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  “Well,” I replied yanking down on the old ratty football shirt of Jake’s that I used as pajamas and kneeled on the bed. “Is this really what you wear to games?”

  “Mmhmm,” she pursed her lips together as she rifled through the selections and threw a ball of black material at my head. “Here, this will look perfect on you. Show off that pretty skin of yours and your boobs aren’t too big for something like this.” I scooped up the dress and pulled out a pair of lacy black panties, forgetting a bra since this one looked like it had a built in one.

  I took a quick shower and was thankful that I was the second one in and there was still some hot water left. All four of us had gotten together, having a meeting of the suitemates, and agreed that we would each take a maximum of fifteen-minute showers. Maddie and I seemed to follow the rule pretty easily but that wasn’t the story for the other two.

  Just as I suspected, Maddie and I hit it off pretty easily. We were both a little bit more laid back than our roommates were, even though I really was glad I ended up with Kitty, she seemed to bring me out of my shell.

  But I put my foot down when Kitty tried to drag me along to join a sorority; Maddie did the same thing when Kylie tried it too. We suggested that they go together and they reluctantly did, thinking maybe it would be a bonding experience for them.

  So instead, Maddie and I checked out the over 300 student organizations that were offered. I wanted to try something new out, but I still wasn’t sure what yet. They offered everything from a white water rafting club to an actual quid ditch club. Who ever knew the power Harry Potter actually had over college students?

  “Ok, how does this look?” I padded across the thick furry rugs we had picked up to cover up the cold tiled floor and stood in front of Kitty, who was already dressed in a halter style black sundress.

  Her hair was pin straight like usual and I was so jealous that her hair seemed to come out looking like that almost instantly. She turned around from the mirror that she was centered in front of after one last swipe of her makeup brush. “You look gorgeous, Paige.”

  She smoothed out the bottom of the skirt that flared out just a bit and ended mid-thigh. I had dried my hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail, figuring that it would get pretty hot, especially once we got into the stadium surrounded by all of those bodies in the student section.

  “Ok, just a few accessories and we will be good to go. Did you see if Maddie and Kylie were up yet?”

  “I think I heard movement when I was leaving the bathroom. Hopefully it was Kylie since she takes so long to get ready.” I bent my head forward as she slipped a chunky garnet necklace over my head and added a few bracelets to my wrist.

  “One last touch, we need our game faces on.” She peeled back the paper on a temporary tattoo of our team’s mascot and smoothed it onto the corner of my cheek. She put a matching one on to her face and threw an arm around my shoulder.

  “There, all set. Ugh, I’m so jealous of those cheekbones of yours. You know women pay big bucks and still don’t get anything that compares to yours.”

  “Thanks,” I laughed out as we both slipped on a pair of cowboy boots. Kitty had been telling me that same thing just hours after meeting. My phone dinged from the small nightstand next to my bed and I scooped it up, seeing that it was a message from Ben.

  “Hey Kitty, I forgot to tell you that I made plans to go to the game with someone. I figured he could join our group, is it alright if he meets up to tailgate with us?”

  “Of course! Have you been holding out on me Paige Brinton, there’s a guy and you haven’t even told me?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and followed behind her as she pounded on the bathroom door to see if our suitemates were ready yet. “Just a minute,” Maddie yelled through the door.

  “We’re just friends, we have a class together and he asked if I wanted to go to the football game. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” I had actually forgotten since my head seemed to be stuck in Dylan Turner mode only. Her painted pink lips curved into a wide O and a musical giggle floated out from between her lips.

  “Paige, don’t you know when a guy asks you to a football game around here, it’s like considered a date. This is a big thing for you.” She knew I hadn’t ever dated before and I had about as much experience as a twelve year old. “So who’s the lucky guy, do I know him?”

  “Yeah, actually you do.” She scrunched up her nose, trying to think of who my date could possibly be and a look of horror covered her face. “Please don’t tell me it’s Dylan Turner,” she whispered out in a hushed tone. “Because that would be like the worst first date ever and then some. I don’t think he actually even dates, just screws anything that walks--no offense.”

