#Nerd (Hashtag #1) (18 page)

“Girls are going to be jealous. The ones I hooked up with and the ones who want to,” he said.

I glanced at him then. “You’ve hooked up with a lot of girls,” I said.

“Yes, I have.” He looked straight at me.

I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t expecting such a straightforward, honest reply. He said it without trying to sugarcoat it. He said it without trying to soften the blow with his smile.

The wall I was holding up between us cracked.

I took a breath and kept going. “That’s the thing, Romeo. You could have any girl you want. Why are you here right now? Why did you insist on my wearing your name today?”

His eyes narrowed like something I said pissed him off. “Are you saying you aren’t good enough?”

I laughed and spread my arms out wide. “Seriously?” I said. “Look at me! I’m not tall and long-legged. I don’t like to party. I don’t have model perfect hair or designer clothes. I don’t wear makeup. I snort when I laugh and I wear glasses.”

“So you think I’m superficial?” he said, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he looked away.

“No. Yes,” I said, confused. “I don’t know!” I yelled.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “You’re pissed because girls are being petty, the BuzzBoss is calling you a nerd, and because in spite of it all, I’m still here?”

“Yes!” I shot out.

Why are you still here?

He scrubbed a hand over his face like he was tired. I was tired too. Suddenly, I was so very tired. He materialized behind me. I felt his heat against my back. His solid arms wound around my waist and pulled me into his chest and he lowered his chin to my shoulder.

“What do you want from me?” I whispered.

He turned his head and pressed a kiss into the crook of my neck. My eyes slid closed. “Right now?” he breathed, his words fanning out across my skin. “Right now I want to kiss you.”

Excitement raced down my spine and my toes curled against the floor.

“Can I kiss you right now, Rimmel?”

I nodded. Maybe I shouldn’t let him touch me or kiss me, but I wanted him desperately.

He pulled back and guided me around. He didn’t move like he was hurried; instead, he stepped up as close as he could. Our toes bounced together and he slowly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in so my back arched, and pushed my waist into him farther. One of his hands slid up my back and cupped the back of my neck, tilting my head back so I was totally open for him.

I got caught in the blue web of his eyes. I got tangled up in just the feel of him against me, and a cloud of desire settled over the room.

“You asked me why I’m here,” he murmured, leaning in so he was so close his lips brushed mine as he spoke. “This is why I’m here, Rimmel. Can’t you feel it too?”

My eyes drifted closed and I nodded. The small movement bumped our lips fully together and neither of us pulled away.

Once connected, we were fused together. My arms came up to wrap around his neck, and I leaned up on my tiptoes to get better access to his mouth.

Romeo groaned deep in his throat and deepened the kiss. Sparks of electricity burned me and heat pooled in my center. His tongue slipped between my lips and smoothed over my teeth to tangle with my all too willing tongue.

My brain grew fuzzy and my limbs heavy as he continued to work my mouth like he knew exactly how to make my body succumb to him. When I felt my lungs were going to burst, he broke contact but didn’t pull away. As I pulled in deep breaths of air, his lips slid across my jaw and toward my ear, where he tugged my lobe with his teeth and sent chills of pleasure racing across my skin. My arms fell from his neck and grabbed his biceps as he explored down my neck, licking and biting as he went.

I moaned as he slid back up, and I turned my head to kiss him again. Romeo lifted me so my feet weren’t touching the ground and laid me across the bed, coming over me with his considerable size. I gazed up at him with passion-laced eyes, and he smiled down at me with slightly swollen lips.

I reached for him and he met me halfway, stroking my tongue with his as his hand found the hem of my shirt and slid up across my stomach.

I stilled because the sensation was new, and he drew back slightly to look down. “I won’t do anything you don’t want.”

It took a moment for his words to penetrate my foggy brain, and I nodded.

“I just want to touch you, baby,” he rasped, his voice hoarse. “Is that okay?”

I arched up against his hand, giving him my answer and better access to my skin at the same time. My body was on fire beneath him and his touch was like the cool water that calmed the flames. His lips fused to mine once more and we kissed endlessly as his fingertips dragged across my stomach and teased the waistband of my jeans.

His hand was so big that when he laid his palm flat over my stomach, it nearly covered my entire abdomen. He murmured something unintelligible against my mouth as he explored upward until the tips of his fingers caressed the underside of my jaw.

The rest of his body was alongside mine, we touched from my feet all the way up. He leaned over me so I could feel his weight, but enough of him was on the mattress so I wasn’t being squished.

The second his fingers brushed the fabric of my bra, the flames he’d been keeping under control raged. The desire in my blood tripled and I made a small sound in the back of my throat. I wanted more. I wanted so much more.

Romeo pulled back to look down but kept his one hand where it was. With his other hand, he reached up and gently pulled my glasses off, carefully setting them off to the side. Then he leaned down and pressed ultra-soft kisses to each of my fluttering eyelids.

A soft sigh expelled from my lips and his fingers spasmed against me like he was trying to hold himself back. “Okay?” he asked, inching up a little ways.

