Page 3 of The Keeper
Yep, missed the memo.
As I’m washing my hands, I take a look in the mirror. My long blonde hair is swept to the side in a loose French braid that falls over my left shoulder, and my makeup-free face still looks clean and fresh, despite the heat. But I’m wearing what I’ve been wearing all day – a gray and white baseball shirt, tan pants, and red Chuck Taylors. And my glasses. Maybe I could pull off telling people I came as… well, okay so I definitely don’t look sporty in any capacity unless I count the baseball shirt.
I scowl at myself in the mirror.Whatever.I’ve never cared what Jeremy’s friends have thought of me before and we’ve gotten along just fine. Although the crowd in his loft is a bit larger than the small group of friends I’m familiar with, there’s no reason to start caring now. Even if I wanted to dress up, I couldn’t wear half the shit the girls here are probably wearing. My 5’1” size 8 is okay for cute shorts and tops, but a stick-figure model I am not. Luckily I prefer to wear jeans and tees.
Choosing not to spend another second looking at myself, I exit the bathroom. Before I can take more than one step, I’m immediately swept into an embrace by someone very tall, and from the feel of him, very strong.
“Hey baby, I’ve been waiting for you.”
For a brief second, I am completely overcome with sensation. I am hyper aware of the muscles wrapped around my frame, of the outdoorsy smell coming from the gray shirt my face is pressed into, of the deep timber in the voice that just called me baby. Every instinct in my body wants me to wrap my arms around this body and snuggle in close.
Until I remember that I donotknow this man.
The muscular arms wrapped around me, keeping my arms trapped firmly at my sides, suddenly make me feel claustrophobic. Trapped. My whole body tenses and I begin to pull myself free from his arms.
But the hold on me tightens just a fraction, and I hear his low rumble whispering into my ear.
“Please play along,” I hear, then feel a soft kiss on my left temple. In a split second decision, I feel my muscles relax, and in turn the arms encasing me loosen just a fraction, the man standing up straight again.
Now that he’s dropped the vice grip, I tilt my head back, back, back and get a look at a guy who made my pulse race for several reasons at once. And when my eyes collide with his, my stomach falls out of my body and onto the floor, my lungs collapse, and my heart flies up into my throat, leaving me nauseous, unable to breathe, and mute.
He’s handsome.
Like,reallyhandsome.
The cover of GQ, campus heartthrob,Love Actuallysilent happy dance, kiss me now kind of handsome.
The first thing I notice is his body, which is so unlike me, but how can it be helped when his arms are still wrapped around me. He’s firm and lean with broad shoulders. And he’s tall, maybe 6’2” or 3”. He has dark brown hair that’s just a little bit too long and curls slightly at the edges beneath his ears. His strong jaw is covered in stubble that makes me think it’s been a few days since he’s shaved. And his eyes. Damn. Warm, chocolate eyes peer into my soul with a look that is genuine and caring and I can’t look away.
As cliche as it sounds, a girl could get lost in those eyes.
“Oh sorry, Mack,” I hear from a snippy, feminine voice over my shoulder. “I didn’t realize you were with someone tonight.”
The guy - Mack, apparently? - releases me as I turn towards the voice. But it seems like he still wants the buffer, as his arm repositions to wrap around my shoulders, tucking me into his side.
A sexy referee is shooting daggers at me from down the hall, her arms crossed, plumping her amazing breasts up to the point that they’re nearly spilling out of her top. She’s pretty pissed, and the force of that rage is directed straight at me.
Right. BecauseI’mto blame in this situation. It’s not like I was randomly grabbed by a stranger or anything.
I’m normally not a troublemaker, but this girl looks exactly like Cassandra Roman, a bitch I went to high school with who slept with my boyfriend junior year. So I take the opportunity to get misplaced justice for the 16-year-old me.
“Oh, it’s not just tonight,” I reply, leaning my head against Mack and running my hand up and down his chest. His very cut, muscular chest. I mean, come on… I can feel all six of his packs. “Although, hewillbe busy.” I’m trying to play sexy and hoping the unpracticed look on my face doesn’t come across as if I’ve recently had a mild stroke.
Apparently it works, because the Cassandra look-alike huffs and stomps off, and I can’t help the shit-eating grin that covers my face or the happy dance in my head.
“Well, that went better than expected,” Mack’s deep voice interrupts my mental high five.
I quickly step out from my happy place nestled against his chest and under his arm, my face flushing warm and red as I realize how ridiculous the past thirty seconds was. I have a hard time looking up at him, but finally manage to drag my eyes away from the ground and give him a small smile.
“Yeah, what was the deal with that?”
Mack shrugs lazily, his eyes roaming my face as he leans nonchalantly against the wall.
“I just met her and she’s been following me around like a blood hound for the past hour. I figured I needed a way to get her off my scent.”
“So you were just waiting outside of the bathroom for an unsuspecting female to fill your fake girlfriend position?” I ask, my mouth tilting up at the side a little. “What if I had been a guy?”
“Oh trust me, I would have been willing to come out of the closet to get away fromthatgirl.” His face splits in a half smile so breathtaking I can’t help but smile back. “She showed me her nipple ring. Like, literally whipped her tits out for me. And then thought it would be seductive to point out the other guys here she’s slept with.”