  “No,” I shook my head to reassure her. I had a feeling that she kind of had a thing for Dylan even though she insisted that wasn’t the case. I’m sure knowing his reputation and how protective her brothers were, they wouldn’t ever let Kitty and Dylan be alone in a room together anyway. Kitty had filled me in on the two girls that frequented the house that Dylan and Chris shared. Really, who does that?

  “It’s actually Ben Davies and I guess he’s going to be my first date. I had my first class on Monday with him and he remembered me from when you had introduced us on campus one day.”

  “Oh, okay that’s good, I guess. We went to school together. We didn’t really run in the same crowds and he was attached at the hip to his girlfriend, Amy.” The bathroom door creaked open and Maddie’s head peeked through. “We’re ready whenever you two are.”

  The four of us made our way through the dorm that was actually buzzing with life this early in the morning. You could feel the excitement in the air over game day and everyone was showing their school pride in full force.

  “Um, so if Ben was so attached at the hip, does that mean he still has a girlfriend?” I looped my arm through Kitty’s and let her lead the way to the area her parents tailgated in. If this was my supposed my first date, I didn’t want it to be with a guy who was trying to date around, while his girlfriend sat at home clueless.

  “No, actually they broke up. Ben caught Amy in the act with some guy from another school, things didn’t end so pretty. He was devastated after it happened and everyone could tell how depressed he was all the way up until graduation. He really is a nice guy though, but just take things slow. You don’t want to be his rebound girl.”

  I nodded my head and pulled out my phone to text Ben to let him know where we would be so he could meet up with us. He was probably just the kind of guy that would be perfect to start dating. We both needed to take things slow, since he was getting over a broken heart and I was just starting off.

  ******************

  “Can you believe this?” Ben whisper-yelled into my ear as we stood in front of our seats in the student section. He had one arm wrapped lightly around my waist and it actually felt pretty good. He had showed up not long after I had texted him the area the Chapmans were in, called the Cockaboose Railroad. That area was jaw dropping. Even after all of the talk I had heard from Kitty, words really couldn’t compare. They definitely tailgated in style.

  I met Bryce and Jared, Kitty’s two other brothers, who all seemed to look a whole lot alike, but they each had their own unique personalities. Tim and Susanne were gracious hosts and genuinely thrilled to meet their daughter’s roommate. Of course, Dylan was there too. He seemed to fit in really well with the Chapmans and Susanne seemed to adore him like a son of her own.

  We made small talk, but things got awkward when Ben showed up. I caught Dylan’s eyes narrowing over Ben’s shoulder when he wrapped me in a quick hug and I really wasn’t sure why. After that, I just caught brief glimpses of Dylan.

  He and Chris seemed to run back and forth, from the Chapman’s to a student section of tailgating. Each time, I noticed Dylan seemed to stumble more and more as he came back and I could smell the alcohol on his breath whenever he got close enough, which wasn’t often.

  “Not
really,” I finally answered. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and you could feel it humming in the air. This was nothing like the baseball games I attended with my dad pretty regularly, compared to this those were like watching someone play golf.

  Dylan, who was standing behind me, leaned forward and yelled at me, “Nothing like a baseball game, huh?” It was like he had been reading my mind. I looked back up at him and he pretty much took my breath away.

  He wasn’t dressed extravagantly like some of the guys I had seen here, with bowties and dress shirts on. Instead, he had a garnet PFG shirt on, that seemed to make his brown eyes appear even more intense, and a pair of low riding khaki cargo shorts. His hair was a mess, like usual and the sun was beating down on it, showing just a bit of a red tint to his hair that I had never noticed before.

