Tutoring the Player (Campus Wallflowers #1)(40)

She shakes her head slowly. “No. I like them, though.”

She sits back, and I lift my right hand to show her the tiny tattoo on my pinkie finger. “Almost forgot about this one.”

She takes my hand and brings it closer to her face. “A stick man?”

“I thought it was funny. Might have been drunk.”

Silence falls between us as we continue to stare at each other. She releases my hand and lies down. Her eyes flutter closed and then pop open, and a smile tugs at her lips. When they close again, she mutters, “I can’t believe Jordan Thatcher is in my bed.”

“I can’t believe I’m in bed with Daisy Johnson,” I mimic her tone.

“Just an average Friday night in bed with a random girl,” she says in a teasing tone.

She places both hands under her head and hits me with that innocent, blue gaze. “Why did you ask me to come out tonight?”

“Because I thought you’d like to go, but wouldn’t unless someone came and dragged you there.”

She hums her agreement.

“Plus, I was hoping I’d get to see you in that sexy red dress again.”

She laughs and buries her head in the pillow. “Why do I do the most embarrassing things around you?”

“How is that embarrassing?”

“Are you kidding? I sent a guy I barely knew a picture of me in a dress with my boobs pushed up.” As she says the last part, she reaches down and pushes up her tits as if I don’t have the image of her in that dress burned into my brain. Add this moment to the ever-growing album of images of Daisy I’ll never forget. Her hands are where I wish mine were.

“Trust me. You have no reason to be embarrassed. I should be the one embarrassed by how many times I’ve looked at it.”

She’s drunk and half passed out, so I don’t really expect the comment to hit, but an uncomfortable beat of silence hangs between us. Then she giggles, this soft, happy sound I want to capture with my mouth.

Fuck it, I do. Erasing the space between us, I press my lips to hers, far gentler than I want. She inhales a cute yelp, and then her mouth softens and pushes back.

I force myself to pull back and prepare for the possibility she’s going to tell me to get the hell out, but instead, she smiles, melts into the pillow with her eyes closed, and says, “Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time with you.”





18





DAISY





A dull ache throbs at my temples and my cheek is plastered against something hard. Slowly, I open my eyes, and awareness slams into me. Jordan slept in my bed last night. And I’m on top of him. I try to untangle myself, but we’re in some weird pretzel position that might have been comfortable, but now has my face flooding with heat because he hasn’t moved from his side of the bed. Which means I attacked him.

“Morning,” his deep voice rumbles beneath me.

“Morning.” My response is squeaky, and I basically jolt myself back to my half of the bed.

“Couldn’t help yourself, huh?”

I fling an arm over my eyes to block the sun and my mortification. Then I remember. He kissed me last night. My stomach flips at the memory. Does he remember?

“I can almost hear you freaking out over there.” He gets up from bed and pulls on his jeans. I sneak a glance and then look away when I find him grinning at me. “It’s fine. Your bed is so small. I’d be more shocked if we didn’t end up snuggled together.”

“It isn’t that.” Or not just that. “Did you see me basically naked last night?” I squeeze my eyes closed while I wait for his answer.

“Yep. Sure did.”

“Thought so.” I groan, and of course he laughs at me like it was all no big deal.

The mattress dips with his weight, and he pries my arm away from my face. “I have to go to practice. Drink lots of water and take some more Advil.”

“Thank you for staying and making sure I was okay.”

He drops his head, and his nose grazes along the curve of my neck. In a lower voice, almost like he’s talking to himself, he says, “Who knew white cotton panties were so fucking hot?”

He’s on his feet before I can process it. “Oh, believe me. It was my pleasure.” He hits me with a playful wink. “What are you doing later?”

“I’m not sure.” I sit up. Did we make plans for today that I buried with last night’s humiliation? That dull ache gets a little more insistent. “Oh, your statistics test is Tuesday. I completely forgot. I’m probably not going to be a lot of help today. How about we study tomorrow?”

A flash of something like insecurity crosses his face. “Yeah. That’ll work.”

He pulls on his T-shirt. His cocky smirk returns as he backs out of my room. “Later, sweet Daisy.”

Going back to sleep is not in the cards. Every time I close my eyes, memories of last night replay, making me too antsy to lie still.

I’m downstairs eating cereal when Violet and Jane get home. Violet goes straight for the fridge and pulls out the orange juice. “Remind me never to stay at Eric’s house again.”

“That bad?” I ask.

Jane’s laughter follows. “Eric got a new harmonica.”

“My ears were bleeding,” Vi says with a groan.