Campus Player

I wince at the snarky thought. That’s not who I am. I don’t hate other girls for being different. I have my priorities, and they have theirs. Neither is right or wrong.

The lack of sex is definitely getting to me.

“Hey.” Even though Rowan leans back against the chair, he keeps my fingers firmly ensconced in his beneath the table.

They don’t seem to notice. Or maybe they don’t care. Since Rowan has never dated one girl specifically, he’s been claimed as public property. And these chicks...apparently, don’t mind sharing. I, however, am quite territorial. As far as boyfriends are concerned, I don’t play well with others.

In a blatant bid to get his attention, one of the girls tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “We missed you Saturday night at the house.” She inches closer to him. “I thought you were going to stop by.” Her voice drops, becoming low and sultry. “It’s been a while since we partied together.”

My brows rise.

Partied together?

I get the feeling she means something else entirely.

“Yeah, sorry.” Rowan clears his throat. “I was busy.”

This is the downside to dating athletes. They’re usually a hot commodity on campus and have a shit ton of options available to them. When I attempt to pull my hand from his, he squeezes my fingers, refusing to relinquish them.

“Do you girls know Demi?”

I’m treated to a chorus of unenthusiastic greetings before their attention returns to Rowan. In approximately three seconds flat, I’m sized up and found lacking. Quite honestly, these are precisely the type of girls I imagined Rowan spending time with.

I look nothing like them.

They probably consider it sacrilegious to leave their sorority house without being fully made up with every hair in place. Hell, they probably have glam squads. I, on the other hand, consider myself ahead of the game if I’ve thrown my hair up into a ponytail or messy bun. Bonus points if my top matches my bottoms. Which is why I wear a lot of jeans. What doesn’t go with denim?

My thoughts exactly.

“Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow? Sigma Tau is having another bash.” Blondie trails her fingers over his bicep. “It’s supposed to be epic.”

Oh right...

These girls. They’re still here, cooing at Rowan. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it because I told him that I want to keep everything on the down-low. I can’t stake a claim just because I’m feeling strangely insecure. The air catches at the back of my throat as I’m struck with the realization. That’s exactly what this ugly emotion coursing through me is.

Jealousy.

It takes everything I have inside to bite back the moan of displeasure. I’ve never liked anyone enough to feel this strongly. Not even when I found Annica with Justin’s dick stuffed in her mouth did I feel one iota of possessiveness. Honestly, I didn’t care.

“Um, probably not,” Rowan says, knocking me out of those disturbing thoughts.

One of the brunettes thrusts out her lower lip into a pout, making her look like a child on the verge of a tantrum. If she’s going for sexy, she’s completely missed the mark. But then again, maybe this is the kind of behavior guys find attractive. How would I know? It’s not like I’ve ever tried to be alluring. I’m not into acting coy, fluttering my lashes, or sticking my chest out in a bid for attention. That kind of behavior is ridiculous and, quite frankly, beneath me.

“That’s too bad. Parties are always more fun when you’re there,” one of the twins says.

I almost roll my eyes. These girls need to move it along.

As if sensing my annoyance, Rowan clears his throat and points to the textbook on the table. “Sorry, ladies, I hate to cut this short, but we still have a lot of work to plow through.”

Instead of taking the hint, one of the girls peers down at the book. “Oh, is that statistics?” Her eyes light up as she bounces on the tips of her toes. “I could help with that! There’s no reason for you to pay a tutor.”

“Yeah,” the other two girls chime in with excitement. “We’ll all help!”

Oh lord...

Why do I get the feeling it would be like the blind leading the blind?

Rowan quickly shakes his head. “No, Demi is a great tutor, but thanks.”

“Are you sure?” one wheedles.

“Yup, one hundred percent sure.”

“All right. If you change your mind, let us know!”

“Will do.” Rowan presses his lips together and waits for them to leave.

It takes another five minutes before the trio vacates the area. And even then, they settle at a neighboring table and continue to shoot seductive looks at Rowan.

He squeezes my fingers, drawing my attention to him. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah.”

Rowan glances at the girls who perk up and wave before his gaze slides back to mine. “You know I have zero interest in them, right?”