My breasts felt swollen with need and I whispered, “Yes,” as I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled him back down to me. His hand slid all the way up and cupped my small breast. He palmed it entirely, giving it a gentle squeeze and making my hard nipple ache. The pressure of his kiss increased, and I tightened my fingers in his thick blond hair. I loved the way it felt between my fingers. I reveled in the softness.

The sensations running through my body were almost overwhelming. My fingers and knees shook with need and my stomach jumped around even as another part of me urged for more. Romeo’s hands were gentle but gave so much pleasure. He massaged my breast and ran his finger beneath my bra strap against the smooth skin of my shoulder. Cool air brushed over my exposed abdomen, and the kiss we shared went on.

I wiggled beneath him, wanting even more, and my hands left his hair to cup his jaw. He pulled back and stared down at me. The room was dim, but even in the faded light, I saw how much I affected him.

He was attracted to me; that much was painfully clear. If I couldn’t see it in his eyes, I could certainly feel him against my hip. He rocked against me restlessly as he stared down at my face.

I couldn’t look away. I was captivated by him.

As he watched me, his fingers delved into the edges of my bra cup and tugged the fabric down. It gave way, and his palm covered my bare breast and squeezed. My eyes slid closed and my head fell to the side. He nuzzled my neck as his fingers found my nipple and rolled it between his fingers.

My hands no longer held him. They had fallen to my sides, but when he once again moved against me, I gripped his hips and my lips reached for his once more.

His kiss was my entire universe, so much so that I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear Ivy’s surprised gasp. I would have gone on kissing him if he hadn’t lifted his head.

He looked up, his body stiffening only slightly, and I looked to see what caught his attention.

“Crap!” Ivy said, her body frozen in the doorway and surprise written all over her face.

I ducked my face into the space between Romeo’s shoulder and jaw, hiding because she caught us but also because I was still quivering with need and didn’t want her to see.

“Hey,” Romeo said. “What’s up?”

“Uh, um…” Ivy stuttered. I smiled into his neck because Ivy was
never
speechless. “I can just come back.”

“It’s cool,” Romeo said, his voice still a little deep with passion. “You can stay.”

Disappointment flared in me, but then I realized it was for the best. I was getting far too carried away. Romeo adjusted my bra under my top and pulled his hand free. Already my skin ached for him, missed his touch. I was still hiding against him, and he chuckled and wrapped an arm around my waist to drag me along with him as he sat up against the wall.

I peeked at Ivy and saw she was debating on what to do. I noticed a couple girls walking down the hall, trying to see what she was looking at.

“Close the door, Ivy.” I reminded her.

“Right.” She did and then walked into the room. Her gaze kept bouncing back and forth between Romeo and me like she almost couldn’t believe her eyes.

A funny feeling wormed its way into my stomach, and some of the things I’d been worrying about before we started making out reared their ugly heads.

Then I remembered the night at the bonfire Romeo had walked Ivy to the car. “Do you two know each other?” I said, sitting up a little. Romeo kept his arm wound around my waist.

Ivy opened her mouth, but Romeo spoke before she could. “We go to the same parties. We made out a couple weeks ago, didn’t we?”

Ivy flushed. She glanced at me. I was surprised too. Surprised he would just call it out like that. It was almost like he was just putting it out there so it wasn’t between us.

That wall inside me cracked again.

“Um, yeah,” Ivy said. “At the bonfire.”

Romeo nodded. “Missy’s dating Braeden.”

“They’re just having fun,” Ivy and I replied at the exact same moment.

We both looked at each other and laughed.

Romeo grinned. “Ah, yeah. That sounds like Braeden.”

“I thought that was your motto too?” Ivy said, lifting her sculpted brow at him.

“That’s what they say.” He didn’t confirm or deny, and it frustrated me.

The only thing I’d learned tonight was that my body burned for him.

He slid off the bed and straightened his clothes. He seemed to fill up the small space. Ivy clicked on a lamp on her side of the room and dropped onto her bed to watch us. Romeo’s eyes slid down to my chest and he smiled slowly. Then he lifted his hoodie off the floor and tossed it to me. “It’s cold. You should put this on.”

I glanced down at my chest and grimaced. Both my nipples were so hard you could see them through my clothes. I grabbed up the shirt and shot my eyes toward Ivy, but she couldn’t see. Her view was blocked by Romeo.

“Walk me out?” he said, shrugging into his jacket.

“Sure,” I said. After I put on the shirt, I grabbed the bag of food we’d only half eaten and picked up his shake and handed it to him.

“Here.” I blushed. “You didn’t really get to eat.”

“Funny thing,” he said, stepping close. “I’m not that hungry anymore.”

Across the room, I thought Ivy might die.

“I’ll be right back,” I told her, stuffing my glasses back on. She shook her head and mouthed,
Oh my God.

I grinned. I couldn’t help it.

We stepped out in the hall and everything went quiet. Various sets of eyes all turned and fastened on Romeo.

