Chapter 5
El Gato Con Botas
RILEY
“You’re not allowed to judge me,” I mumble, elbowing Josh as he cackles. “He mentioned hermit crabs, okay? I’m doing my entire dorm a service here.”
Josh struggles to control himself as he watches me use my phone to navigate to our soccer field. “Mmhm, I’m sure you’re doing it for the dorm and not for those dimples, his curls, or his eight inch cock.”
“I should never have told you that,” I mutter. “Are you jealous? You sound jealous.”
“Honey, gay men are like pennies around here. All you’ve gotta do is look down or lift up a couch cushion to find one. I’m doing just fine.”
Grinning, I bump him again. “Okay, maybe I’m jealous of you. I still haven’t agreed to fuck him yet.”
“And I still don’t understand why. Dennis was aggressively okay, I’m not going to talk about how stiff he looks or how the dirtiest thing he’s ever said was that you owe him a blowjob or that — no.
I’ll stop. I say fuck them both. You’re in college, baby girl.
We’re allowed to trip and fall on a couple cocks here and there. ”
He grabs my hand and tugs me in the opposite direction like he’s been here before, so I trust him. He’s gotten me this far in life.
“Where was this energy in high school when you were telling me not to fuck anyone?”
“That guy left with my dignity,” he jokes. “No, I’m just horny. I must be ovulating or something because this isn’t the time for me to give advice, but it’s absolutely the time for me to watch soccer boys get all sweaty.”
Part of me is excited to see the roller coaster of emotions Elias feels when he sees me with a guy behind me, but truth be told, I was scared to come alone. “That’s what does it for you, huh? Sweaty soccer boys?”
As we walk up to the fence next to the stands, all he does is point, and I have to admit he might be onto something. I’m staring at a field full of some of the best looking guys at this school.
Most of them are shirtless or in what I assume is their practice jerseys, covered in sweat and grass, and it feels weird to be looking for someone specific in a setting like this. I’m completely out of my element. “Gods, look at them. This is criminal. What position is your man?”
What did he say? “Defense? I don’t know. He’s number five, which isn’t helpful when none of them are wearing real jerseys.”
Yet as I look a little harder, I see his curls.
They’re not as groomed as they usually are, but that doesn’t take away from his appeal in the slightest, especially with the cocky grin he’s wearing as he runs over to defend and take the ball from his teammate.
“Oh, there he is. Look at those thighs, girl. Do they seriously all have thigh tats? That’s so hot.”
Look at every inch of him. I know Josh is staring at all of them now, but I only see him. He was confident in my room and through texts, but nothing like he is right now. It’s… a little mesmerizing.
I find myself watching a little too closely, and I end up making eye contact with a few other guys before I ever catch Eli’s gaze.
A guy with a man bun seems particularly interested in me, and when he jogs over to talk to Eli, he finally looks toward me.
The smile on his face only grows, making me regret coming at all, but it’s too late now. He’s jogging over.
“Oh shit. Are you going to kiss him? Everyone is watching.”
What did I say about that? We said cheeks only, right?
Why am I regretting that?
“No, just shhh,” I hiss, plastering on a nervous smile as Eli reaches the fence. “I found it. Turns out it’s hard to kiss.” Wait, what? “I mean miss! It’s hard to miss.”
“Kiss, huh?” His eyes flick between Josh and I curiously. “You want a kiss, cupcake? After showing up to my practice with yet another dude.” He braces his hands on the fence and nods Josh’s way. “What’s up?”
“My dick,” my best friend deadpans. “Do a twirl for my spank bank.”
That’s… one way to tell him he’s gay.
Good thing Eli finds him hilarious. “So you’re here for the show?”
“I’m definitely not here for the fresh air, thank you.” He nods behind Eli. “Spill. I know at least one of you is a little curious.”
And this is why I bring Josh. He’s my ice breaker, and my distraction when I’m trying not to die inside.
Eli glances over at the team and finds most of them standing around and watching us.
“Oh, Luca isn’t curious, he knows what he likes.
