Never Let Go (6 page)

I laugh. “Yesterday he wasn’t so bad.”

Katy rolls her eyes. “Please. Every guy in the history of the human race knows he has to impress a girl on the first date. It’s the ones that keep doing it time and again that are the keepers…” Katy trails off, her eyes focusing on something behind me.

“What?” I ask, spinning around in my chair. I see a helmeted driver pull into the parking lot on a dark bike. A Barbie doll with long legs and tanned skin clings to his back.

“Don’t look now,” Katy warns, “but it looks like your new flame has just arrived.”

“Andrew doesn’t ride a bike…” I begin. The driver takes off his helmet. Immediately, his gray eyes pierce mine.

I spin around in my seat. “
Spencer
?” I hiss.

Katy winks and leans back. She looks at him from the corner of her eye. “He’s seen you,” she says through a heavy smile. “Aaaand he’s coming over now. Three… two…”

I tense up. Spencer is
not
the person I want to see right now.

A chair scrapes against the ground. A dark shape falls into it. “Ladies.”

Katy smiles sweetly at him. “Hi, Spencer.”

“Kate.” Spencer’s attention is all on me. I shift in my seat and try to create a little distance. “It’s a damn shame about the cat. Else I’d have come back to see you again.”

“I’m sure you’ve got plenty to keep you busy,” Katy says, sparing a look at the plastic girl waiting for him. To my surprise, I don’t hear any venom in her words.

Spencer barks a laugh. “You know me better than I do myself. How’s this one doing?” He reaches over to touch my arm. I jerk away.

“Still jumpy as always, I see,” he says.

“I have a name.” I cross my arms.

“Yes, yes, and I’m sure you’d love to tell me.”

“Babe, I’m thirsty,” the girl behind Spencer pouts.

“Hold on.” Spencer waves her off. “I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”

“What answer?” Katy asks.

“If you two are coming to my frat party tonight. It’s the first of the year. Going to be a blast.”

“No,” I huff at exactly the same time as Katy smiles, “Yes.”

I stare at her in disbelief.

Spencer laughs. “I’ll leave that for you two to work out.” He winks at Katy. “If you
do
decide to show up, be sure to bring this one along.”

“I have a name!” I yell after him, irritated.

Spencer looks over his shoulder as he holds the café door open. “I know. And I’m sure you’d love to tell me.” He disappears inside.

“Presumptuous jackass,” I mutter once he’s gone.

“Oh, he’s not that bad.” I can tell Katy is harboring feelings for him, no matter what she claims. “I
told
you he has a thing for you.”

I almost choke on my drink. “What? Are you crazy?”

“He wouldn’t have come over here to talk to me if he didn’t. He already had me. I’m old news to him.”

“I still can’t believe you can talk that way about yourself.”

Katy rolls her eyes. “I told you before. Better me than…
her
.” Katy’s finger follows the girl Spencer came with as she jolts out of the café and runs to Spencer’s bike. He chases her there and laughs as they drive off together. “
She
looks like the type to get her heart broken when he dumps her after she begins to think she’s special.”

“And you want to set me up like that? Why on earth did you say we’d go to his party?”

Katy looks at me as if I’m dumb. “Um, because Sigma Pi hosts the biggest parties of the year? What better way to get over Andrew than by hooking up with some other hot guy there?” She winks. “It doesn’t have to be Spencer.”

***

“You’re really not coming?” Katy complains. She’s standing in front of the mirror we’d propped up in our room, running her fingers through the extensions she’d just put on. She’s wearing white skinny jeans that show off her butt and a halter top that leaves half her belly bare. She looks
hot
.

I, on the other hand, look like a slob. My hair’s up in a messy bun. I don’t have a lick of makeup on, and the gray hoodie I’m wearing is so big it might swallow me whole.

“No. I told you. I don’t feel like going out tonight.”

Katy tosses her hair over one shoulder and purses her lips to apply some gloss. “You’re missing out.
Everyone’s
going to be there. You don’t want to start the year a social outcast, do you?”

I laugh. “I’m sure skipping one party won’t be that big a deal.”

“Ah, but you’re underestimating the scope of this party. It’s the social event of the year. It’s the official ‘welcome back’ for all the upperclassmen. It’s going to be wild.”

