I practically freaking skipped into class on Monday, knowing that I’d get to see Melissa. After I ran into her on Friday night, she’d plagued my thoughts all weekend.

Jack had even mentioned Cassie a few times in passing over the weekend, which surprised me, especially after he’d hooked up with that other chick after pissing Cassie off. I figured he’d forgotten all about Melissa’s roommate, but apparently he hadn’t. I wondered if Cassie had consumed his thoughts the way Melissa had haunted mine.

Scanning the small classroom, I didn’t see her, so I took a seat in the middle of the room and hoped she’d show up. It would be the worst kind of torture for me if she skipped class today.

Within minutes, a pink bag was tossed in the seat next to mine, and my little pixie sat down. I closed my eyes for a second, taking a discreet whiff¸ and smiled. Today she smelled like strawberries.

“Hey, Dean.” She pulled a pen from her bag and bit at the cap.

I stared at her mouth before getting a hold of myself. “Hey. Did you have a good time Friday?”

Melissa narrowed her eyes. “Friday, Friday, what was on Friday?”

My heart sank a little before she laughed.

“Just kidding. It was all right. Typical frat party, you know. Dumb drunk guys. Even dumber drunk girls. And your stupid brother to round it all out.”

I laughed at her assessment, thinking how right she was. “Yeah, pretty much. It was good to see you, though,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound stupid.

“It was good to see you too. I still don’t understand how you’re related to Jack, though. Are you sure they didn’t mix up babies in the hospital?”

She smiled, but it seemed a little forced. Something was different. Her leg didn’t accidentally touch mine, and her body language seemed closed off. I wasn’t sure why she was being this way, but I knew I didn’t like it.

Before I could answer, the professor cleared his throat, signaling the beginning of class.

Melissa nudged me with her shoulder, and when I glanced at her, she offered me a cute smile. God, she was truly adorable. How could I be expected to pay attention to the teacher when this pint-sized goddess was sitting next to me, smelling like summer.

Somehow I managed to get through the class. Not only did I pay attention, but I took notes as well. When the class ended, Melissa hopped out of her seat and told me good-bye before I could stop her.

Disappointed, I gathered my things. As I stepped out of my row and into the aisle, a hand on my shoulder made me pause. I turned around to see an unfamiliar pair of brown eyes looking back at me.

“Can I help you?” I asked, staring at the girl as other students filed out around us.

“You . . . you’re Jack Carter’s brother, right?”

I had to force myself to respond. “The one and only.” I faked a yawn.

“Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, um.” Seeming nervous, she twisted her hands together as she asked, “Do you know if he’s seeing anyone right now? I mean, is he single?”

Confused, I studied her through narrowed eyes. “He’s always single.” If this girl was as big of a groupie as she appeared to be, she should know this already.

The poor girl actually blushed. “Oh, right. Of course he is. Well, I just think he’s really hot and so good at baseball. I mean, he’s so, so good. And it must be so cool being related to him.”

Is this chick for real?

“The coolest,” I said sarcastically, hoping she’d catch on.

Instead, she let loose a thrill-filled mini scream. Horrified, I looked around before realizing thankfully that the class was empty.

Her eyes bright, she said quickly, “Well, can you give him this for me, please? Just tell him it’s from Tarah. We met at the party last weekend.” She thrust out her hand to hand me a folded piece of purple note paper.

I looked at her face, trying to place her as the chick Jack had made out with after Cassie left, but this girl’s hair was light brown, not blond, and she wasn’t nearly as tall or leggy. It wasn’t her. I would have sworn I’d never seen this girl in my life.

Not wanting to be rude, I took the note. “Okay. I’ve gotta go, though.”

“Oh yeah, of course. Thanks. Thanks a lot.” Tarah flashed me a grateful smile as she squeezed her binder against her chest, and then brushed past me and ran up the stairs.

Shaking my head, I trudged up the same stairs, wondering if I should trash the note or actually give it to Jack. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to act like his personal assistant.

