Breaking Down Sydney (Sydney West #2) (4 page)

Love is what entraps my heart and could be my untimely death.

Now I was making up my own quotes about love. I was hopeless, and my hopelessness only made my thoughts drift back to Jason.

It was too soon to say with certainty what would become of Jason and me. The holidays drew nearer with each passing day, but it felt like years instead of months before I’d see him again. I wasn’t sure if my sanity would last much longer.

Chapter Six

Two days later, Amelia and I were walking through campus, trying not to think about the California boys we missed. The sky was blue and the sun was beating down on us. It was still hot, and there was no breeze to save us like there was in Malibu. In Arizona, the sun wants to absorb all the water in a person’s skin, turning them into a bag of bones.

Amelia slid her sunglasses up her nose and said, “I already need tutoring for my pre-calculus class. Don’t know why I have to take it anyways if I’m an art major.”

I squinted, wishing my sunglasses were darker. “College likes to fuck with you sometimes. Believe me, I know. I had the worst class last semester.”

She kicked a rock back into the garden between two tall brick buildings. “Anatomy, right?”

A boy in a tank top waved at me. I ignored him and kept walking toward class.

I hooked my thumbs into the loops of my jean shorts. “Mmm-hmm. Thought it would be like the show
Grey’s Anatomy
. Boy, was I wrong.”

Amelia laughed at my past pain. “You wouldn’t shut up about that class. It drove me nuts!”

I lightly hit her arm. “It was driving you nuts? I wanted to slap my professor every class period. That’s why I sat in the back row.”

She snorted and glanced at her cell phone before sliding it back into her purse. “I thought you sat in the back so you could text and sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved off her comment.

A smile curled her lips. “Oh my God, you’ll never believe what this boy in my class asked our professor today,” Amelia gushed. She was trying to suppress her laughter.

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“We were watching a film and someone said something about the mile high club. Dude asked the professor what that was. Everyone in the class had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing out loud.”

I chuckled, picturing it. “So what did your professor do?”

She moved a piece of hair that got caught on her glossed lips. “He answered bluntly with, ‘it means having sex on an airplane.’ The man had no emotion in his voice, but his face was like ‘Why me?’” she said, giggling.

I shook my head. “What an imbecile.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around her torso. “I know, right? Things like that during my day helps keep my mind off of…you know who.”

I stepped to the left to avoid a girl on a bike and said, “There are always ridiculous stories to share.”

She nudged my arm. “Your turn to tell me one.”

“Hmm…” I looked at the pine trees by the science building. It was always strange that this university had pine trees; it was literally in the middle of the Arizona desert. How did these trees survive here?

The art building loomed ahead. We stopped in front of a bench. “Okay, well, there’s this girl who likes to brag about her sex life in my relational communication class. Said she’s had sex on every continent.”

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Even Antarctica?”

I shrugged. “That’s what she claims. I think she’s a pathological liar.”

She twirled a piece of hair with her fingers. “Yeah? On what grounds?”

“You’re a lawyer now?” I laughed, mocking her.

Amelia stuck out her tongue. “You’re so square. Just tell your story.”

I watched a couple fly by on skateboards. “Fine. She went on to say she even slept with celebrities. She said she hooked up with Nikki Keys…” My mouth was dry, as if cotton was shoved down my throat.

She tilted her head. “From Dark Temptress?”

Shit, here we go.

“Yeah,” I said coldly.

Of course the summer I found love I also hooked up with two rock stars.

“Hmm, sounds like Nikki gets around.” She coughed. It sounded fake. “Perhaps you and
that
girl should hit Malibu together next summer?”

Ouch. I didn’t mind being a slut for a season, but since Jason came into my life, that seemed like a silly way to spend a vacation.

I flinched like a bee stung my lips. “What? Why?” I bit my tongue before saying something I’d regret later.

She bumped my shoulder with hers. “It was a joke, a lame one at that. Just because you like to party…never mind. I’m sorry.”

I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the pounding in my head. “Okay, I’m going to ignore the fact that you basically called me a slut, like her. I thought of something else.”

She grinned. “Yeah? Shoot.”

“You just want the awkward moment to pass. Remember, I don’t forget things,” I said, giving her a pointed look.

She laughed nervously. “You were saying about a story…”

A smile cracked my lips. Amelia feared me like a zebra catching sight of a lioness across the watering hole. It was despairing but hilarious at the same time. “So in my ethics class, our professor showed a western for some insane reason. Not even halfway through the film and most of the class was asleep, I mean like eighty people. I had to chew gum to stay awake, and that almost didn’t help.”

She put her hand to her forehead. “Of course westerns put people in this day and age asleep. That’s why they stopped making them.”

I looked at my cell phone to check the time. “I don’t know what he was thinking. Maybe he wanted to take a nap himself.”

“I bet. Is he old?”

“He’s like sixty, I think,” I said, sliding my phone into my back pocket.

“I see.” She looked at the art building. “I need to get going. See ya at the dorm.”

