Page 9 of Freshmeet
He grinned and nodded. “Thanks. My brother told me I didn’t need to change.” Glancing at the nearby dancers, he chuckled. “Fucker.”
I laughed. “Is he always so helpful?”
The skin around his eyes crinkled as his smile grew. “Oh yeah. I should’ve known when he showed up at my apartment dressed like he was reentering his emo phase.”
Tilting my head, I studied his face, searching for a spark of recognition.
Why does he feel so familiar?
“I don’t know you. Are you a transfer?” It’s not that I knew everyone, but for a guy to be at a frat that he wasn’t in, he’d either be a transfer or . . .
“I’m a freshman.”
My stomach plummeted. How? How was he a freshman?
“Oh.” I took a small step away.
He closed the gap. “I’m 23, but I’m just starting school.”
“Thank God,” I rushed out.
His face broke into a full-out grin, complete with two deep dimples. That was it. I was sunk. I’d read about it in Olivia’s books, seen it play out in movies. Still, I’d never had the privilege of being immediately smitten with someone.
“I assume you’re not a freshman.”
“Nope, senior.” I finished my drink and handed the empty cup over to Olivia, who was still off in her own drunken world, dancing.
“Thank God,” he mimicked.
And then, we stood there, barely swaying, our chests skimming one another with every breath, my hand resting on his arm, his on my hip. All smiles.
“So, what’s your name?” His lips brushed the shell of my ear.
“Sarah Tilney. You?”
His cheek pressed into mine as our bodies touched from head to toe. “Connor McCormick.”
TWO
PRAY TO THE GODS OF SMALL-TOWN LIFE
CONNOR
Fuck.
My head was throbbing, the room was hot as a motherfucker, and I was nowhere drunk enough to dance, but I couldn’t bring myself to complain. Not with this sexy girl pressed against me.
A frat party was the last place in the world I wanted to be, let alone one that was fucked up enough to have a funeral theme. But my brother was determined to jump into college life with both feet, so I let him drag me to Epsilon Chi. He’d disappeared with some of the frat brothers, so I’d stood against the wall, bored and alone, surrounded by drunk assholes having a good time.
That was until Sarah caught my eye.
Of course, she was beautiful, but it was more than that. While people carried on around her, she hung back with a small smile, taking in the chaos. An invisible bubble surrounded her, one that only her friends were allowed into, keeping the rest of the party at a distance.
It only took a few seconds of watching her before an unfamiliar urge to get to know someone new took over. I made my way toward her, earning me a lump on the head, but a gorgeous girl in my arms.
She blinked up at me, her lips parted as if she were about to say something, but instead, she started to move. The song was fast, the bass driving, but her wide hips swayed slowly against mine—subtle but confident. If the smirk on her face was anything to go by, she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
She ran her hands up my arms and locked them behind my neck, her fingers brushing the short hair on the back of my head. Her gaze never wavered as the tension between us grew, her touch keeping my focus right where it should be—on her.
