The Reluctant Romantics Box Set (The Fall, The Mind, The Heart)

She turned to me playfully. “Oh, well, when you put it that way, meh…and change clothes would you, you look like a bible salesmen.” She hurried up the steps as she chuckled.

“Just come, okay? We can tilt a few beers back and I want to talk to you.”

“About what?” she asked as I admired her from the bottom of the steps. She had on a sweater dress that outlined her curves perfectly and tight black leggings that I dreamt of ripping off of her all day.

“There’s just something I want to talk to you about.” She heard the hint of seriousness in my voice. “It’s important.”

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

I sat on my throne, wrapped in a fucking white sheet, my look complete with a golden Caesar crown, holding an oversized chalice full of beer as I waited for Dallas. I watched the swarm of people around me, completely disinterested, and knowing I had been stood up. I had texted her twice with no response. My aggravation grew as the beer failed to numb me, and the idiots around me raised total hell. So far, tonight we had put out two potential fires, taped up three broken windows, and now I was stuck watching two bikini-clad girls fight in a plastic pool filled with grapes. I was supposed to be judging the winner, but instead of paying attention, I was fuming.

Relief turned to disbelief when I heard the cat calls at her arrival and Rob’s “HOT DAMN DALLAS!” as she came into view.

Taking her in, my body went completely stiff and a hunger I had never felt pulsed through me. She was covered from head to toe in gold. Golden sandals, golden dress, golden painted skin, even her long dark hair was sparkling. Her arms were covered in bracelets and she wore a small crown of her own. She had painted her eyes heavily, Cleopatra style.

It was the sexiest fucking thing I had ever seen in my life.

My mouth watered as I noticed the heavy cleavage and large amount of leg her dress revealed. My mind raced with possibilities, and I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was painfully hard. Her dorm mate, Cammie, was behind her and gave me a knowing smile as Dallas took the small step to stand before me in my chair.

Before I had a chance to speak, she planted herself on my lap, grinding her ass against my hard dick and turned to the side, hooking her heels on the armrest, giving me a clear view of her perfectly toned legs. She looked up at me through her lashes, her perfectly painted lips beckoning me.

“Hey,” she said sweetly.

Possessiveness took hold as I scolded her. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for hours,” I said, shifting so she couldn’t feel the evidence of what she was doing to me.

“Well,” she said, winking at Cammie who was currently being badgered by Rob. Cammie rolled her eyes in boredom as she handed him her cup. He didn’t have a chance in hell. “We took our time getting ready, and from what I can tell,” she said, looking dead at me with a knowing smirk, “you appreciate it.”

“You look beautiful, but I told you I wanted to talk to you,” I said, trying to keep from eyeing her legs.

“We will. I just got here. Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?” She leaned in so I got a clear shot of her chest then grabbed my chalice, taking a long drink.

“It’s warm.” She wrinkled her nose and stood, making her way to the keg as I watched her with hungry eyes. Casey was the first to leap to her side, and I glared at him, unable to move due to the painful reminder in my groin. I willed the beast in me down as I finally joined her and we walked around the party. We drank a few beers as we observed the out of control rager. The Greeks took their toga parties seriously, and my frat house was no exception. I was surprised we hadn’t been shut down.

Dallas’s eyes widened when the DJ put on an old school rap mix and she dragged me to the dance floor. I watched her move her hips seductively as she brushed her ass against my front, pulling me closer to her, her hands behind her on my hips. I snaked my arms around her, brushing my fingertips over her middle and she molded into me. She leaned her head back as I cradled her and I saw the want in her eyes. I brushed my lips against her temple as she continued to sway with me. We danced, glued together in a sweating, needy mess through three songs before taking a break, walking out to my porch with a fresh beer and some much-needed fresh air.

“This is fun,” she said, looking up at the night sky from the porch, her mascara smudged. I moved in front of her, wiping the smear away with my thumb.

“You look so beautiful. There wasn’t a guy in there that didn’t wish they were me. Thanks for coming.”

Jade eyes beckoned me, and I leaned in and slowly took her lips, and she kissed me back without hesitation.

This was it.

“I want you to take me upstairs,” she whispered, as I pulled away.

“What?”

“You heard me, Dean. I want you to take me upstairs,” she said wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me so I was a whisper away from her lips.

“I’m not going to take you upstairs and just screw you, Dallas,” I said as my dick disagreed, raging in my shorts underneath the thin sheet.

I wanted this woman.

I needed this woman, and I’d be damned if she hadn’t just stolen my thunder again by making the first move. “Not tonight, not like this.” I was fighting for control. Every fiber of my being wanted to do exactly what she asked me to. I’d planned on telling her everything about how I felt. I didn’t want our attraction getting in the way of the truth. I wanted her to understand that before I laid a hand on her. She deserved it. She was worth the wait.

“I’m aware of what I’m asking, you ass.” She looked at me seriously as she leaned in, taking my lips slowly as I groaned in frustration.

“This is not a random hookup, Dallas, all right? You mean more to me than that. You are a lifetime girl.”