“Yeah, see you later.” We hugged and parted ways. She ran up to the only building on campus that was painted three different colors: orange, green, and blue. I turned the corner and walked to the psychology building.

***

During the next few days, work kept piling up. School had barely started, yet I already felt like I was falling behind. Essays and tests were constantly breathing down my neck. What I needed was a break, time to step away from the planner and everything in it. Only I had to finish this week’s assignments before I could enjoy anything. What I truly needed was a freshman to pay off to do my work. Since that only works in movies, I had to deal with all the work on my own.

To keep myself focused, I went to the Hays Library to study and avoid being distracted. The library was three levels and divided by how much noise was allowed. The first level was the loudest and the third was dead silent. Knowing me, I’d find someone to talk to just so I could waste time and not work on what needed my immediate attention. No, I had to drag myself and my laptop to the third floor.

Luckily there were only a handful of people nearby. They were scattered around with their noses in books or glued to their laptops. As for me, I found my place at a round wooden table. I spread all my stuff across the surface in a matter of seconds. It was like me to do a twelve-page midterm essay in one day. I needed to get more into school and stop being a damn procrastinator.

After skimming countless articles and searching websites, I finally had a few pages typed. I was in the middle of a thought when I felt something touch my back. When I turned around, there was not a soul to see. I felt my eyes narrow. Perhaps I was working too hard and it was driving me closer to insanity.

I was able to let it roll off my shoulder when something on the ground caught my eye. It was a perfect paper airplane. With a quick glance around, I picked it up. After unfolding it, I found that it was completely blank.

“How strange,” I muttered to myself.

Turning back to my laptop, I crumpled up the once paper airplane and sat it next to my empty water bottle. It was hard to get back into my essay when the skin between my shoulder blades itched like someone was watching me.

A few minutes slipped by. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder. Anger licked up my arms and made my heart beat a little faster. What I wanted to do was yell at whoever thought it was funny to toy with me when I had finally buckled down to write my essay. The only thing keeping me from doing that was the “silence zone.” If you broke the rules of the library, you were banned. Harsh but true.

Take a deep breath and face down the intruder.
I nodded at the voice in my head and turned around.

Was I seeing things?

The person who stood inches from me was Jason…my Jason.

Chapter Seven

“How…how…?” I was at a loss for words. My tongue felt thick in my mouth, preventing me from saying anything that made sense.

Jason flashed a wicked grin. “Hey, Syd.”

I shot up out of my seat and wrapped my arms around him. He felt real. Normally I was the one being crushed by hugs, but today I was the crusher.

“Surprised to see me?” he whispered in my ear.

My only response was pressing my lips to his. If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up again.

People cleared their throats, unhappy about our reunion. We broke away from each other before we could truly get a taste. Jason took a seat across the table. He looked hotter than the last time I saw him. His silver eyes sparkled like stars and his lips were curved in a grin.

It felt like the world was swaying. I sat back down and held onto the table so I didn’t fall off my chair. After blinking a few times, I realized I wasn’t dreaming. Jason
was
in front of me.

A part of me still wouldn’t believe my eyes. They could play tricks on me, especially after spending so much time working on that damn essay. I reached out and touched his hand, needing to feel his skin again. My Jason sat before me in flesh and blood…but how?

His smile went all the way to his eyes. He enjoyed psyching me out. “How’s it going?” he asked casually, like he was supposed to meet me in the library.

“What are you doing here?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice.

Two Korean girls gave us the evil eye and shushed us.

He leaned back in the chair. “Can’t I come visit my favorite girl?”

The girls shushed us again, with more intensity. Either Jason and I had to write messages to each other or we needed to get out of the quiet zone. If I was banned, I didn’t know where I’d do my last minute homework.

I mouthed. “We should go.”

He nodded and helped me pack up my things. Even without words, I felt like I was under some kind of spell. Every time Jason brushed my arm, I felt electricity.

Once outside, I dropped my backpack and threw my arms around Jason’s neck. “How dare you surprise me like that! When did you get here? How did you find me?”

“Whoa! Calm down, Syd. Am I on trial for murder or somethin’?”

My smile hurt my face, but it wouldn’t let up. “You appearing out of thin air is ludicrous!”

He laughed and pushed me off of him. “Didn’t appear out of thin air. Drove here. Wanna get some food?”

“We can go to the Student Union for some grub and then you’re telling me everything.” I pointed at him, trying to be sincere.

“Of course.” Jason kissed my forehead and picked up my backpack. He bowed to me and said, “Show me the way to the food.”

It was hard to be upset at him for sneaking up on me. He came just to be with me. That had to mean something.

The Student Union was packed with bodies, like it normally was just about every hour. Coffee World was everyone’s go-to station. It was almost like a gas station for humans. Jason and I avoided the crowd and zigzagged through the tables and chairs to the other side. On the wall to our right were five televisions showing the news, sports, and other things. The sound was muted and the pictures didn’t mean anything to me.

“What are you in the mood for? This place has almost everything but fine dining restaurants.” I swept my arm in front of me to show how big the place was.

