Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Carter shakes his head. “You have terrible taste in men.”
A chuckle slips free. He’s right. I school my features as though I’m annoyed. The way Carter braces himself tells me he expects my anger. And under normal circumstances, that’s exactly what he would get.
Instead, I say, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For intervening before I died of boredom.”
“Let me get this straight.” His brows rise. “You’re actually thanking me for running interference?”
“Yup.” A smile creeps across my face.
“Huh. And here I thought you’d be pissed that I ran off another clown.”
“Not this time.” I make a mental note to steer clear of frat boys for the foreseeable future.
“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything,” he says.
“That’s what I was thinking.” Because his arm is still around my shoulder and the urge to lean into his strength pumps through me, I step out of his embrace to force some distance between us. But the clean scent of his aftershave continues to wrap around me. I take two more steps away.
“Well, thanks for helping a sister out.” I hitch a thumb over my shoulder as I move further away. “I should look for Olivia. She’s MIA, and we’re supposed to be using the buddy system.”
“She’s in the kitchen talking with Beerman.”
“Beerman?” I echo.
Never heard of the guy.
“Tanner Beerman,” Carter clarifies.
Ahhh, Tanner.
Carter spears a finger in my direction. That pissed-off expression returns full force. “Your cousin doesn’t want you messing around with his teammates.”
Huh? Where the heck did that come from?
I straighten to my full height, which is almost a foot shorter than Carter, and fold my arms across my chest. “Why are you telling me this? I’m not interested in Tanner.”
His expression softens. “You’re not?”
“No.”
“Tanner and Olivia have a bit of a thing going on,” I explain.
They’ve been texting back and forth. I’ve tried pushing her into making a move, but that’s not Olivia’s style.
“What kind of friend do you take me for? Chicks before dicks,” I quip.
“Oh.” His shoulders lose some of their rigidity as he shifts his weight.
I really need to get away from him, so I smile and say, “If we’ve got everything squared away, I’m going to go.”
And hopefully find a different guy to hookup with tonight. One who isn’t quite so full of himself.
Just as I turn, ready to escape into the crowd, fingers wrap around my arm, holding me in place. I frown. “What are you doing?”
“Sticking to you like glue, Thompson.” One side of his mouth lifts. “Where you go, I go.” He waggles a finger between us. “Don’t worry about being abandoned. You’ve got a new and improved buddy. I won’t leave your side.”
I hiss out a breath. “What? No! I’m going to find my buddy right now. Two’s a couple, three’s a crowd.”
He shrugs. “We both know that Noah would want me to keep an eye on you.”
“Give me a break.” I roll my eyes. “I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
“Nope. Tonight, you and I are hanging together.”
“But—”
He shakes his head. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”
That certainly throws a monkey wrench in my plans.
The look on my face must give away my thoughts because his eyes narrow. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”
“No,” I sigh. “Not at all.” Then I grumble, “It’s just unnecessary. I’m twenty-one years old. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He glances around the party and says in a tight voice, “Trust me, it’s completely necessary.”
By the stubborn tilt to his chin and the determination in his eyes, I can tell that arguing isn’t going to get me anywhere.
“Fine,” I mutter.
Carter’s lucky that I’m in the mood to party. Especially now that I’ve unloaded Kevin.
The first thing we do is look for Olivia. Just like Carter claimed, she’s in the kitchen with Tanner, engaged in a deep conversation. Much like they were at the Labor Day barbecue, their heads are bent together, and they’re smiling at one another.
For a moment, I stop and watch Olivia. I hate to interrupt whatever’s going on between them. Olivia’s goal this year is to get laid. Fine, that’s not really her goal. It’s mine. How she’s managed to hold on to her virginity is a mystery. I suspect she’s been waiting for Noah, but with Ashley in the picture, that isn’t going to happen.
Maybe Tanner can be that guy. He doesn’t need to be Mr. Forever. Mr. For Right Now is good enough in my book.
When I’d suggested freshman year that she find a hot, random guy to get the deed done, she’d looked at me in horror and told me she wanted her first time to be special.
Clearly, she’s read too many romances.
Otherwise, she would know that first times aren’t special. They’re pesky nuisances that need to be gotten out of the way with the help of alcohol. Even after that, it takes a few more times before you get a glimpse of what all the fuss is about.