The List (7 page)

“My roommate will let us in,” he said, bending his right knee and leaning to the side.

I tried to keep my eyes off his muscles, but they were like a mythological Siren, calling me to stare. He didn't seem to mind, so I didn't even try to look away. Guys like him were made to be stared at—it was simple science, in my opinion.

The door buzzed and Ryan stood up. His gray eyes met mine and he winked. “Don't need to keep mentally undressing me, Buttercup,” he said, pulling the door open for me.

My cheeks grew warm, but I laughed and followed him into the building. The rush of cool air swept over us, leaving my skin sticky. A sigh of relief whooshed out of me. There's nothing quite as refreshing as stepping into an air-conditioned building after the humidity of the south.

“If that's what I was doing, it wouldn't take much. You're practically naked as it is,” I snapped back, then immediately pressed my lips together.

Where did that snappy reply come from? It was a little unsettling. Normally I was so tongue-tied around anyone but family that I couldn't string two words together.

Ryan laughed and motioned for me to follow as he jogged up the stairs. It helped me relax, but my stomach was still uneasy. The whole discovering who I was thing was turning out to be a lot easier than I'd thought it would. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd expected, but I hadn't thought I'd be so at ease after less than two days away from home.

Ryan opened the door to his apartment and kicked off his shoes. He waved toward the couches. “Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to take a quick shower,” he said, heading toward the back of the apartment. “Liam is around here somewhere.”

I
stood in the middle of the small living room for a few seconds, feeling completely lost. It was small but nice, and looked just as I had imagined a college apartment: Couches and chairs that were worn and obviously secondhand. Posters on the wall displaying bikini-clad women sprawled across cars and motorcycles. A couple of beer signs and dozens of empty bottles lined up along the top of the cabinets in the kitchen. And a huge TV that probably cost more than all the furniture put together. It was cleaner than I expected, though—that was good.

It took me only two seconds to decide I should text Cami. I pulled my phone out and saw that I'd missed two texts from her already—both yelling at me for not being back at the room to try on my new clothes. That made a smile spread across my face. I shook my head as I typed a quick message, letting her know I'd run into Ryan and had gone back to his apartment. Before I could put my phone in my back pocket, it dinged.

I rolled my eyes and tucked the phone in my pocket. The sound of running water came from the back of the apartment, followed by footsteps. Where was this Liam guy? The thought of him walking out and finding me standing in the middle of the apartment by myself made my stomach churn, but I was stuck.

I threw myself on the couch, grabbed the remote, and flipped the TV on. It was already tuned to ESPN. I tossed the remote aside and sat back to watch some of the preseason reports. Football was starting in just a few weeks, and this was normal viewing in my house.

Footsteps padded into the room behind me and someone opened the fridge. A few bottles clinked together, then someone with a smooth British accent said, “You gotta take your flat key with you when you go runnin', mate. What if I'd been in the loo?”

My heart pounded, but I didn't move. The sound of a top being popped off a bottle filled the room, then metal clinked against the counter like he'd tossed it aside. I held my breath when the footsteps came closer, waiting for him to realize I wasn't Ryan.

“Classes start tomorrow. Ready to get pissed?” Liam stopped next to the couch with his beer halfway to his mouth.

I looked up and shrugged, and a slow smile spread across his face.

“Blow me.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?” Sure, I didn't have a lot of experience with guys, but I didn't think it was normal for strangers to ask for sexual favors.

He lowered his bottle and grinned. “Sorry, love. Didn't know Ryan brought someone home. Not really like him.” He threw himself in the chair next to me and grinned. “That wasn't a request. Unless you're offerin', that is.” He shot me a wicked look that dripped sin.

A laughed popped out of my mouth even though I was certain I should be offended.

“I'm Liam,” he said with a grin.

Liam had hair just a few shades lighter than Ryan's, and a very light sprinkling of freckles across his face. His eyes were dark blue and twinkled with mischief, and his bottom teeth were just a little bit crooked. It was endearing and added playfulness to his smile.

“Annie,” I said.

He nodded and took another sip of his beer. “Nice to meet you, Annie. You want a drink?”

I shrugged and nodded at the same time. “Um . . . sure.”

Liam grinned and took another sip. “You don't sound too sure about that now. Wouldn't want to force you.” He winked and set his drink on the table before hopping up.