Curious, I unfolded the paper, which smelled like bubblegum for some reason, and saw a phone number written in black Sharpie. Underneath the number was her name surrounded by a bunch of red hearts and hand-drawn swirly things. I felt like I was looking at a note written by a twelve-year-old.

I belted out a laugh. Oh yeah, I was definitely delivering this to Jack.

I walked into the student union and headed down the stairs to the pizza joint. Once inside, I scanned the room, searching for my brother’s table. It usually wasn’t very hard to find considering he sat surrounded by a bunch of girls acting like fools.

They pawed at him, each trying to get a hand or two on some part of his body like he was a rock star. I would say it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever seen, but since this had been a regular occurrence since we were in high school, I’d be lying.

“Make room for Dean,” Jack demanded as I neared, and the girl closest to him begrudgingly moved her things out of the seat so I could sit down.

After tossing my backpack onto the floor, I sat, my stomach grumbling.

“Here, bro, eat.” Jack shoved some pizza toward me before tossing his arm around my neck. “You’ll never get big like me if you don’t eat,” he teased, and I wrapped my arm around his neck in return.

“I don’t wanna be big like you. I wanna be little forever,” I said, laughing since Jack and I were almost the same size and build.

“Shit, you’re already as big as I am.”

I grabbed a slice of pizza and had just taken a bite when I noticed Melissa and Cassie watching our table from a distance. Half tempted to wave at the girls, I stopped myself, not wanting Jack to notice them if he hadn’t already.

My eyes locked with Melissa’s just as I was about to look away. I sent a small smile her way before I focused on filling my stomach with food.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a present for you,” I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the purple paper.

Jack took it out of my hand with a puzzled look on his face. “What’s this?”

“Just open it,” I mumbled, my mouth filled with food. I chewed as he carefully unfolded it, and tried to stifle a laugh.

He glanced at it and scowled. “Who the hell is Tarah?”

“Some chick in my class,” I said as the laugh I’d been trying to hold in burst free. “I figured maybe you knew her.”

“I don’t,” he said with a shrug. “Is she fourteen?”

“She might be.”

I swallowed the last bite of the slice before remembering that Melissa and Cassie were seated just a few tables away. I glanced back at their table, but they were both gone.

Jack crumpled up the note before tossing it across the table at Brett, one of his teammates.

“What’s this shit?” Brett asked as he unfolded it. “Is this for me or you, Carter?”

“You can have it,” Jack said with a sly smile.

“I just might. What’s she look like?”

I clenched my jaw. It was one thing to make fun of Tarah with my brother, but it was another to involve the damn baseball team. I knew firsthand how cruel their pranks could be, and didn’t want the poor girl to get harassed by these assholes.

“Don’t call her, Brett. Give it to me,” I said with a tight-lipped smile, and held out my hand.

Brett didn’t argue, which surprised me. I figured I’d have to battle him for the damn thing. Instead he balled up the note and chucked it at my chest.

After pulling it from my lap where it had landed, I stuffed it back into my pocket, determined to throw it out after lunch.

“Are you heading home after this?” Jack asked as I chewed my pizza.

“Yeah, why?” Where else would I go?

“Will you ask Gran to make lasagna tonight?” he said with a stupid grin, then added, “Please?”

“No way. You know how long that takes her. I can’t ask her at four in the afternoon to whip up some homemade lasagna for dinner tonight.”

Thank God for Gran and Gramps. They showed up when our parents abandoned us when we were little, and have been there for us ever since.

Our parents bailing on us the way they did affected Jack and me in different ways. I was on my best behavior from that moment on, hoping that somehow if I was extra good, maybe she’d know and come back home.

But Jack went the opposite route, determined to get into trouble whenever possible. He picked a lot of fights and kept everyone, except for the three of us, at a distance. He refused to let anyone in—not wanting to be vulnerable, I guessed—and started treating girls like crap pretty early on. Truth be told, the girls allowed it and almost encouraged it, so I wasn’t sure if it was all our mom’s fault.

Baseball was the only thing that saved my brother from completely going off the deep end. He wasn’t allowed to fight on the field, and once he started pitching, he was like a whole other person on that mound. It was the only place he felt like he had any control, and he was always something to watch.

