Deal Breakers (Dealing with Love #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

FRESHMAN YEAR

Riley

“Holy fucking shit, dude. Hot blonde at two o’clock,” Josh, my new dormmate says.

I look, and I’m stunned. Hot is a major understatement for the blonde beauty standing by the bike racks. She’s magnificent. I’ve never seen something so incredible. I watch as she secures her bike to the rack and walks away with a beat-up backpack slung over her shoulder. The girl is a walking contradiction. She’s wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, but she looks like she just stepped off a runway. Instead of using some giant, impractical, yet fashionable bag like most girls around campus, she’s carrying something plain and perfectly functional. I step closer and notice that her bike is one of those old-fashioned ones with a straw basket in the front and the frame is covered in hand-painted flowers. It definitely stands out among the rest. Just like its owner.

“Wow,” I say.

I have to meet this girl. And I don’t know why, but I feel like I have to make a big impression. I’m at a loss on how to do it though, because I’m one of those dudes who’s never really had to work for it. Yeah, yeah, I know that sounds douchey, but it’s the truth. At six-foot-two and athletic pretty much my entire life, no one ever messed with me. I was always in the popular crowd and never went through an awkward phase like most teenagers do. I have good looks and good skin, and yeah, I’ll admit, I’ve used that to my advantage. I can tell this girl is different though—she’ll be a challenge—but I’d bet my entire academic scholarship the reward will be so worth the effort.

Josh and I walk our bikes to the rack and begin the process of locking them up. I smile when I think of a brilliant plan to introduce myself to her. I slide my front wheel next to hers and accidentally loop my chain around both her frame and mine. There’s no way she’s getting away without talking to me first.

Josh smirks when he sees what I’m doing. “Well, that’s a new approach. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of taking someone’s bike hostage to get a date.”

I shrug. “I’m hoping the originality of it will earn me some points.”

He slaps me on the back. “C’mon Rye, we’re going to be late for chem.”

After class, I wait in the green space next to the bike racks trying not to look like a creepy stalker. I don’t want to risk pissing off the hot blonde from earlier by making her late for her next class, so I’m sitting here like a schmuck waiting. I stand up tall when I see her approach. She has this adorable little crinkle in her brow as she notices what I’ve done and bites her sexy lip as she assesses the situation. She tugs on the cable and lets out a big huff.

I surreptitiously check out her tight body as I sidle up to her. “Hi there. It looks like you’re having an issue, huh?”

She sighs. “Ugh, some idiot locked their bike to mine. I’m going to be late for class if I have to walk across campus to get there.”

“I think I can help you,” I say.

Her round hazel eyes brighten. “Really? How are you going to do that?”

I start working the combination on my lock and catch her eyes as she makes the connection. I stand up and offer my hand in greeting. “I’m Riley McIntyre. Also known as the idiot .”

She laughs and shakes my hand. “Devyn Summers. So tell me, Riley, why on earth would you lock our bikes together?”

I smile and decide to go with honesty. “I saw you earlier and…I don’t know, felt that I had to meet you. You ran off so quickly. This was the only thing I could think of.”

She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “And why did you feel like you had to meet me? ”

“A bunch of people from my dorm are meeting at The Duck Pond later for the game. I wanted to invite you.”

“Isn’t that the sports bar over on University Street?”

I nod. “It is. They have big screens, a few pool tables, darts, and cheap beer. It’s a pretty cool place to hang out.”

She bites her lip again. “Oh. I’m not old enough to drink. I’m only a freshman.”

“So am I,” I say. “But it’s cool. It’s a pub, so it’s open to all ages until ten. Some of the upperclassmen buy pitchers, and we all share. They only check your ID if you’re buying.”

“We’ve only been on campus a week. How do you know this already?”

I laugh. “An old football buddy of mine from high school is a junior. He’s been showing me the ropes. So, are you in? Kickoff is at five, so we’ll all head over there shortly beforehand.”

