4
I hadn’t been in my room long when I heard his knock.
A rush went through me. He was here. He was on the other side of the door. As I opened it, he ducked inside. There were rules against having boys in our rooms, but I didn’t care. Not at that moment, not as I was drinking him in.
Jesse flashed me a grin as he ran a hand through his hair.
I murmured, “Your hair looks good.”
“Hmm, yeah.” He grimaced. “I was tired of the faux hawk. Told the girl to buzz it as close as she could.”
“You look good.” And he did. I chewed on my lip as I looked him up and down. He was leaner. Cord hadn’t been the only one working out. Jesse had muscles showing in places he hadn’t a year ago. Even as his wrist twitched, a small muscle stood out on his arm, one that I never would’ve known was there last fall.
He looked really good. I licked my lips. Damn good.
He smirked. “You checking me out, Connors?”
My chin went up, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was doing the same thing. Suddenly, I was glad that I had changed clothes. I hadn’t had the intention to dress for him, but I wore a tank top and lightweight scrub pants. They fell low on my hip and were tied in a loose knot. I became very aware that I wasn’t wearing a bra and my underwear’s strap was visible above my scrub’s waistband.
“You approve?” I murmured, my voice husky with desire. It had been stirring since his text, simmering, but it was boiling as soon as I heard his knock on the door. It was a full fire when he stepped inside.
His eyes centered on my hand.
I lifted it and saw the small burn on the inside of my wrist. It was from that night when I lit my parent’s letter on fire. I hadn’t let go of the last piece quick enough and I hadn’t felt the pain so it went untreated for a while. No one had been around enough to notice it. As Jesse stepped close and touched my arm, he lifted it for inspection.
I bit into the inside of my cheek. What would he think? I already knew I couldn’t give him the answers to any questions. I didn’t want him to know, not yet, not on the first night.
Slowly, I eased my arm out of his hold and crossed to my desk. “I met some of your friends today.”
His head bobbed forward. “Mmmm.”
My shoulders dropped. He had let it go. Relief had me sagging against my desk, but I got myself under control. A grin came over me, but I knew it was half of one. I was still reeling that he hadn’t asked about the burn. “Oh, come on. Chandra, Tiffany, Kara. I think I should nominate them for a Good Samaritan Award. Do you guys have that here?”
The corner of his mouth curved up. “Yeah, maybe Kara. Cord mentioned that you and Tiffany didn’t seem to care for each other.”
“Please tell me you’re not best friends with her or screwing her behind your buddy’s back. I don’t think I could look at you the same.” It came out as a joke, but I wasn’t teasing. I meant it.
The other corner of his mouth curved up. “No, but she’s protective of me.”
“Great.”
He stepped toward me. His voice softened, “She’s not you, Alex. Cord’s not Ethan. Don’t get confused about that. No one can touch either of you guys.”
My chest swelled with emotion. He moved another step closer, and my hand lifted to rest on his chest. His heart was pounding, and his gaze seared into me. There was no humor, only dark promises, swirling in his depths, mixing with the same lust pounding inside me.
I asked, feeling raw, “You promise?”
His hand touched my pants. He tucked his thumb inside the band and pulled me against him. Closing my eyes, I felt him. I felt every inch of him. Then his thumb moved to the front of my pants and slipped farther inside. His entire hand went underneath my underwear until I felt him at my entrance. My legs wanted to press together, but I willed them to stay still. I didn’t move to give him better access. I couldn’t do anything except keep still and stop myself from launching into his arms. My heart was a continuous thunder and I already knew I was wet for him.
His finger dipped inside. I gasped. My head hit his chest as I concentrated on breathing. In and out. In and out.
I clutched on to his shirt. My legs threatened to buckle, but I couldn’t do anything. Pleasure rippled through me from the sensations he was building. “Jesse.”
He ducked his head down to rest his forehead on my shoulder, and then he turned and kissed my bare nape.
I shook my head, struggling to form a thought as a second finger slipped inside.
Kissing down the side of my neck, he nuzzled under my chin before he started up the other side. His other hand gripped my hip, anchoring me against him.
The edge was nearing. He kept pumping faster, holding himself still against me. When he stopped kissing me, I felt his breathing grow labored as he continued to rest his forehead on my shoulder. My head fell back and my eyes were heavy-lidded, but I saw him from underneath my eyelashes. He was watching us. He was watching as his hand moved against me and the way his fingers kept thrusting into me.
Then I felt myself hurdling over it, and I exploded for him. I trembled against him, but he didn’t relent. He kept his fingers in me but pressed his forehead against my neck. A sheen of perspiration had built up. I felt the moisture, and then his lips curved against my skin. He pressed them to me in a soft and lingering kiss as he withdrew his fingers.
A moan escaped from between my erratic breaths. A flush of renewed heat flared through me and lit up my face. As he began to pull his hand away from me, my legs squeezed together. I felt empty. I didn’t want him to leave, but he tilted my head to meet his gaze with his free hand. His eyes had darkened until they were black with lust.
Cupping my head with his hand, he ran his thumb over my lips. When it settled between them, my lips parted and my tongue darted out to brush against him.
His eyes fell to my mouth, watching as my tongue sweep against him again and then tasted the end of his finger, he stepped closer. He crowded me against the door. We hit it with a thud, but it didn’t stop us. I scrambled to lift his shirt, which he yanked over his head before he shoved my pants down and ripped off my shirt. When they were on the ground, he hoisted me up underneath my arms and carried me to the bed.
When he lowered me to it and held himself above me, he looked at me for a long moment. He seemed to be absorbing every inch of me. I felt ready to burst and reached for him to pull him down.
He blocked my hand and shook his head, a small grin appearing as he held it down on the bed. He positioned my other one above my head, pinning me beneath him.