Jack used to confide in me that he was terrified one of our parents would come back around one day, wanting money or to be a part of our lives if he got drafted. When I asked him what we would do if that ever happened, he always said, “Nothing. Just like they did for us.”

“Come on. Don’t I deserve lasagna?” Jack turned toward one of the girls still pawing at his bicep. “You think I deserve lasagna, don’t you?”

“I think you deserve whatever you want,” the girl said, and then deliberately ran the tip of her tongue over her lips.

I wanted to ask what the hell was wrong with all these chicks, but stopped myself. There was no point. When it came to my brother, they simply didn’t care what it took to get him, even if they knew it wouldn’t last longer than one night.

When Jack cocked an eyebrow at me, I pointed at his cell phone on the table. “Then you ask Gran.”

“She’ll tell me no. But she won’t say no to you, Dean. You’re her favorite.”

I choked out a laugh and raised my eyebrows, pretending to agree with him. “That’s because I’m nicer than you are.”

It wasn’t true, though. Gran didn’t have a favorite.

Jack frowned, considering. “Will you ask her to make it tomorrow then? For after my game?”

I huffed out a dramatic exhale. “Fine. That I can do. But if she says no, you’re out of luck.”

“Love you, little brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too.” I smiled as I snagged another slice.

• • •

The next afternoon I entered the student union to find Jack with his harem of girls right at the entrance. He flexed his muscles for a couple of them, who screamed when they grabbed his bicep. “Hold on,” he said as he lifted them into the air before putting them down again.

There were days I couldn’t believe I was related to him. Maybe Melissa was right.

“Show us your pitching motion again, Jack!” one of the girls said with a squeal, and he showed off his moves in slow motion, much to the girls’ pleasure.

I looked up and noticed Cassie and Melissa watching the spectacle with disgusted looks on their faces. Without a second thought, I walked over toward their table and leaned down close to Melissa.

“Hi, Melissa.”

“Oh . . . hi, Dean.”

“Would you mind if I sat with you?” I smiled at Melissa’s soft and sweet response, and kept my eyes locked onto her beautiful baby blues.

“No. We’re much better company than your brother’s table, anyway,” she teased as she poked me in the ribs.

Glancing in Jack’s direction, I shook my head and placed my food on the table before I sat down. “It just gets old sometimes, you know?”

I stretched my hand across the table and reached for Cassie’s since we hadn’t been introduced yet. “Hi, I’m Dean.”

“I’m Cassie. I’m Melissa’s roommate.” She took my hand and squeezed with a small smile. “It’s nice to—”

“Dean! What are you doing over here?”

Jack’s voice echoed throughout the student union, and I suddenly was sorry I’d come over here. Both of these girls seemed to hate Jack, and my presence only drew him over. When I mouthed sorry to Melissa, she just shrugged as if she’d been expecting it.

“Oh, Kitten. I see you’ve met my little brother.” Jack winked at Cassie before placing his hand on my shoulder and squeezing.

“Thank God he seems nothing like you,” she said. “I might actually be able to tolerate him.”

Cassie tilted her head and smiled tightly before taking a bite of her sandwich, and I fought off the urge to laugh. I noticed Melissa and Jack sharing an amused glance, and I didn’t like the idea of them having some sort of inside joke.

“You need me to work some of that aggression out of you?” Jack offered with his typical smile that usually worked on all the ladies. Must be the stupid dimples.

“I’d rather eat dirt,” Cassie mumbled, her mouth filled with food.

This time I did laugh. The girl was funny as hell.

Jack chuckled. “I almost want to see that.”

“You would. Go torture someone else,” she said before looking away.

Not a bit fazed, he grinned and moved to sit in the empty seat next to her. “But I like torturing you.”

“Uh, no!” she shouted before throwing her bag right where he was about to plop down.

Jack stopped short and stood back up. “Why so angry, Kitten?”

“Why so annoying, jackass?” she said, mimicking his tone, and I shot Melissa an amused smile.

