A Year of Love Read online

It helped that we were on the fourth floor, too. It was known as the ‘ghost’ floor because hardly anyone studied up there, with good reason. Word was that it was haunted. But at that moment, I gave no fucks as Sabrina fell to the ground, and I was expecting her to start fighting, swinging, struggling. Something. But nothing. She went limp, but she kept screaming.

  I let her go but knelt down and grabbed her chin. “Stop fucking calling me cunt, you cunt. I don’t give a shit who you party with, or what house you belong to, or who your friends are. If you think I’m going to take your bitchy attitude, I will make your life hell.”

  Maybe it was the same shock as what Sabrina was feeling, but the guys hadn’t moved.

  Until then.

  I heard their chairs scrape back and knew I had one second to get my final point across.

  I leaned down, making sure she could see in my eyes how much I didn’t care. “You fuck with me, I will end you.”

  But that was it. My moment was done.

  An arm grabbed me and yanked me off of her. I was being carried to one corner while I saw Gavin scoop her up and take her to the other side. I could hear her screaming and crying, and Gavin crooning to her when Cruz set me down. I shoved him off of me, turning and starting to pace.

  He started to come after me, but I shot a hand out. “Don’t.”

  “Yeah, I’m getting that, but I know Sabrina, and you should not be here. Gav is talking her into not making a big deal out of what you just did, but it’d help if you took off.”

  I was mid-step, but pivoted sharply.

  He was right. She could press charges. Who knew if there were cameras around.

  I passed him, going for the table to get my things.

  Cruz grabbed my arm, hauling me back. “Oh whoa. Chill, girl.”

  I was snarling. His touch set me off again, but he backed up, his hands going in the air. “Let me grab your stuff. I’ll get mine. I still need to study, so maybe you and I can go somewhere and study? Yeah? You can cool off. Sabrina wants Gavin anyway. That’s why she was going after you.”

  Fuck.

  Fine.

  Whatever.

  I growled, pressing my palms against my forehead, and I bent forward, trying to squash a scream.

  Cruz must’ve taken that as his sign to get the hell away from me because he disappeared. Thirty seconds later, after I heard him murmuring to Gavin, he was back. He had his backpack on, and he was carrying mine, putting my computer inside.

  I snatched it away from him, checking to make sure he got everything. Phone. Keys. My wallet. Psych textbook, and yeah. Everything was inside. Even my wireless mouse.

  He was standing, watching me as I went through everything, but he didn’t seem disturbed by what just happened.

  I eyed him, frowning as I zipped my bag up and pulled it on my back. “Something wrong with you?”

  He laughed, giving me a half-grin and a half-smirk. “I’m not lying. I really do need to study, and I know if I go back to my house, I’ll be fucked. The guys will want to party, and I’ll end up doing that. I figure I’ll stick with the chick who can take down Sabrina Burford, though you know she’s going to rally her sorority sisters to come after you, so heads up. You might want to start thinking about who you know who can pull strings against her. But yeah.” The grin was more just a smirk by now and damn, it was a hot smirk.

  I hadn’t paid him a lot of attention at first.

  He came in last, sliding into the last chair, and I’d already been studying, bent over my computer. Gavin and Sabrina were in the middle. Miles distracted me and dropped his books next to mine—ugh, Miles.

  I cursed, pulling my phone out and sending off a text.

  Me: Gotta take off. Your books are still at the table. Sorry.

  A second later,

  Miles: Okay. I’ll grab my stuff. Party this weekend?

  I sighed.

  Me: Depends on where it is. I need to avoid the Kappa Gamma girls.

  Miles: Do I want to know why?

  Me: No.

  Miles: Sounds good. Party later.

  Cruz was still waiting when I finished, and I eyed him. “You seriously still want to study?”

  He gave me a firm nod. “Fuck yeah. I’m not wired to understand psychology shit, but I know I learn better around others. You seem to only care about studying, so you’re perfect. Where do you want to go…and can I request we don’t study in a bar?”

