Legacy: A New Adult College Romance (Palm South University Book 4) Read online

  “You know what?” she says. “You’re right. He is delicious — like a cool slice of key lime pie on a hot summer day. And have you ever known me to turn down key lime pie?”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Nope, never.”

  “Exactly. Which is precisely why I can’t start now. After all, I have a very demanding sweet tooth.”

  “Right,” I agree, tossing her the shaker of salt from behind me. “I mean, you have a reputation to uphold. You can’t let other girls go scamming on your pie.”

  “Indeed.” Skyler winks at me, her feet already well on their way to the path toward the new kid. “I’m glad we talked this out, Little Nug. Thanks for being my voice of reason.”

  “What are Littles for?”

  With one last grin in my direction, Skyler turns, her eyes locked on Kip. I can’t hear what’s said between them, but the next thing I know, the crowd is gathering around the two of them at the foosball table. And I may not know exactly what game they’re playing yet, but I know without a doubt that there’s no way in hell my Big won’t be the one who wins in the end.

  The crowd grows around where Kip and Skyler are setting up a game at the foosball table, so I hop down from the counter, making my way toward the commotion. But before I can get too close, the hairs on my arms stand at full attention, a familiar rush of emotion flooding me from head to toe.

  I feel his eyes on me before I see them.

  Swallowing, I lift my gaze to the table, and standing next to Jess in the center of the action is Adam.

  His dark hair is flushed over in a soft wave, like he just ran his hands back through it, and those dark eyes I’ve been lost in more than once swallow me like a black hole from across the room. His skin is still bronze, though not quite as tan as it was before he left for winter break, and as my eyes roam over the lean muscles of his arms, a flash of our last night together before break hits me like a strike of lightning.

  I feel his body, hard and warm, wrapped around me under the sheets that smelled like him. I hear his voice whispering my name, telling me it will all be okay, groaning against the urge to have me the way he wanted to. I see his dark, long lashes on the apples of his cheeks as I peeked my eyes open mid-kiss, his lips still on mine, his hands gripping my hips like he had to hold onto them for dear life so he wouldn’t move those hands anywhere else.

  We’d given in. He was right about Grayson, about the man I’d trusted with my heart, with my body, but he hadn’t taken the opportunity to say I told you so. Instead, he’d held me, and kissed me, and cherished me like I was so precious, so fragile, that every move had to be planned and plotted and practiced before he could ever actually make it.

  I’d always loved him, and I’d finally admitted it.

  But after that amazing night, after he swore he was never letting go of me again, he disappeared.

  I hadn’t heard from him since.

  The room snaps back like a warped rubber band and I take in a sharp breath, inhaling a burning gulp of oxygen with my eyes finding Adam’s again. There’s a pained bend in his eyebrows, an apology behind his eyes — or perhaps an explanation? He holds my gaze as long as he can, saying more in that silent stretch of time than he did all break.

  That’s the way it has always been with us — we spoke in longing glances, in soft, seemingly innocent touches, in the quietest of moments. Words could never say what we needed to so we let our actions and our eyes be our voices.

  I can’t be sure how much time passes as we stand there, staring across the room at one another like there’s still some barrier between us, but after a few moments, or maybe a few years, Adam’s expression softens.

  And he smiles.

  That smile, that soft, slow spread of his lips over his mesmerizing face, it’s all I need to feel every tight muscle in my body unwind at the same time.

  I exhale, smiling in return, the weight on my chest lifted like a cement block turned to a helium balloon in the snap of his fingers. He holds my eyes, that smile still in place, and holds up one finger, letting me know we’ll talk when the game is over.

  I still feel a slight pressure, the same one I always feel in his proximity, as he holds up the little white ball between Kip and Skyler. He drops it in after a moment, and the game begins.

  I should be watching Skyler in her element as she whoops the new guy’s butt in a game of foosball, should be laughing and cheering with the rest of the crowd, but I can’t take my eyes off Adam. I can’t stop the parade of questions storming through me, like his smile released the flood gates I hadn’t even noticed were holding so much back.

  How was his break? What did he do? Where did he go?

  Did he think of me?

  What are we now?

  Are we anything at all?

  It’s not until the very last score that I even register what’s happening, and I blink back into the moment just in time to see Skyler throw her hands up in victory. I rush to her, Jess and I engulfing her in a group hug at the same time as I finally tear my attention away from Adam — at least, for the moment.

  Skyler won — and now, it’s time for Kip Jackson to take a shot of tequila and accept his defeat.

  “Grab me a knife, will you, Little Nug?” Skyler says, the bottle of tequila and a lime in her hands.

  I skip off to the kitchen, returning to find my Big sitting on one of the tables that was just being used for beer pong. There are empty, red Solo cups scattered on the floor all around her, and Kip is just staring at her with one brow cocked in question.

  Oh boy, this poor kid has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.