“The Seattle-San Francisco game?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing the Miners get their asses kicked.”

She frowns. “Puh-leez. The Hawks are a decent team, but they’re not so impressive when they’re not at home with all their twelfth-man loud stadium garbage. Miners totally have this one.”

Holy shit, does this girl know football? “I disagree. Their QB1 has been in top form.”

She smirks. “Same for the Goldminers. Rogers had over 4,800 passing yards last season, and he seems to be even better so far this year.”

I think I’m in love. I also may have just jizzed in my pants a little. Don’t judge me—she’s a hot chick reciting sports stats. Any guy in my situation would do the same.

“You willing to put your money where your mouth is?”

She backs her bike out of the rack and straddles it. “What did you have in mind?”

I picture her straddling my face instead as I pull my bike out too. “For every Seattle touchdown, you owe me a beer. I’ll do the same for you if the Miners ever get one.”

She glares at me. “Oh, you’re so on! But make mine soda.”

My mouth quirks at that. So she’s not a rule breaker, huh? I’ll have to see what I can do about that. “It’s a date.”

She frowns. “No, not a date. We’re just going to…hang out.”

I mirror her expression. “What’s wrong with a date? Do you have a boyfriend?”

She shakes her head. “No, no boyfriend. I’m just not looking for a date right now.”

I feign nonchalance. “That’s cool. We can totally just hang.”

She perks up again. “Really? You’d be okay with that? I don’t want to give you the wrong impression—I mean what I say—I’m just looking for a friend. Nothing more. ”

Man, she’s going to be tougher to crack than I thought. “It’s totally fine. I could always use more friends. The more the merrier, right?”

Her face lights up in a smile as she turns her bike toward the other end of campus. “Right. I’ll meet you there around five. I need to get to class.”

“See you then,” I call out as I watch her pedal away.

My buddy Kevin and I are playing pool when she walks in. “Day-um,” he says as he watches her coming toward us.

“Dibs.” I set the pool stick down. “I’m done playing, man. This is my date.” Whether Devyn wants to call it one or not, this dickhead needs to know she’s off-limits.

She smiles as I approach her. “Hi, Riley.” She looks around. “You’re right, this place is pretty cool.”

My eyes run the length of her body. I think she’s wearing the same jeans from earlier but she’s changed into a form-fitting San Francisco Miners T-shirt. Her tits are a little on the small side, but they’re nicely rounded and perky. I find myself wondering what shade of pink her nipples are. She clears her throat, probably because I’m staring at her chest.

I lift my eyes and say, “Nice shirt.”

She looks down. “Thanks. It’s my lucky shirt. They win every time I wear it.”

I laugh as I take her hand and lead her to a table in the back. “Oh yeah? Well, good call because they need all the help they can get.”

She glances at our joined hands and blushes. “So you say. We’ll see.” She pulls her hand away and takes a seat.

I take the chair directly across from her. I deliberately choose a two-top so the assholes who are currently checking her out get the message to leave us alone.

I raise the pitcher of beer I set down earlier and pour a glass. “You want one?”

She gulps. “No, thank you.”

I smile. “Oh, that’s right, you’re more of a soda girl. What can I get for you?”

“Pepsi or Coke is fine,” she says.

I make a quick run to the bar and return with a glass of Pepsi. I place it in front of her with a dramatic bow. “Your soda, milady.”

She laughs. “Well, aren’t you the quintessential gentleman? Does that crap normally work for you?”

I take my seat and return her laughter. “Usually, yeah.”

She snorts. “Well, Romeo, you can save the charm for later. We’re here as friends . Remember?”

“Right,” I say. “So, you like football, huh?”

She nods enthusiastically. “Oh yeah. I like every sport really, but football is definitely my favorite. I watched religiously with my dad and brother growing up. On Sundays, we worshipped at the Church of the Flying Pigskin. My mom made the best nachos for us. It was great.”

