MINE FOR NOW
(Book 1 in the Wild Love series)
CHAPTER ONE
Bass pounded in the air, red plastic cups littered the table, and a half dozen students played beer pong in the dining room. Party time in the Scholar House.
Dylan McCaffrey strode right past them, heading for his room.
“Dude.” A guy lifted his cup, waving him in. “Play with me.”
He didn’t recognize him, but it was only the second day of school. Breezing by, Dylan gave him a chin nod. “Later.” And then it struck him.
No one knew him here.
For the first time in his life he wasn’t That damn McCaffrey kid. He wasn’t Lorraine’s son. No one would glare as he passed by or watch his hands when he walked through a store.
He had a fresh slate.
Well, hell. That tiny glint of freedom sent a pulse of energy through him. But just as he turned back around to join them, his phone vibrated.
Anxiety tripped down his spine. He thumbed the button to take the call. “Hey.”
“We’re here.” His uncle sounded calm. Good sign.
“You just land?” Okay, forget beer pong. He had to deal with his family first. He had plenty of time to get to know these guys.
“A few minutes ago. We’ve only got carry-on, so this should be quick.”
Dylan raced up the stairs, only to find the girl across the hall from him pounding on her door.
“Let me in, Caroline. This is my room, too.” In her bright yellow dress and red high tops, the girl swiped bangs out of her eyes.
“What’s going on?” his uncle asked. “Everything all right over there?”
“Yeah. Someone’s locked out of her room.”
“Lost her keys already?” He chuckled. “I remember those days. Listen, we’re heading for the rental car place. Should we swing by on our way to the hotel?”
“No.” He lowered his voice so the girl wouldn’t hear. “I have to go into town anyway, so I’ll just meet you there.”
“You’re worried.”
He really needed to work on his knee-jerk reactions. His mom had done great the past several months, going to her job and AA meetings. She’d mostly stayed clean this summer. Just one relapse at the beginning, but she’d pulled it together. Gotten back on track.
Besides, his uncle believed in her. He wouldn’t be back in her life if she’d been messing up. So, she could come to the house. Since she didn’t need cash for drugs and booze, he didn’t have to worry about her stealing from his housemates.
Relief carved a path right through him, giving him breathing room for the first time in…well, ever. “Yeah. A little, I guess.” Eighteen years of living with an addict had made him cautious.
“I understand, but she’s been terrific. Best I’ve seen her in years.”
Dylan hadn’t realized how wound up he was until the tension in his neck and shoulders suddenly eased. His uncle was right. Even her sponsor had encouraged this visit.
“Caroline.” The girl pummeled the door with both fists.
When he got off the phone, he’d ask the residential advisor to come up and let her in. “I have to fill out some job applications in town anyway. By the time I finish, you guys should be at the hotel. We can eat there.”
Of course he’d bring her by the house—that was the reason for her visit, to see his new life in college—but maybe he’d wait until everyone was in class. He’d only been away from home three days. And it was the first time they’d been apart in eighteen years. Exposing her to all these new people—kids who mostly came from boarding and prep schools—might be too stressful. Better to ease her into it.
“Sounds good.” His uncle paused. “I know you’ve never understood why we cut her off, but we’re just damn glad she’s pulled herself together.”
“I know you’re in there,” the girl shouted. “I can hear you moaning. Come on, Caroline, you’re not going to lock me out every time you want to get laid.” Tilting her head back, she blew out a breath. She wore something weird in her hair—a big bow of some kind.
“Let me talk to you later. This girl’s—”
“We’re so damn proud of you, son.” His uncle sighed. “I know how hard it was for you, choosing this school…but it was the best choice you could’ve made. We want you to do well. And now that she’s thinking clearly, your mom does, too. I think seeing you in college will give her peace of mind. And it might just give her that extra incentive to stay clean.”
Accepting a scholarship to a school two thousand miles from home had been the hardest decision Dylan had ever made. But how could he turn down a full ride to the best liberal arts school in the nation?
And having his family back in the picture would make it possible for him to stay. He’d done everything he could to set her up for success. Using his summer paychecks, he’d paid her bills for the next two months. He’d also marked the calendar when she needed to pay future ones. He’d even gotten her a job three towns over, where no one knew about her, just to give her a clear shot at reinventing herself.
Unlocking his door, he glanced over to find the girl jamming a metal nail file into the doorframe and jiggling the knob. He smiled at her perseverance.