  Skyler takes the knife from me with a smirk still firmly in place. She slices the lime into four equal wedges, and then like no one else is in the room, she takes Kip’s hand and licks the skin between his pointer finger and thumb with her eyes locked on his.

  I swear, the guy practically falls to his knees right then and there.

  “I said you had to take a shot of tequila if you lost,” she says, lying back on the table. “I didn’t say you’d get to shoot it out of a shot glass.”

  She pops one of the lime wedges in her mouth as the room erupts into a fit of cheers, and Kip just stands there with his mouth open. Jess and I start our sorority chant, the guys hooping and hollering as Skyler lifts her shirt up and tucks it under her bra, revealing her tight, toned stomach. She pours the tequila over her exposed skin, the liquid pooling in her navel, and once the bottle is back on the table, all eyes are on Kip.

  He seems to be stuck in some sort of spell, standing there over Skyler, and I can’t say I blame the poor sucker. I’ve seen my Big in action, both with Adam and plenty of other guys on campus, and I know how impossible it is for anyone — especially of the male persuasion — to say no to her. When one of his brothers smacks him on the arm, it seems to jolt him back to the moment, and he licks his hand to another roar from the crowd.

  Then, his mouth is on Skyler’s stomach, sucking up every drop of tequila before he sucks the lime in her mouth and kisses her like they’re the only two in the room.

  I laugh, cheering again as the crowd starts to disperse. Kip and Skyler continue making out, oblivious to the party still happening around them, and Jess nudges me as she heads toward the kitchen.

  “Okay, I think I need a shot after that. You in?”

  “Right behind ya.”

  She weaves through the crowd toward the kitchen, me on her heels, but before I can slip through the opening and join her, I feel a strong, warm hand graze my hip.

  I close my eyes, that hand grounding me to the spot where I stand, paralyzing me.

  His lips graze the back of my neck, his chest pressed against my back as he whispers the first words since the night I spent in his bed.

  “Hey there, Red.”

  I fight against the smile cracking my face in two, spinning with his hand never leaving my hip, and then I’m face to face with the one guy I’ve always belonged to, yet never truly had.

  I shov
e his shoulder, still smiling. “Don’t even start with that,” I warn, referring to the stupid nickname that every single person uses for the redheads in their life. He teased me with it the first semester we met, and never fails to use it to get under my skin when he gets the chance.

  Adam just grins, his eyes a little glossy from drinking, the chocolate around his pupils shining in the dim light of the party. He swallows, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and then we stand there — staring, smiling, shaking a little like two middle schoolers who were just dared to do seven minutes in heaven.

  After a moment, I laugh, tucking a strand of my wild, fiery hair behind one ear. “How was your break?”

  Adam leans in, his brows pinched together as he yells over the music and cheers coming from the game of flip cup taking place behind us. “What?”

  “I said, how was your break?” I yell in return.

  He smiles, looking around at all the chaos surrounding us before he reaches forward and grabs my hand without a second thought. Adam turns, leading me through the crowd toward the back yard, all the while completely oblivious to the wave of electricity he just sent crashing through me with the touch of his hand.

  I stare at his fingers laced with mine as he tugs me through the sea of students, smiling so big my cheeks hurt.

  When we finally break through the crowd, Adam drops my hand to open the sliding glass door, and we step outside into the blissfully quiet night.

  He shuts the door behind us, muffling the music and laughter from inside, and then it’s just the two of us alone on the empty patio.

  The night air seems to buzz to life, warm and sticky between us even though it’s below fifty now and entirely too cold for any Floridian to be outside. The party rages on inside, but out here, it’s just me and Adam.

  “There,” he says, guiding me over to where a small fire pit is going in the corner of the yard. “Maybe now we can actually hear each other.”

  “Yeah, it’s a little crazy in there.”

  Adam plops down in one of the chairs around the fire, and I stand, unsure where to sit. Do I take the chair across the fire? The one next to him?

  But I don’t have time to make the decision before Adam makes it for me, reaching for my hand and pulling me easily down into his lap. He wraps his arms around me, blocking the cool wind, his eyes reflecting the low flicker of the fire.

  “Hi,” he says.

  I let out a long breath, smiling like a fool again. “Hi.”

  “You’re nervous.”

  “I am,” I admit on a soft laugh. “I don’t know why.”

  “It’s just me.”

  “I know, but…” I bite my lower lip, eyes searching his as my stomach drops to my feet. The stinging reminder that he never called, never texted, never said anything to me after the night we spent together resurfaces, and my confidence shakes under the weight of it. “What happened? I never heard from you after… you know, after everything.”

  Adam’s eyes widen, his arms tightening around me. “Oh, God, Cassie. I’m so sorry, I thought that’s what you needed. I was just giving you some space,” he says quickly.

  My eyes fall to my lap, but he thumbs my chin quickly, pulling my gaze back to him.

