My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) (13 page)

“No.” Setting down a bag on the floor in her room, she sighed. “My parents just brought everything up.”

“Did they already leave?”

“Yeah.” She blew the strands of her hair away from her face. “They had a dinner party to go to this evening.”

“I can help you unpack.” I offered, noticing how they had just left her stuff in the hallway.

“It’s okay, I can do it.” I didn’t offer any more help because I knew Lexi liked things in order, unlike me.

“So, how was your summer?”

“Okay. I took one online class and did my student-teaching at a nearby high school that held summer school classes.” I followed her back to the living room, watching her grab a box and drag it to her room.

“Here, let me help you.” We lifted the box and took it to her room.

“Thanks.”

“So, how’d that go?”

“Not as well as I thought.” She rolled her eyes and the disappointment was obvious. “You were right about the kids. They were horrible.”

Nodding I said, “I told you. So, do you still want to be a teacher?”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking of some other options. I’ll continue working in the student writing center and see what happens.”

“Good idea. At least you have options.”

We returned to the living room. “Did you get here yesterday?”

“I did, around five or so,” I replied sheepishly, knowing that I had brought her brother back to the dorm with me.

“The place looks great.” She glanced around at the somewhat decorated room. I was glad I had picked up our trash before she got here. “Are these the photos you took in New York?” she asked, picking up the ones I’d shown her brother the night before.

“Yes. I was thinking about having them printed on a canvas to hang on the wall.” She didn’t have to know that it was Luke’s idea.

“I think that would look awesome.” Holding each one up, she positioned them in different places as though trying to determine the best place for them. “They’re really good.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. “I took them with the new camera my parents bought me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She followed me into my room, and I picked up the expensive piece of equipment. “I’ve been wanting this camera for a while.”

“That’s a nice camera.” She eyed it for a moment. “May I?” Her hand extended, and I placed it in her palm.

“Sure.” The second I handed it to her, my stomach dropped. What if she asked me to turn it on? Luke and I had taken photos of each other last night. Naked ones. My entire body covered with a thin layer of sweat. Knots formed in the pit of my stomach, and a wave of nausea hit me.

She lifted it to her face, squinting one eye through the viewfinder. “I’ve always wanted to take a photography class,” she handed me the camera, and I released a silent sigh. “Just to learn how to use a camera.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“But with school, work, and internships,” she lifted a hand, “I don’t have time.”

“I understand. Ya know, I could always show you.” I made sure the screen was off and set the camera on my desk, away from her.

“That’d be great. Another time, though. I have all this stuff to unpack.”

“Yeah, of course.” I released another breath of relief. “Did you still want me to take your engagement photos?”

“Yes, and I definitely want them outside.” Her eyes darted to the floor, and I cringed when she saw my torn panties on the floor. I prayed she wouldn’t be able to tell since they were thin and lacy. “Wild night?”

“Um, yeah.” I quickly picked them up from the floor. “I guess you could say that.”

She glanced at my bed that was in shambles. “I can only imagine a night like that with Collin.” She sighed, and her eyes dropped.

“Oh.” I scurried to grab the rest of my clothes from the floor. I wanted to ask her if she wanted to talk about it, but was afraid there might’ve been more evidence in my room. “Since it’s hot as hell outside, do you want to wait until next month to take the photos?” I quickly changed the subject, knowing it was her brother I had the best sex with, and that made it awkward.

“I guess.”

“We could take them at the Japanese Gardens or at the Botanic Gardens, which isn’t too far from campus.” I tossed my dirty clothes in my hamper and did a quick scan for anything else.

“I’ve never been there.” Her eyes averted away from my bed. “Is it the right venue for engagement photos?”

“Most definitely.” I threw my comforter on top of the sheets. “The foliage is beautiful in the fall. Hues of red, orange, and yellow.”

“Oh, that’s perfect.” Her expression shifted to a happy one. “Since I’m getting married next June, engagement photos in autumn will be perfect.”

