Page 20 of Rookie Mistake

Something I should’ve known the moment I decided to play this littlegamewith him because now he’s not the only one who’s suffering.

Trust me, misery loves company.

The picture on my screen is enough to set my skin on fire and my clit throbbing in cadence with my pounding heart.

He’s so ridiculously fucking hot that he’s single-handedly bringingbackmirror pictures.

In the photo, the mirror is slightly fogged from his shower, and he’s standing there in nothing but a white towel that’s knotted at the front, hanging low on his hips and giving just enough of a view to make me want to lick every drop of water cascading down those delicious, chiseled abs. The sight of the tattoo on his hip makes me shiver, unable to stop myself from thinking about the night we spent together.

“Is that yourLoverboyagain?” Harper asks from beside me, causing me to jump. “He’s not even trying to hide how down bad he is for you. He’s double texting. The definition of a man obsessed.”

Laughing haughtily, I toss my phone onto the bed, dragging my attention back to my computer, where I’m supposed to be writing said essay for philosophy. “He’s…fun.”

Lily hums from her spot at the foot of the bed, shooting me a look with a raised brow.

God, it’s like they know me or something.

I mean… only better than anyone else on the planet, but still.

They know that fun is my thing, and that’s exactly why I love this thing between Davis and me. It’sfunwith no pressure or expectations. We’re both free to do whatever it is we please, and it just so happens that right now, we both want to do each other.

Harper swipes my phone off the bed and punches in my passcode to unlock it, gazing down at the screen. Her eyes widen when she reads the latest text, followed by the photo he sent. “Zara, my god. The man is nearly begging to eat you like his last meal. Those abs? You’re insane. Let him come over. I’m texting him back.Right. Now.” Before I can even reach for my phone, her fingers fly across the screen, and then she glances up at me with a shit-eating smirk. “There.”

She turns my phone to face me, and my eyes scan the message she replied with.

Trouble: Well since you asked so nicely like a good boy… How about right now?

“Harper!” I shriek, slamming my laptop shut and pushing it to the side. “You can’t just invite him over right now. I have… homework, and I haven’t even shaved my legs today.”

I realize, even as I say it, how ridiculous those excuses sound because we all know the last thing I’m worried about right now is homework, and if a man is put off by a little hair on my legs, then clearly, he’s not a man.

I’m just making excuses.

Mostly because as badly as I want Davis, I’m also the tiniest bit afraid of the way I feel when I’m with him. How much I like just beingwithhim. How easy it feels.

Because the last thing I want or need is to get involved with any guy at OU besides a casual,funhookup.

There, that’s the cold, hard truth. Something I haven’t even admitted out loud to my best friends.

“Oh shit, he’s responding, he’s responding!” Harper says, bouncing on the bed with my phone in hand once more. Even Lily looks interested, and that’s something I wasn’t expecting.

“This is an absolutely terrible idea. What happens if Oliver comes home and finds some random guy here? He’s going to go ballistic,” I say.

Harper rolls her eyes. “First of all, Oliver needs to chill the fuck out. He’s not your father. Despite what he likes to think, you’re a whole-ass adult. He can’t treat you like you’re a child your whole life, Zara. Plus, isn’t he at his flavor of the week’s for the night? Hypocrite.”

“Yes, bu?—”

She lifts a hand, “Nope. No buts. Look, you made a promise to yourself that you’d have the best year of your life, and clearly, this man is the fun you need. Honestly… I’m surprised I’m even having to talk you into this right now. You’re usually the one to jump at a new hookup.”

I’m quiet for a moment, chewing my lip while I think about my options. Finally, I sigh. “I’m just… I don’t want to get attached, and Davis is the kind of guy that would make it easy to.”

Harper’s face softens, and she nods, understanding shining in her eyes. “I get it, babe, I do. But I think that if you’re interested in him and you want to have fun, then just have that conversation. Friends with benefits. Simple, no strings attached. Communication is everything.”

Without a doubt, this is what I want. I just want to make sure that I keep my freshman year fun and drama-free.

Hooking up with the same guy on the regular sometimes makes that not very easy.

“You’re right. What did he say?”

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