Page 54 of Happy Krampus Xmas & the Meet Not Cute
Some of my frat bros try to get me to play beer pong with them and the girls, but I’m here on a search mission. And I successfully find Spencer after five more minutes of hunting.
He’s in the kitchen. He’s wearing a sheer, full-sleeve black shirt with the first three buttons open. It’s so damn revealing, I can see the outline of each one of his tattoos and the pink color of his round nipples. His jeans are not baggy tonight, but they hang low on his hips, showing his narrow waist and flat stomach. His hair is pulled back, a few wild red strands fall on his forehead, and his eyes have some makeup on them that give a smoky appearance to the hazel pools. He’s the embodiment of sex and exciting promises.
I just can’t fucking help the pull I feel toward him. It’s extreme and visceral. Something I’ve never felt before. Those slick red lips, I want to kiss them again while I explore his body with my hands.
He’s talking to the same guy we met outside the tattoo parlor a few days back. The music is a bit loud, even in here, forcing them to lean into each other. Spencer doesn’t seem to mind that. He is smiling; the guy’s hand is on his forearm, thumb brushing the skin.
The same enraged sensation I felt the night I saw Spencer kiss that fucker outside his apartment envelops me. I feel my nostrils flare as I get the urge to walk over to them and yank the asshole’s hand away. For touching him. For thinking he can do it in front of me.
Where the fuck is that coming from?
I turn to the side to stop the irrational feeling from climbing inside my chest and coming out as a growl. This possessiveness I keep experiencing is a whole new thing for me. I’ve never cared enough about anybody to feel jealous or even protective. Not with any girls I dated.
Why Spencer?I need to get a rein on my emotions and fast.
“Are you always wearing that cap?” I hear his teasing voice before my eyes find his.
I give him a forced, closed-mouthed smile. “My lucky charm.” That’s an overly simple way to describe what this cap means to me. It’s not only my football juju—which I wear constantly—but it embodies all my passion for this sport. It’s a talisman. A shield. A memento that reminds me who I am and what I've achieved.
“It’s not so bad on him,” the guy next to Spencer states. There’s a short silence in which I realize that this is the second time Spencer is not introducing me to him. Who the fuck is this fucker?
Taking a page from Lori’s petty book I turn my attention to the fucker. “How about this?” I say, as I turn my cap slowly around, letting my bicep bulge and flex under my sweater. I caught Spencer staring before, so I know he likes it.
“Damn, I see the appeal. Girls must love that.” The nameless guy sends me a knowing look.
“Boys, too,” I drawl.
Spencer scoffs derisively. Then he takes a sip from his Dr Pepper. What’s with him? Doesn’t like when I interact with hisfriend?
“You do know that those kinds of beverages are the worst for your teeth, right?” I tell him. He drinks way too much soft drinks.
“Heard before. Your point being?” he retorts. Always so fucking confusing. Why did he start talking to me if he planned to act like a jerk?
I give him a bitter smile. “Here.” I take the notebook from my jeans and try to hand it to him. But he doesn’t take it.
“What’s this?” He looks at it with wariness.
Really? I sigh. “Found my old notes from Professor Corder’s class. I thought they could be of some help.” It took me two hours to remember where I stashed them, but I decide not to disclose that embarrassing extra piece of information.
He looks at me strangely, like I did something wrong.
And I’ve had enough. I fucking like him, embarrassedly so, but I won’t let him treat me like this. “If you don’t want them, man, it’s fine.” I’m lowering my arm with the intention of leaving when he grabs tightly onto the notebook. My eyes jerk to his as my hand doesn’t let go.
We stare at each other for a long moment. His deep, hazel eyes are so intensely focused on mine; the air gets stuck inside my lungs.
Allison’s voice breaks the spell. “TJ! Finally.” She pulls on my forearm, and my fingers release the notebook as I turn my attention to her.
She kisses my cheek and then looks at Spencer and the nameless guy.
“Hi, I’m Allison.”
“Raj.”
“Spencer.” His voice has turned even colder; his eyes slide up and down Allison’s skimpy dress and high heels.
“Are you friends with TJ?” she asks, pushing her breasts against my arm. They are soft, and I enjoy the feeling, but I would ratherhave a hard, muscly chest rubbing against me. My eyes go to his visible nipples again.
Pity Spencer decided to be a dick tonight. Is he having second thoughts about me? Truthfully, when I left him at his place after the tattoo parlor, he didn’t promise me anything. But I still remember the way his body trembled against mine inside Ash’s room.
