The Beginning of Us (171 page)

Lia, Cammie, Mel, and I are headed out to lunch at the local pizza place, and I am beside myself with how much has changed in the days since I left home. I feel lighter, freer. I feel good, really good, and I just can’t stop smiling about it.

“So what are you guys up to tonight?” Cammie interrupts my daydreaming. “There’s a house party at Jack’s tonight. He said you guys should come. He’d love to meet you.” Jack and Cammie were high school sweethearts, and unlike Jay and me, they loved each other enough to make things work. They’ve been together for the last three and a half years, while Jack was starting here and Cammie was finishing up high school, and from what Cammie has shared so far, they’re both in it for the long haul.

“Oh, my God! You guys should definitely come. Jack’s parties are always awesome. Please, please, please – you don’t want to be without your new roomies for the whole night, now, do you?” This is from Lia. She’s a little bubbly, to say the least. I wish I had a quarter of her energy and spirit, though considering my new promises to myself, spending more time with Lia might be in my near future.

Mel and I share a glance over our slices and simultaneously say “hell, yeah.” We spend the rest of lunch chatting about how we grew up, where we’re from, how we’re feeling about college – well, they share; I just smile and nod.

“Why so quiet, Maddy?” Cammie chimes in, and I immediately freeze.

It’s not like I’m embarrassed or ashamed that my parents are dead, but I just wanted to move beyond it, and here it is staring me down. I take a deep breath and choose happy – just like my new rules said I should.

“No reason, really. Just not much to share. My parents died when I was a little girl. My aunt adopted me. She died this past spring. Then Mel and her momma kinda sorta adopted me. I’ve lived with them for the last few months, and now I’m here on my own.” Wow, so that’s what my life looks like in a nutshell.

Stunned into silence, neither Lia nor Cammie can formulate a response more eloquent than “oh.”

It didn’t take more than a beat for Lia to regain her effervescence. “You are not on your own. You’ve got us, and we’ve got you. I don’t know what it’s like to lose parents, and I won’t ever pretend that I do, but if you ever need anyone to talk to about it, I’m here.” She smiles at me reassuringly. “Now, let’s finish this pizza and get ready for Jack’s later.”

Cammie and Mel raise their sodas in a mock “cheers” to Lia’s proclamation of friendship.

“Same from me, Maddy,” Cammie says. “I’m here for you. Let’s focus on happier things and have a blast tonight. It’ll be good to cut loose before classes start on Monday, and I know Jack is dying to meet you girls. His housemates are pretty excited, too. For your information, they’re real easy on the eye – his housemates, I mean. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Jack more than anything, but oh, my, he has got himself some gorgeous friends.”

Cammie’s little tidbit stirs a sea of laughter from the three of us. I’m definitely excited for tonight now.

*****

Jack’s house is practically vibrating from the bass of the music. It’s so loud that I can’t even figure out what song is playing. Cammie opens the front door and drags us all in behind her. She maneuvers her way through the crowd and up the stairs. She stops in front of one of three doors in the hallway and digs through her purse for a key.

“This is Jack’s room. Our stuff will be safe in here. I’m the only one other than him who has a key.” Cammie tucks the key into her back pocket, and we all put our bags in his closet. Before we go back downstairs, Cammie fills us in on Jack’s housemates.

He shares the place with two other guys – Logan O’Rourke and Reid Connely. They are all seniors and have shared the house since the beginning of junior year. Jack is studying physical therapy and is hoping to set up his own practice after finishing grad school. Logan is the football star. Cammie jokes that he was born with a football in his hand. Reid, apparently, is the loose cannon of the group. He’s changed his major so many times that Cammie isn’t even one-hundred-percent sure what it is anymore. She knows nothing of his home life; no one does. Maybe the guys know something about him, but anytime Cammie asks Jack about it, he tells her, “Guys don’t talk about that shit,” and she just leaves it alone. The only thing she does know is that Reid is hot. Like, really fucking hot – her words, not mine. After the brief background bio on the boys, we are off to party.