He still continued to study every inch of me.
“Jesse,” I rasped out. I tried bucking my hips up to touch against his, but his grin only grew wider.
“It’s been too damn long, Alex. I’m going to make this last a long time.”
The throbbing burst inside me again. I gasped out, huskily, “Touch me, dammit.”
Then he bent over me, and I closed my eyes.
Knock, knock
“Jess—” I started again, but then the door started to open, and I heard instead, “Alex, I thought I heard some—oh!” It was slammed shut. The sound echoed in my head. Everyone had heard. Everyone would wake up and come to see what had happened.
Then my eyelids lifted. What had just happened?
Jesse had frozen on top of me with his head turned to the door. In slow motion, he turned to look at me. “Some girl came in here.”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes, frustrated and pissed about the whole thing. “No s**t, Jesse.” Shoving against his shoulders, I groaned, “Get off.”
He sat on the edge of the bed.
When he made no move to put his shirt back on, I scrambled off the bed and threw it to him. At the same time, I threw mine on and hopped around as I tried to pull my pants up, as quickly as possible. When I was dressed, I bolted out of the door. I figured someone would be milling around, looking for where that door slam had come from, but I came to a halt instead.
Nothing.
The lights were still low. The doors were all closed.
Then the bathroom door was opened and light flooded the hallway before it swung shut again.
Beth strolled back to me with a caddie in hand. She was in a robe and a towel. She saw me and grinned. “I thought you were in bed.”
I paused, dissecting her question for a hidden meaning.
I wanted to slap myself. Get it over with. “You saw?”
The grin widened, and she nodded, a sparkle came to her eyes. “Oh yeah. I saw. And I know who that is.”
“You can’t say anything.”
She snorted. “Like hell. You were with Jesse Hunt. Is he still in there? Does Kara know? Is that why she said we should be friends?”
My head dropped, and I wanted to crumble to the floor. “You can’t say anything. Please, Beth. That would be horrible for me.”
The realization of who Jesse was on the campus and how many knew him was settling in.
I felt like smacking myself in the forehead. Going to his house before had been a horrible idea. I wanted to demand answers about Ethan’s death, but if someone else had been there and not just Chandra . . . I gulped. It could’ve been bad. Really bad. I was starting to think the best way to start life as a student at Grant West was for no one to know about our relationship.
Goodness.
Our relationship.
What was our relationship?
Images of him above me flashed in my head and lust sparked again. My throat went dry, and I knew he was in my room still, waiting for me. What the hell was I doing?
“You okay?” Beth was watching me, a look of concern pulling at her brow. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. I was just playing with you. Sucks to be on the receiving end, huh?”
I nodded. It did. It really did. I shook away the desire and any remaining terror. “You won’t say anything?”
“No, but I think it’s cool you know Jesse Hunt. It’ll be nice to see Tiffany knocked down a peg. Finally.” She started back toward our hallway, and I fell in step beside her.
“What do you mean?” Different type of dread formed.
She stopped again before glancing in the direction of my room. “Is he still in there?”
I jerked my head in a nod. My limbs felt like lead.
She touched my arm and tugged me back closer to the bathroom. Lowering her voice, she said, “Tiffany’s dating Jamie Striker. Do you know who that is?”
I frowned. “Just that Cord laughed at me when I asked about him. I have no idea why.”
“Well,” she searched for her words, “let’s just say that Jamie’s not the brightest bulb in the group, or the nicest, or the one with morals. Okay. Jamie doesn’t really have any morals.”
“What does this have to do with Tiffany and Jesse?”
“I don’t know. Hannah’s sick of her attitude, but I think Tiffany mothers Jamie and so that goes to the rest of the guys, too. She’d try with Derek and Cord if they didn’t have girlfriends.”
“Cord doesn’t have a girlfriend.” At least not that he would admit to.
“Trust me. He is taken. Chandra’s been working him since they were freshman.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I grew up with them, duh.”
“Oh.”
She grimaced then and rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. When I say that I grew up with them, I mean in their house. My mom left me with them when I was eleven, and I’ve been living with them ever since.”
“Oh.” I could relate.
The scowl flared back. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Hannah’s mom is wonderful. Trust me, I got the better end of the deal.”
I scowled back. “Relax. You were dumped by a parent. I understand.” My hands went up in surrender. “That’s all I meant. You’re a bit touchy, you know.”
The scowl lessened but didn’t completely vanish. “So, yeah. I know all about The Selects.”
“The what?”
She waved a hand in the air, as if the answer should have been obvious. “That’s what Tiffany calls them, The Select, since they’re all on the—”
“It made sense. I just think it’s stupid.”
“Me, too.” A grin lifted the corners of her mouth and her eyes warmed. “And she thinks she’s Grant West royalty.”
“Why does she think that? Because she’s dating this Striker guy?”
“It’s because she’s been Homecoming Queen every year she’s been here.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yep.”
“That sucks.” I was starting to think Ethan had horrible taste with his college choices. I should’ve thought this through more, but then I remembered this was the only school where I had an academic scholarship. At the time, I hadn’t thought I had money to even go to school, so I never considered a different school.
Like you were going anywhere that Jesse wasn’t? Be real.
I frowned at the nagging voice, but it was right. I sighed as I was starting to get a better picture on my new life. Jesse was still at the top and there were a bunch of prissy bitches surrounding him. The only problem was that they didn’t know about me, and I didn’t know if I wanted them to know. Keeping it a secret had its benefits, but they already knew I was “family” to Cord. I wanted to scream from frustration.
There’d been a brief hope of starting over again and living a life as a nobody, which hadn’t lasted long at all.
We went back and parted at our doors. When I went inside, Jesse was gone. In his place was a note on top of my cell.
Cord arrested, snuck out. Call later.
It was like Homecoming all over again.