  I gave him a look. “Who studies in bars?”

  “My tea—”

  I shot a hand up. He was about to give me personal information. I didn’t want to know anything. I didn’t want to be his friend. “Whoa. I don’t want to know.”

  His smirk grew wider, and his eyes got all dark and smoldering. “Fuck. My dick just got hard for you. Let’s go and study.”

  I felt a twinge inside, and I stared at him for another beat.

  Cruz was pretty.

  He had a whole chiseled look on his face, a strong, square jawline. His cheekbones were high and wide, giving this whole indented side to both sides of his face. Dark blue eyes that I didn’t want to see smoldering because holy hell, I didn’t know how I’d handle that. I saw a smattering of dark hair, too, but his ball cap was covering it.

  Getting a good look at him now, Cruz wasn’t just pretty. He was hot.

  Broad shoulders. He was also hella tall.

  I was back to realizing that I hadn’t noticed him before, and I frowned when we started off. Once we were outside, and I was heading in the way of my dorm, I asked, “You said Sabrina wants Gavin?”

  He walked next to me, holding onto his bag’s straps by his shoulders, and he was swinging his elbows in the air, gently. It was a very jock-way of walking, as I was taking in his ball cap, too, and how it was faded and pulled low over his face. He was keeping his head down, but he kept walking right next to me, keeping pace.

  He made a noncommittal sound. “Yeah. He’s the new football star, or one of them. You didn’t know? Sabrina likes that sort of shit.”

  I was about to ask him how he knew that, but stopped myself. That could get us into information sharing, and I wanted to keep that to a minimum.

  “I didn’t know that about Gavin.”

  He gave me a look. “For real? He told me you guys party together.”

  “We do, or we have, but I don’t get into personal shit with him.”

  We turned the corner, taking a different sidewalk.

  I was aware of him checking me out again, but he didn’t say anything about my comment.

  When we got to my dorm, he touched my elbow. “Hold up.”

  I did, slightly frowning at him.

  He was eyeing my building. “This is your dorm?”

  “Yeah. It’s not a bar.”

  He chuckled, but his eyes clouded over. “You got a roommate?”

  “Nope. Or, I do, but she only stays one night a week.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You lucked out.”

  I grinned. “I know.” I gestured to the building. “I’m not friends with anyone on my floor either. No one will bug us.”

  He shot me a look, but asked, “There a back way to get to your room?”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask why he wanted that, but nope. I wasn’t going there.

  I took him the back entrance and through the exit door, but my room faced a back lawn area. There was a large tree that overshadowed my window, and I was on the ground floor. If worse came to worse, I mean, we could pull out the screen and he could climb in through there. Though, that would probably garner more attention than the exit stairway that I learned not many used. A few of the girls thought it was ‘creepy,’ and I could attest to that statement because I overheard them in the bathroom saying just that. There was a second stairway entrance/exit that was less ‘creepy,’ so I guess most people used that, instead.

  “Whoa,” he said once we were inside.

  I turned on the light and he was gazing around. “What?”

  “Uh.” He
was looking around. “You sure you live here? You have, like, nothing here.”

  I shrugged, putting my bag on my desk. “I’m a minimalist, and my roommate doesn’t care since she’s only here one night a week.”

  “That’s gotta be sweet, having a room to yourself.” He was taking his bag off, dropping it on my bed and rifling through for his textbook.

  He took my bed and I turned my desk chair around. I motioned to my roommate’s chair. “You want to sit here?”

  He lounged back on my bed, taking his book with him. “Nope. This is more comfortable. Okay. Hit me. Ask me the difference between a neuron, action potential, myelin sheath, and dendrite. I can tell you it all.”

  * * *

  We studied for four hours, and that was broken up by a few breaks sneaking Cruz into the bathroom. Turns out there was a bathroom for the guests on the floor below me in the lobby, so score there. It was easy access. And another break for pizza. I ordered it during one of Cruz’s bathroom sneaks, and when it arrived, his eyes lit up.

  We could’ve ended our study sesh at nine.

