Page 14 of The Wrong Quarterback

She nodded. “One of the secret societies on campus. They have chapters at a bunch of colleges around the country, but supposedly they’re the most exclusive. Basically every president, every famous athlete, every famous actor…all members of the Sphinx during college. I think it started at Darkwood College.” She pursed her lips. “Or something like that.”

Nat pulled me forward, so we were walking again. “Want to hear something weird?”

“What?” I asked curiously.

“They have the biggest water bill in the state.”

I raised an eyebrow, looking back at the building. “Why?”

“Good question,” Nat said with a shrug. “Nobody has a clue. Part of the mystery, I guess. You’ve never heard about the campus secret societies before?”

“Nope. Guess the tour left that part out,” I murmured, still eyeing the place over my shoulder. Just standing near it gave me chills.

We kept walking, and as we rounded the next corner, all thoughts of the creepy Sphinx building disappeared. A massive banner hung over one of the main campus buildings, and plastered right in the middle was the most gorgeous face that I'd ever freaking seen. The banner said:This is our year. Are you ready? Parker Daviswas written in block letters at the very top.

I stopped dead in my tracks, just…staring.

Yes. Yes, I was ready.

He was…beautiful. Not in the guy-next-door way. He was the kind of pretty that made your jaw drop. Strong jawline, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, and a cocky smirk that told you he just knew what to do…with his hands.

And those eyes. I mean that had to be photoshopped, right? There was no way eyes like that existed—blue, piercing, with a line of gold around the pupil and flecks of gold dusted across the blue like stars in a night sky.

Okay…he was literally making me wax poetic looking at him.

There was a light shadow of scruff around his jaw that gave him an edge. And his hair…I had the sudden, weird craving to drag my fingers through it. The rich brown color was streaked with gold like the sun followed him around.

Something twisted inside me, and there was a strange heat building in my stomach. My reaction was embarrassing. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen good-looking guys before. But I’d been wrapped up in Gray for so long that I’d never given someone more than half a glance.

But it was impossible to do that with this guy.

Nat’s laugh snapped me out of my lustful trance. She elbowed me, grinning like a mad woman. “Do we need to go back to the dorm…get you a change of panties?” she asked innocently.

It took me a second to realize what she was insinuating, and I blushed as soon as I did. “It’s just a…I mean it’s a big—” I glanced at the banner again, my eyes sliding over the huge bulge in his football pants. Definitely photoshop, right? “It’s a big sign,” I hurriedly finished, intentionally avoiding her eyes.

She snorted. “Right. It’s a bigsign. I’m just saying…it wouldn’t be weird if Parker Davis got you going. I’m pretty sure he’s every student’s fantasy around here. Even the professors get tongue-tied around him.”

“And how do you know this already? Do you know him?” I asked casually, feeling strangely…jealous that she’d possibly talked to him.

“I wish,” she sighed, keeping her gaze on the banner as we walked by. “Alas, all of my knowledge comes from stalking all the fan websites devoted to him before I started school.”

“Fan websites? Or fan clubs,” I said with a grin.

“Imayhave paid the twenty-dollar membership fee,” she said haughtily, a blush now spreading across her cheeks. “But you’re not going to be making fun of me when I let you look at the two pictures they send a week.”

“How do they have new pictures every week?”

She shrugged. “I mean I’m sure the whole campus stalks him, so he probably always has cameras taking pictures of him.”

My eyes widened. It was hard to imagine being in college and being…famous. But I guess that’s what he was.

“You can take your own pictures at the game tomorrow,” Nat purred, elbowing me like she could see right into my head.

“Casey!” Gray’s voice called from nearby, and I heard Nat sigh as I turned to find him walking toward us. I felt…guilty. Because for the first time since I’d met him I wasn’t thinking he was the hottest guy I’d ever seen.

“Hi,” I said, smiling when he came up and hugged me. I hadn’t seen very much of him during orientation. It was rush week for his fraternity. He’d had to cancel our first dinner because of a rush thing that came up. So besides a quick breakfast on one day and one other lunch, I hadn’t seen him at all.

“You look pretty,” he said, his eyes widening as he looked me up and down. I still never knew what to say when he said it likethat, almost like he was surprised every time. I couldn’t have lookedthatbad before. He had kissed me after all.

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