Tutoring the Player (Campus Wallflowers #1)(36)

“Girls don’t do that.”

He bobs his head. “Yeah, I guess that’s not a quirk unique to you. Still, must be limiting.”

“I’ve survived just fine.”

“Says the girl that’d never had Fun Dip before.” His dark eyes lock on mine. “What else haven’t you done before?”

“I’m not a virgin,” I protest too loudly and gain the attention of people around us. I consider jumping over the fence to the safety of my own house but am afraid I’d trip and fall or make a spectacle trying to climb over.

“Oh, sweet Daisy. You’re blushing.” He rests an arm around the back of my chair. The position puts just the smallest amount of contact between his forearm and my shoulder. “That wasn’t what I was asking, but now you have me thinking about you naked.”

My face is boiling, and my cheeks must show it because he chuckles then lets his thumb glide along my arm in a reassuring caress. “Relax. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Will it help if I tell you how I lost my virginity?”

“Nope, probably not.”

He tips his gaze up and pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “Know any jokes?”

The beer and the absurdity of this situation mixed with all the anxiousness and uncomfortable feelings I’ve been repressing comes out in a giggle. It starts small and builds. I can’t stop, and soon I’m hiccuping along with it.

“Okay, I think we’ve accomplished our mission.” Jordan stands and holds out a hand.

“I’m fine.” I get to my feet without his help but then sway. “Or not.”

“Catches up with you fast.”

I slip my palm into his. It’s warm and rough, and my pulse kicks up as I slide my fingers through his.

One side of his mouth lifts in a smirk, but he holds my hand as we walk away from the table.

“What’s next?” I ask.

“It’s a choose your own adventure. We have swimming.” He waggles his brows as he stops us in front of the pool. People are stripped down to their boxers or panties and bras, swimming and splashing.

“No, thank you.”

“Dancing?” He turns us to an open section of the yard where the DJ booth is set up, and people are dancing.

“Maybe later.”

He continues through the options, which include more drinking games.

“Can we just sit and chill for a while?”

“Absolutely. That’s my favorite party activity.”

We refill our cups, where he sadly drops my hand to do so, and then Jordan leads me to an area of the party I know well. The spot where so many times I’ve watched him and Liam sit and hang with the guys on the team. I glance over at my house and up at the tree house. It’s hidden really well. Not that most people would look over into the darkened yard next door when there’s so much going on here.

“Thatcher!” the guys call out in a chorus. Liam is with them and stands when he sees me.

“No way. I didn’t know you were coming,” he says.

“It was a last-minute decision.”

Jordan stays at my side. He introduces me to his teammates, and then we sit in a circle. I’m next to Liam, but Jordan takes a chair across from us.

It’s a rare night that Liam is drinking, but he goes through beer at a much slower pace than his buddies. Now that my stomach has settled, I’m happily buzzed and content. Someone passes around a bottle of Fireball. Liam takes a drink then passes it to me. His fingers brush mine, and I wait for the sparks to shoot up my arm or a fluttering in my stomach—for any sign that there could be something more between us.

“You got it?” he asks when I don’t pull the bottle away.

“Yeah. I think I do.” I take a sip, stealing a glance at Jordan. I find him looking back at me, and those sparks and flutters I was waiting for finally arrive.

Oh shit. I went and fell for the wrong guy.





17





JORDAN





“Nice game tonight.” Gavin steps out of the circle of guys he’s with when I approach. His lips pull into an easy smile, and we slap hands.

“Thanks.” I take a long drink of beer. “I heard you guys won too.”

He nods. “We did. One more for the W column.”

“We might both be playing in April next year.”

“God, I hope so,” he says. “Did you just get here? I saw Liam and McCallum come in, but you’ve been MIA.”

“Nah, I’ve been here. Been… around.”

He waits for me to elaborate, smiling like he thinks I was off hooking up or some shit. Don’t I wish.

“I came with Daisy. We were doing century club for a while.”

“Daisy? Violet’s cousin?” His brows raise in question.

“Yeah.”

“Really?” Gavin tips his head toward where she and Liam sit together, laughing. “I thought those two were a thing.”

“Nope, but that might be on me. And you.”

“What the hell did I do?”

“New girlfriends are the worst kind of distraction,” I mimic his tone, repeating the words he said to me that night at the bowling alley. “I stopped him from asking her out.”