I’m a pathetic loser. Heat crawls across my body as my knees weaken from humiliation.
“Do you want to play a game?” His breath is hot against my skin.
“Spencer!” Jake’s voice bellows from the open doorway. “Get down here, now.”
“Come on,Em.” He winks again causing his dimples to pop. “It’s called, ‘Fuck with Jake.’” The grin on his lips tugs at my playful side, but the realization that I’ve spent the lastfive months preparing for this weekend for no reason is too depressing. “What do you say?”
“No.” I shake my head and step out of his grasp. “I’ve got to go.” I spin on my heel and march to the front door. I’m a fool.
A complete and utter fool.
Chapter Two
Jake
“Seriously, jackass, what’re you doing?” I shove Spencer in the shoulder when he steps onto the basement floor.
“What did I look like I was doing? I was flirting with your girl.” He waggles his eyebrows and brushes past me. “Isn’t it the big brother’s role to get rid of the guys? Not the brother’s best friend?”
“She’s not my girl.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You’re sure acting like she is.” Spencer plops down on the sofa and surveys the room. “Where’s Kaleb?”
“Shower.” My hands are fisted at my sides as I glare at him.
It was stupid to bring Spencer with me. He’s a decent friend, but he’s a dog. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told Emily that he has a different girl every weekend. He’s one of the biggest players on campus and makes no bones about it. Yet for some reason, the girls keep coming.
Emily is four years younger than we are. She doesn’t even know what she wants for her future, and we’re headed back to college after Christmas break. Over two hours away. And if there’s anyone who knows long distance relationships don’t work, it’s me.
“Ah, that makes sense. I’m not surprised he’s preoccupied since you’re riding my ass about Emily.”
God, I want to punch that stupid smirk off his face.
After inhaling, I count to ten. Don’t. He’s a guest at your best friend’s home.
I relax my hands, letting the blood circulate into the crescent moon divots in my palms. “Em is a young girl. Too young for you. She’s innocent, and you’d break her heart. She’s the kind of girl who’s looking for happily ever after and a white picket fence.”
She deserves someone better than the guys back in college. With four single roommates, our place is ground zero for parties. Girls stream in and out at all hours of the day. Hell, she deserves someone better than me.
“Please….” He rolls his eyes and braces his ankle on his opposite knee. “She might be young, but that girl isn’t naïve. If we messed around together, she’d know the score.”
“Stop!” Fuck, I’m going to do it. One. Inhale. Two. Exhale. Hold it together. Aurora would be pissed if she heard us rolling around, getting blood on the floor.
If it were still the original gray painted cement, it’d be one thing, but she had oak vinyl plank flooring installed throughout the basement when we graduated high school. The last time we messed it up by spilling an energy drink on it, she’d forced us upstairs to get mop water and made us clean the entire basement.
Spencer is wrong about Emily. I’ve known her since grade school. I know she’s the kind of girl guys like me avoid. She’s the type of girl who wants a promise ring after a first date and deserves it.
That’s why I spent the entire ride here telling him about how plain she was. It was the only way I could think of to keep him from noticing her. I drag my hand through my hair. “Just ignore her. Besides, we’re here to play games and hang out. Not to try to hook up with the first girl we see.”
I uncurl my hands, which I didn’t realize I’d re-fisted, and will my temper to ease. I don’t want to fight with him.
“Fine, I’ll let it go. But I must admit….” He waggles his eyebrows. “I do enjoy getting a rise out of you.”
“What’re you talking about?” I frown as I slide my hands into my sweatpants.
“You went on and on about her on the way here. About how plain she is. How young and childish she is.” He smirks. “There’s nothing plain about that girl.”
“You asked me how she dressed, and I said jeans and T-shirts.” My heart thuds in my chest. Of course, I’m not blind. I know Emily is gorgeous, but I’m not about to add more fuel to the fire. “All I meant was that she doesn’t dress like she’s easy. And she is young. She’s four years younger than us.”