  He leaned down to whisper in my ear and I stood on my tiptoes to hear him. The alcohol was still fairly prominent on his breath, but at least he didn’t seem to be stumbling anymore. “You look so fuckin’ gorgeous today.” He brushed back a loose strand of hair that had fallen onto my bare shoulders and I had to contain the shudder that was trying to take over my whole body. His lips lowered to my ear one more time, like he was going to whisper something else, but instead he snagged the tip of my ear in between his teeth, pulling away slowly.

  Holy fuck, I’m pretty sure my panties just got soaked totally through. What the hell was this guy doing to me? He was making me feel things that I had never felt before in my life. I pulled back quickly when I felt Ben’s arm reappear on my waist again and I twisted around to see his normally cheerful eyes, narrowed at Dylan. He did not look happy.

  I heard Dylan’s friend from the baseball team who was standing next to him yell loudly, “They all love cocks on their face, huh bro?” I self -consciously rubbed the temporary tattoo that Kitty had applied that morning and turned around to glare at the asshole.

  Dylan’s face had turned a deep shade of red and I could see the veins popping out in his neck. “Fucking say something about her one more time and I will beat the shit out of you, Dean. Trust me when I say you won’t make it to baseball season.”

  The guy whose name was apparently Dean backed up a few steps and held his hands out in front of himself defensively. “Whoa, settle down, Turner. I was just joking.”

  Dylan squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose for a minute, before reopening his eyes, looking just a little bit calmer and he gave me a small smile before I turned around. There was something about that boy that no one else seemed to see, and I couldn’t help but wanting to find out what it was.

  The stadium hummed to life even more if that was possible when ‘Sandstorm’ blared through the sound speakers and I was memorized at how wild the crowd went. White towels were being lassoed around and everyone was jumping up and down, chanting USC, USC. I was worried the stadium might collapse with all of the excitement, but I joined right along with everyone else, feeling a sense of belonging with this family of football fans.

  The game ended with a loss after four nail biting quarters, but the crowd didn’t care, they still cheered their team on like they were winners. Kitty invited me along for dinner with her family, but I declined after Ben asked if I wanted to grab something to eat. I felt like I would be intruding on their family time, plus I wanted to spend some alone time with Ben.

  “What are you hungry for, Paige?” Ben asked after he pulled me through the crowds of people that were still lingering in the stadium. “I’m up for anything, as long as it’s good. I am starving; I could eat a whole freakin’ cow right now.”

  He let out a quiet laugh as he quickly led me to a parking lot that was still jam packed, and opened up the passenger side door for me on a cherry red Mustang that had the top down.

  “Good, I finally found a girl that’s not afraid to admit she’s hungry, it’s a miracle.” His hazel eyes twinkled as he checked for traffic and we seamlessly made it out of the parking lot without hitting much traffic. He stopped the car after just a few short minutes and hopped out to open my door for me again.

  “Here we go. My parents brought me here when we first checked out the campus; it’s a pretty cool place.” He led me through the Capstone House and punched in eighteen on the elevator. “The view is pretty amazing and the restaurant actually rotates around, even though you never feel it. They have some pretty good barbeque too.”

  We were seated immediately by the hostess and I couldn’t help but gasp at the stunning view we were seated next to. From way up here you could view the whole campus and all of Columbia, I’m sure there were other towns that I was seeing too, and it seemed to stretch on for thousands of miles.

  “Wow, you were right.” I took a sip of my sweet tea and turned back to Ben, after taking it all in. “This view is beautiful.”

  “It is,” he replied, his eyes locked on me and it felt like he was burning a hole through me with how intense his gaze was.

  We made our way through the late lunch and the food was absolutely mouthwatering. By the time dessert came, I figured I couldn’t eat another bite, but after I saw it was banana pudding, I knew I had to at least try it. Ben guided me back through the lobby, out to his car. This time the drive back to my dorm was a little longer, so I was able to enjoy the breeze running through my hair with the convertible top down.

  “I had a lot of fun with you today,” Ben stated with his hands placed lightly on my hips. His head kept dipping down closer and closer to mine, I just wanted to yell out, kiss me already!

