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Chapter One
I wish I had acrystal ball. I think everyone at some point in their lives wishesfor the same thing. The visceral need to see the future before ithappens. Maybe they could have changed their own outcome. Stopthemselves before they made a decision they would later regret.They say everything happens for a reason. Unfortunately for me, Ihave yet to know the reason.
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Sixteen YearsAgo
“Hey, beautiful,” asilky voice said against my ear. The smell of vanilla mixed with aheady musk assaulted my senses. If he hadn’t been so close to me, Inever would have heard his intimate whisper over the raging musicthat thumped through the three-story frat house I found myself inon this Saturday night. All around me, bodies gyrated to thatstupid “Sexy Back” song everyone overplayed. I looked at myroommate, Jenna, with wide eyes as his arm snaked around my middle,pulling me back to a big muscular chest. I sighed to myself,here we go.
I winked at her,giving her the all-clear to leave us before I turned in his arms,giving him what I hoped was a stern look. We had been playing thiscat and mouse game for months and he was evermore bold with hischase.
“Jason, what did Itell you about touching me?” I tried to keep my bitch face intactas I looked up at his enormous frame.
He was one of thebest defensive linebackers at UGA and definitely built for thepart. He was at least 6’5” and built like a brick shithouse, easilytowering over my small stature by a foot. He put all the piddlylittle high school boys of my past to shame. Although, normally Iwasn’t picky about who I dated. As long as they treated me withmoderate respect, it was all good in my book. For some reason,Jason got it in his thick skull that I was going to be another oneof his conquests. His playboy attitude was legendary around campus.He strutted around like everything was owed to him because he wasattractive—reason number one why I wasn’tinterested—but the boy just didn’t seem totake the hint.
When he had firstapproached me with his football buddies, the one thought that ranthrough my mind was to climb his ass like a tree. But then heopened that gorgeous mouth and proved that not all beautiful peoplewere indeed smart. The idiot actually bragged about all of the“poon” he had been pulling this year. Right in front of me! Liketalking about all the sex he was getting from randos was supposedto make me drop my panties for him on the spot.
When his bragginghad finally ceased, I knew what was coming next. Before he couldget the first syllable past his perfect teeth, I held my hand up. Isimply could not listen to him talk for one more second.
“The next words outof your mouth better be ‘I’m sorry I wasted your time, Jill.’Please tell me you did not go through your list of weekly skanksbefore you attempted to ask me out. If you even so much as think Iwould be interested in a short dick, color-outside-the-lines,man-child such as yourself, you must truly be daft. I wouldprobably get a better orgasm from riding my pillow than I wouldever get from you. Next time you want to talk to me, rethink itbefore you embarrass yourself again.” I gave his big chest a coupleof slaps, then promptly showed him my back as he stood there with aslack jaw and his friends laughing behind him.
I had gone back tomy dorm and called Kate. We both had a good laugh over it.
Now, normally youwould think that after you wounded a man’s pride like that, hewould simply leave you alone. But, that wasn’t the case withJason.
For the last threemonths, he had only gotten bolder with each passing day. I couldn’tget him to leave me alone. He would wait outside my dorm complexand try to walk me to my classes. After about the second week Ifinally stopped trying to walk faster than him. If he wanted towaste his time chasing something he could never have, who was I tostop him?
He tried to talk tome more and more every day, to show me there was more to him thanwhat I saw on the surface. Even intellectually knowing him, I stillthought he was an idiot. Although, slowly but surely he had startedto grow on me.
I got used to ourdaily walks and even found myself enjoying some of ourconversations. I still wasn’t stupid enough to date him but I hadfound a somewhat easy friendship. That was when he was keeping hishands to himself. When he progressed to trying to hold my hand, Ihad shut that shit down with a hard no. I told him I could try tobe his friend, but I would never let it get further than that. Hehad just smiled and shrugged like my refusal hadn’t bothered him inthe least.
Now here I was,standing off the side of the dance floor, drinking cheap booze andtrying to shrug off his unwanted touch. When Jenna asked if Iwanted to go to a party with her, I should have asked where it was.Of course, it was at his frat house. I thought briefly about goinghome early with a glance at the door.
Jason smiled down atme with his pearly whites and his dimples that always made anappearance on his stupid face. “I know, I’m sorry.” He held hishands out like he couldn’t help himself. “You’re just so sexy and Ihave a hard time not touching you,” he said in a low voice as hegave me bedroom eyes and stood a little closer.
I crossed my armsover my chest and glared back at him. Letting my body language doall the talking for me. He looked down at me and rolled his babyblue eyes, holding his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I’ll back off.You know you don’t have the right type of body to be such a prude,Jill. You really shouldn’t dress like that if you don’t want theattention,” he said as he towered over me.
I squinted my eyesand stepped closer to him. I would not let him try to intimidateme. So what if my dress was a little on the short side. That didn’tgive people like him the right to touch me if I didn’t ask for it.I cupped my ear and leaned in closer, standing on my tiptoes.
“Say that one moretime for the bitches in the back?” I said, putting venom in eachword. If he was stupid enough to say it one more time, I was goingto rip his balls off his body before he could blink.
I would be lying ifI said I didn’t begrudge the fact that he had the common sense toback down from me. I grinned a little as I headed toward the door.I got about two steps away when he grabbed my wrist to halt myretreat. I looked at my wrist that he held firmly in his hand andthen up at him. I’m sure my face was saying, “Are you fuckingserious?”
He saw me shootingdaggers at him and released me, holding his hands up again. “Look,I’m sorry, okay. My only excuse is I find you incredibly attractiveand it’s frustrating that you won’t give me a chance. You’re themost interesting, smart person I know, and I just like myself alittle more when I’m around you. I haven’t even fucked anyone elsesince I started walking you to class, Jill,” he finished with aloud sigh.
I rolled my eyes.“So what? Am I supposed to reward you for not sticking your dickinto everything with two legs and tits? I don’t give a shit who youfuck, Jason. Because this”—I gesturedbetween us—”is not happening.”
I made to turntoward the door one more time and he stopped me by rushing in frontof me. I balled my fists up, becoming increasingly irritated by thesecond.
“Move!” I ground outbetween clenched teeth. He shuffled closer still, crowding me. Hewas brave, I had to give him that.
“Please,” he begged.“Just stay for a little while. You were having fun before I came upto you. I was watching you dance with your friend. Just let me getyou a drink and we can talk, like usual. I promise I won’t touchyou anymore,” he finished with puppy dog eyes.
I huffed and staredat him. In the last three months I had never heard him say he wassorry for anything and he sure as hell never said “please.” Icouldn’t kid myself into thinking that he hadn’t been wearing medown a little over time. He could be charming when he wanted to beand he had the looks to go with it. And he was right, I was havinga good time until he tried pushing me.
A wide grin spreadover his gorgeous face when he saw my resolution waver theslightest bit. I pursed my lips, trying not to let my smile showthrough. “Fine,” I conceded. “But watch your hands,” I said, wavingmy finger in his face.
He threw his headback in a delighted laugh before looking back down at me, humorapparent in his eyes. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