The crowd seems to have multiplied in the ten minutes that we were upstairs. Cammie brings us into the kitchen and grabs some red Solo cups for the keg out on the back patio. The entire house screams “bachelor pad.” Well, bachelor pad/college frat house combo. It works, though. It isn’t so dirty that you fear contracting an STD if you sit on the couch, but it is pretty far from clean.

When we get outside, Cammie’s face softens, and her eyes light up. She has locked eyes with who I assume is Jack, who is manning the keg.

“Hey, ladies.” His voice oozes smoothness. “Thanks for coming. Did you put everything up in my room? These parties can get a little crazy.”

“Yeah, we’re good, Jack. Pour me one?” Lia holds her cup out for Jack to fill.

“Jack, this is Melanie and Madeleine.” Cammie introduces us as he moves on to filling her cup and then ours.

I take a sip, and he notices the look on my face. “Thanks, Jack, but I’m just not much of a drinker.”

“No problem, Madeleine. There’s water in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you want,” Jack instructs.

“Thanks. A college kid who doesn’t drink – I guess I belong in the Smithsonian or something, huh? Oh, and by the way, you can call me Maddy. I’m going to head inside and take you up on that water. I’ll be back out in a minute.” I hear their “okay” as I head back into the kitchen.

There is a group playing quarters on the island and another group lining up shots on the breakfast bar – so not my scene. I just shrug, open the door, and pull out a bottle of water, and, when I turn around to walk back outside, I face-plant into a wall of solid muscle.

“Hand me one?” His voice is smooth and gruff at the same time.

Red-faced, I turn back around and get him his water, glad for the cool respite that the opened refrigerator door offers.

“Here you go.” I can’t peel my eyes away from his mouth as he moves the bottle to his lips. They are perfect - beautiful and full in a completely masculine way. I watch, completely fascinated, as his throat moves, downing the water in three or four large gulps. He wipes his mouth with his forearm, and I can’t help but let my eyes travel up the rest of his arm to his biceps and shoulders. Those are the same as his lips – perfect. Amazingly, gorgeously, utterly, divinely perfect. Muscled and tanned, his arms are mouthwatering.

My knees wobble. My heart thuds. Thousands of butterflies spread their wings in my belly.

I’ve never felt like this before, even with Jay. I’m caught completely off guard.

“Thanks…” He stares blankly at my face for a minute, and I can’t help but wonder if he likes what he’s seeing. He clears his throat and rouses me from my little daydream where the gorgeous boy is mesmerized by the maybe-a-little-above-average-looking girl. That’s when I realize he is asking for my name.

“Maddy. Sorry, my name’s Maddy.” I nearly choke on my tongue over my freaking name.

Dork
.

When I regain the ability to speak like a normal human being, I continue, “My suite mate Cammie is dating one of the guys who live here.” My mouth goes dry and it takes a monumental effort to even get those simple words out.

He just nods in return and pushes past me to grab another bottle of water. He is covered in sweat, and when he brushes my arm, he gets some on me. I am not grossed out; in fact, suddenly I wish he would get me all sweaty in an entirely different way. He’s obviously just finished working out. He is wearing a lightweight gray T-shirt and black mesh shorts, and even though he is drenched in sweat, he smells delicious. He is that divine combination of sweat and cologne and man that I’m pretty sure every woman swoons over.

The silence is killing me, so as he’s chugging down his second bottle of water, I wiggle my bottle in front of me and say, “I’m not that much of a drinker, so I hope you don’t mind if I steal one of these from you?”

“Help yourself. It’s just water. I’m going to go grab a shower. Maybe I’ll see you later, Maddy.”

And with that he is gone. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind watching him leave – his back is just as glorious as his front – absolutely yummy, but I wouldn’t have minded talking, or, um, staring, just a little longer. Knowing his name would have been nice, but seeing as he said he was going to grab a shower, he must live here. So his name was either Logan or Reid.

I go back outside as the girls are mid-laugh about something Jack is telling them. Melanie immediately notices the blush on my face. “Are you okay, Maddy? You look a little flushed.”

