Bad Rep (27 page)

“Can I come in?” he asked, his calm voice at odds with the tension radiating from his body.  I blocked the doorway, not sure what to do. 

“Don't you have some groupies to keep company?” I asked and hated how jealous I sounded.  Jordan shook his head.

“Don't start this immature shit, please.  If I gave a damn about any of those girls would I be here right now?” he asked, clearly frustrated.  Hmm.  Do I get annoyed that he called me immature? Or giggle like a school girl because he admitted to wanting to see me?  Ack!  I needed to get it together!

So I tamped down both reactions and concentrated on the matter at hand.  “How did you find out where I live?” I asked, suddenly very aware of my barely there shorts and shirt and the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra.  I tried to discretely cross my arms over my chest.

“Does it matter?” he asked tersely.  I frowned at his attitude. 

“Well, actually it sort of does.”  Jordan ran his hands over his buzzed head and I could see the fine tremors in his arms. He was very worked up.  He braced himself on the door jam, leaning into me.  I backed up a fraction, uncomfortable with our close proximity. 

“You think I'd let you hide from me forever?” he asked softly, his eyes sparking with an intensity that took my breath away.

I swallowed and moved aside, letting him come in.  There was no point in having this conversation in the hallway.  And I had the feeling he wouldn't leave, even if I slammed the door in his face.  He had a look of pure determination.  “I was getting ready to go to bed.” I replied, trying to put a serious time limit to this little discussion he seemed insistent that we have. 

Jordan stood in the middle of my living room, his back to me.  I couldn't help but check out the strong muscles of his shoulders and upper back.  I had never found the back of someone's neck to be sexy before.  But damn if Jordan Levitt didn't have a sexy neck.  I wanted to put my lips right below the hair line.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.  “So, um, can we make this quick?  Because I'm super tired.”  And suddenly super horny, but he didn't need to know that.  Jordan turned around to look at me.  He clasped his hands on the top of his head, and stared at me for a moment as though he were trying to work something out.

“What did I do?” he asked, taking me by surprise.  I blinked.  Once, twice, three times. 

“Huh?” I asked, dumbfounded.  Jordan sighed and started clicking his tongue ring again. 

“I asked, what the hell did I do?  I thought...I don't know...that we had something.” He sounded so vulnerable and more than a little hurt.  I know my mouth gaped open.  Was he for real?  After blatantly blowing me off and jumping cock first back into things with Olivia, he had the audacity to come to my damn apartment in the middle of the night to ask
what he did?!

My face started to flush and I felt my temper rise.  Jordan clearly didn't realize the dangerous waters he was swimming in.  He took a step toward me, dropping his arms to his sides, hooking his fingers into his belt loops as he regarded me with an aching tenderness that would have made my toes curl had I not wanted to bash his freaking head in.

“Please, Mays.  I'm miserable here.  Tell me what I can do!” he pleaded with me and I finally lost it.  I shoved him in the middle of his chest.  He stumbled back and looked at me in shock. 

“What the hell, Maysie?” he demanded, furrowing his brow. 

“You fucking bastard!” I yelled, letting loose all of my anger, my humiliation, my gut wrenching sadness at being shoved aside for Olivia Peer.  I let it all out in those three words.

I shoved him again, feeling the urge to hurt him.  “How can you stand there and ask me something like that after EVERYTHING?” I was being loud.  I knew my neighbors were probably getting an ear full through our paper thin walls.  But at that moment, I didn't care. 

Jordan held his hands up, trying to stop me.  “Why are you so mad at me?  I'm in the dark here.” He sounded genuinely perplexed, but I was passed hearing any of it.  I took a threatening step toward him and got right into his face. 

“Why am I mad?  Are you stupid?  Or just blind?  Maybe it's the fact that I've been branded the college whore after hooking up with you?  Or maybe it's the fact that you went right back to Olivia after telling me...” I drew in a shaky breath, my anger starting to fizzle out and being replaced with the overwhelming need to cry. 

I bit my lip to stop the tears and squeezed my eyes shut.  “You text me telling me that you want to talk.  I text back. And then I hear nothing.  And then the whole time I'm dealing with the fact that most of my sisters now hate my guts and everyone is talking about what a skank I am. 
You've
been miserable?  Give me a damn break.”  I couldn't stop the traitorous tears that escaped behind my closed eyelids. 

I furiously wiped them away, hating the show of weakness in front of Jordan.  I bowed my head refusing to look at him.  There was absolute silence between us.  I was acutely aware of Jordan's breathing and my heart pounded in my chest so hard that I was surprised it didn't come flying out and smack him in the face.

Then I felt his hands on my upper arms.  His thumbs caressed my bare skin and I loathed how much I loved it.  He tilted my chin so that I was looking at him.  His eyes were sad as he stared down at me.  “Maysie, I had no idea...” I barked out a laugh. 

“Have you been living under a rock?”  Jordan frowned. 

“No, Garrett's house, actually.  I haven't been back to my place but to get some clothes and books for class.  I've been purposefully staying away from the house.” 

“But, what about Olivia then?” I couldn't help the bitterness that was obvious in my question.  Jordan cupped my cheek and stared me straight in the eye. 

“I broke up with Olivia the night of the mixer,” he told me quietly.  My heart stopped.  That couldn't be true! 

“But she told me you were together.  And she stayed with you that night...” My voice trailed off.  I was completely confused.