Jack bent over to bring his face close to hers. “You’ll come around; you’ll see. You can’t resist me forever.”

Cassie inhaled before she choked a little, and swallowed hard as Jack walked away, smiling.

“Sorry about my brother.” I forced a smile as I defended Jack. I liked Cassie, and could tell he liked her too. “He isn’t really a jerk.”

“He just plays one on TV?” Cassie said before coughing into a napkin.

“Something like that. Don’t take him too seriously. He’s just having fun with you.”

She half smiled. “I’m not having fun.”

“But you are. And he knows it,” I added, knowing damn well that a girl like Cassie enjoyed the verbal jousting match she seemed to have with Jack every time they spoke.

Jack walked back over to our table and shoved a napkin into Cassie’s hand without saying a word. I watched him walk back to his table, wondering what the hell he’d just given her when she crumpled it up and tossed it into her bag.

“What was that?” Melissa asked.

Cassie swallowed hard. “His phone number, I think. I didn’t really look at it.”

“H-he gave you his number?”

Shock rolled through me. My brother didn’t give his phone number to any girl. Ever.

“I think. Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll look at it later.” Cassie’s cheeks turned pink, and I frowned.

Melissa turned to me, her brows drawn together. “What’s with the face?”

“He doesn’t give out his phone number. There’s no point with him.” I moved my gaze from Cassie to Jack’s table as I tried to read his mind.

“He has a cell phone, right?” Melissa asked.

“Yeah?” I squinted at her, not seeing her point.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, caller ID.”

I shook my head. “His number is private. It doesn’t show up.”

”Really? Who does that?”

“Someone who had to change his phone number fifteen times in high school because it never stopped ringing.” When both girls looked at me with amazement, I added, “Or pinging with text messages.”

I thought back to those high school years when girls posted his phone number on all the social media sites, or included him in group text messages so everyone else in the group could get his number. Whenever Jack’s number got out, he not only got calls from the girls at our own school, his phone blew up from girls all over.

Jack had been the subject of more than one national article on baseball and its future rising stars. He wasn’t only well known in our hometown; he was well known in the entire baseball community. And apparently the cleat chasers, aka baseball groupies, started early.

“Fifteen times?” Cassie said loudly, and everyone around our table turned to stare at us.

I shrugged. “It might have been more, but it was insane. Girls would post his number online, and his voice mail would fill up within a day. And then they’d all start calling my phone, looking for him when he didn’t answer.”

What I didn’t tell them was that I had to eventually change my number as well for the same reason. Not that those girls wanted to talk to me, but when you were a freshman in high school, you tended to believe the things that girls said. I learned my lesson about being used pretty early when it came to girls lying to get what they wanted.

“Holy shit, that’s bananas!”

Melissa broke out into laughter, but I didn’t join in. This was the story of my life, and it really wasn’t funny.

“That’s why it’s weird that he’d give you his number.” I frowned at Cassie, wondering just what game my brother was playing. “He doesn’t give anyone his number.”

“Well, like I said, I could be wrong,” she said quickly.

Melissa gestured toward her bag. “Then get it out and read it now.”

“No. Not in the freaking student union while he’s right over there. Later.”

Cassie grabbed her things and pushed back from the table to walk toward the trash cans. Jack jogged over to her and they exchanged words, their body language resembling that night at the frat party.

“Come to my game tonight!” Jack shouted as she stomped away and opened the glass doors.

“I don’t think so,” she snapped back.

“Don’t you want to see me pitch?” he asked, his voice cocky.

She paused, holding the door open with one arm. “I saw you pitching earlier. In slow motion, remember? I think I got the gist.”

As Cassie left, I turned back to Melissa, who was frowning.

“Well, this oughta be fun,” I said with a laugh, but she shook her head.

“Fun for you, maybe, but there’s no way this is going to end well,” she said sadly. “He’s going to wear her down, and she knows it.”

“I honestly think she likes him,” I offered with a shrug before taking another bite of pizza.

Melissa watched as Jack stared after Cassie.

“I think so too,” she said. “And that’s what worries me.”