“What are you doing after this?” I ask. “You wanna get married? Because seriously, you are like my dream woman.”

She laughs. “Ah, sorry, but I’m not looking for dates or husbands today. Tough luck there, Romeo.”

“So where’s home for you?” I ask, trying not to count how many times she’s shot me down already.

“Ashland. It’s a few hours south of here, right above the California border.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar,” I say. “I’m from Napa. My mom used to drag me up to the Shakespeare Festival every year when I was younger. She wanted to expose me to some culture or shit like that. Personally, the five-hour drive was a pain in my ass. I finally convinced her I had enough culture when I started high school.”

She laughs again. “Oh, you’re totally missing out. I’ve been countless times, and it never gets old.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” I laugh.

“We’ll have to go together sometime. Seriously. If you don’t like it, you just haven’t had the right experience yet.”

My dick perks up at this. She’s already talking about future outings. Taking me with her to her hometown. Normally, I’d say she was getting way too clingy, but I’m not getting that vibe from her.

I sip my beer and nod. “I might just take you up on that. Maybe we can check it out when we go home for the summer. I can easily make a pit stop in Ashland.”

She ducks her head. “I’m not going home for the summer. ”

“What? Why not? It’s so close. Wouldn’t your parents be pissed?”

“I don’t have parents,” she whispered.

“What? But you just said?—”

She looks up, and her eyes are a little shiny. What the hell? “They died. My mom…she had breast cancer. It took her when I was ten. Then my dad…he had a heart attack halfway through my senior year of high school. He went to bed one night and never woke up. It’s just me and my brother now. Drew’s almost four years older, so he came to help me through graduation, but then he moved back to Seattle last month.”

Oh shit. I have no idea what to say. She just exposed something so personal and raw. I want to pull her into the world’s biggest bear hug, but for some reason, I think she’d fight that.

I reach across the table and settle for a hand squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss, Devyn. Really. That sucks.”

Devyn

Holy crap, why did I just blurt that out to a virtual stranger? I can’t believe I told him about my parents! I came to the University of Oregon so I wouldn’t be the poor orphan everyone back home considered me to be. Being in Eugene was my chance for a fresh start, and I just blew it by telling this guy I just met about them. What the heck was I thinking? What is it about this guy that makes me feel like baring my soul? He’s obviously a huge player, which is not even close to my type. But god, sitting here with him, I feel like I’ve known him forever.

Trying to lighten the mood, I nod toward his beer and say, “I’ve changed my mind. Can I try a sip?”

He looks skeptical but hands the mug over. “Sure.”

I hesitantly take a sip and actually like it. I’ve heard beer is an acquired taste, but this stuff is yummy . I take a large gulp. “Wow, this is good. I’ve never had beer before.”

He raises his eyebrows. “You grew up in one of the largest brewing states in the country, and you’ve never had beer? How is that even possible?”

I sit up tall. “I’m not twenty-one. It’s illegal.”

He smirks. “It appears as if you’re turning over a new leaf, you little rebel.” Riley pours another glass and offers it to me.

I down half of it before replying. “Apparently, I am.”

He holds his mug toward mine. “Shall we toast, rebel?”

I smile. “Do people normally toast with beer?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. But that’s not going to stop me. What should we toast to?”

I think about it for a second. “To new friends?”

With an unbelievably sexy grin, he asks, “What if I want to explore being more than friends?”

I roll my eyes. “Do you ever give up?”

I find myself staring at his dimples as he replies, “Not when I see something I want this badly.”

I sigh and get serious again. “Riley, I could really use a friend right now. I just lost my last surviving parent and moved away from everything I’ve ever known. I need to focus on school and getting my life together. I don’t have room for anything else.”

He considers that for a moment with sincere empathy in his big brown eyes. He clinks his glass to mine and says, “To friends, then. I’ll be the best damn one you’ve ever had.”