Give Me You (9 page)

O’Brien on the other hand is beat to hell and back—something I think the cops noticed was odd for someone in the backseat, but they didn’t ask very many questions. Mostly they seemed to want to get the paperwork handled so they could get out of the rain. He has a gnarly looking cut down his forearm and nearly a dozen stitches by the time we leave. His truck was towed to the nearest body shop so have to take a cab back to the dorms.

“Well, this was a hell of a first day,” Skylar says as we get out of the cab.

Layla looks ready to collapse, which is apparently fine because Landen doesn’t appear to have any intentions of leaving her side.

“Corin, would it be okay if, um, Landen stayed in our room tonight?” She turns to him before I can answer. “I mean, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s cool with me,” I tell her before Landen can respond. “But don’t athletes have to check in or something at curfew?”

“Yeah we do,” Skylar breaks in. “But I can call Dean or Mike and tell them what happened.”

“Do that,” Landen says, pulling Layla closer.

I’ll give him this much, he might not be the most well balanced person on Earth, but he obviously loves my roommate very much.

I can tell that our AC is still out the minute we step into the stuffy dorm room. I cuss myself for not remembering to grab the damn fan.

Landen tells Layla to shower and I glance over and see that she’s shivering. Maybe we don’t need the fan after being soaked in the rain.

Once she’s safely ensconced in the bathroom, he turns to where Skylar and I are sitting across from one another.

“Start talking, O’Brien,” I say, pointing a finger at him. “What happened tonight, that wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity of normal behavior.”

Landen sighs and lowers himself onto the futon a few feet from Skylar. “She’ll hate me for telling you. But she should’ve told you by now.”

My stomach tightens in nervous anticipation and I scoot to the edge of Layla’s desk chair. This can’t be good.

“She’s obviously got something major going on,” Skylar chimes in. “Whatever it is, you can tell us.”

Landen nods. “She has a condition. It’s like…Epilepsy almost. But not exactly.”

I frown. “You’re not really clearing anything up, O’Brien.” Though some things are becoming clearer. Why she’d never been kissed, for example. I’m wondering if she could attend high school normally with a condition like that.

He wrings his hands and I can literally feel the tension rolling off of him. “What happened tonight could’ve been so much worse. That accident could’ve triggered an much more terrifying episode than either of you saw.”

“How so?” I tilt my head. “I mean, like she could’ve died? Or what? I need details here. I live with her. I want her to be safe and okay, but how can I look out for her if I don’t even know what the hell I’m looking for?”

Before he can explain anything further, Layla steps out of the steam-filled bathroom in her robe.

She glances at each of us and apparently none of us have a poker face for shit.

“Guess the freak’s out of the bag,” she says before disappearing into the bedroom. The wounded expression in her eyes makes me want to console her, but I’m not quick enough. Landen isn’t far behind her. I exhale softly and lean back into the chair. Doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any more answers tonight.

Skylar opens his mouth to say something, but we can hear Landen through the thin walls.

“Please don’t be mad. I didn’t tell them everything. Just that you have a condition and that what happened in the truck could’ve been a lot worse. Corin really needs to know, Layla. She’s your roommate for God’s sakes.”

We don’t hear much of the rest, but the murmur of their voices though the wall is constant.

“Well this is pretty fucking awkward,” Skylar says. “They need to just bang and get it over with.”

“How romantic of you,” I deadpan.

“Just sayin. You know I’m right.”

I nod. “Oh yes, ye of infinite wisdom. Please do tell me more about how sex fixes everything.” I lean forward and fake being wildly enthused at the prospect of him dropping more knowledge on me.

“Mock me all you want, Red.” He shrugs. “But that much pent up sexual frustration is not healthy for anyone. You saw how he reacted with Taite.”

I did, but I still see no reason to agree with the arrogant ass out loud.

We hear what sounds like sobbing through the door and I cast a long glance a the sliding door barrier between us and them.

“Let them work out it themselves,” Skylar says, barely looking up from where he’s texting on his phone. “Pretty sure it’s about time for them to.”

I glance at my own phone as if I have better things to tend to than being ignored by him. But I have no messages and no missed calls so I’m just scrolling through old ones.

“Mike and Dean took care of curfew for us,” Skylar informs me several moments later.

I try not to feel at all relieved that he was texting dudes and not a girl. “Well that’s good.” I glance around at the small space. There’s just the one futon out here. “So, um, you’re staying too?”

Skylar follows my line of sight to the futon beneath him. “Ah, no. Definitely not.”

