyone?

             
“Roberts. Jason Roberts,” he responds with a sensual smirk.

             
“Well Jason Roberts, would you like to walk me to my dorm room so that I can start my early night?” I ask with a voice that’s supposed to be flirty but I think sounds more like I’m a nervous wreck, which I am, but he doesn’t have to know that.

             
I instantly look down at my feet because that was definitely the worst attempt at flirting.

             
I feel the intensity of his eyes on me but I don’t make a move. “Of course, Alexandra….Alexandra….uh…?”

             
I look up at his smiling face. “Angel…
Alex
Angel,” I say returning his smile.

             
“Nice. Interesting name. I like it,
Alexandra
Angel…” He muses.

             
His insistence in calling me Alexandra makes me tingle all over.

             
“Shall we?” He asks giving me his arm to grab onto.

             
I can’t even respond with a thank you like a normal person for complementing my horrendous name because of the way he makes me feel, so I just nod and take his arm. As I do, that same warmth from being close to him hits me again as we make our way down the porch steps.

             
It takes everything in me to not gasp at the feeling he invokes in me.
God, I want to jump him
.

             
I can smell a little of his cologne and something else that I don’t recognize. It’s a good mix because it’s got my heart racing at one hundred miles per hour.

             
I’m not responsible for my actions if he’s wearing Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani…
Down girl, down!

             
Is this what Magda feels like with all those guys?
Geez!

             
These are my thoughts when I slip on the bottom step of the porch making my body swing down.

             
He tightens his hold on my arm but it’s not enough to keep me from slamming the left side of my body into the car that we saw parked here minutes ago.

             
“Dammit!” I scream.

             
That hurt but not as much as the humiliation from stumbling again in front of this perfect male specimen.

             
He holds on tight to my arm and tries to straighten me up.

             
“Alexandra, are you all right!?”He asks panicked.

             
He angles me so that I can face him. We look straight into each other’s eyes.

             
My breathing becomes sporadic and my eyes keep going back and forth from his eyes to his mouth and back again. I don’t say anything and neither does he. We just get caught up in the intensity of the moment.

             
I can smell and feel his minty breath on my face which means he didn’t drink at all tonight. That’s a plus. I’m not a huge fan of alcohol breath on me. 

             
My body starts to shiver when he keeps his focus on me. I feel him getting closer and closer.

             
My knees feel like they’re about to give out but he holds me up by sliding his arm around my waist.

             
He leans me slowly back into the passenger door of the car. When my head hits the car, he finishes the distance between our faces.

             
His lips inch closer until they slowly touch mine. I close my eyes and it’s like there’s no one in this world but Jason and me and this stupendous moment.

             
Once his tongue coaxes his way into my mouth, I have these floods of emotion that I don’t know how to interpret since I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before.

             
He tastes so sweet, like honey with a mix of mint. It’s such a strange combination that I can’t help but think that I’m going to remember this kiss for the rest of my life. 

             
These thoughts have me almost shedding a tear right here on the spot but I refuse to let that happen. He’s going to think I’m a psycho…a very inexperienced psycho.

             
What he does to me is so crazy that it makes me feel like I can actually fall for him, like in this moment, I’m his and I can never be anyone else’s because he’s just claimed me with this one kiss.

             
I’ve never felt like this and it’s kind of scaring the shit out of me but I try to push that thought away and focus on his soft tongue currently exploring every part of my mouth.

             
My mind is all over the place when he pulls away. I open my eyes slowly and stand motionless for what feels like hours just looking into his beautiful eyes. Neither of us speak. He just looks back at me with a satisfied yet haunted expression.
That’s weird.

             
Trying to think about what to say, I remember that he asked me a question before all of this intensity happened.

             
I blush. “Yes. I’m fine. Thank you, again, for saving me from another near death experience...I’m a klutz tonight.”

             
That haunted look disappears as he takes his left hand and brushes a curl from my face and places it behind my ear.

             
“Good. Glad to hear it. Now, I know you want to start your early night but…do you want to maybe go back to my dorm and have a beer or something?” His voice has this ring of uncertainty to it which I find odd since he seems like the most confident guy I have come across.

             
He obviously also has way more self control than me so to hear that vulnerability in him makes my chest tighten.

             
I toss that strange feeling aside. “Hmmm…early night with Anthropology or long night with Jason Roberts?” I smile, lifting both my hands up in mock deliberation. “I think I’ll take the long night with Jason Roberts, but
no
funny business,” I say with fake sternness.
Please don’t listen to me and ravish me now!

             
He pulls me to him and we start for the sidewalk again.

             
“No funny business, I promise. In fact, I’ll let you beat me at Mario Kart once we get there,” he says with a smirk.
Dammit!

             
He starts to hold my hand again. “Well, well, Mr. Roberts a little cocky don’t you think? I will have you know that I happen to kick ass at Mario Kart and have no need for you to let me win because there is no way you can beat me.” I turn to look at him in the eye and stick my tongue out.

             
He looks down at my tongue and I feel a rush of adrenaline at the thought of him kissing me again. My mouth goes dry.
Please do it.
He doesn’t.

             
He just smiles and looks back up to my eyes. “Very well, Ms. Angel, we shall see.”

             
It takes about five minutes to get to his dorm because it’s on the same street as the house we were just at.

             
He lives at Michels Hall which isn’t too far away from Sensenbrenner or “The Banger” where I live.

             
I love knowing this little piece of information. He lives so close to me that it makes me get all giddy for reasons unknown to me. It’s not like I’m going to be coming over all the time.
Am I? God I hope so.

             
We arrive at his building and he swipes his ID card to get in.  He walks me through a hall that leads to two different doors. He chooses the one on the left that has a number eight on it.

             
He opens the door and motions for me to enter the apartment. I say apartment because it’s freaking huge, way bigger than my prison cell at “The Banger” and there’s even a decent sized kitchen on the right.

             
There are four doors down the hall to the left of the kitchen and one door on the right corner of that same hall which I figure must be the bathroom.

             
“Nice digs you got here, Roberts.” I grin, still looking all around.

             
He tosses his keys onto the counter in the kitchen. “Thanks. I have seven other roommates. I think they are still out. They should be back soon. Do you want a beer or something?”