… I guess, thank you. Maybe next time,” I say confused momentarily before pulling away. The beautifully mysterious brown eyes searing into me become alert. Before I’m able to take the second step back and escape, his arm is back around my waist pulling me back to the table. The warmth of his touch once again taking hold as every affected area sparks feverishly again. I look down trying to register my body’s reaction and make sure a leftover sparkler from earlier hasn’t affixed itself to me.
“House rules … if you watch, you have to play,” he orders, placing a Ping-Pong ball into my hand and telling the guy and girl on the other side of the table that they can go first. His mood is now back to happy and playful once again, leaving me feeling the whiplash of confusion.
I’m a nervous wreck and find that I’ve lost my voice and ability to argue. As the game begins, I’m still stunned as I watch the girl in front of me toss the ball, one bounce, and I’m pleading softly for the ball to miss the cup so that I won’t have to drink. After at least twenty minutes of watching, I know the game rules. They’re simple.
When she misses, I smile for the first time taking a deep breath and looking up at my game partner in relief. He leans in to my side, his face angling toward me while the warmth of his breath combined with the deep voice tickles my ear and causes a blush to cover me. “She’ll sink one eventually, but she sucks, so it’ll be a little while.” I have to keep the effect of him from hypnotizing me, but it’s tough. He distracts me from even myself, but I look up and mimic his smile. We turn back to resume play of the game, and I wait for him hoping this mystery guy will go next. As if I’d said the question aloud, he acknowledges my inner thought with his words, and his voice lights fire to my body.
“Me first, buttercup. Watch and see the master work.” The girls around him enjoy his cockiness, and apparently, everything about him hypnotizes them. He’s tall and has a well-defined muscular build that even his shirt cannot hide. His voice makes it almost impossible to ignore what he says, but everything about him screams danger for a girl like me. He’s everything that could get me in a lot of trouble, and for that reason, I vow to play this game and then walk away. Forget I ever had this dumb idea to attend a college party.
He sinks the ball on the first try. The crowd around us is growing, and cheers are now echoing. The guy on the other team shoots and also sinks a ball. Without asking if I want it, mystery guy picks up the cup and drinks it.
Girl, up … she misses again. Lucky times two. I’m up. Just before I’m about to bounce the ball toward the cups, he leans in to me issuing instructions. “Not too hard. That’s the rookie mistake. Shoot toward the center of all the cups and don’t focus on one.”
“How do you know I’m a rookie?” I ask smartly.
He laughs. “Oh … I’d remember you.”
I heed his warnings; knowing had he not said something, I too would have likely made a similar rookie mistake. The ball bounces and lands in the center cup, and my excitement overflows as I jump up and down and cheer, turning to mystery man and high-fiving him as the chick across the table whines about having to chug her beer.
It takes everything I am not to leap into his arms when he awards me with a smile.
“Thanks, Coach!” I wink.
“Oh my God, Charlotte! What are YOOOOUUU doing here?” I hear from behind the crowd. I turn and see Morgan make her way through the group surrounding the table and cheerfully wrapping me in a hug when she finally makes her way to me.
“Well … Ashley wrote me a note and then … well … I just decided to come.” I brush off the thoughts that cemented my plan to come and then casually move on. “I was looking for you, but now, I’m playing this game, whatever it’s
“House rules … if you watch, you have to play,” he orders, placing a Ping-Pong ball into my hand and telling the guy and girl on the other side of the table that they can go first. His mood is now back to happy and playful once again, leaving me feeling the whiplash of confusion.
I’m a nervous wreck and find that I’ve lost my voice and ability to argue. As the game begins, I’m still stunned as I watch the girl in front of me toss the ball, one bounce, and I’m pleading softly for the ball to miss the cup so that I won’t have to drink. After at least twenty minutes of watching, I know the game rules. They’re simple.
When she misses, I smile for the first time taking a deep breath and looking up at my game partner in relief. He leans in to my side, his face angling toward me while the warmth of his breath combined with the deep voice tickles my ear and causes a blush to cover me. “She’ll sink one eventually, but she sucks, so it’ll be a little while.” I have to keep the effect of him from hypnotizing me, but it’s tough. He distracts me from even myself, but I look up and mimic his smile. We turn back to resume play of the game, and I wait for him hoping this mystery guy will go next. As if I’d said the question aloud, he acknowledges my inner thought with his words, and his voice lights fire to my body.
“Me first, buttercup. Watch and see the master work.” The girls around him enjoy his cockiness, and apparently, everything about him hypnotizes them. He’s tall and has a well-defined muscular build that even his shirt cannot hide. His voice makes it almost impossible to ignore what he says, but everything about him screams danger for a girl like me. He’s everything that could get me in a lot of trouble, and for that reason, I vow to play this game and then walk away. Forget I ever had this dumb idea to attend a college party.
He sinks the ball on the first try. The crowd around us is growing, and cheers are now echoing. The guy on the other team shoots and also sinks a ball. Without asking if I want it, mystery guy picks up the cup and drinks it.
Girl, up … she misses again. Lucky times two. I’m up. Just before I’m about to bounce the ball toward the cups, he leans in to me issuing instructions. “Not too hard. That’s the rookie mistake. Shoot toward the center of all the cups and don’t focus on one.”
“How do you know I’m a rookie?” I ask smartly.
He laughs. “Oh … I’d remember you.”
I heed his warnings; knowing had he not said something, I too would have likely made a similar rookie mistake. The ball bounces and lands in the center cup, and my excitement overflows as I jump up and down and cheer, turning to mystery man and high-fiving him as the chick across the table whines about having to chug her beer.
It takes everything I am not to leap into his arms when he awards me with a smile.
“Thanks, Coach!” I wink.
“Oh my God, Charlotte! What are YOOOOUUU doing here?” I hear from behind the crowd. I turn and see Morgan make her way through the group surrounding the table and cheerfully wrapping me in a hug when she finally makes her way to me.
“Well … Ashley wrote me a note and then … well … I just decided to come.” I brush off the thoughts that cemented my plan to come and then casually move on. “I was looking for you, but now, I’m playing this game, whatever it’s
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