Liam headed into the kitchen. Before he'd even had a chance to open my beer, Ryan came padding out of the bathroom. He had a pair of khaki shorts on and his blond hair was still damp. I got a good glimpse of his abs before he pulled a Corona t-shirt over his head.

“You playing nice out here, Liam?”

Liam grinned and popped the top off the bottle he was holding. “Didn't know a fit bird followed you home, mate.”

Ryan shook his head and pulled a beer out of the fridge for himself. “You spend a couple months home in England and I'm back to not understanding a word you say.”

“Can't help it if we Brits are more articulate.”

Ryan shook his head again and ripped my beer out of Liam's hand. “Right,” he said, heading into the living room and holding the bottle out to me. “He behave?”

I nodded and took the bottle.

Ryan sat next to me while Liam threw himself back into the chair and grabbed his beer. “Relax, mate. You know I won't filch your girl.”

“She's not my girl, she's Cami's roommate.” Ryan took a swig from his bottle, then pulled his cell phone out. “Probably should give her a call.”

“I already texted her,” I said. I took a big drink and cringed when the bitter liquid hit my tongue. Coughing just a little, I said, “She's on her way.”

Liam wiggled his eyebrows and leaned forward. “Cami, eh?”

Ryan swore under his breath and sat up straight. “She counts as one of my girls. Hands off,” he said, pointing his beer at Liam.

Liam grinned and leaned back. “All right, don't get your knickers in a bunch. We going to a pub or hanging out at the flat tonight?”

“Class starts tomorrow—let's just stay here,” Ryan said.

Liam nodded. “I'm easy.”

I shook my head and put my beer on the table. “What?”

“Don't pay attention to him. Half the things out of his mouth sound sexual, but it's usually just some British term. Although I have a feeling he does it to throw people off.”

Liam grinned and didn't even try to deny it. I had a feeling Ryan was spot-on.

“Is that why you asked me to blow you?”

Ryan was mid-drink when I asked the question. He choked on his beer and had to cover his mouth to keep from coughing it all over the room.

Liam chuckled and took another big sip. “I like this one.”

Ryan rolled his eyes and turned toward me. “If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from this guy. Don't let his sexy accent pull you in.”

“I've never had any complaints, mate. Actually, they usually thank me.” Liam winked at me and my cheeks got hot.

“Right,” Ryan said. “Is that before or after you shove them out the door?”

“Before, of course.”

A buzz filled the apartment and Ryan jumped to his feet, tossing a pillow at Liam when he walked by. “Prick.”

Liam laughed and threw the pillow on the floor.

Ryan pushed the intercom button. “Who's there?”

“Open the door, you ass,” came a male voice. It took me all of two seconds to realize it was Chris, and my stomach dropped. After our earlier conversation, I wasn't all that thrilled to find out he'd come too.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan muttered, pushing the button to unlock the door. “I'm glad he walked Cami over, but I have a feeling Chris only came because you're here, Buttercup. He's still pretty pissed at me for not rooming with him this year.” Ryan grinned and flopped down next to me on the couch. He eyed the TV and the corners of his mouth turned down just a tad. “You don't have to watch ESPN, you know.”

I shrugged and swallowed the last mouthful of beer in my bottle. It still made me cringe, but it was getting better. “I'm used to it. Four brothers, remember?”

Cami's giggle filled the apartment when the front door opened, but she and Chris weren't alone. Boobalicious and Mitch were with them. Amber was wearing an even tighter shirt than the night before, and Liam's face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July. Mitch was busy flirting with Cami, who was giggling and egging him on. Ryan stiffened next to me.

“What'd I say last night, asshat?” Ryan yelled.

Mitch tore his eyes off Cami and shrugged, walking right past Ryan to the kitchen. “You can't keep her from dating, man.”

“Yeah, but I can keep her from getting screwed over by assholes,” Ryan muttered.

His eyes met mine and he shook his head. “You and Cami need to be careful. Guys like that”—he tipped his beer toward the kitchen—“are only after one thing. At least Liam's honest about it.”

Chris sat next to me on the arm of the couch and leaned over. “Hey.”

My mouth went dry. I reached for my beer, but it was empty. My lips morphed into a pout that probably resembled a face Cami would make.

Ryan chuckled when he jumped to his feet. “I'll get you another.”

Chris slid down next to me, taking Ryan's place. “Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean it how it sounded. I came looking for you afterward, and Cami chewed me out. I just—” He glanced over his shoulder to where Cami and Amber were standing, then lowered his voice. “I'm tired of fake girls, you know?”

“I'm not being fake, Chris.”

“I get it.” He chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked around.

He acted like he was going to say something, but before he could, Ryan plopped down on the other side of me. He handed me a beer. My hand brushed his and heat ran up my arm to my neck, going straight to my cheeks. Ryan's gray eyes met mine and he tilted his head to the side. His blond hair was almost dry by then, and it fell across one eye. My fingers were just itching to push it back for him, but he brushed it away before I had a chance.

Chris cleared his throat and Ryan tore his eyes away from mine before saying, “Was I interrupting something?”

Before I could talk, Cami sat on the coffee table right in front of me and grinned. “So which one are we doing tonight?”

She was talking about the list, but every guy in the room leaned forward and looked back and forth between the two of us.

Ryan pressed his lips together. “What?”

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him dismissively. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Well, now you have to spill,” Liam said. “Because everyone in this room has very vivid pictures in their heads.”

“They better not,” Ryan muttered.

Cami rolled her eyes at her cousin, then turned them to me. I shrugged and took another drink. The first one had gone straight to my head, and I was already feeling more relaxed. I didn't want to overdo it, though; my first hangover on the first day of classes did not sound fun.

“Annie and I have a few
things
we want to do before our freshman year is over, that's all,” she said elusively. “Things we've never done before.”

“Sounds fun,” Chris said. “Like what?”

“Well, some of them are personal.” Cami arched an eyebrow and grinned. “And some are small things—like Annie getting her ears pierced today.”

“You didn't have your ears pierced?” Amber spat at me. She leaned over the back of the couch and her cleavage was practically in Ryan's face. “I have so many holes in my body, I've lost count.”

“And they're all very well used,” Cami muttered.

Amber stood straight up and her boobs bounced so high I was afraid she was going to end up with two black eyes. “Bitch, say that again.”

Ryan shot to his feet. “Hey! That's enough, Amber.”

Amber's face scrunched up and she muttered something under her breath before stomping to the door. “I'm out of here.”

Liam grinned and jumped up. “Going to a pub?”

Amber's expression softened in a way that reminded me of an SPCA commercial. The way the wounded animals stared at the camera with their big, sad eyes. Begging for just a little bit of love.

She pushed her chest out and ran a bloodred fingernail down Liam's bicep. “Yeah.”

“Allow me to escort you. Wouldn't want you to get lost.” He held the door open so she could go first, and his eyes followed her ass out the door. He wiggled his eyebrows at Ryan with a wicked glint in his eyes. “I'll punish her for you, mate.”

“Son of a bitch,” Ryan muttered when the door shut. But he was grinning.

“Back to this stuff you want to do,” he said, turning his attention to Cami. “What kind of stuff?”

“Oh, you know,” Cami said, waving her hand in the air. “Things like get a guy's number at a bar, get a tattoo, go skinny-dipping.”

Chris sat up straighter and Ryan shook his head, just as Mitch said, “We can take care of that skinny-dipping thing right now. You got a shower, right, Ryan?”

Ryan's jaw tightened. “That isn't skinny-dipping.”

Mitch shrugged and winked at Cami. “There's water and your clothes are off. Close enough.”

Ryan's face turned red and his gray eyes narrowed on Mitch. Before he could say anything, my phone rang. I jumped up and pulled it out of my pocket. It was Aiden. I wasn't sure why he'd be calling when I'd already talked to him, but I couldn't ignore it.

“I need to take this,” I said.

Ryan moved his legs so I could walk by and pointed to the glass door at the other side of the room—never taking his eyes off Mitch. “Go on the balcony, so you can hear.”

I pushed
TALK
while I slid the door open. “Aiden?” The connection was bad and the voices sounded far off. “Can you hear me?”

A female giggled somewhere in the background, and Aiden said something I couldn't quite make out. I pushed the phone closer to my ear, only to hear my brother say something so explicit I had the urge to rip out my eardrums.

I pressed
END
and squeezed the phone so tight that if I were any stronger, I would have smashed it for sure. Of course he was out having a good time. Dad never cared if the boys went out, just me. It shouldn't have made me mad after all these years, especially when I was finally out enjoying myself too. But it did. For a second I was so angry I couldn't move.