I can introduce you at some point, but if I drag him over here too, my captain and my coach will kick my ass.
Luca’s the shorter, skinny one with the fade.
He’s wearing our scrimmage jersey.” He spins back around to look at me and steps in a little closer. “You came.”
“Thought I’d make it up to you since I ran my mouth so much.” Rocking on my toes, I cross my arms on the top of the fence. “Happy to see me?”
“Always. Come here.”
Eli leans in and kisses me on the cheek, far too close to my lips for comfort, and he sits there a second longer before pulling away. His teammates whoop and holler like children, but I can barely hear them over the beat of my own heart. “That burrito was a bad idea by the way.”
Wait, come back. Kiss me for real.
Exhaling, I nod. “Yeah? I’m sorry. It was really good, though.”
I can still smell his enticing cologne, but it’s mixed with the smells of nature and something uniquely him, pulling me in when I should be pulling away. “No regrets. I’ll just save that for after practice next time so I’m not so sluggish.”
“Okay,” I laugh as a giant with a British accent yells at him to hurry up. “You’d better get back over there, and I have a class to get to. But there. You can count me among the girlfriends who show up now.”
“Mmhm. I guess I can. I’ll text you later, cupcake. Go on so I can watch you walk away.”
Josh cackles at him and loops his arm with mine. “He’s a smooth one. You’re in trouble, Ri.”
I glance back over my shoulder as we walk away, and seeing Elias staring at my ass with his bottom lip between his teeth ruins me a little.
Yep. I’m in big trouble.
He only gave me thirty minutes to prepare for our date, but at least it’s just a bonfire.
I’m positive he’s already seen enough of my body to last us both several lifetimes, so I opt for jeans, my favorite booties, and an oversized burgundy sweater.
Cute enough to look like I tried, but modest enough that hopefully, he won’t be thinking about my vagina all night.
Especially because that’s exactly what I want him to do.
He’s already getting to me.
The thought annoys me so much that when I open the door to let him in, I’m still frowning. “Hi.”
“Hi, frowny. You look cute.”
He kisses my cheek again and steps aside for me to exit, and my feet move on autopilot.
This is going to be a disaster.
“So how many people will be there?”
“No clue. Masters said it was going to be a chill night, but that doesn’t mean shit.
” He nods in the direction we’re heading and leads the way, giving me an opportunity to check out how annoyingly good he looks in his dark-wash jeans and black henley with the sleeves rolled up.
“Might be just the team and whoever they want to fuck tonight, or it might be a rager. Who knows.”
When he interlocks his fingers with mine, my heart rate kicks up a notch. It feels… good. Not forced, and not coercive. “Last chance to tell me anything I should know.”
“Well everyone knows about you now, so they might be a little annoying about it, but just stick to my lap. Do you drink or anything?”
We walk past a group of girls who all seem to be staring at our hands, making me wonder why. People hold hands on campus every day, so is it him? Is it… me?
We don’t look like we belong together, that’s for sure. I look like the naive daughter of some preacher in the Midwest, and he looks like he should be on the cover of a sports magazine. He looks… experienced, and I look like I’ve never seen a dick in my life.
I know that.
Wait, he asked me something. “What?”
His gaze flicks over to mine. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a drink before?”
“Of course I have,” I mumble. “I was just distracted for a moment.”
“Distracted how?”
He tugs me closer and bumps me playfully, nearly knocking me over. Yeah, the height difference doesn’t help.
“People were staring.”
“Ah, I see. You’re embarrassed to be walking with a jock,” he teases.
“That’s not it,” I say quickly. “I was just wondering why.”
“Probably wondering how I pulled you. Little do they know I couldn’t.
” He laughs loud enough to make even more people glance over, but he ignores them all.
His eyes are either on me or the mountain range behind campus, and when he abruptly stops walking, it takes me completely off guard.
“Wait, stand right here for me.” He pulls out his phone and positions his camera near his chest. “Smile. Or don’t. Whatever feels right.”