“Is she there?” Dylan asked his uncle. “Can I talk to her?”
“She went to get us some water, but I’ll bring the phone to her. Hang on a second.”
He entered his room, checking for his roommate. Then, he caught himself. Shaking his head, he realized he’d done it again.
He didn’t have to hide his conversations. He didn’t have to hide. His mom was sober now. This’ll take some getting used to.
“Dylan?” his mom said.
A rush of warmth spread through him at the sound of this voice. She sounded…well, like a normal mom.
That meant everything to him.
“Hey, Mom. How was the flight?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve traveled anywhere, I guess I was nervous. But I’m so glad to be here. I wish…well, I wish I’d come with you. Helped you move in.”
She’d told him she couldn’t take the time off from work, but he suspected she’d wanted to punish him for choosing Wilmington over Boulder—or any school in Colorado. AA was working, if she could apologize and see past her own needs. “There wasn’t much to move in, but I’m glad you’re here now.”
“I can’t wait to see you.” He heard voices in the background. “Oh, okay. We’re getting on the shuttle to the rental car place. I’ll see you soon, sweet boy.”
Emotion flooded him so hard his fingertips tingled. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to him with such pure kindness. Christ, she really was going to be all right.
He disconnected the call and hurled his backpack onto his bed. Glancing out the door, he saw the girl trying to unwind the wire of a coat hanger.
“Do I seriously have to take my keys with me every time I leave my room? This is ridiculous.” The girl let out a growl. Then, fingers curling into fists, she threw her shoulder into the door.
“Hang on.”
She looked up at him—the first time he’d actually seen her face—and he felt a jolt in his chest. The intensity in her hazel eyes made everything inside him go quiet.
He slipped his phone into his pocket. “You want me to get Chase up here?”
She tightened the bow in her hair, smoothing her hands down her sundress. “I learned something. I’m not the Hulk. The door doesn’t yield to my supernatural strength.” She flexed her biceps. “These guns? Not intimidating in the least.”
He eyed the slight rise in her slender arms. “Surprising, considering how impressive they are.”
“Right?” And then she let out an exasperated breath, pushing the drooping bow out of her eyes. “This is the second night she’s locked me out so she can fadoodle with a total stranger.”
Fadoodle? He bit back a smile. “Yeah, well, how long can it take?”
“Really? Because I slept on the couch last night. And you know what? That is not gonna fly with me. This is my room. My only place on this whole freaking campus, and there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to let some entitled heiress keep me out of it.” She turned back to the door.
“Having fun in college yet?”
She had a mischievous smile and a warmth in her eyes that sent a surprising wash of heat up his neck. “Not yet, but I will. You can count on it.”
“You need a hand?”
“And have you get sucked into the sexual vortex that is Caroline Thayer? No freaking way.”
“All right, well, I’m gonna head into town.”
“Enjoy. I’ll be in my room. Planting my flag in the carpet.” She gave him a dazzling smile, sticking her hand out. “I’m Nicole.”
“Dylan.” He needed to get going, but he knew Nicole wasn’t getting into that room any time soon. And he also knew what it felt like to need a place for himself. “Let me see what I can do.” He turned back and rooted around in his desk for his Swiss Army knife. Motioning for her to step aside, he quickly removed the screws that held the doorknob.
She pushed up behind him, her body brushing against his.
He stilled, aware of her heat and the scent of something sweet, clean. When her hair brushed over his arm, chill bumps burst out and spread along his skin.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, surprised at his reaction to her.
She gave him a warm smile. “I want to watch how you do it, so I can do it myself next time.”
Didn’t she notice how close she stood? Close enough to make his heart pound. He stepped back a little, giving her room to watch. Reaching into the hole, he removed the bolt that connected the knob to the strike plate and opened the door.
Light from the hallway spilled into the room, where he got a view of two people going at it on the bed. Caroline jerked up, hands covering her breasts. “Oh, my God, what’re you doing?”
The room stank of pot, sex, and…
Nicole charged in. “You’re eating my peanut butter.”
…peanut butter. A locker sat open in front of the other bed, its contents spread all over the blanket.
Nicole grabbed her things and started tossing them into the trunk. “You can’t just take my food.”
“It’s a few snacks. Get over yourself.” Caroline reached for a silky robe, shoved her arms in it. “When the scarf’s on the door, that’s your cue to give me some privacy.”
Well, that explained the droopy bow in Nicole’s hair.
