Dream With Me (With Me Book 4) (7 page)

I abruptly stand.

“Where are you going?” Taylor asks.

“I have to get ready.” I wave a hand at myself, dressed in my sleepwear of tiny shorts and a thin tank, my hair in its messy bun, and my makeup free face. “I have a sex god to proposition.”

“That’s our girl!”

‡

A huge open tent for
the BBQ is stationed on the main quad just before the class buildings, and the delicious smell of food wafts toward us in the parking lot. Even though we arrived on time, it seems like everyone is already here. We luckily found a spot, although it is farther away than we all would have liked to walk in our shoes.

We aren’t the kind of girls who wear flats.

My bright blue espadrilles, unlike last night’s, are actually comfortable. I adjust the thin straps of my light, cotton yellow tank top and make sure my itty-bitty jean shorts look good, and then run my fingers through my loose hair, so that some of the curls fall over one shoulder. Chloe and Taylor look equally amazing—both are wearing tanks and shorts, too. Chloe in hot pink and white and Taylor in coral and navy. Both of them tower over me, even though my wedges are four and a half inches tall. Right after this, we’ll return to our place and change into something different for the bars and dance clubs.

We reach the tent, and sure enough, it’s crowded. Just outside on a makeshift stage, an indie band made up of all college senior guys is playing. A lot of people are already dancing while others are in line for food. I lift my sunglasses up and don’t look around for Griff—I’m trying to be cool, not totally obvious. But it’s hard to not glance around, to wonder if he’s even here.

“Let’s grab food, then find a table,” Chloe says.

This seems like the wisest decision, and we stand in line. Thankfully, the college people running this particular event keep the food line going. Soon enough, I grab a paper plate and utensils wrapped in a napkin.

There is so much to choose from, and I can eat a lot. All of us can. We may be thin, but we have fierce appetites. I fill my plate up with a hamburger, corn on the cob, and potato salad. The drinks are on the other side of the desserts, and we all opt for the iced tea. We’ll be drinking plenty of alcohol later on, and I don’t want to get too drunk anyway. We turn and face the sea of tables.

“Do you see anything?” Taylor asks.

I shake my head no. “We’ll find something.”

I lead the way with Chloe and Taylor close behind. It really is crowded; I’m not sure if we will find any open spots. I glance toward my left where the band is playing, thinking that there will be something available since so many are dancing.

I hear Taylor and Chloe cough behind me at the same time I feel someone step in front of me. This time I don’t jump in surprise, because I instantly know who it is.

“Griff.”

He looks hot in a black tee and shorts. Those muscles go on for days, and he smells even better, something fresh and clean and natural. Soap, I think. It’s not cologne. Just soap and water and
him
. It makes me want to burrow into him and lick him all over.

I smile at him. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this. You stepping out of nowhere like a superhero.”

His lips twitch, and then he notices me adjusting my hold on my plate and drink. “Here, let me take that.”

“Thanks,” I say, as he takes my stuff with ease. “We were actually looking for a place to sit. Oh, I don’t think you know my best friends, Chloe and Taylor.”

Griff nods at them and gestures to a table in the distance toward the right. “We’ve got a spot. Join us.”

“That sounds great,” I say and ignore Chloe’s pointed jab in my back.

The table is not in full view of everyone, which explains why we missed it. And I can see why Griff and his friends decided to sit there, away from prying eyes. Hailey Bloom is sitting next to Caleb Fox. I remember when they started dating—it was all we could talk about. I know of Griff’s other friends, of course. Nick Brady and I had a math class our freshman year, and Jamie McAlister was in my philosophy class when we were sophomores. And we’ve all seen each other at various games, bars, and college parties.

We quickly introduce ourselves to the girls we really don’t know. I end up next to Griff with Chloe and Taylor directly across from me. Chloe has Daphne Fox, Nick Brady’s girlfriend, on her other side. Daphne is also an English major and we’ve had a class or two together. The only time I’ve run into Hailey has been in a bar bathroom. The tiny blonde, Zelda, who is Jamie’s girlfriend, is completely new and seems nice but quieter than all the rest.

Jamie, who is on the other side of Taylor, leans over, a devilish smile lighting his face. “Evie.”

“Jamie,” I say.

Jamie was the one who tried to get Griff to dance with me at the Freshmen Mixer. Obviously Jamie is recalling the same thing, and he’s no doubt wondering why I’m at the table with Griff beside me.

“Mystery solved,” Jamie says.

I lay a napkin over my lap and glance at Jamie. “Huh?”

“Griff said we needed to save extra spots. And he kept looking around until a few seconds ago when he suddenly got up and hurried off. Silent but Deadly never hurries anywhere.”

“Silent but Deadly?” I reach for my iced tea, ignoring the knowing looks on my best friends’ faces. Warmth is spreading through me that Griff not only saved these chairs for us, but was looking for me, too.

“You’ll have to forgive him,” Jamie’s girlfriend says. “Jamie’s had too much sugar.”

Jamie turns to her, his eyes dipping to her mouth. “I definitely have not had too much sugar.”

He kisses her, a loud, teasing smack that softens.

“We try not to let him out much,” Caleb says.

Jamie pulls away from his girlfriend to look over at Caleb. “Aw, Fox, you love me. You all do.”

Chloe rolls her eyes and reaches for her cheeseburger. “So, are you all going to The Tavern?”

“I also heard Blue Oyster is having a special,” Taylor adds.

