The Next Contestant (7 page)

Oh god. Oh crap!
I don’t have to look to know he’s behind me. A tremble runs through me and I pray he doesn’t see it. There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I’m trapped in the sea of people packed like sardines on the dance floor. My hands are above my head, frozen. I pretend not to know he’s behind me and sway my hips… until my ass slams against a solid form. My breath hitches when his hands grasp my hips and he lines himself up against me. He doesn’t say a word, but he speaks with his body, dominating the dance, and damn if he doesn’t feel good. I can’t stop him, can’t run away from him, can’t control the way I fall into him.

He breathes against my ear, and slowly, his hips tilt forward. I roll with him, pushing back against him.

“That’s sexy as hell,” he whispers, and nips my earlobe, sending shivers down my spine. He splays his hands over my stomach.

“Mm,” he mumbles and then roughly sings the lyrics about wanting to fuck, me specifically.

I can’t believe he—

He traces the lining of my skirt, sings the line about wanting to feel
me
from the inside, and pulls me into him as he rotates his hips.

I’m speechless… and breathless, and I feel my temperature rise in the already sweltering room. The music thrums, and he continues to roll his hips in a mixture of soft and hard, depending on the beat of the music. I know I shouldn’t but I reach back and tangle my fingers in his hair. He moans his approval, drags his hands slowly up my abdomen, over my breasts, and then trails his fingertips along my arms.

Jax grasps my hands and I unfurl my fingers from his hair as he slowly brings them down and then flips me around. He cups my butt and presses into me. His eyes, oh those eyes! He watches me with the precision of a hawk, gaging my reaction to his ever-wandering hands and shifting of his hips. He knows I feel it, how hard he is for me. It’s firmly pressed against my stomach and I feel dirty for liking it. Planting his hands on each side of my face, he leans down and tilts my head. My lips tingle with how close his mouth is to mine. My head spins as I imagine him inside of me—the thought is inebriating and so wrong. I should get the hell away from him, but then he shocks me.

His lips, the warmth of his breath greet my neck and then my ear where he whispers, “I’ve been watching you all night and I know you know it. You’ve been dodging me for a while now.” A low chuckle erupts from his chest. “I’ve seen you at the games, but then you’d disappear before the game ends, when you know I’d be able to catch up to you. Did you think I’d forget your beautiful face?” He doesn’t bother waiting for a response. “Tell me, sweetheart, what’s your name?”

He’s so fucking close, so intoxicatingly beautiful, and he’s totally pegged me. “T-Timberly. Timber. I go by Timber, not Kimber with a K, but Timber with a T.” The lie slips from my lips so easily.

He closes in, but his lips barely touch mine. “Timber with a T,” he whispers against my lips, then drags his mouth across my cheek and nips my earlobe. His hot breath wraps around me and I melt into him. His fingers slide down the center of my back. “Let’s escape this place. Let me take you to a place where we can be alone,” he says, his voice rugged and seductive. I shiver.

His scent fills me, tempting me to close my eyes, but I know if I do, he’ll know I’m weak.

“There you are,” Tiffany shouts. “Oh, hey, I’m Tiffany and you are?” She reaches out her hand, forcing Jax to release me.

I want to hug her and punch her at the same time for choosing this moment to butt in.

“I’m Jax. Nice to meet you, Tiffany.” He shakes her hand.

“Sorry.” Tiffany grabs me. “We have to go. Now.” She tugs my arm, but before she can drag me forward, Jax dips his hand into the breast pocket of my shirt. I feel my jaw drop.

A smile stretches across his beautiful lips as he grips my phone. He swipes the screen and then his fingers glide across it. He hands it back to me and digs his vibrating phone from the front pocket of his faded jeans.

“Timber with a T, expect my call later.” He winks and then weaves through the crowd. I watch him and wish I could safely follow him. Tiffany drags me out of Muze, and toward the exit, but before we escape, I glance over my shoulder. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I see Jax has stepped out of the club, and he’s watching me.

I whisper ‘Bye’ and he responds by nodding and licking his lips.

I’M CERTAIN I
was racking up the points faster than the other three. The scorekeepers can’t give away the stats. That’s the fun part; well it was until
she
entered the fucking game. Why the fuck now? Why does this beautiful fucking girl have to catch me off guard? Fuck! I wish I knew the scores. FML.

I can’t look at another chick. Not after that sweet girl. The way she felt with her ass against me, then the perfectly round and tight way it felt in my palms… I can’t get her out of my head. Fuck this place and the game. Now that she’s left, I no longer want to stay. I step outside Muze and then exit Blaze.

The entire ride back to the frat house is a blur.
She
is the blur.

I step inside the house…
Shit.

There are wall-to-wall people here. I’ve already stepped over several drunken bodies. After pushing people aside, shrugging drunken bitches off me, I make it to my room and shut, lock, and barricade myself inside.

After stripping down to my sliders, I slip in bed and close my eyes, but I can’t sleep. My head is full of her. Can I use her? And if I did, would I still want her? I get the distinct feeling I would.

Well shit. It’s been a long time since I felt this way for a girl. The last girl was Ellery, my ex. Nothing like getting dick punched when the girl you thought loved you, sleeps with your enemy. Adam was my nemesis. Always battling to top me on the soccer field. The thing is, I didn’t have to
try
to top anyone. I love soccer and I’m good at it. I don’t need to spend extra time practicing outside of practice, but Adam did.

