The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1)(35)

My shoes were thrown by the side of the door. I’d never have done that.

“I must have been super sleepy.”

“More like super drunk.”

Scooting to the bottom of my bed, I put my feet on the floor. The cold, hard wood sent a shiver through my body.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I wasn’t drunk, and I’m fine now.” I took stock of my condition. Other than a little dry mouth, there wasn’t anything going on in my body that didn’t feel normal.

He eyed me like I was the biggest liar he’d ever met.

When I stood up straight, the whole room swayed. My stomach rolled and I slammed my mouth shut. The feeling passed and I swallowed against the thickness in my throat. “See, I’m totally fine.”

“I’m glad. I didn’t want your first night out drinking to end with you waking up caked in your own puke. Trust me, been there—not fun.” He stood up, letting the blanket fall away from his body. In nothing but boxers, he stood in my bedroom.

My mouth watered, but it wasn’t because Reece was standing there half-naked with that V thing I thought only existed in movie posters, dipping dangerously low toward a part of him I’d thought about way too much. Slapping my hand over my mouth, I ran into the bathroom and puked up everything I’d ever eaten or thought about eating. My head and the toilet became one in a communion of violent regret and prayers for death.

Sitting on the floor beside the toilet, I rested my head on the porcelain edge of the sink. A glass of water appeared in front of my face, held by the harbinger of my undoing.

“Sounded like you could use this, Iron Stomach.”

Glaring at him, I took his offering and sipped it, trying to clear the taste from my mouth. He held out his hand. I slipped mine into his and stood.

“Do you need to puke some more?”

I held my hand against my stomach. The churning cauldron was gone, replaced by an eerie emptiness and silence. “There’s nothing left.”

“Good, then we can get some breakfast.”

The thought of food sent me back to the toilet.

A shadow from the doorway loomed over me from my crouched spot on the floor. Thank God I’d cleaned it over the weekend. If my cold war with Alexa had continued, I’d have been tangled in her mile-long hairball right now.

“I don’t want to say I told you so.”

I whipped my hand out behind me, holding up one finger. “If you say it, I swear, I’ll spend the rest of my time here destroying every pair of shoes you own.”

“That’s just mean. Why would you say something like that?” His voice hitched up an octave like I’d just threatened a pet or a child.

“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” Standing, I looked at myself in the mirror. Death. I looked like the Grim Reaper’s new girlfriend.

“I’ll get you some coffee.” He disappeared from the doorway and walked back to the kitchen. The definition of every muscle reflected back to me in the mirror. He’d slept on my floor all night to make sure I was okay. If he hadn’t already turned down my whole proposition, I might have thought he liked me liked me, but that would only complicate matters. He’d go wherever football people went, and I’d be going back to Boston.

The door opposite mine opened and the tangled mess that was Alexa stepped out of her room. My hands tightened around the rim of the sink as she stumbled her way toward me. Bending down, I washed my face and grabbed my mouthwash to rinse again.

“Do you have to take forever?” She stood in the doorway, actually tapping her foot. With her arms crossed over her chest, she stared at me like I was a cleaning lady who’d run late.

“I’ll be ready in a second.” I grabbed the towel off the rack and ran it over my face.

She let out a huff. “Why can’t you just do all this when I’m finished?”

“I’m almost finished.”

“Honestly, the things I put up with.”

“I do live here too.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“She said, she lives here too.” Reece appeared behind her and Alexa spun around and yelped. Her eyes darted from Reece’s bare chest and boxers to me and back to him. Her mouth opened and closed.

Lifting his chin back toward the hallway, he held out the mug for me. “I made it with cream and sugar. Finish this and I’ll take you out to breakfast as a treat after our awesome night last night.” He threw on a smile that could have melted the panties off a nun.

I let out a noise that sounded like a giggle. Had I ever giggled before? Then his words registered. My face scrunched up. His eyes widened and he nodded toward Alexa while moving his eyebrows up and down.

“Oh, yeah, totally—a night you won’t soon forget.” I cringed inside at how not sexy that sounded.

A sharp noise shot out of his mouth and he handed me the coffee.

Sliding past her, I followed him back down the hallway. I could feel her staring at us the whole way. Her door opened again and Dan stepped out. “Hey, Seph.” He walked past and did a double take. “Hey, Reece.”

“Hi.” Reece waved, pulled me backward into my room, and closed the door.

“Do you know Dan?”

“Nope.”

Reece was just someone people knew of… “Did you see her face?” I whispered, wrapping my hands around the hot mug. My look of shock had mirrored Dan’s as the crack in the door got smaller and smaller. I still stood there staring at the white paint, wanting to see the look on their faces as they tried to figure out why Reece was there. The number of heads that had turned the night before when people saw him confirmed what I already knew: he was a big man on campus and there was no reason at all he had to be with me.