Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Shannon
I’ll never fit in. At least it feels that way as I walk through the Delta Sigma Phi chapter house, pushing my way through the crowd. Even after three years of being a Kappa Delta sister, I feel out of place. Everyone on campus comes from money. I only pretend to have it all.
A girl from Zeta Beta, who I can’t remember her name, grabs my arm and yells over the music. “I love your dress. Where did you get it?”
I force a smile. “I can’t remember.”
Jordan Walcott, the vice president of my sorority, takes pity on me and loans her clothes to me for parties and sorority functions.
Shaking the girl off, I move through the crowd, sipping from the red plastic cup.
I can’t even afford to shop from the clearance rack at Nordstrom.
It isn’t easy attending Strickland University.
The prestigious college in Center City, Philadelphia, oozes generations of wealth and success, where the rest of us have to kill ourselves to be part of their world.
I know most of the people in this house.
Despite my lack of money, I have fooled the rich kids on Greek Row.
But I’ll never be one of them. My friends split into groups, some already paired with a frat bro.
Some of their families are so wealthy they own yachts and private jets.
And here I am, standing in the middle of the living room turned into a dance floor, pounding the rest of my beer in a borrowed dress and heels.
“You look bored,” a guy whispers into my ear, his breath on my skin sending chills down my arms.
I spin around to face him and smile when I find Jamie O’Connor behind me.
He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.
Whenever I see him at a party, he puts me at ease.
I never feel out of place around him. Jamie is so laid back that I could talk to him for hours.
But he never makes a move. Maybe that’s the reason I like him.
He’s unlike the other guys in this house, who all want something from me.
I smile, and his expression quickly mirrors mine. “Yeah, I guess I’m not that into it,” I admit.
“Wanna dance?” Jamie offers his hand to me, which I gladly accept, and then his other hand falls to my hip, pulling me into his chiseled chest.
Jamie is tall and muscular, towering over me, though that’s not too hard to do when you’re only five feet tall. Almost everyone is taller than me. Even my younger brother, still in middle school, has an inch or two on me.
I run my fingers over his thick biceps, loving the feel of our skin touching. Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand why girls flock to Jamie, but my mental connection to him has far outweighed my sexual desire. At least, it did until now because being this close to him is killing me.
As he moves his hand from my hip to my back, I suck in a deep breath and peek up at him.
His eyes meet mine, and my throat closes as I look into his perfect blue irises.
He’s gorgeous with shaggy brown hair, which sweeps over his forehead.
Jamie gives me a dreamy look that stirs need and desire inside me.
Does he feel it, too?
I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend. From what I can tell, Jamie doesn’t date. Hockey and school are more important to him.
“Thanks for saving me,” I say.
Jamie smirks. “I like saving damsels in distress.”
“My very own superhero,” I joke, squeezing his biceps. “You found me at just the right moment. I was thinking about leaving.”
“Good thing my spidey sense kicked in before you did.”
From what he’s told me, Jamie loves comic books. He has an obsession with Spider-Man, something he’s mentioned quite a few times. I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. He stares down at me, his lips parted, and my pulse quickens.
I want him to kiss me.
We dance to the techno beat, our bodies rubbing against each other. The tension between us builds, hitting its peak before he dips his head to my level.
Is this our moment? It sure as hell feels like it.
He digs his fingers into my side, both hands on my hips.
Our lips are so close they almost touch.
I lick my bottom lip to give him the go-ahead.
But he stops inching his way to me. Instead, Jamie moves his head to the side, taking me by surprise.
His lips are brushing against my ear as he speaks in his deep, manly voice.
“I need another beer. Come with me.”
Jamie leads me through the living room and into the kitchen with our fingers interlocked. One of the fraternity brothers stands behind the bar along the right side of the room, handing out drinks. We make a beeline toward the bar. Jamie raises his hand to grab the bartender’s attention.
Jamie hands me a beer. “Drink up.” He dips the red plastic cup against mine to toast. “Wanna go outside?”
I sip the foam from the top of my cup and some sticks to my lips. Jamie’s eyes fall to my mouth, and he’s mimicking me as I lick the foam away.
“Yeah, I guess. If it’s not too cold.”
He hooks his arm around my back and smiles. “I’ll keep you warm if it is.”
Jamie has never been so forward with me. He looks sober, or at least not wasted, like his friends. His teammates are in the backyard playing beer pong. A large group gathers around the long table where people throw ping-pong balls into plastic cups.
I avoid playing games with the frat bros. They always seem to win, no matter the challenge. I learned my lesson freshman year when my pledge class played them in strip poker.
We lost miserably.