  It was after we had eaten, and we were taking another longer break then.

  Cruz was lounging on the bed, tossing a ball up in the air. I had no clue where he found it, but it was entertaining him. We weren’t going anywhere near personal. Thank God. We were talking about Miles, who Cruz thought was a ‘chill guy’ and about Gavin, who Cruz also thought was a cool guy, but he was a bit high strung. He talked about Sabrina, how she was the definition of high strung. He gave me a few pointers on how to look out for her.

  I wasn’t asking how he knew any of this, though, but by this time I was on the bed with him.

  He was lying on one side, head where my pillow was, and his feet half off the bed. I was lying the opposite way, my feet somewhat close to where his head was, but tucked down by the wall because gross. And I was on my stomach, my book ahead of me on the bed, and my head was toward where the desks were.

  “You have a great ass.”

  I stifled a laugh, and glanced back at him.

  He was watching me, a mischievous look in his eye, as he caught the ball and motioned to where my ass was. I’d changed clothes during one of his bathroom breaks, slipping into my sleeping shorts and a tank. I kept my bra on, but he had a good view right up my sleep shorts since my underwear was a thong.

  Oh well. I didn’t worry about that type of stuff.

  I grinned back at him. “Yeah? You think?”

  He made a grunting sound. “Fuck yeah. Can I touch it?”

  I burst out a laugh. “You want to touch my ass? Guys are usually smoother than just asking.”

  His eyes mirrored my laugh, but a serious note flashed there too. “You seem like a girl who likes upfront bluntness.” He flashed me a grin. “I can be all about the bluntness.” He shifted, adjusting himself, but his eyes went back to my ass. “Seriously. Can I touch it? It looks tight as hell.”

  I laughed, but nodded. “Sure. Give me a butt massage while you’re at it.”

  “Oh, fuck yeah.”

  His hand took hold of one of my cheeks, and he pressed it. He squeezed it. He weighed it, then he adjusted, and then I felt both of his hands on both of my cheeks.

  I had to laugh because I’d never had this happen to me, but I liked it.

  It felt good, and after a bit, I closed my eyes, lying my head down on my book.

  He really was massaging my ass, moving in, pressing hard, then moving down and pressing hard there. He was moving all around, his thumbs digging, totally massaging my gluteus maximus. It wasn’t until when his movements became slower, more sensual, that he dipped between my legs. His thumbs started moving on the underside of my cheeks, and then he began moving my shorts, and his hands slipped underneath.

  Skin on skin.

  He was going slower.

  I moaned. I couldn’t help it.

  Fuck. That felt so good.

  I squirmed, wanting him to touch somewhere else, and after another sweep, he did.

  His finger grazed between my legs, right down my crack, and I balled my fists, pressing down into the bed. A low groan slipped from me.

  I opened my legs, giving him wider access.

  Fuck. I wanted more.

  I wanted his finger to dip inside of me.

  He moved closer to me, the side of my leg pressing into the side of his body and I reached for him. I was almost blind with pleasure by now.

  He ran a finger down between my cheeks, right to my core, and he touched my thong.

  Jesus. I was soaking wet.

  He knew how this was affecting me.

  My hand found his dick, and he released his own groan as my hand circled him, touching him through his jeans. “Fuck. Yeah.” He was almost panting, but he didn’t stop. He was circling my hole at the same time I was reaching for his button. I undid it, pulling his zipper down, right as one of his fingers pushed inside of me.

  I tensed, pausing, and he rasped out, “Is this okay?”

  I grunted. “God, yes.”

  I didn’t ask for his permission. He was pushing up into my hand as I tugged his jeans down, and then I reached in and found his cock. I was holding him, stroking him at the same time he was thrusting inside of me.

  Up.

  In.

  Down.

  Out.

  And so forth.

  Then it wasn’t enough.

  I needed more access. So did he.

  He kicked his jeans off, and his cock was out.

  My hand fully took him in my hold, and he was tugging my shorts all the way down.

  We twisted around.

