“Gianna, you better fucking not,” he snaps at me. “I am not ready to be an uncle, and we have too many partying days left before you become a mom.”
“Don’t worry.” I pat my stomach. “There will be no bun in this oven for a long, long time.”
“Better not be.”
We walk across campus together. There are groups of people sitting under trees lining the walkway as they study for finals. It’s what I should be doing tonight instead of going out with Jeremiah and Kevin-Keegan.
I'm so ready to graduate. I’m ready to be out on my own and not have to worry about my sister showing up at any given moment to scold me for my poor decisions.
Once we make it to the edge of campus where the historical brick buildings end and the rows of off-campus apartments begin, Jere turns to face me. His eyes sparkle with the same mischief and delight that they always do before a night of debauchery.
“So, I’ll see you tonight, right?” A wide smile splits his face as he bats his lashes at me.
I roll my eyes at him. “What time?”
“I told Keegan to meet us there at nine.”
Nodding, I start walking backwards away from him. “Where are we meeting again?”
“Rookies,” he calls out to me.
I stop my retreat. “Why? It’s not even a game night. Why would we go to a sports bar when neither of our teams are playing tonight?”
“Why wouldn’t we go to a place with a bunch of hot men?” Jere’s brows pull together and his hand rests on his popped hip in the sassy way he does.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Aren’t you going with your bed buddies brother? Don’t you think his brother might get upset when you start trying to hook up with another dude in front of him?”
“Girl, I don’t need a man.” Now, Jere is the one to start taking backwards steps away from me. “But, you sure as hell do. Bye, bitch. I’ll see you later.”
With that, Jeremiah turns around and jogs down the street toward his apartment. This entire night is so that I can find a man, because my bestie thinks I’m being weird due to the fact that I haven’t had sex all semester.
Jere knows all about my tryst with the man on New Year’s Eve, but he doesn’t know that he is the reason for my four month long dry spell. I never get hung up on a guy like I am with Daemon, and I’m afraid that my friend won’t understand it.
Jeremiah Abernathy has been my friend since we ran into each other at a freshman hazing party before classes began almost four years ago. We were both doused in cheap smelling beer while we stood in the line waiting for the bathroom at one of the apartments not far from campus.
Since that day, he has been my ride or die. Not long after we met, we made a pact that we would experience everything that college has to offer us. Mostly, we were talking about the guys. We vowed not to get into a committed relationship until after we had our diplomas in hand.
Over the years, we’ve both succeeded in holding up our ends of that deal. We’ve had random hookups and long term fuck buddies, but neither of us have been in a real relationship during college.
None of the men I’ve met have interested me enough to go back on that vow. That was until Daemon Lucero crash landed into my atmosphere. Now, I can’t get my mind off of the damn guy no matter how hard I try.
Jere on the other hand has never strayed from the plan. If one of his regulars starts to catch feelings, he has always been quick to end his entanglement with them.
I wonder if he would feel the same if the man in question was as charming and attractive as the hockey player I met a few months ago.
After the party at Maxton’s childhood home, I looked up Daemon from the Hudson Huskies team, and my jaw hit the floor at everything I found. Not only is he older than I expected, but he’s also been a professional hockey player for nearly twenty years; almost my entire life. I was nearly three when he was drafted straight out of high school.
Our age difference doesn’t bother me, but now I understand why he made a point to ensure my age before we took off on the stolen snowmobile. Someone in his position can’t risk a scandal involving an underaged girl.
Daemon has had endorsements with some of the most prominent brands. He’s from a small town in Minnesota, which apparently is not surprising due to the number of hockey players the state sends to the professional league. His parents are still together, and he talks about them like they are still madly in love after close to fifty years together.
The only thing I can’t find about him online is his dating history. According to the internet, Daemon has never had a public girlfriend during his career. There is only one picture of him out with a woman, and I’m almost positive that the woman is Maxton’s fiance Sage. Knowing that Max has been in love with her since they were kids, I doubt that was anything more than a friendly hangout.
When I find myself standing in front of my apartment building, I look around confused. I don’t remember any of my walk home, because I was so zoned out thinking about Daemon. Being able to walk home on autopilot is terrifying. Along the way, I could have walked in front of a car without noticing, or I could have been kidnapped by an assailant I never heard coming.
My phone buzzes in my hand, and I unlock the screen as I head into the building. I’m thankful for the distraction from my downward spiral until I see who the text is from.
Shauna:Are you sure you can’t make it? What do you have going on Sunday night?