“I don’t think anyone’s going to notice I’m not there,” I point out, “if it’s really as big as you think.”

“Aha! There’s your problem. You’ve got to make yourself
visible
. Come on—” she tugs on my sleeve, “—all my friends from last year are waiting outside, but I can tell them to go ahead while I help you get dressed. We’ll meet them there.”

“No, Katy. I’ll go with you next time, I promise. And every time after that.” I shoot her a grin. “I didn’t come to college to hide in my room. But I’m just not feeling it tonight.”

She plops on the bed beside me. “This is about Andrew, isn’t it?”

I shrug my shoulders without answering.
Of course it’s about him.

Yesterday, I thought I’d found a guy who is perfect boyfriend material. Today, I discover that we can’t even see each other? That hurts. More than I want to admit. I need a night to myself to get over it.

Katy puts her arm over my shoulder. “I know what it feels like. I don’t have to go tonight if you want a friend. Shit, there are going to be hundreds of parties this year. I only get one roommate.”

Her concern is touching. I smile. “Thanks. But I’ll be okay. I know how excited you are to go. Don’t let me hold you back. Besides, it wouldn’t be good manners to blow your other friends off.”

“Pfft, I don’t care about that. They’ll understand. And if not, they weren’t very good friends to begin with.”

“Go, go!” I push Katy off the bed. “Have fun, and don’t worry about me.” Pickles jumps beside me and settles on my lap. “I’ve got this guy for company.”

Katy bites the side of her lip and looks conflicted for a moment. Then she beams a radiant smile. “All right. But next time, you’re totally coming.”

“I swear.”

She smiles. “Good. How do I look?”

“Like sex in black and white.”

Katy giggles. “Just the look I was going for,” she says, and darts out the room.

***

I’m awakened half an hour after midnight by the sound of a door slamming. After a few seconds, I pick out Katy’s voice. Even through the walls, I can hear her laughing and giggling. She’s way too loud to be sober.

I decide to get out of bed to check on her. I open the bedroom door a crack. Immediately, a familiar male voice filters to my ears.

“No, no…” there’s a crashing sound, “…oh
shit
, look what you’ve done!” The male laughs obnoxiously.

Ugh
. I close the door and stalk back to bed. Spencer’s here.

I throw a pillow over my head to drown out the sounds of drunken antics from the opposite room. At least there’s a spare bed in the other room for the two of them.

Chapter Seven

I wake up feeling fresh and energized. I get out of bed—and discover Katy slumbering in the top bunk.

I go up on my toes to check it out. She’s alone.

Huh
. I must have slept through her coming in. I don’t think she brought Spencer here. Otherwise, I definitely would have woken up. I smile. Good.

I exit the room, gently closing the door behind me. I walk down the hall—and freeze. Spencer is standing shirtless in our kitchen.

He’s facing away from me, watching the stove. I debate turning around and retreating to my room.
Then what?
Hiding in bed until he leaves?

I grimace in disgust. No, I won’t do that. This is
my
dorm. Spencer has no right making me feel uncomfortable in
my
dorm.

I cross my arms and clear my throat. “Ahem.”

Spencer doesn’t turn around. He’s focused completely on the stove. There’s a spatula in his hand.

I take a breath, and note the smell of eggs in the air. Is he
cooking
?

“
Ahem
,” I say again, a little louder this time.

No response. Then I notice the black wires running to his ears. I roll my eyes at my own stupidity.

Duh
. Headphones.

I walk up behind him and tap him on the shoulder. He jumps.
Ha
! Score one for me.

Spencer turns around. His mouth crooks into a smile when he sees me. I take it as his most charming. I wonder how many girls have fallen for it.

I know I’m immune.

“What are you doing in my kitchen?” I ask, trying to sound cross.

Spencer takes one headphone out. “Fancy seeing you here,” he grins.

“I live here,” I tell him. “What’s your excuse?”

“What, can’t a man cook breakfast these days?” He motions at the pan. I look down and cringe. The four eggs he’s got there are starting to burn at the edges.

“Apparently not,” I say, reaching over to turn off the element before he starts a fire. “Where’d you get these?”