“The best of both seasons.”

“Aside from the class, how was New York?” She leaned against the dresser and through the corner of the mirror I noticed a box of condoms on my nightstand. I thought Luke had taken them with him. I needed to make sure I did a better job of picking up after he left. Otherwise, I was just asking to get caught.

I moved in front of my nightstand, hoping she didn’t see them. “New York was good. Visited all the tourist attractions, like Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building . . .” I rambled, trying to think of anything to say.

“I’ve never been to New York, but I’d like to go one day. I heard the people are rude, is that true?”

“Um, they’re a little abrupt, but not too bad.” I shifted from one leg to the other, hoping there was no other signs that her brother had been here. “The people in my class were cool, though.”

“That’s good.” She crossed her arms and smiled. “Did you meet any hot guys?”

I laughed, recalling how I thought my summer would go. “I did.” I turned around and grabbed my phone from the nightstand, quickly shoving the box in the drawer. With my phone in my hand, I brought up my pictures. At least my phone was free from naked pics of Luke and me. “These are the girls I roomed with.” I showed her a selfie we took in our room. “Miranda was from Ohio, and Shay was from Rhode Island.”

“Do they attend PHU?” She took my phone and scrolled through the rest of my pictures.

“No. They go to school somewhere else. There were two guys from PHU, juniors, I think.”

“Oh, I thought it was only PHU students.”

“No.” I shook my head. “There were students from all over.”

“I see.” Her brows arched, and her finger lifted from the screen. “And who are these two hotties?”

Slipping the phone from her fingers, I zoomed in on the picture. “The one on the left was Franklin, and the one on the right was Taylor. My roommates and I hung out with them the whole time.” I quickly flipped to the next picture, showing her another selfie we took at the coffee shop we met at daily.

“Did you sleep with them?” Curiosity laced her voice, and I sensed a little change in Lexi.

A laugh belted from me. “I would’ve, but they were gay.”

Her lips twisted to the side. “Too bad.”

“I know.” I petted the screen. “They’re so damn pretty.”

“They definitely are.” She ogled at my phone.

We both jumped when my phone rang, and Jordan’s picture flashed on the screen, indicating she was trying to FaceTime me.

I hit the answer button, and she quickly appeared. “Hey, Jordan.”

“Laney, girl, what are you doing?”

“Here at the dorm with Lexi. She just got here.” I positioned the phone so Jordan could see her.

“Hey, Lexi.”

Lexi gave her a quick wave. “Hi, Jordan.”

“Why haven’t you called me?” The video feed shook as she talked. “You said you’d call me as soon as you got on campus.”

“Sorry. When I got in town I had to go the store, and it got late. I was busy um . . .” I widened my eyes at her, hoping she caught on that I was with Luke.

“Oh.” Her brows shot up. “Okay, you’re off the hook. There’s a party tonight at the Kappa Sig house. Let’s go.”

“Oh, I hadn’t heard about it,” Lexi commented.

“Hey!” Ali and Gaby phone bombed our call. “Let’s party!” They shouted and screamed, throwing their hands up in the air.

“I’m in!” I turned to Lexi. “You have to go with us.”

Lexi quickly retracted from the phone. “That’s okay. I have all of this stuff to unpack. It’s going to take me all night.”

“What? What did Lexi say?” Jordan asked.

“She said she can’t go. Has to unpack all her stuff.” I eyed Lexi, trying to make her feel guilty. Knowing her, she’d have everything in order by tonight.

“Whatever.” Jordan rolled her eyes. “Tell her she can do that tomorrow. It’s our senior year, and that means party time!”

“Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.” Ali and Gaby chanted in the background.

“Thanks, girls.” Lexi leaned over my phone, looking at the screen. “But I’m going to stay here, and um, Collin’s going to come over and help me.” She smiled a simple smile that looked too innocent for a night alone with her fiancé.

