Campus Player

Guilt slices through me like a burning arrow. “I don’t think that.” How did I get it so wrong? Why didn’t I see through to the truth?

He raises his brows. “Yeah, you did.”

“You’re right, I did. There have always been so many rumors floating around. How could I not believe them?”

“They never came from me.”

That’s the ironic part. It’s the girls who spread the lies far and wide. As if there was prestige to be had if you’d slept with Rowan. An exclusive club that drives up popularity.

When I was a freshman and even a sophomore, my older teammates would brag about hooking up with him. My chest would tighten as I was forced to listen to a blow-by-blow of the encounter. It made me sick to my stomach to think about him messing around with other girls. Instead of admitting I liked him, I convinced myself that I was disgusted by his sexual antics. That he was nothing more than a manwhore coasting through college on his athletic prowess and good looks. Every time he tried to get close, I pushed him away.

Guys get a bad rap for bragging about sexual encounters, but sometimes...sometimes it’s the girls who make stuff up to look better. Until now, I didn’t realize it could go both ways.

“I’ve heard so many girls boast about hooking up with you.”

“Yeah, I know.”

When he doesn’t say anything more, I prompt, “Doesn’t that bother you?”

A sigh escapes from him. “I guess the answer to that would be yes and no.”

“I don’t understand.” There have been plenty of times when people have spread rumors about me. Not only does it suck, it’s humiliating. It’s the reason I decided to leave campus for the weekend; I couldn’t take the scrutiny for another moment.

“It’s not like I wanted people to talk about me, but if girls were bragging that we’d hooked up, then no one was speculating as to the reason I wasn’t sleeping around like most of the guys on the team.”

Wow. I never considered that.

“Look at your reaction.” He pauses for a heartbeat. “The moment I told you that I was a virgin, you immediately thought I was gay.”

Heat slams into my cheeks. He’s right, that’s exactly what I’d thought. I couldn’t understand why a perfectly healthy and attractive male wouldn’t want to sleep with as many girls as he could. Especially when they were throwing themselves at him left and right. From a young age, males are told that in order to be a man, they need to have sex with as many women as possible. If a guy doesn’t adhere to that, then there’s an assumption something is wrong with him. As painful as it is to admit, I’m as guilty of perpetrating the notion as everyone else.

“I’m sorry.” Now I feel even more like an asshole for jumping to conclusions. No wonder Rowan didn’t bother to correct the gossip. “I shouldn’t have assumed that.”

He brushes a kiss against the crown of my head. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. In our society, that’s the way people are conditioned to think. There must be something wrong with a guy if he decides to wait. No matter what the reason might be.” He adds with a touch of humor, “I’m probably the only virgin on campus.”

His comment lightens the mood. “Nah, there might be a freshman or two.”

“Thanks,” he says with a snort. “I feel much better now. Maybe we can start a club or support group.”

I twist in his arms until my mouth can drift over his. As soon as it does, his lips part, and my tongue slips inside. He pulls me close and rearranges my body until I’m stretched out on top of him and able to feel all of his hard lines pressed against me.

It's all too easy to lose myself in him. The way his mouth sweeps over me. The velvety softness of his tongue as it tangles with mine. The feather-light touch of his fingers as they dance along the sides of my breasts before skimming down my sides.

Almost reluctantly, he pulls away. “You feel so damn good.”

When I swoop in for more, he gently pulls away until his gaze can fasten on mine. “You realize that I’m not looking for a quick fuck, right?”

How could I not?

But what does that necessarily mean?

That we can’t have sex?

Like right now?

Because I’m more turned on than I have been in a long time.

Maybe ever.

His lips twist as if he has mindreading capabilities. Carefully he repositions me until I’m snuggled up against him instead of draped across his body.

I guess that answers the question, now doesn’t it?

“You’re kind of a tease,” I grumble.

Even though a chuckle rumbles up from his chest, it’s scraped raw as if he’s as tortured as I am. “That wasn’t my intention.”