  This certainly wouldn’t be my first kiss. I had gotten plenty of those from Jake when we played spin the bottle in middle school and he would never let the bottle land on anyone but him. But I was a woman now, a full- grown adult. I’m sure this would really be considered my first kiss.

  “Would it be alright to ask you out for another date? Say maybe, Tuesday night?” I nodded my head in agreement, as his lips brushed across my ear and I couldn’t help but compare them to Dylan’s. His had seemed much softer and I could remember how his stubble had rubbed against my cheek, tickling it slightly.

  “Ye-ss,” I stuttered out, slightly shaking my head to clear the image of Dylan Turner out of my head. “That sounds great.” I could feel his smile against my lips as he tentatively placed them there. I wound my arms around his neck and he pulled my hips closer, so I was molded around his body.

  It was…..nice. No fireworks exploded, the birds didn’t break out in song like in the movies. His hands cradled my face as his tongue probed my mouth, memorizing every inch. I could still taste the mintyness in his mouth from the candy that he had conspicuously placed in his mouth after lunch. He pulled back slightly and leaned his forehead down against mine. “Wow…that was…amazing,” he breathed.

  “Mmhm,” I murmured into his chest as he crushed me against him. I really wasn’t sure what to say, great, yes. Amazing, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe we just needed more practice. I ran my hands through the stubble covering his head, wishing for just a moment that it was a mess of brown hair running through my fingers instead.

  Chapter 7

  Dylan

  I slammed my empty beer bottle down onto the counter and motioned at the bartender for another one. Of course, as luck would have it, Sara was bartending tonight. Usually I enjoyed it and we would have a quick fuck in the back of the beater mobile on one of her breaks, but I wasn’t in the mood. Her eyes kept flicking to me suggestively every time she brought me a fresh beer and I knew that was still her plan.

  “Hey dude,” Chris pulled out the bar stool next to mine and thumped me on the back, causing the glass bottle to clink against my teeth. We had planned on meeting up after his family dinner. Normally I attended those, but I needed to keep my buzz going that I had. Susanne looked disappointed but I knew I would be able to make up to her, sometimes I think I was her favorite.

  My head had been spinning from the moment I had seen Paige this morning. Her hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, revealing
her slim and bare neck that I just wanted to go over and lick. Her shoulders were bare. The dress she had on, somehow showed off mile long legs even though I knew she was barely over five feet tall. And that fine, fine ass. I was barely able to get it up for Mia the other night, but I was about to bust in my pants the minute I saw her.

  I grunted out something unintelligible that I’m sure Chris couldn’t even understand. The minute I had seen that lanky douche bag, Ben, show up and place a hand on Paige like she was his girl, I knew I would need to be drinking to get through the day.

  I couldn’t resist myself at the game when she was right in front of me, I could smell that sweet flowery perfume that she always wore, drifting up to my nose and I needed to be closer. The moment my lips met her ear, I felt like I was in pure heaven. She had the softest skin I had ever felt and even her ear was turning me on.

  I think I watched her more than I actually watched the game. I could tell her first experience at a Gamecocks game was something she would remember forever, and I loved the way she threw her head back when she laughed at something douche bag or Kitty said.

  “What is your problem, man?” Chris asked, after receiving his first beer from Sara, who was still batting her eyes at me, hinting at what she wanted. Sara was a little different from Mia. Yeah, she left after we had sex, but I had a feeling that she didn’t think of it as just sex.

  She would try to make plans with me every once in a while, like for an actual date, but I always turned her down. She kept coming back for more though, so I figured that was her problem. She knew my MO, Dylan Turner didn’t do the whole dating scene.

  “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d think you were having woman problems.” Chris let out a snort and dug into the dish of popcorn I had in front of me. I cradled my head in my hands and tried to relieve the pounding. Of course, Chris had nailed what my problem was right on the head. That dude knew me way too well. Now I just needed to figure out what to do about it.