Soon they’re talking about plans for tonight, and I shoot Chloe and Taylor a grateful smile. They totally have my back, and the conversation allows me to turn slightly to Griff and have some amount of privacy.

“Thanks for saving us seats,” I say quietly. “How did you know to grab three?”

“You’re always with those two, so I figured you’d be coming with them.”

That’s simple enough. I know who his friends are, too. “You were right about that, but thanks for thinking of Chloe and Taylor. You’re not eating?”

“It’s too hard,” he says.

I stop from grabbing my hamburger. “Why?”

“I’m a vegan,” Griff says. “I’m also Jewish.”

“Are you Kosher?” I ask.

Griff shakes his head no.

“And he’s a health nut.” Jamie leans over. “Constantly on the move, whether it’s running or working at the mechanic shop with his older brother.”

Ah. That explains the work-roughened hands.

“You should also know one more very important thing, Evie,” Jamie says. “It’s about his brother.”

“What about his brother?”

The whole table, with the exception of me, Taylor, and Chloe, let out a sound that, if said, would be:
not this again
.

“McAlister, let’s not go there,” Griff says.

Jamie ignores him. “His brother, Jack, says he’s a mechanic. But I know that he’s a secret spy. Like James Bond.”

I blink, not sure I heard Jamie right. “You’re joking, right?”

“Not joking. He’s completely a spy,” Jamie says. “I might not have proven this, but one day I will. Somehow.”

“Sure, you will,” Nick says.

I laugh, because surely Jamie isn’t serious. But then I catch a look at Jamie’s face. He totally is!

“You’re unbelievable,” I say.

“Thank you,” Jamie says. “I like to think outside the box.”

“McAlister, you’re so outside the box, you might as well be in—”

“Now, Brady,” Jamie says to Nick, “don’t say anything you’ll regret.”

Nick just looks at Jamie, then points to Zelda. “I have no idea how you put up with him.”

“He’s a catch,” Zelda says, her voice soft and so full of love that it sets off this longing in me.

I want that. I want to look at some guy and be so much in love with him that nothing else matters, because I
know
that he’s completely in love with me, too.

I glance at Griff and feel this jolt when I see that his attention is on me. His eyes don’t leave mine, and the air suddenly feels . . .

Hot.

“But don’t mind me. Continue the flirt fest you have going on. I’ll just sit here and look pretty,” Jamie says with a wink, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

“Really,” Griff says under his breath, “we shouldn’t let him out at all.”

“He’s funny, but his theories are definitely out there.” I gesture toward my hamburger. “Does it bother you if I’m not a vegetarian?”

“Of course not.” Griff leans closer to me. “Everyone else eats meat but Zelda.”

“Does your brother?”

“Jack’s a vegan, too.”

“Oh,” I say, then take a bite of the burger. It’s delicious, but I’m conscious that Griff isn’t eating and I’m more interested in him than the food. I should ask Griff if he has any plans. I’m definitely not going to ask Griff if he wants to hook up again in front of his friends—they might be talking to each other, but I have a feeling they’re also paying close attention to what’s going on with us. “Are you going out tonight?”

Griff nods. “Are you?”

“Yeah.” I think over what I should say next; I should play it cool. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Maybe.”

Ah, so he’s playing it cool, too. I deflate a little. Last night felt so easy between us, but it’s all sorts of awkward right now. And I just don’t want to play these games. This is a mistake. I should have just left it alone, sex god or no.

Griff clears his throat. “Or . . .”

I put my burger down and see that he’s turned in his chair to face me, so I do the same. “Or?”

“Or we could just go together.”

I lick my suddenly dry lips, and his eyes go to my glossy coral lips. “You mean, we can meet somewhere tonight? Plan a certain time and place?”

“No, I mean, we can go together.” Griff leans in, his gaze darkening. “As in a date.”

“A date?” I can’t help repeating him again, so stunned by his statement. A date is not in the plans. I’m supposed to keep this casual. Keep it fun. But . . . but . . . a date can mean those things. A date can just be a date. I’ve had plenty of dates that have gone nowhere before.

“A date,” Griff says. “Go out with me, Evie.”

The more I look into Griff’s deep brown eyes, the more I want to say yes. And why shouldn’t I? It’s only a date. Nothing serious.

“Yes,” I say.

“It’s a date.”

‡

My best friends don’t laugh
at me when we head back to the car and I tell them of my change of plans. And when we reach our apartment, they gamely sit through me modeling various outfits. Because even though this date doesn’t have to mean anything, I still want to look good.

I catwalk back out to the main area in yet another outfit—this one a super short tangerine dress—and strike a pose. Chloe and Taylor give me a thumbs up, but they’ve pretty much given the previous five outfits their seal of approval.

“So, this is the problem,” I say. “I can wear a dress. A skirt. Or I can do skinny jeans.”

“No to jeans,” Taylor says.

“I could do a new pair of tiny shorts.”

Chloe shakes her head. “No. Wear a dress. Not this one, though. You’ve done sexy. You’ve done casual. What about something flirty?”

“Definitely flirty,” Taylor says.

“And something that will also drive him wild,” I say, thinking of the dresses in my closet.

Chloe and Taylor share a look.

“What?” I ask.

Chloe smiles wide. “I’m pretty sure that whatever you wear will drive Griff wild.”

“Did you see how
he
looked at her?” Taylor fans herself.

I can’t help myself. I need to know. “How did he look at me?”

“Like he wanted to eat you up.”

“He probably is going to eat her,” Chloe says with a laugh.