“Your fridge was a little empty when I woke up this morning. I took it upon myself to stock up.” He points out the plastic grocery bags nearby.

“You bought food?” I ask in disbelief. “
Why
?”

“If I’m going to be spending time here,” he says, flipping the eggs onto a plate, “I’m going to need to eat.”

“Oh. So you and Katy…?”

“Please.” He opens the fridge door, grabs a carton of milk, and chugs a few gulps right there. It’s disgusting. “There’s nothing going on between me and her.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Then what did you mean…?” I trail off, getting the implication. “Oh, no,” I say, shaking my head. “There will
definitely
not be anything going on between me and you, either.”

Spencer sits down at the table. “Why do you always have to assume the worst about me?” he asks, making his best attempt at looking hurt. “Maybe I just want a friend.”

I don’t fall for his sham. “I’ve heard all about your rep,” I tell him. “I know how you treat women. That’s not going to fly with me.”

“Have you, now?” he asks. He seems amused. “Indulge me, then. What do you think happened here last night?”

“It’s obvious. You met Katy at the party. You got her drunk. And you cajoled her into bringing you home.” I frown. “You’re despicable.”

“You’re right,” he says, chewing his egg, “up until the last part. One question, though: Why do you think she’s sleeping alone in her bed right now?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe she got sick of your disease-infested man parts and told you to take a hike. That would totally make my day. The real question is what
you’re
still doing here.”

“Wow,” Spencer intones. “You really don’t like me, huh?”

I offer a fake smile. “What’s there to like? You sleep around. You treat women like dirt. You’re brash and arrogant. You’ve probably got a hundred different STDs.”

Spencer shakes his head. “You’re assuming.”

It pisses me off how unaffected he is by all this. It pisses me off that I still haven’t been able to wipe that boyish grin off his face. Most of all, it pisses me off that he’s making me angry. “I’m assuming
what
?”

“You’re assuming a lot of things,” he says, nonchalantly popping another piece of egg into his mouth. It pisses me off that he talks while he chews. “But let’s start with the biggest assumption of all. You’re mad because you think I fucked your friend Kate last night.”

I can’t stop the color from rising in my cheeks. I hate the way I react whenever sex comes up in a conversation. It’s even worse when Spencer’s around. “Why else would you be here?”

“Maybe I’m just acting the part of a good friend. Maybe I found her plastered at the party last night and decided to take care of her before someone else took advantage.” He shrugs. “Just maybe.”

“So, you had no ulterior motive for coming here last night?” I scoff. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well,” he says slowly, looking me up and down, “I wouldn’t say I had
no
ulterior motive.”

I feel an unexpected thrill rise inside me. I shudder and shove it down.

Suddenly, I’m all too aware of the fact that all I have on beneath my long pajama top are my panties. My legs feel way too exposed.

I sit down at the table across from Spencer, thankful to have a solid object between his hungry eyes and my bare thighs. “You’re disgusting,” I pronounce.

Spencer smiles and stands up. “Thanks. I get that a lot.” He stretches his arms overhead and yawns loudly.

My resolve to stay levelheaded fails me. I can’t keep my eyes off his body.

The stunning ripples of his abdominal muscles make my insides clench up. His shoulders, chest, and arms are lean and cut. A light grazing of hair trails down the midline of his torso, disappearing from view at the tan line at his hips. For a brief moment, his pants ride down far enough for me to glimpse the top of some tattoo that starts on the top of his left quad.

Spencer catches me looking. “Like what you see?”

I bristle and turn away. I feel my cheeks go warm again. And what’s up with the sudden heat flooding between my legs?

“No,” I say firmly. “You need to put a shirt on.”

He laughs. “Most girls beg me to take mine off.”

“Yeah, well I’m not
most girls
,” I snap. What pisses me off the most, right now, is how flustered he makes me feel. “You can go whenever you want. I’ll tell Katy you were here.”

“And what if I’m not here for her?” he asks. His voice turns low. That masculine rumble does all types of strange, unexpected things to my insides.

“You’re not here for me, that’s for sure,” I tell him. “And if you are, you’ve completely misconstrued my interest. There isn’t any. Trust me. You can go. I’ll pay you for the groceries.”