“I’m good. It’s just a little hot and crowded in there.”

Like six feet, two inches of solid, gorgeous, beautiful man hot and crowded.

I keep that to myself, though.

“Come on, girls, let’s go dance!” Lia, bubbly as ever, is in full-on party mode. She drags us back into the living room, changes the music to some techno dance beat, and starts moving. It’s hard not to follow her lead. She is just so much fun.

We really get into it, too. The party is in full swing, and Cammie, Lia, Mel, and I are having so much fun in our small dance group that I don’t really care that I’m not drunk like the rest of the people there. I promised myself that I would choose to be happy, and that is exactly what I am doing. I dance and dance and dance. My arms swing over my head in a languorous, smooth movement as my hips move to the beat. As I turn around, I look over at the stairs, where mystery man from earlier is walking down.

I lean into Cammie’s ear and try to keep my voice low so no one can hear me, though I’m sure the music does a good job of drowning out my question.

“Who is that, Cam? I talked to him earlier, but I didn’t catch his name. I figured it was either Logan or Reid since he said he was grabbing a shower, but he never told me.”

Cammie’s lips curve up into a knowing smile as she starts to respond to my question. “That, my dear, is Reid. I told you Jack’s housemates are easy on the eyes! He’s delish, right? Logan won’t be here tonight. He’s got a mandatory study session and then films for football.”

“Delish” does not even begin to cover it. I thought Jay was good-looking, but Reid puts him to shame. Reid is the epitome of tall, dark, and fucking amazingly handsome. And even that description doesn’t seem to cut it.

Based on his attire from earlier, it is clear that he works out, but his body seems even more defined in the fitted black tee and loose, but not-too-loose, faded jeans he is currently wearing. His all-over-the-place, messily styled medium brown hair is still a little wet from his shower, and I can see a few droplets of water on his neck. Lucky water droplets. I want to lick them up.

He catches me staring and shoots me a quick look of recognition and a brief nod – so calm and cool, when I am over here stifling the urge to jump up and down, flailing my arms to get him to come over to me. I maintain my cool, though, and just keep dancing, my inner voice telling me that it would be so very lame to be “that girl” at my first party.

An hour or so and who knows how many dances later, and my feet are killing me. I am ready to call it quits when I feel hands grab at my waist from behind. I can’t see who it is initially, but I can tell just from the smell; it isn’t as sweaty as it was earlier, but it is the same combination of cologne and man, with the new addition of body wash, that makes me give my thighs a tight squeeze.

“I think you owe me a dance.” His warm breath on my neck makes my legs turn to Jell-O and my heart thud in my chest.

“Owe you? For what?” My voice sounds breathy even to me.

He spins me around so that we are face to face. “For the water, of course,” he says.

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize ….” My voice trails off, and his lips quirk up into a little smile. A gorgeous little smile. Call me crazy, but the look in his eyes is one of flirtation. Reid is flirting with me. Well, color me confused!

“It’s okay, Maddy. I’m kidding. C’mon, let’s dance a little.” His voice relaxes me a little, but my heart refuses to beat anything other than a furious tattoo against my ribs.

The bastard is laughing at me.
Well, you want to dish it out, I’ll dish it right back
. I lower my lids to a sexy, sultry look, wrap my hand around his neck, and bring his ear to my lips. Without a centimeter of space between us, I murmur, “I could pay you back with more than a dance, Reid.”

I place my hands on his chest and push back just slightly. I see his pupils dilate and hear the hitch in his breath. Score one for Maddy!

“So you did a little digging, huh?”

I’m pretty sure my face conveys my confusion, as my brows are furrowed. Digging? Huh?

“My name – you just had to find out who I am, didn’t you?” He is amused and playing along.

“Of course I dug. I needed to know who was responsible for getting me all hot and sweaty before.” I realize my error as soon as the words are out of my mouth.

“So I got you all hot and bothered, hmm? Let’s see if I can do it again.” With that, he grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor.