The room is cavernous, full of gaming tables though most of them are empty. The place is pretty dead for a Friday night.
“Not very busy,” Steven says, as if he read my mind.
“Well, that means you have your pick of what to play,” I tell him with a smile, glancing around the room, my gaze snagging—and stopping—on Shep Prescott.
He’s grinning at me like I’m the best thing he’s seen in days.
I wave at him and he rises to his feet, striding toward me and greeting me like a long lost friend.
“Alex.” He pulls me into an enthusiastic hug, pressing me so close I can feel the hard, muscular wall of his chest. If Jade saw this hug she might want to scratch my eyes out. “So good to see you. Glad you’re here at our humble little business,” he says when he pulls away from me. He turns his friendly smile onto Steven while I stand there in semi-shock. Shep runs the gambling house? I had no idea. “Who’s your friend?”
I introduce them and they shake hands, Shep looking at me yet again and shaking his head, the grin permanently etched into his face. “You are the last person I expected to see tonight.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Oh, it’s an interesting thing. Let’s put it that way.” His eyes sparkle and he slaps Steven on the back, almost knocking him forward. “You here to play?”
“Definitely,” Steven says firmly, reaching for his wallet. Shep puts out a hand, stalling him.
“Don’t bust out the money yet. Keep your cool,” he advises, his voice low. “What are you in the mood for tonight?”
“Poker.”
Shep turns his attention on me. “Alex. You want something to drink?”
I nod, my gaze meeting Steven’s. “You want something?”
“A beer would be good. Thanks,” Steven says, already eyeing the poker table nearby. “I’ll be over there,” he says with a nod as he heads for the table.
Huh. I watch him go, my gaze meeting Shep’s, who’s still watching me like he’s in on some joke and I missed the punch line. “You two are seeing each other?”
“This is our first date.”
“Ah.” He nods. “I’ve seen him in here before. He always loses his ass. Every single time.”
Of course. Most everyone who walks into this place does, I’m sure. “So this is yours?”
“Well, mine along with my partners.”
“Who are your partners?” I’m almost afraid to ask.
“Your boy is in trouble tonight. My dealer’s on fire,” Shep says, changing the subject.
Hmm.
“Go easy on him,” I say softly.
“Not up to me.” He flicks his head toward the dealer who’s taking Steven’s one hundred dollar bill and cashing it in for chips. “Want me to grab you that drink? What do you prefer?”
“Please. Um, two beers. Whatever you’ve got.”
“One for you and your friend?” Shep raises his brows.
“Yeah,” I say slowly. Shep is actually wiggling his brows now, like some sort of demented cartoon character. “What is your deal anyway?”
“Tonight’s been pretty fucking funny.” He twists his mouth into a wry smile. “Sorry.”
Oo-kay. “No biggie.” I wave a hand. “Why’s it so funny?”
“Just weird stuff happening. I’ll go get your beers. Be right back.” He leaves before I can say anything else. I watch him go, shaking my head.
Guys are so strange. Shep was acting odd. I hope he’s not doing anything he shouldn’t be. I don’t want to know if he’s like, possibly cheating on Jade? They seemed so into each other at the Halloween party but hell, I don’t really know him.
I don’t know anyone here. Not Shep, not Steven, not Jade or Lucy or Gabe. Kelli is the only person I’m close to and she’s not here tonight. She went out with the rest of the girls—they invited me but I already agreed to go out with Steven so I had to pass.
Sort of a bummer I couldn’t go. It would’ve been nice, getting to know them better.
Deciding I need to use the restroom before I crack open a beer, I head down the darkened hall, spotting a sliver of light shining from beneath a closed door. I lift my hand, about to knock to see if anyone’s inside when I feel a big, warm hand clasp my shoulder. A shriek escapes me and I whirl around to find none other than Tristan in front of me, his gaze dark, standing so close to me I can hear him breathe.
“Alexandria,” he drawls like the arrogant bastard that he is. “What are you doing here?”
My heart is beating so hard I swear he can probably see it pounding beneath my sweater. “I could say the same to you.” I sound breathless and God, I hate that. He doesn’t make me breathless.
So why am I excited to see him? Because I am. I so am and there is no way I can admit that because he’ll just become even more arrogant, to the point of insufferable.
Fine. He’s already insufferable. I was just being nice.
He grins and moves closer, leaving me no choice but to back up until my butt hits the wall. “I own this place.” He pauses, tilting his head toward me. “And don’t try and tell me you didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t know it,” I immediately say. No wonder Shep didn’t want to tell me who his partners were.
“This is Gabe’s house. The three of us, we’re partners.” He props his hand on the wall, right beside my head, drawing himself even closer. “What are you doing here, Alexandria?”
I make a face. “Only my grandmother calls me Alexandria.” It’s true. She’s been dead for ten years but seriously. No one calls me by my full name unless I’m at an appointment or it’s the first day of class.
“I refuse to call you Alex.” He touches my chin, slips his finger beneath it and forces me to look up and meet his gaze. “How about Ali?”
My skin tingles where he touches me. The nickname is cute. Much more feminine. I refuse to let him call me something intimate and sweet. I’ll find more meaning in it than there really is and who wants that?
“I need to go find my date,” I tell him.
His smile is all knowing as he leans in close, his mouth right at my ear. “I guarantee he doesn’t even know you’re gone. That asshole doesn’t appreciate you and you know it.”
“Right, like you appreciate me?” I raise my hand to stop him, fingers splayed, palm flat against his chest. His heart is racing, I can feel it go boom, boom, boom against my hand and as if I have no control over my fingers I curl them into the fabric of his shirt. Pulling him closer…
“You know you want the big D,” he whispers as he tilts his head, his mouth just above mine. “Just give in to your urges, baby. I’ll be whatever you need.”
His words are like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, snapping me out of the Tristan-induced haze I was falling under. I release his shirt and give him a shove, then duck underneath his arm so I can get away from him as fast as possible. “Stay away from me,” I demand as I start to leave.
Tristan grabs hold of my arm, swinging me around so I face him once more. “Where the hell are you going?”
I jerk out of his hold, rubbing my arm where he touched me. It’s like his fingers imprint themselves on my skin. “Do you really think you can win me over by telling me I want the big D?” I’m yelling but I don’t care. Let everyone hear me. He’s the ass who said it not me. “Despite what every other female tells you, I’m not interested in your dick, Tristan.”
He blinks, appearing shocked. “I didn’t mean—”
“Shut up, you so meant it.” I run up on him, get right in his face. Has anyone ever gotten in this guy’s face before? I doubt it. He’s a cocky asshole who’s gotten away with whatever he wanted for too long. Well, not anymore. He’s not getting me. I refuse to let him near me ever again. Screw that I’m-so-drawn-to-him- and-I-don’t-know-why vibe.
Clearly I was delusional.
“Seriously, Al—”
“Shut. Up. Tristan.” I press my fingers against his mouth, silencing him. His lips are soft and warm and damn it, I have to resist the urge to trace them, learn their shape. He’s a complete prick. A sexy prick but that doesn’t matter.
It can’t matter.
“Don’t say another word,” I tell him, my voice soft, almost a whisper. “Are you going to be quiet and listen?” When he nods I drop my hand from his mouth and take a deep breath. “Girls don’t want a guy to come on to them like he’s the biggest sleaze ball that ever lived. If you really want to win her over, don’t tell her you know she wants the big D. That’s just gross.”
He doesn’t speak, those dark blue eyes stare at me like he can’t believe what I’m saying. Good. He needs to soak it up. This is much-needed advice, I’m sure. Whatever girls he’s been hanging around with, if all they like talking about is his so-called giant dick, then they need to get a hobby and fast.
“And don’t call a girl you barely know baby. It makes them think you can’t remember their name, and that’s super insulting.”
Still nothing from Tristan, so I continue.
“Lurking in the hall near the bathroom isn’t a great place to try and talk to a girl either. I don’t know if you’re into me or not. Clearly, you’re down to fuck. But guess what? I’m thinking you’re down to fuck just about anyone who walks into this place with a decent face and a vagina. Am I right?” When he remains silent I go on. “If you like empty fucking with nameless, faceless girls, then go on with your bad self. I’m sure you’ll have a great time fucking your way across campus, if you haven’t done so already.”
I’m sure he has. He’s a senior, like Shep and Gabe. They’ve been on this campus for three years, going on four. That’s a lot of girls for him to fuck.
A lot.
He shoves his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, drawing the denim tight across his thighs. I can’t help but notice because damn it all to hell, the man is fine. Big ol’ muscular body with sexy arms and that face, those pretty blue eyes that are all-knowing and his beautiful mouth. But when he opens that beautiful, sexy mouth and spits out all those smarmy words, I can’t take it.
“Just know this.” I invade his space, resting my hands on his shoulders so I can rise up on tiptoe and whisper in his ear. “It could’ve been amazing between us, Tristan. But you fucked it up before we even had a chance.”
Alexandria releases her hold on my shoulders and steps away, her gaze never leaving mine. I catch a glimpse of it for one quick moment, all the pent up lust she’s feeling for me that matches exactly how I feel about her, but then it’s gone. Like it never existed.
Snuffed out like a lit match. One moment fire, the next moment…
Nothing.
“Bye Tristan,” she whispers just before she turns and walks away, leaving me alone in the hallway like a loser.
Which I am. A loser. Not only did I just lose my bet with Shep and one thousand fucking dollars, I also lost the girl. The fucking girl who with one look immobilizes me so that I can’t move, I can’t breathe.
I can’t do anything but bask in her presence.
She doesn’t look back and I let her go, my gaze lingering on her perfect ass, feeling the loss of her before she’s even out of sight. I lean against the wall, wait for a few minutes before I slowly walk back out into the casino area, hoping like hell no one notices me.
I’m still reeling from what she said. And how she said it.
Shep is nowhere to be found, the bastard. Alexandria is standing behind Steven as he sits at the single poker table we have open tonight, her hand resting on his shoulder like it belongs there.
Shit.