I think he was crushing on Ellery when I hooked up with her. Not my fault he didn’t win her over. Not like I knew who that jackass had his eyes on. I think his beef with me wasn’t just about soccer, but more about Ellery.

I’d catch him flirting with her when he thought I wasn’t around. Fucker would smirk at me as he walked away and then proceed to tell Ellery how fucking sexy she was. I let it slide every time, knowing it didn’t matter because she was my girl and he was jealous as fuck.

Later, after we won one of our biggest games, Adam was Adam extraordinaire. Bragging about how he got his girl, never mentioning her name, and that he was taking her to his cabin to have his way with her.

When I couldn’t get ahold of Ellery, I thought about Adam’s remark and how he seemed to be shoving it in my face about how he got
his
girl.

I went to his cabin to find his red Dodge Ram in the driveway. Soft music played inside. I could hear it through the door. Then I heard her voice, and soft fucking cries of pleasure.

“Don’t stop
…
oh god, Adam, right there.”

“Fuck yeah, baby. Keep that ass up.”

Ready to break the door down, I find it unlocked as I twist the handle. What a fucking coincidence. I kick it with enough force that it slams against the wall and swings back. I slam it harder and stare at the fucking whore who’s head is down, ass up. And the fuck-wad slamming his dick inside her.

The rest is pretty much a given. Ellery flipping out, crying and swearing how Adam lied to her. How he said I had another girl and how I was with other girls on nights I’d said I was studying at the library. Yeah, fuck her. She could have come to the library if she suspected I was lying.

I ignored her texts, her calls, her pleading with me in the hall to give her another chance. How sorry she was. Part of me wanted to take her back but knowing she let that sick fuck inside of her had me revolted and I knew I’d never be able to look at her the same way I had before.

But this girl, this Timber has me all kinds of screwed up. Do I want to attempt another relationship? Ah fuck.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and text her.

J: Can’t stop thinking about you.

She replies.
Is that so?

J:It is. Any plans tonight?

T:
Tonight. Ha. I guess it would be tonight since it is already Saturday. No plans.

J: How about dinner?

T:
Are you asking me out?

J: I think that was pretty clear, don’t you? Yeah, I want to take you out tonight.

T:
Tsk, tsk, Mr. Jax.

J: Beautiful girl, can I take you out? How’s that?

T:
How noble of you. Yes, I’ll accept your invite. ;)

Girls and their damn winky-smiley-face shit. But it’s cute because it’s her.

J: Are you on campus or off?

T:
Neither. I’m in the dorms but not at your school.

J: Oh really? Then what college?

T:
Mills.

Huh. Mills.
I glance at the calendar and it dawns on me. I have two concert tickets I won in a gambling match not too long ago for Hot Wired. I’d planned on hawking them to the highest bidder since they’re front row tickets and the concert sold out the same day tickets were available.

J: Change of plans. Instead of dinner, I’ve got two concert tickets to Hot Wired. Want to go?

T:
What? You mean Hot Wired as in the notorious Fang Fangor, and Jase, Hot Wired?

J: Yup.

T:
Oh wow. Yes, I want to go!

VISIONS OF JAX
reel in my thoughts as I lie in bed. After being that close, the way his hips felt as he rocked into me, the tingling sensation when his lips greeted my skin, my lips… he’s like an addiction of the worst kind. An addiction I can’t afflict myself with. Men like Jax are dangerous. He’s not the first of his kind to march in to my life but I’d sworn the others off.
Jax, I fear, will prove more of a challenge.

I’m excited to go out with him and I close my eyes, forcing myself to sleep before the sun comes up.

The day passes quickly. I’ve already called Tiffany and made arrangements to swap dorm rooms for the night, since Jax insists on coming in and greeting me at my place. I take my time getting ready, then grab some things and rush down a level, to Tiffany’s. We swap keys.

“Be careful and stay safe. Don’t be doing any funky shit in my bed either,” Tiffany says and gives me an evil eye.

“Please. I’m the one who should be warning you not to be doing the deed in
my
bed. Make sure your new man doesn’t know or tell Jax who I really am,” I plead with her.

“Well, I can’t lie to him. He hasn’t asked but I did tell him I was swapping rooms with a friend tonight. He didn’t ask questions but that doesn’t mean he won’t. Besides, I think we are going to stay at his place after the party. He has an apartment not far from Blaze.”

We say our goodbyes and I head to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

I’m set: my favorite faded low-rise jeans fit snuggly against my ass, a black sleeveless shirt clings to my shoulders, waves of blonde curls tumble down the center of my back, an antique silver necklace, and a fine spritz of vanilla sugar, completes my dress-to-impress ensemble.

I’m a little nervous as I wait for Jax.

The buzzer goes off and startles me. “Yeah?” I answer in a shaky voice.

“Hey. It’s me. Buzz me in,” Jax says in his deep, sexy voice.

“Okay.” I buzz him in and rush to the bathroom to check myself one last time.

He knocks and when I open the door, I have to force myself not to drool. He is so freaking hot that I just want to touch him all over. He has a faded blue Distressed shirt on and tattered Rock Revival blue jeans with a tan and silver buckled belt. His hair is tousled, like windblown in a model kind of way. And he smells good too.