Co-Ed(23)

“Knox Tate?” Leo said with a gasp. “Party? You don’t party. You sulk. Sure you don’t have a fever?”

“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, we have a free night tonight. It just seems—”

“Better than sitting here thinking thoughts,” Finn finished for me.

We all stared at each other then jumped to our feet and grabbed all of our shit. Sometimes memories were the worst company you could have, especially when paired with mistakes you couldn’t take back.

I was the last to leave the room. I’d taken two steps toward her door when Finn pulled me back.

“Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe there’s a reason she’s his roommate…”

“Yeah,” I croaked, “maybe.”

“I miss it too,” Finn said in a low voice. “We all do.”

“Right.” Anger punched me in the gut first, followed by regret as I slammed the door behind me and looked straight ahead. I either needed to get drunk, or laid, or both.

And what better place to do that than Greek Row?

We were there in minutes.

Our choice of party.

“Four parties, three look ready to be shut down already, which is a bit early if you ask me.” Leo shrugged. “But…” He pointed to our old frat from freshman year. “…at least we know they don’t put shit in their beer.”

“Cheers to that.” We bumped fists then the three of us walked up to the house and in the front door.

It was one thing I would never get tired of.

The sheer power behind what we did.

The way that the other guys obviously wished they were us every pathetic day of their lives, and the way the woman sucked their lips the minute they saw us smile in their direction.

If royalty existed on campus…

We were it.

To the guys, we were gods; to the women, unobtainable. It worked well in our favor and worked really well for Wingman, Inc.

“YES!” Eli, the house president, shouted over the music. “Our prodigals are home!”

Cheers surrounded us as we moved through the crowd. Girls tried to grab; guys glared at their girlfriends for fanning themselves. All in all, it was turning out to be a great night.

I made my way toward the keg and grabbed a cup.

Leo and Finn followed, though they looked like they’d both just been groped; Leo’s button-down shirt was legit missing its top three buttons, and the top button of Finn’s jeans was undone.

“I forget how crazy girls get.” Leo wiped some lipstick from his neck. “It’s like a free-for-all buffet whenever we go out.”

“For them,” Finn added as he buttoned his jeans back together.

I eyed the room over the rim of my cup and surveyed all the dancing bodies ripe with sweat, right along with the smell of alcohol, Axe Body Spray, bad choices, and fake tans. My mind buzzed from the taste of the alcohol.

I shouldn’t have taken a sip.

Because taste, smell… they always brought me back.

Back to the beginning.

Back to the end.



“What’s your name?” I handed the beautiful girl a drink. She had autumn-colored hair and an easy, wide smile that was impossible not to return.

“Ah, I don’t share such private information.” She winked, took a sip, scrunched up her nose, and leaned in. “Got anything better?”

“In my room,” I tried.

She burst out laughing. “That work on all the drunk freshman girls?”

“It would sure as hell work on a drunk freshman guy.” I pointed at myself then held out my hand. “Knox Tate, and you are?”

“Sophie.” She chewed her lower lip. “Sophie Jackson.”

“I like it.” I grinned, and I really did. I liked her. She had this magnetism about her that made me want to get closer, made me want to touch, taste, smell.

She held up her plastic cup and tapped it against mine. “I guess I’ll see you around Knox Tate.”

“You’re leaving me already?” I put a hand to my chest and faked being heartbroken.

She threw her head back and laughed.

Both Finn and Leo joined me and raked their gazes up and down.

“Mmm… looks like you have enough people to keep you company.” She eyed them both.

“Keep us all company,” Leo piped up. “Trust me, we’re good for it.”

“Eh, I’m a one-guy kinda girl.”

Finn sighed. “Then I guess we’re out. Have fun with the sexy one.”

They left us.

The music slowed. “One dance.” Was I begging?

She downed the rest of the beer. “One dance.”

We linked hands and started swaying slowly. I could taste the beer on her breath, smell the sweet sweat on her skin as her body moved against mine, our hands intertwined. I leaned in and kissed her neck, and she let me. I was so shocked, I did it again to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

Then she was wrapping her arms around my neck.

And as I looked into her crystal blue eyes, I knew. I would be gone for this girl, and I would love every fucking minute of it.

“Sophie Jackson.” I whispered her name, measured it across my tongue, kept it in my soul. “I think I just fell in love.”