“How’d it go?” Shep materializes behind me out of nowhere like a ghost. “Bang her yet?”
“I don’t move that fast,” I say out of the side of my mouth, my gaze unable to stray from Alexandria. It’s torture, watching her. Having her so close and unable to do anything about it.
“Why not? I used to,” he says smugly.
“I’m calling bullshit.” Shep was a smooth motherfucker but he wasn’t that smooth.
“Face reality, cuz.” I really fucking hate it when he calls me cuz. “That girl just iced your ass out. She hates you.”
“I’ll win her over,” I say confidently, hating how she squeezes Steven the dipshit’s shoulder when he wins a hand. “It takes time.”
“Ha, you don’t have time. You have to get her naked by the end of the night,” Shep points out. “And since when do you believe anything that involves a woman takes time?”
I turn on him and he takes a step back, that shit-eating grin still on his face. I want to do physical harm to him, swear to God. “We never put that condition on it. I have all the time in the world.”
The grin falls. “That’s cheating, bro.”
“I don’t think so, bro.” I smile, feeling pretty good right about now. “It might take a little while, but I’m winning this bet.”
“So you say,” he mutters.
“Want to make it double or nothing?” I ask.
He’s quiet for a moment, rubbing his jaw as he contemplates my suggestion. “She finds out you did this, she’ll hate your guts.”
I shrug, ignoring the sudden fear that makes my stomach bottom out. “She already hates my guts. What’s the difference?”
“The difference is she’ll hate you even more if you do this and she catches you. Especially if you two end up hooking up—all over a bet.” He takes a deep breath. “No double or nothing. Original deal we agreed on or I’m done. Jesus, Jade will kill me if she knows I’m encouraging you like this.”
Look at Shep and his conscious. “Then don’t tell her. Do you really have to confess everything you do and say to Jade?” I ask pointedly.
“Yeah, actually I do. We don’t keep secrets from each other.” He glares at me, all humor gone. “You don’t understand what it’s like.”
“I don’t want to understand. Trust me.” I whip out my phone and scroll through my contacts before I start typing.
“Who are you texting?” Shep sounds like he’s about to break out into a cold sweat and throw up his dinner. Nervous fucker.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m texting Kelli.”
“She’s with Jade, you dumbass.” He tries to snag my phone out of my hands but I turn away before he can grab it.
“Scared of your girl that bad? Jesus, get a grip.” I keep my back to him as I finish my text and hit send.
I need a favor.
Kelli’s reply is almost immediate.
If you want to make out that would be a no.
I shake my head and reply.
I think you’re obsessed with me.
You wish. What do you want? I’m out with the girls.
I know. I need a phone number.
Who’s?
Alexandria’s.
No reply for a few seconds and I can feel Shep pacing behind me. “You’re a dick,” he mutters.
“You’re the dick who’s scared of his girlfriend. Trust me, I’m not involving her in this.” I stare at my screen, willing a text to appear. And then it does.
I shouldn’t give it to you.
Why the hell not?
I don’t think she likes you that much. She’d probably be pissed if she knew I gave it to you.
Let me worry about that.
They’re all pissed at me. They all hate me. Because I say and do what I want and don’t give a shit what other people think. My heart is hard, just like my fucking soul and I flat out don’t care.
I’m becoming more and more like my old man every single day. It’s Mom who’s soft. Who lost her shit and almost took her life. It was his tough exterior and grim determination that got them through the hard times.
But you don’t have to deal with hard times if you let anyone into your heart, right?
A number appears on my screen, followed immediately by a reply from Kelli.
Tell her where you got this and I’ll kill you.
I immediately enter Alexandria’s number into my contacts before I answer Kelli.
Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Thanks K.
I delete our conversation just to be sure.
“You’re going about this all wrong,” Shep tells me.
I barely look at him. I’m too busy trying to figure out what exactly do I say to Alexandria.
“There are rules you know,” he continues.
“Like what? You broke all those rules with Jade remember? One and done and all that shit. You’re a non-believer.” Christ, what do I say to her without coming across as a dick? And she thinks I’m the dick to end all dicks.
Should I apologize?
Yeah. I should. Chicks love it when you say sorry. But no groveling. I don’t think I need to stoop to that level yet.
I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.
I hit send before I can second-guess myself.
Watching her receive the text, knowing that she’s reading the words I typed only seconds ago is a trip. She pulls her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and reads the message, her brows furrowing. Then her fingers start flying on the screen.
Who is this?
You know who it is. The prick who lurks in hallways hoping to pick up helpless women who are down to fuck.
A little smile curls her lips when she reads my response and I smile in return, struck yet again by how beautiful she is. That sweater she’s wearing really brings out the blue in her eyes.
I scrub a hand over my face. Did I really just think that?
Yes. I fucking did.
My phone dings and I read her text.
How did you get my number?
I’m magical. I can make anything happen.
I lift my head after I hit send, our gazes meeting across the room. Steven isn’t paying attention to her. From the grimace on his face I’m thinking he’s too worried about the bad hand he was just dealt.
That could be taken two ways, I suppose. Because in this story, that asshole isn’t getting the girl.
I am.