“Wrong. When you want to hook up with someone, you find a private place to do it. When you want to look jaunty, you wear the scarf.”
Caroline narrowed her gaze to the bow. “Oh, my God, give that to me, freak.” She made a grab for it, but Nicole ducked.
Jaunty? He smiled. Something about this chick. He couldn’t figure her out. Caroline was easy to tag—hot, rich girl. Liked to party. But Nicole? She didn’t look rich. Her hair—dark brown, no fancy highlights—looked choppy, as if she’d hacked it off herself. It had so many layers it shook and shimmied every time she moved. Her yellow sundress hid her shape, and the high tops did nothing to flatter her pale, slender legs. No manicure, no make-up, but a sparkle in her eyes that showed intelligence and a sense of humor.
But what hit him the most was her warmth. It got inside him. She wasn’t his type at all—but then what was his type? He couldn’t deny he’d stayed with Kelsi as long as he had because she knew his mom. His situation. And she’d handled it. Most girls wouldn’t.
They shouldn’t have to.
And then that wild sense of freedom whipped through him again. He had a fresh start here. That meant he could date whoever he wanted without his mom fucking it up.
The guy rolled out of bed and stepped into his cargo shorts. “I’m out of here.”
Caroline got up, tying the robe’s sash around her waist. She walked toward Dylan, not disguising her blatant interest. “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dirty from across the hall. Finally, we meet.”
Nicole closed the trunk and pushed it under the bed. “His name is Dylan, and he smells like clean clothes and cinnamon. So, yeah, not dirty at all.”
Dylan smiled. He hadn’t had cinnamon gum since that afternoon—funny now she’d noticed.
Caroline’s eyes went hooded, and she smiled. “So glad to meet you.”
“Oh, perfect.” Nicole shot him a look. “Please don’t be the reason she locks me out tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry.” Dylan never took his eyes off Caroline’s. “Never gonna happen.”
The blonde’s smile spread wider. The look in her eyes said, Sure it will.
The guy smacked her bottom. “Catch you later, babe.”
Dylan stepped aside so the guy could leave the room. Since Nicole was all set, he’d go.
“Slow down there, gorgeous.” Caroline opened a drawer in her nightstand, pulled out a half pint bottle of vodka, and waved it at him. “Let’s hang out.”
“Oh, my God, what is wrong with you?” Nicole looked ready to rip her roommate a new one. “We signed a contract. No alcohol, no drugs. Do you want to get kicked out?”
Caroline gave him a look that said, Can you believe I have to live with this? “Wow, we are so not going to get along.” She sat on her bed, letting the robe fall open enough to reveal her upper thighs.
“You do realize if Chase comes in here, I get in trouble, too, right? We share this room, so I’m implicated in your illegal activity.”
“Um, okay. Uptight much?” Caroline held the bottle out to Dylan, then gave Nicole a careless wave. “Look, how about you give me and him some time to get to know each other, okay? Go find somewhere to study or something.”
Dylan had had enough. He came up to Nicole. “Grab your things.”
She looked at him, brow furrowed.
He leaned into her ear. “Crash in my room tonight. Talk to Chase tomorrow about switching rooms.”
“Where would I sleep?”
“You want to stay here?”
“God, no.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Nicole grabbed her toiletry bag, a pair of pajama shorts, and a T-shirt, and stuffed it all in her backpack. She unplugged her laptop and clutched it to her chest, ready to go.
Caroline watched them. “You’re leaving with her?”
He ignored her, following Nicole out of the room.
“Wait a minute. You have to put my doorknob back on.”
Dylan turned to her. “You gonna keep locking her out?”
“Are you kidding me? Like you aren’t going to do the exact same thing when you want some privacy?”
“You know, I never was under the impression the world revolved around me so, no, I won’t be locking my roommate out when I want to get laid.” He joined Nicole in the hall, gesturing to his room. “You gonna be all right in here?”
“Sure. I’ll just get ready for bed and read.”
“Okay, then. I’m heading into town. If I’m not back before you go to sleep, just use my sleeping bag.”
As he turned to go, a group of girls came sauntering down the hallway toward Caroline’s room. Their diamond earrings, expensive watches and clothing…Jesus. Talk about temptation.
And there was that knee-jerk reaction again. His mom was in a great place. He didn’t need to worry about her stealing things.
He let out a breath. He had to let all this shit go.
For the first time in his life, he was free.