The first one he takes has me wide-eyed and still in shock, but the second, I manage to be a human — smiling and all — despite the heat in my cheeks. No one has ever taken a picture of me like that before.
“Beautiful. I wish I had my Polaroid though. I wouldn’t be able to edit it, but some things don’t need editing. You’re blushing again, cupcake.”
He tosses an arm over my shoulder so we can keep walking, and I find myself melting against his side. Is this what it’s like to be with a guy who actually sees you, and wants to see you? Most of the guys I’ve met have been… different. It almost feels like Elias actually cares.
“Why do you call me cupcake?”
“Because they’re sweet and I’m dying for a taste. Nah, I don’t know… they seem small and innocent and I thought it would annoy you.” He flashes me a grin. “You like it, huh?”
“Nope, you hit the nail on the head if you were trying to be annoying.” The chilly air makes me step a little closer. “How much further?”
As the campus disappears behind us I spot other small groups of people heading in the same direction as us. “Like five minutes.”
It feels more like ten by the time we arrive. The sun has almost completely disappeared, and the music is so loud I don’t know how someone hasn’t complained.
It’s in a fancy enough looking townhouse for me to know he and his parents have money, all sharp grey edges and perfectly groomed bushes. The backyard is nicer than I want to admit with built-in seating around the fire, and the huge lit-up windows of his house weirdly make a great backdrop.
I find myself clinging to him a little tighter as the ground becomes uneven and I see all the people I have to fool. This wasn’t a good idea. “Which one’s your roommate?”
“Man bun.” He points over at the one I noticed earlier on the field, and he’s poking at the flames with a huge branch in one hand and a beer in the other. “He’ll come over when he spots us. What’s your drink?”
Eli takes my hand and tugs me toward the liquor tables against the house, and there’s so many options I don’t know what to choose. I usually just drink whatever’s handed to me. “Um… surprise me, just no tequila.”
“You got it.” I watch him grab two red cups he fills with ice, then pour three different kinds of alcohol, two of which I don’t recognize and the other pineapple Malibu, before he tops it off with soda and some kind of juice. “Here. We call this El Gato con Botas.”
I screw up my nose, moving out of Blake’s way when she starts to make one for herself. I don’t know her well, but she’s been nice the few times I’ve met her, so after a quick hello I take a peek into my cup. “The cat with boots? Like the one from Shrek?”
“Yup,” he says with a chuckle. “Don’t ask why, I don’t know the reason.”
Hesitantly, I take a sip, then smile as it goes down. “That’s actually really good. Like really good.”
I drink again, chugging this time, and it makes Eli do the same before he steps in to whisper in my ear. “Slow down there or I might let you take advantage of me, baby.”
“Might?” I ask, grinning up at him. “All of a sudden I have to work for it?”
“Mmhm. I’m not that easy.”
My breath hitches when his hand finds my hip, stopping me short from calling him out on how easily he offered his services the second we met, and then someone interrupts us before I can even find my words.
“Stop flirting over here, Reyes. Who’s this?”
Eli rolls his eyes and takes another drink. “You know who this is. Riley, this is Vito. My roommate.”
Are all soccer players this tall? I thought that was a basketball thing. “Hi. I heard you thought I was fake,” I laugh. “Do I look real?”
Vito shrugs, eyeing me. “I don’t know, robots are getting pretty lifelike these days.”
“You got me. I’m a robot.”
“No, that’s you who fucks robots, not me,” Elias jibes, and Vito raises his eyebrows.
“At least the robots put out. You’re not fuckin’ anyone, Reyes.” He looks at me, grinning. “Don’t give in. Make him beg for it.”
Oh my god, I’d rather die than be here right now.
Eli shoves him playfully, his drink nearly spilling when his best friend retaliates. “Don’t listen to him. He’s never had a girlfriend in his life.”
“Neither have you, but at least I don’t lead them on into thinking it’s going somewhere.”
Eli’s cocky smile fades and so does mine. Here I was starting to think this could be fun if I let it, or even real if I tried hard enough, and Eli’s probably just trying to get laid.
I really need to remember this is fake.