Tutoring the Player (Campus Wallflowers #1)(45)

The girl was maybe fourteen and near hysterics. The guys are never going to let me live it down.

Daisy stares at me, and those pink lips fall open. “You do kind of look like him. I never noticed.”

“He can’t sing for shit,” Liam says.

“Oh, like you can?” I fire back.

Daisy laughs as she hands my phone back. I tap out a text to her, So you think I’m hot? ;) She checks her phone, smiling when she realizes it’s from me. I don’t think I said that, she replies.

That’s what I heard, I reply.

She looks up and smiles at me. Neither of us looks away for several seconds. I lean forward a fraction and freeze. She’s holding her breath like she’s waiting for me to close the distance between us and isn’t sure if she wants me to or not.

I don’t, but damn, I really, really want to.



Tuesday afternoon lab we’re in our usual setup with Liam sitting between us. They work through the lab with me guiding them, and it’s all just like it’s been every other time, but different too.

I catch Daisy’s stare over her worksheet. She smiles tentatively and presses her lips together like she’s fighting a smile.

This fucking girl. Why are all her little mannerisms so fucking adorable?

At the end of class, Daisy grabs her backpack and comes over to stand next to me.

I bump my elbow against hers. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she replies quietly. “How was your test this morning?”

“Aced it. Thanks to you.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

“Sure you did.” She did, too. I would have passed on my own, but I did so well the professor is probably wondering who I cheated off of. “Celebrate with me tonight.”

Liam hovers nearby.

“With us,” I correct.

“It’s a Tuesday night.” Light laughter follows her reply.

“Drinking on school nights is allowed,” I whisper playfully. “And, I promise to look out for you just like last time.”

Her gaze darts to my mouth. “Okay.”

I look at Liam. “Are you in?”

He smiles. “Sure, why not.”





I pick up Daisy, and we get to McCallum’s apartment just after ten. Liam hung back at the dorm and said he’d meet up with us, so I have some time with Daisy all to myself.

She doesn’t ask about him, so I put my buddy out of mind, at least for now.

Only a few guys are here already, but the ones that are, are drunk and at the dining room table playing cards. I grab Daisy and me a beer and lead her to one end.

She leans in, her blonde hair tickling my face as she whispers, “What are we playing?”

I pull her chair against mine. “The game is Fuck the Dealer.”

“I know this one!” She laughs. “But it’s been a while.”

“We’ll do a practice round.” I motion for McCallum to give me the deck, and I deal her three cards as practice. “What’s your wager, sweet Daisy?”

She blushes at the nickname. “Three seconds.”

If she were anyone else, I’d call her on such a low wager, but three seconds of chugging her beer, and she’ll be halfway to tipsy land.

I rest my fingers along the edge of the first card. “Suit?”

“Diamonds.”

I flip over a spade, and she frowns.

“Value?” I tap the second card.

“Umm…” She bites the corner of her bottom lip, drawing attention to her pouty mouth. I should have just invited her over to my dorm to celebrate so I could kiss her all night instead of playing games.

“Three.”

A cute groan slips from her lips at the sight of the eight of spades.

“Last chance.” I drop one hand to her knee.

Her breathing picks up. She licks her lips and stares at the last card on the table. “Higher.”

I flip a deuce and smile. “Sorry.”

Her eyes narrow in a playful glare. She lifts her beer and starts drinking.

I count. Slowly. I reach three as she looks like she can’t swallow another drop.

With a grimace, she sets the can down. I pass the cards back to McCallum, and the rest of the table joins back in.

“How many nights a week do you go out?”

I shrug. “Depends, I guess.”

“On homework and stuff?”

“On what’s happening that week,” I say.

She laughs at my answer.

My friends and teammates are important to me. Losing Mark put things in perspective.

“I could get better grades, but after graduation, am I really going to care if I got an A instead of a C?”

“Umm…” She holds back more laughter as she considers my question. “I’m not sure. I’ve never thought about it like that, I guess.”

“Were you always super into school?” I ask.

She gets a slight blush to her cheeks. “Yes.”

“No shame in being smart.”

“I know, but it isn’t like I set out to be super smart. I was just bored enough that it was something to do.”

I want to ask her more, but my phone buzzes in my pocket.

“It’s Liam,” I say as I read his short text, Something came up. Tell Daisy I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.