Of course not. Big man on campus has better places to go. I’m sure she’s lovely.

“Use a condom,” I say without looking up from my phone. “No glove, no love.”

A low chuckle reverberates from his chest. I feel him leaning closer toward me. “You jealous, Red? Think I’m bailing to go bone some chick instead of having a slumber party with you?”

I scoff a little too loudly. “No. I literally couldn’t care less what you do. And by the way, only pre-pubescent boys still refer to it as boning.”

Skylar watches me with entirely too much knowledge in his gaze. “My bad, sweetheart. Let me rephrase. Did you think I was going to go meet up with another female, one who’d be more than willing to let me strip her naked and appreciate every inch of her body with my tongue, making her moan my name and beg for my dick?” He leans even closer until he’s practically whispering in my ear. I refuse to move a single muscle and let him know he’s affecting me in the slightest. “Would you beg, Red? Naw, I bet you wouldn’t. You’d probably make me beg, wouldn’t you? Show me that pretty pink pussy and tease me until I was on my knees and—”

“Enough,” I say, jerking away from him. “Lovely portrait you’ve painted and I’m sure you’re company for the evening will be the epitome of class.”

It’s bad enough I’m nearly positive my roommate and her man are engaging in some pretty heavy foreplay judging from the sounds coming from the next room. But this, Skylar whispering dirty promises in my ear, it’s too much. Can maintenance seriously not fix the fucking AC? It’s a million damn degrees in here.

Skylar is entirely too calm, looking aroused and sleepy at once.

“She is,” he says. “The epitome of class, as you say. Far too good for me.”

“Good for her.” I nod towards the door. “You should get to it then.”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to my friend Jax’s apartment with me. His place is empty because he’s trying to sublet it and hasn’t yet.”

I don’t even bother to hide my shock. “Me? Why?”

“Because I enjoy your company and constant rejection so very much, obviously. But if you’d rather stay here and enjoy the sounds of our roommates dry humping all night…don’t let me stand in your way.” He holds up his phone. “Jax said the place is ours for the night if we want it.”

I swallow hard. “That sounds…” Dangerous. Stupid. Tempting as hell. “Okay.”

Before Skylar can respond, Landen slides the partition between the rooms open. Both he and my roomie look a little disheveled to say the least.

“You okay?” I ask Layla.

She nods and I notice her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are a little glassy.

“Hey, um, so I have a buddy with a studio apartment nearby and he’s out of town. This has been a shitty night for all of us so Corin and me were thinking maybe we’d go crash there. It’ll give you guys some time to talk in private.”

Landen nods but Layla shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. We can sleep out here and Skylar can have my bed.”

“No offense,” I tell them both. “But as much as we enjoyed that little interlude, uh, we’re going.” If I have to lay on a bed beside Skylar all night and listen to her and her man grinding all over each other in the next room, I will probably spontaneously combust. Pass. I grab my purse, and Skylar pulls himself up off the futon. “Besides, it’s too damn hot in here and Skylar’s friend has working AC.”

At least I hope he does.

“Okay…but can I talk to you for a sec, um…in the hall?” Layla directs the question at me—looking seriously concerned that Skylar might try to gobble me up like the big, bad wolf.

Jesus, Connelly. Do not think about him eating you in any way, shape, or form, if you want to remain sane.

“Layla, I know what you’re going to say. And it’s fine. I have it handled. Promise.” I hug her and whisper, “But be careful. You know where the condoms are,” in her ear before I leave.

“Um, you be
careful
too,” she says, as I step out into the hall.

I roll my eyes at Skylar when he closes the door.

“You sure you to waste your night in an empty apartment on me? You know I’m not going to give you any.”

Skylar puts an arm around me as we exit the dorm. “Who needs sexual gratification when they can have snarky insults and blatant rejection?”

But he’s smiling, so I guess he doesn’t consider time with me a waste after all.

J
ax’s studio apartment is above a pizza place and it’s not a long walk from the dorms. He went to my high school and graduated with my sister, Katie. He works for a music executive and travels so much his apartment is empty most of the year. If I wasn’t an athlete and didn’t have to spend freshman year in dorms, I’d be all about living in Jax’s bachelor pad.

I use to key he gave me when he found out I was going to SoCal and Corin and I step into the darkened apartment. A black leather sectional and flat screen television take up one half, while a California king-sized bed occupies the other.

“Bathroom is back there,” I inform Corin in case she needs to go. “Behind the bar area.” Beside the bedroom is a sleek granite countertop that borders the stainless steel fridge and a matching stove.