“Anything? What if I’m in the mood for a burger?” He gave me a smirk.

“Downstairs at Burger Queen.”

“Tacos?”

I pointed to the right. “Around the corner is Taco Shell.”

He shook his head and placed his hands on my hips. His touch created a spark that sent flames tearing into my heart, melting the ice that had begun to build up again. “Wow, what about a sub?”

I ran my hands up his strong arms and said, “Mad Sub is literally neighbors with Burger Queen.”

Jason clutched his chest. “Be still, my heart. Is this heaven?”

I giggled and smacked his arm. “Why would it be heaven?”

He hooked his fingers into my belt loops and pulled me into him. The scent of lavender intoxicated me. “Because just about all the food I love is under one roof and the woman who seems to have stolen my heart is finally with me.”

Heat burned my cheeks. I blushed and it wouldn’t cease. “You’re such a romantic.” I tried to avoid saying something sappy because if I did there’d be no turning back.

He shrugged.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

I traced his jawline with my fingertip. “Aristotle. Don’t you start thinking you can use quotes on me. That’s my thing!”

Jason leaned in, and I thought he was going to kiss me in front of everyone. If I tasted him now, I was going to explode and we’d be doing things I could get kicked out of school for. Instead he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“What are you in the mood for?” he whispered.

I swallowed my fear of creating a wildfire and closed the gap between us. I kissed his lips, and I felt complete. He tasted like salt and peppermint, like coming home to the beach with its warm sand and sparkling ocean. My hand had a mind of its own. It trailed down Jason’s shirt.

“Not here,” he said, his lips still pressed to mine.

“Get a room!” some guy called out.

Asshole, don’t you know I haven’t seen my love in a lifetime!

Did I just call Jason my love?

I guess I did, and the world didn’t fall apart!

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked.

“Like a kitten wants milk.”

He chuckled and tucked me under his arm. I was draped in Jason King and I didn’t care who witnessed it. As we walked toward my dorm room, I heard people whisper. I was well-known at college for my lack of interest in the opposite sex for any length of time, though that all changed every summer once I hit Malibu. Seeing me all over Jason was probably quite a sight. Only I was hungry for more, much more…

Thank the heavens no one was home when I opened the door. It would’ve been awkward if Amelia was here and I had to kick her out. Maybe Hunter came back too? I’d have to ask Jason about that…later.

Jason’s stomach growled. He held it and looked embarrassed. “I wasn’t lying about being hungry.”

I leaned against the door. “We’ll eat, but don’t you want an appetizer first? I have whipped cream…”

“Mmm…I can’t wait.” He tugged off my jeans and looked around the room. “So…which bed is yours?”

I pointed to the messy one. Amelia always had to make her bed; she liked things in their place.

“Should have known,” he replied, taking my hand.

I stepped out of my jeans. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

“Never mind. Do you want to talk or…eat?”

I laughed, running a hand through my hair. “This is going to be a sticky mess, but we can shower together.”

“Yeah? It’s not a group shower thing, right? I think that wouldn’t go very well with the other girls.”

All I could do was roll my eyes. The mini-fridge was between the beds. I bent down and got out what was left of the whipped cream. It was used for ice cream night when Amelia needed to snack for exams or because she missed Hunter too much.

Jason already had his shirt off and was kicking away his shoes when I turned back around.

“Allow me to aid you,” I purred, unbuttoning his jeans.

He smiled. “Should I help you then?”

“If you think I need it. Usually my clothes melt off when I’m around someone as hot as you.”

“Is that so?” Jason’s lips were a perfect match to mine. I drank him in as he hooked his fingers into the sides of my panties, pulling them down.

He ripped my shirt off. The thin material was no match for him. Thankfully I wasn’t fond of the light blue tank top. I toyed with his boxer’s waistband as he unhooked my bra. His touch burned my skin. Lust filled the air. It was too much. I needed him in me immediately.

Jason was on top, kissing me deeply. I reached for the whipped cream and handed it to him.

He shook the can for a couple seconds before covering me in cold, white fluff. My nipples became tiny, white mountains for Jason to lick. A moan escaped my lips as he went down.

We switched places. He became the one forced on his back, below me. I took the whipped cream from him, made an outline of a heart on his chest, and licked it up. I bit a trail from his ribs to his mouth. He rolled over on top of me again and reached to my nightstand for a condom. As he ripped open the package my body tingled, awaiting more. Jason slipped on the condom and buried himself inside me.

“You’re already wet for me,” he breathed.

I pressed my back into the mattress as he slipped in and out of me, increasing his speed until I was about to catch fire.

“Jason! Don’t stop!” I screamed.

He moaned and kept going.

I was on the edge of an orgasm when he fell to my side. He was out of breath.

It was my turn to finish the job. His body was sweaty, just how I liked him. Gingerly, I brushed my fingertips across his nipples and slowly traced the line of chest hair down to his groin. It only took a few good strokes to get him ready for round two.

With me on top, I was able to hit my climax and melt into Jason in pure ecstasy.