Hooped #4 (The Hooped Interracial Romance Series, Book #4) by Claire Adams

the idea.
    “I’m down, but
I’m not out. I can still get one of the other guys on the team to set us aside
some tickets.” He kissed me and gave my hand a quick squeeze. “You’ve probably
got class , right? I’ll bring your
suitcase up to my room, so it’s right where you need it.” Devon kissed me
again. “And I will see you around, right?” I grinned.
    “I’ll text you when I get to class.” He nodded, one
hand slipping up under my skirt once more to caress my inner thigh.
    “I’ll come and see you later. Now go to class, nerd.”
He kissed my forehead and went back to cleaning up the kitchen.

 
    Chapter
Eight
    All day it felt like I was walking on air; I was so
happy, so satisfied with my life. I couldn’t wait to be with Devon again, and
the thought of going with him to the game that evening was even better. I was
certain that with a little more studying, he would be prepped to re-take the
ACT, and that everything would work out for both of us. While I was in class,
we texted back and forth, joking with each other and giving each other updates
on our day. I barely even thought about my friends at all; what they would
say—especially Kelly—or what they would do when they found out I was dating
Devon Sealy.
    I found out from the reactions of some of the girls
around me that the word was starting to trickle around campus, in spite of the
fact that I hadn’t said anything about it, and Devon had only just begun to
introduce me to his frat brothers and friends. But then, I thought, they had
girlfriends too—the word would be common knowledge before long. Whe n I looked up from my phone with a little
grin because of a flirty little comment from Devon, suggesting what we could be
doing instead of me being in class and him hanging out at the frat playing
Xbox, I saw a handful of girls watching me enviously. When I laughed at a joke
he’d sent me, on my way from one class to another, I heard a jealous whisper
from someone I didn’t know, telling her friend that I would crash and burn like
all the rest of Devon’s conquests.
    I didn’t even try and tell them off; it didn’t bother
me. Yes, Devon had a past , and yes, he
had slept around, but I had complete faith in him. He was serious about
me—hadn’t he proved that? He was serious about becoming a better person; someone
who didn’t just think that winning was the only goal. He wanted to be a good
student, he wanted to earn my trust, he wanted to be the kind of guy that I
knew he was capable of being. There was no point in trying to sort out which of
the girls around me was a spiteful, envious ex, and which was a jealous girl
who wanted her own shot at the basketball star. Devon was with me, and I was
with him, and that was all that mattered.
    I didn’t mention anything about it to the other girls
when I met them in the dining hall; they would find out soon enough, and our
relationship was still in the early days. I didn’t want to hear anything from
them about what a mistake I was making, or that Devon would just treat me the
way he had all the other girls he’d been with. I knew it wasn’t true, but the
last thing I wanted was to fight with them. I didn’t bring Kelly up at all,
instead focusing on gossip about the professors—like Dr. March dating a former
student, or Dr. Fowles pitting the anthropology kids
against each other to compete for the chance to join her on a research
expedition.
    I went to the rest of my classes for the day, wishing
that I could see Devon, thinking of how good it would
be when we were back together. I missed him the most in the class he had
transferred into with me—but I knew that I’d see him again soon enough, and
after all, that night we’d be at the game together, cheering for the team. I
knew that he would be a great boost to morale, watching them even if he
couldn’t be making the winning baskets himself. I was happy; I thought to
myself that while it was great watching Devon play, it would be even