“Ladies,” he said and gave them all his megawatt smile.

Then he draped an arm around my shoulders and led me to the stairs.

As the stairwell door closed behind us, the entire hallway burst into chatter.

Romeo

“So you and Ivy?” Rimmel asked when we stepped out of the building and onto the sidewalk.

I mentioned it on purpose up there. I wanted her to ask about it. I was concerned Ivy might be using her to get to me.

Arrogant? Yes.

Impossible? No.

I felt a stark need to protect Rimmel. Besides, trying to hide my one-time make-out session with her roommate or any girl on this campus was stupid. Word got around way too fast. The last thing I needed was for some bitch to corner Rimmel on campus and spill a bunch of details that they embellished just to make her angry. Shit, it already happened today.

When I first found her tonight, I could feel the space between us. I hadn’t liked it. It made something in me feel hollow.

“There is no me and Ivy. There never will be.”

“But you two hooked up?”

“We made out. I did more with you tonight than I did with her.”

She ducked her head into my chest, and I smiled. She brought out these tender feelings in me I’d never experienced with anyone before. I used the hand that was already draped over her shoulder and tugged on her braid. “Some girls are probably gonna say shit, Rim,” I said. “Some bitches be devious.”

She giggled and looked up at me as we stopped beside the Hellcat. “Some bitches?”

I grinned. “Just keepin’ it real.”

She shook her head. I dropped my arm from around her and caught her chin with my hand and looked in her eyes. “When that happens, come to me. I’ll tell you the truth, even if I think it’s something you don’t wanna hear.”

She searched my eyes, looking for something. I don’t know what. I saw the doubt in her gaze, the wariness. It made my gut tighten. But then again, the words I just spoke made me feel that way too.

I was painting myself into a corner. I was an asshole. Here I was telling her I’d be honest when I wasn’t entirely. Yeah, I’d be honest about all the women I’d been with. But how could I tell her about the frat? About what I needed to do to secure my pledge?

She would never speak to me again.

“Okay,” she replied softly, drawing me out of my own head.

“You still mad at me?” I asked, releasing her chin.

She cocked her head to the side. “Mad? No. Confused? Yeah.”

“I can work with that,” I said.

She smiled.

“I gotta go to the Omega party tomorrow night. Come with me.”

Her smile fell away. “That’s not my thing.”

“Am I your thing?” I gave her a smile.

“I’m not sure yet.”

I put a hand over my heart like I was wounded. In reality, it made me respect her. Most girls fell all over themselves to give me the answer I wanted to hear. If I had asked anybody else to go with me, they would have said yes before I was done asking.

And she wasn’t even playing hard to get. She was just being herself.

“C’mon, you might have fun.”

She made a face. “I doubt it.”

“I’ll be there.”

“And fifty of your conquests,” she muttered.

I grinned. “Somebody’s jealous.”

She gave me a look. “Maybe fifty of mine will be there too.”

I knew she was kidding, but just the words made me churn with a feeling I did not like. It was so swift I was shocked into silence.

“Romeo?” she asked when I just stood there. “I was just kidding. You could have at least pretended to be horrified.”

I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips to press a kiss to her palm. “I don’t like the idea of anyone touching you.”

Her eyes dropped to her hand.

“Come with me tomorrow,” I said, letting my lips brush against her when I spoke.

“If I don’t like it, will you bring me home?”

“Yes.” But I was going to make sure she had a good time.

“Okay,” she agreed tentatively.

When I tugged her hand, she tumbled into my chest. I leaned down and took my time kissing her.

When I pulled back, she was breathless. “People are probably watching us through the windows.”

“So?”

She shook her head and gave me a bewildered look.

“Remember what I said. If anyone bothers you, come to me. If you can’t find me, go to Braeden.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know. But I want to.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, not agreeing or disagreeing.

“Hey, can we skip tutoring? I want to go home after practice and get ready. We can study later this weekend.”

“Sure.”

I watched her step up onto the sidewalk away from the Hellcat. Her thin legs stuck out from beneath the oversized shirt and the writing was huge across her back. My chest swelled a little when I saw my name practically branding her.

“Hey,” I said, and she turned back.

I rushed forward and caught her around the waist, lifting her off her feet so she was level with my face. She laughed and the sound filled me up inside. “Kiss me.”

Rimmel reached out and slid her hand slowly over my shoulder and to the back of my neck. Her small fingers dipped into the hair at the base of my head and tugged me closer. She glided her soft, luscious lips over mine and tentatively dipped her tongue where they parted. I opened for her willingly and soon both of us were breathing hard, gasping for air.

I swore under my breath when I realized we were outside. It was just supposed to be one kiss. Clearly, I couldn’t kiss her without losing it.

I sat her down on the pavement and held on until I knew she was steady on her feet. “I’ll wait ‘til you’re inside,” I said.

She went and I drove home.

On the way, I realized something.

Seeing her didn’t quiet the war inside me. It only made it worse.