In the middle of the yard, I spot a mix of naked and close-to-it people playing poker at a table under the giant oak tree. I’m relieved when Jamie dodges both crowds and heads toward the koi pond at the far edge of the property.
We have some privacy by the pond, enough space for a private conversation. Greek Row is lit up at this hour, one party after another spanning the entire block.
I sit on the bench beside Jamie, who leans forward to look at the fish swimming in the pond before us. He sips from his cup, his eyes fixed on the ground. An awkward silence fills the air between us. Now that we’re finally alone, my nerves suffocate me, crushing my chest.
“How’s hockey going?” I ask him.
He takes one more gulp of his beer and then glances at me. “Okay, I guess. Tuck and Trent got suspended for two games.” A beat passes between us before he adds, “But no one can know.”
I touch his hand and smile. “You can trust me.”
A smirk turns up the right corner of his mouth. “I know.”
“How so?” I challenge.
“Because I’ve told you stuff when I was drunk, and it never got back to anyone.” He slides across the bench until our thighs are touching. “You’re easy to talk to, Shan.”
I wink. “Right back at ya.”
He holds my gaze, staring at my mouth again. The air hums between us, a palpable energy I can feel on my skin. My stomach churns from anticipating what I hope will be our first kiss. Jamie places his hand on his thigh, and I get a little jealous that it’s not on mine.
“Are you going to kiss me, or what?” I mutter before I can stop myself from confessing my desire.
Jamie chuckles. “Is that what you want?”
I nod. “You’ve never kissed me. Never even tried.”
“Because I don’t want to mess with a good thing. You’re the only woman I can talk to besides my mom or sister.” He slides his arm across my neck, causing the tiny hairs to stand at attention. “Are you sure you want to ruin this?”
“You’re a smart guy, Jamie. The smartest.” I cover his hand that’s rested on his thigh, the heat from his skin warming mine. “But it’s time to turn your brain off and stop thinking.”
Without another word, Jamie dips his head to my level.
He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth. The sensation is so overpowering that my skin burns from his touch.
His big, calloused hand travels up my bare arm until he’s cupping the side of my face, our tongues tangling together as he deepens the kiss.
My entire body comes alive with each flick of his tongue, the heat from his kisses stirring a fire inside me. I want him to keep touching me. I need him to touch me. We’ve waited too long for this kiss. Three years of pent-up sexual tension have manifested into intense greed.
I climb onto his lap without breaking the kiss, and now my hands are all over his perfectly sculpted body.
His stomach is rock hard, and I can feel the well-defined ridges of his abs even over the front of his shirt.
He grunts when I rock my hips, my panties now soaked as I rub against his erection.
I’m so turned on that I feel like a cat in heat, ready to pounce.
Too many sexless months and years of waiting for Jamie to make his move have turned me into a raving lunatic. It doesn’t help that he’s an incredible kisser. Maybe the best I’ve kissed so far.
Jamie runs his hand over the front of my dress, feeling my painfully stiff nipples over the thin black fabric.
I moan against his lips, and he growls in response.
His fingers are in my hair, one hand still cupping my breast. As I press my palms down on his shoulders and rock my hips, he slides down the top of my dress just enough for his hand to fit inside.
Lucky for him, a bra didn’t go with this dress.
He pinches my nipple, ripping another moan from my lips.
My dress rides up my thighs, now bunched around my hips. Jamie peels his lips from mine for a second, now noticing how much skin I’m baring to him. His eyes rake over my bare thighs before he looks at me.
“Why did I wait so long?” His voice is a whisper, his lips swollen and wet from our kiss.
“Because you overthink everything,” I say, bending forward to nibble on his ear.
He hisses, his hands moving to my ass. “My God, Shan. You’re killing me.”
“And you me,” I whisper. “But there’s no way I’m having sex with you out here.”
He chuckles. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Sure feels like you want to,” I say, rubbing my hand over his jeans.
“Oh, I want to. Just not like this. I would never do that to you.” He strokes my cheek with his thumb and then slides a strand of hair behind my ear. “We should hang out sometime. Outside of this house.”
“You could meet me for coffee tomorrow.” I peek at the watch on my wrist to confirm the time. “Well, I guess it technically is tomorrow already. I go to Broad Street Beans for Sunday breakfast if you want to come.”
He stares at me far longer than expected, thinking over my proposal. “Like a date?”
“No, not really. Just two friends who like to kiss and grab coffee together. Nothing wrong with that.”
I try to play it cool. Guys hate when girls are too pushy or overly assertive, and I don’t want to freak him out.
“Yeah, I can do that.” He smiles. “What time?”
“I usually head over around ten so I can sleep in. I can stop by your house on my way…”
“Count me in,” he says before he kisses me again.