  My mouth went over him, taking him in, sucking him in, and I felt his mouth find my pussy.

  I trembled, almost coming right then and there as I felt his tongue replace his fingers.

  They went to my clit. His tongue slipped inside, tasting me, and I sucked him all the way to the end of my throat.

  His hips bucked up. One of his hands went to the back of my head. “Fuck,” he hissed.

  I didn’t stop, and neither did he.

  We worked each other over until both of us were shuddering and releasing.

  * * *

  We laid there for a few beats, but my heart was still pounding.

  This. I needed this.

  I hadn’t had this in so long, and I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me. It was perfect.

  I glanced back at him, saw him watching me, his eyes dark and heavy.

  He was silently panting.

  I asked, “Got a condom?”

  His eyes lit up, and he licked his lips. “Fuck yeah.”

  He twisted, grabbing his wallet from his jeans, and pulled one out.

  He handed it over, and I wasn’t letting my brain turn on. Not now. Not tonight.

  I wanted this.

  Still facing away from him, I took his dick in my hand.

  I worked him up, getting him hard.

  To seal it, I took him in my mouth. One. Two.

  I deepthroated him again, and when he was almost pulsing, and I was aching, I lifted my mouth off.

  I put the condom on him, and without looking at him once during this, I straddled him, facing away from him.

  He laid there, grasping my ass in his hands, and I slid down onto him.

  I rode him, moving my hips, working him over, working both of us over.

  At one point, I registered that he sat up.

  He tugged my shirt off, my bra, and he reached around for my tits.

  I felt him kissing my back, my neck, and he tugged my face toward him.

  Our mouths caught and held.

  We tasted each other, but I was still riding him, seeking another release, and I rode him hard.

  He groaned, his hands going to my breasts, my nipples, and then sweeping down my body.

  He began working my clit, but then after a bit, as I just kept riding him, he fell back down. His hands grasped my hips and he urged me to rock over him. Over and over.
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  It was fucking phenomenal.

  When I felt it coming, so close, so tight, he growled, and flipped me over.

  I was pressed into the bed, and he was thrusting into me from behind, but he reared back, thrusted in hard, deep and rough, and holy God, he pounded into me. Working his hand between my legs, he flicked my clit, and I grasped his hand, lifting up until I was kneeling. He was still pounding into me from behind, but I was controlling his hand as he was rubbing my clit.

  Fucking glorious.

  I felt his teeth as he nipped my shoulder blade. “You gotta come. Now.”

  He pulled out, and thrust back in, then ground into me.

  I cried out, and my climax ripped through my body. It left me trembling.

  I was helpless, lying there as the quakes wracked my body.

  He thrust in and out a few more times, one more grind, and then I felt him letting loose.

  And then, it was done, and fuck, I couldn’t breathe.

  4

  It was almost karmic when I went to the bathroom that night, after Cruz left, and it was Taz who flushed her toilet when I was at the sink and getting ready for bed.

  Jesus. Before Cruz, the last guy I’d been with was her brother.

  I didn’t love her brother, but… I didn’t let a lot of people in, and he’d been one of those.

  Yeah.

  I hadn’t handled the last year in the best way. He and I were… I didn’t even know. But I couldn’t blame him for anything. And tonight, as I was brushing my teeth—after fucking Cruz a second time before he left—that I heard Taz’s toilet flush just as I was realizing a few things.

  Taz came forward. Her caddy was already on the counter, and she went over to her sink, washing her hands first. “Hey.”

  She looked unsure if she should even say hi to me or not. That was on me.

  Seriously. Such a bitch.

  I set down my toothbrush a bit harder than necessary.

  Taz noticed, glancing my way. She was doing the same whole routine, getting ready for bed.

  No one else was here.

  Fuck, but dammit. I felt it was the best time.

  “My mom is histrionic.”

  She stumbled, her toothbrush hitting her mouth, and she cried out. She spit, grabbed some water, swirled, and spit that out. When she was done, she turned her sink off and turned my way. “Histrionic?”