Page 121 of Collide
A fire ignites somewhere foreign. “You don’t need flattery to get into these pants, baby.”
Summer’s hands snake around my shoulders to the nape of my neck. “Then why aren’t they off yet?”
I make quick work of shedding my clothes, carrying her straight underneath the shower head. Her squeals fill the bathroom, and this time I don’t tell her to keep it down. I want to hear every sound, every word, and every laugh.
41 | SUMMER
COLLEGE IS A lot more fun when you’re not buried in textbooks.
When I left my dorm this morning, anxiety was eating at my bones, but just entering the hockey house has eased it.
“You wear glasses?” I ask Dylan who’s in the living room reading a book.
Dylan lowers his glasses. “Why? Is it turning you on?”
I give him a blank look. “How could you possibly come to that conclusion?”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Neither did you.”
He smiles. Damn it, he does look good in those glasses. “Nah, just put them on because you were coming over. I heard you like romance books.” His brows raise suggestively.
My face feels hot. “I am going to kill Aiden.”
“For what?” Aiden descends the stairwell, wearing a white tank and black trousers, his hair damp from a shower.
“Somehow, Dylan here knows about my book collection.” I narrow my eyes.
“It’s not like you hide it. You left one of your books on the couch. He’s literally reading it right now.”
What?When I see the blue illustrated book cover, I blanch.
Dylan rolls his eyes. “Don’t be a prude. You two are not as quiet as you think you are.” Mortified, I turn to Aiden, who only shrugs. “Besides, it’s a good book. I got Kian to buy a copy. We might have to raid your library for more once we finish.”
The words process slowly in my brain. “You and Kian are buddy-reading a romance book?”
“What? Men can’t read romance? Selfish of you to deprive us of this gold mine of information. Aiden, you gotta read one too, she’s onto something.”
“I have.”
That shocks the hell out of me. “When?”
“Babe, you fall asleep twenty minutes into every movie, and you made me promise not to watch them without you. I gotta do something to keep occupied.”
“So you’ve been reading my books?”
“Yup. I’m a big fan of the ones that have all the red tabs.” My eyes widen when he smirks and drops a kiss on my lips. “Let’s go upstairs so I can show you what I learned.”
Hypnotized, I follow Aiden. When I hop on his bed, I sit with my legs crossed to watch him get dressed. The view doesn’t get better than this, especially when his back muscles flex to show all those rolling hills and valleys that make me want to drag my nails down the smooth skin. Though when my eyes catch on something yellow beside me, my thoughts pivot.
A bouquet of sunflowers wrapped in paper and tied with a small bow sits on his bed. Something in my chest rattles, and my eyes sting. I stare at his back, my bottom lip quivers with a river of emotions. My breath is wobbly as I try to gain composure and not show my lunacy over getting flowers.
“Sunflowers? You don’t think I’m a Venus Fly Trap?” I ask.
Aiden turns, smiling when he sees the flowers in my hand. My eyes must still be misty because he watches me with a look so soft I’m afraid it might break me.
“They were sold out.” He grins when I glare. “You’re my sunflower, Summer.”