Jordan wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and tugged me closer.  Our chests pressed against each other and our faces were less than an inch apart.  I looked up at him, not knowing exactly what was happening.  “She was lying, Mays.  I haven't talked to Olivia in over two weeks.  And I don't know where she stayed that night, but it sure as hell wasn't with me.  After I texted you, I headed to Garrett's house.  That's where I've been staying ever since.  So I had no idea all of this was going on.  I have barely talked to any of my brothers, so I didn't know shit was being said about you.  But I swear to god, that crap ends now!”  His face turned red and his nostrils flared.  I knew he meant it. 

He took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down.  “Why didn't you call me and tell me this was going on?  Didn't you think I'd want to know?” he asked after a few minutes.  I dropped my eyes, not wanting to look at him. 

“Because it was my problem.  And I thought you and Olivia...well you walked off with her.  And then she said...” I couldn't finish.  I didn't know what else to say.  Jordan let out a deep breath and it fanned across my face, smelling like beer and peppermint.

“You thought I had chosen her.”  His hand, still clutching around the back of my neck, tightened.  “I'm such a fucking asshole,” he growled.  I couldn't help but smile. 

“Yeah, you kind of are,” I agreed.  Jordan tapped his forehead against mine. 

“Watch it,” he warned, his eyes sparkling.

I sobered then and pulled away, forcing him to drop his hands.  “Then why haven't I heard from you, Jordan?” I asked him with all the hurt I had felt the last few weeks.  This time, Jordan didn't tentatively reach for me.  He grabbed my arms and pulled me tightly against him.  He held my face roughly between his hands and forced me to look at him.  His cheeks were splotched red and his eyes snapped with a fire that threatened to engulf me.

“What are you talking about?  After you sent me that text I thought I'd give you the weekend to deal with stuff.  I knew you were upset and I didn't want to make it worse for you.  But I drove my ass over here first thing Monday morning.  But no one was here.  So I waited until I had to leave for class myself.  Then I came back.  And came back.  I've been by here at least three times a week since I last saw you!  Every time, you either weren't here or Riley has empathically told me that you did
not
want to see me.  I begged her to let me talk to you but she was pretty insistent that I needed to leave you the hell alone.  And what I had to say to you couldn't be said over the phone.”  I closed my eyes.  Damn my well-intentioned but seriously misguided best friend.

“And what did you need to tell me that couldn't be said over the phone?” I asked, my voice weak.  Jordan took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I wanted to tell you that I couldn't stop thinking about your face.  That you had burrowed your way so deep into my veins that I would fucking bleed
you
.  That if I died tomorrow, I could go a happy man for having felt your lips on my skin.”

Shit.  Well, what was there to say to that?  The man was a poet.  It was no wonder girls practically dropped their panties in his presence. 

“Just so you know, I had no idea you had been coming by,” I told him, putting my hands up to cover his as they held my face.  Something instantly changed in Jordan's expression.  No longer did he look fierce and angry.  Now he looked relieved and almost happy. 

“You didn't?” he clarified.  I shook my head. 

“Nope.  Had no clue,” I responded, smiling a bit.

“And would you have seen me?” he whispered, inching his mouth towards mine until we were breathing each other's air.  I looked into his eyes.  This was the moment.  The one where everything would change in an instant.  How I handled the next thirty seconds was crucial.  Did I back away and force myself to deny what had always been there between us? Or did I finally allow myself to accept it...and him?

So, I put my lips to his and whispered back, “Yes.” Jordan gripped my face as our lips crushed against one another.  His tongue begged entrance into my mouth and I happily complied.  The moment our tongues collided, Jordan groaned heavily in the back of his throat.  His hands cupped my ass and lifted me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.  He started walking me down the hallway.

“Which one is yours?” he asked against my mouth.  I pointed to the door on the left.  Jordan kicked open the door and carried me into the darkened room.  He laid me down on the bed and his mouth moved to my neck, suckling my skin and tracing his tongue along my collar bone.  My hands ran up his back as I pushed his shirt up.  My legs remained wrapped around him and I rubbed myself against the obvious erection he had underneath his jeans.

“I have wanted you from the minute I saw you,” Jordan murmured into my mouth as his hands started to slide up my tank top.  I arched off the bed as his hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs rubbing circles over my hardened nipples.  “I have
only
wanted you since June 18
th
at 3:45 p.m.,” he said huskily as he continued to palm my aching breasts. 

Even as turned on as I was, I couldn't help but laugh at what he said.  “Wow, you remember the exact hour we met?” I asked, gasping as he lowered his mouth to my breasts, his tongue gliding between them before pulling a nipple into his mouth.  He bit down lightly, causing me to moan. 

“I remember every moment with you, Maysie.  Every single time I touched you.  Every time I heard you laugh.  The way you taste in my mouth.”  He kissed my breasts reverently.  “From the second I saw you, it has
only
been you.  Even when I tried to force myself to forget you.  I couldn't.” He breathed as he kissed a line down my body, his tongue blazing a hot trail along my skin.

I could barely focus on what he was saying to me, I was too fixated on the fact that he was ever so slowly, pulling my shorts and underwear down over my hips.  He continued to kiss and lick every inch of my skin from my belly to my hips. 

He pulled my bottoms off and tossed them on the floor with an enthusiasm that totally aroused me.  He returned his attentions back to my body as he started to kiss my inner thighs, his fingers digging into my hips as he worked his way north.