“Oh, okay.” Jordan gave her an approving nod. “You two love birds want to be alone.”

“They sure do.” I nudged her with my elbow and winked.

The small smile quickly vanished from her face. “We didn’t get to see each other much this summer since I was student teaching, and he was at a baseball training camp. We need some time alone.”

The longing in her voice indicated there was more to that story, and I made a point to ask her later about it. “You don’t have to tell me. I get it,” I said, not calling too much attention to her remark. “But next time, you have to go with us.”

“Okay.” She darted to the door of my bedroom, as if ready to flee from the pressure of our request.

“You have yet to party with us.” I reminded her as she turned her back to me. For whatever reason, Lexi was determined not to upset Collin or her parents. I don’t know how she did it because God knows I couldn’t. I could only image what it would be like for her once they got married. Poor thing.

She glanced over her shoulder. “You girls have a good time.” The yearning in her eyes was in direct conflict with her voice. Her head bowed, and she ducked out of my room.

“Be ready by nine. Okay?” Jordan said. “We’ll come pick you up.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be ready.”

I hung up the phone, and a text message from Luke appeared.

Luke: Party tonight at the Kappa Sig house. Wanna go?

Plummeting to the bed, I knew what I had to tell him. If I was going to keep my emotions in check and under my control, I had to keep some space between us. I was okay hooking up with him, but there’d be no more spending the night with each other. That only made things worse when morning came, when I woke up in his arms.

Me: Hell yeah.
I hesitated for a second and then typed what my heart didn’t want.
I’ll see you there.

It didn’t take him long to respond.

Luke: Can I pick you up?

I stared at his question. Of course, I wanted him to pick me up. But that was the emotional side of me talking. Shaking off those feelings, I replied.

Me: Thanks, but I’m going with Jordan, Ali, and Gaby.

Luke: Okay. Can’t wait to see your beautiful face and your sexy body. By the way, I had a great time last night and loved waking up next to you. Can’t wait to do it again.

I pressed the phone to my chest. What was I going to do? Luke was definitely showing all the signs of getting too close to me. And if I continued to let him, it would result in one thing—disaster. 

Chapter 9

Luke

“Man, you’re really packing a punch today.” Forbes let out a long whistle as he shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun. “Too bad they’re foul balls.” He and Coach Ruiz shook their heads. “Everything okay, man?” he asked as I brushed by him.

“Yeah, I guess.” I rolled my shoulders and dropped the bat to my side. Fall practice was underway for the next six weeks before our big purple and white day, where we split the team in half and played each other. It was a fun way to end the fall practice season.

“I’m not buying it.” Forbes swung his bat around and around before steadying his arm in hitting position.

“No?”

“Absolutely not.” The automatic pitching machine shot a ball, and Forbes hit it, sending the white cowhide past center field and over the wall. “Yeah!” He chanted, giving his bat a shake in the air.

“That’s how you do it.” Coach Ruiz patted him on the back.

“Thanks, Coach.” Forbes displayed a satisfying smile and then continued hitting a few more balls, driving each one in outfield.

“Good job, Forbes.” Coach clapped.

Forbes tossed his bat aside and then turned toward me. “Your face says something else.”

“Really?” I rubbed the scruff on my chin, as if that would help erase the frustration I’d been feeling. No amount of rubbing or denying it would help. Sitting on the far end of the bench in the dugout, I adjusted my ball cap, allowing it to partially cover my eyes. Talking about girl problems wasn’t something I normally did, but keeping it in was really jacking me up.

“Wanna talk about her?” Forbes sat next to me.

I released a half laugh. Leave it to Forbes to know exactly who the culprit of my problems was. Taking off my hat, I said, “It’s the same shit over and over. I see her at party with some guy, and she does everything to make me jealous. Sometimes she goes home with these guys, and other times I take her drunk ass home, hoping my sister or Collin doesn’t see.” I did a quick check, making sure he wasn’t nearby. “It’s getting old.”