  “I meant every word I said that night,” he says, sincerity laced through every word. “I’m here, Cassie, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m not letting go. But, I also don’t want to rush things,” he adds. “You’ve been through a lot, and I wanted to give you the time to process all of that.”

  “So, you don’t want to be a rebound,” I whisper.

  Adam chuckles. “I know I’m not a rebound,” he says, running one hand down my arm. He laces his fingers through my own, squeezing. “But, I also know that you’ve been hurt. Grayson hurt you. It’s okay to admit that, and it’s okay to take some time to sort through your feelings on all of it.”

  “I don’t need time,” I say quickly. “I need you.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  My heart sinks further, in danger of drowning, but Adam squeezes my hand again.

  “Cassie, you don’t need me. You don’t need anyone, because you’re an incredible girl on your own. You’re smart — so fucking smart — and beautiful, and funny, and charming.” He offers me a soft smile. “You’re unlike any girl I know. And that’s why I think it’s important for us to take this slow,” he says. “Because I want you to take the time you need to remember all of those things, to get back to Cassie McBee.”

  My heart squeezes, and I smile, tears pooling in my eyes.

  He’s right.

  All break long, instead of thinking about me, about my goals, about the things I want for myself this semester, I just sat around thinking about Adam. As soon as Grayson was gone, I filled that void with Adam, not even taking the time to process what happened, to let myself be hurt, or to stand on my own two feet again.

  I was perfectly content crawling on bruised knees into Adam’s arms, to let him hold me and lean on him instead of standing on my own first.

  The fact that he won’t let me do that shows me more than anything that he cares about me more than Grayson ever did.

  “Don’t worry about me right now, because you’ve got me — I’m right here, and I’m yours. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I sigh, nodding and leaning into his chest.

  “I just missed you,” I confess. “But you’re right. We should take it slow.” I shake my head against his chest. “I mean, Grayson stuff aside, you used to date my Big and she has no idea I even had a crush on you.”

  “You had a crush on me, huh?” Adam asks, smirking.

  I pinch his side. “Shut up. I’m just saying, I should probably talk to her about everything before we make things official, too.”

  He shifts, pulling me close until my eyes are locked on his again. His hands frame my face, the tips of his fingers brushing back into my hair.

  “Hey, don’t worry about any of that right now, okay? Skyler will be fine, and you have plenty of time to tell her. Right now, I want you to focus on you.”

  I nod, leaning my forehead against his. My chest is still tight, anxiety gripping my ribcage with force, but I know Adam’s right. It’s only been a few weeks since my break up with Grayson, since I found out the man I said I loved cheated on me just because I wouldn’t give it up fast enough.

  My stomach turns.

  Maybe I wanted to crawl to Adam because I knew it’d be easier, knew his arms would be waiting, and he’d know all the right words to say. I fled to his window that night because I knew he’d be there, just like he was the semester before, when Clay took my virginity and then slept with my roommate.

  My dating record sucks.

  A sigh flushes an anxious breath from my lips, and I nuzzle into Adam more, aching at the thought of taking thing slow with him when all I want is to lose myself in his warmth.

  “Can I still kiss you?” I whisper after a moment.

  Adam shakes his head, fingers gripping my hair a little tighter.

  “You never have to ask. Kiss me anytime you want, Red.”

  I laugh, shoving my hands into his chest to push him away but he wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tighter, and then without warning, his lips cover mine.

  That kiss steals my next breath, holding it hostage as my hands fist in Adam’s hoodie. I tug and tug, wanting him closer, needing more of him — and he gives without question.

  He always has.

  One hand finds the back of my neck, pulling me into him as the other warms the exposed sliver of skin under the back of my sweatshirt. And he doesn’t rush, doesn’t devour me, his lips taking their time tasting and kissing and exploring. I’m reminded of the night spent in his sheets, and every nerve in my body begs me to pull him back into his room to relive that night, to take it to the next level.

  But I can’t.

  Because Adam is right, and as much as I want his hands on every inch of my body, I want to feel okay again, more.

&nbs
p; I want to stand again, to walk, to run free — on my own.

  Then, when the time is right, I’ll fall into Adam’s arms.

  And I know without a doubt that he’ll be there to catch me when I do.

  “THESE SHOES ARE TOO much,” I argue with Ashlei, who just wrangled me into a dress and wedges for the first day of class. She’s dressed to the nines, of course, but she also has an internship downtown and a reason to be wearing stilettos.

  I, however, do not find it at all necessary to wear shoes with a heel when I expect to walk at least a mile.

  “Your legs look killer in those shoes paired with that dress,” she argues, touching up her lipstick. “Please? Just try it. For me.”

  Turning in the mirror again, I can’t say that I disagree with her. My legs are tan from all the paddle boarding time I got in over winter break, and the yellow dress with a simple sweetheart neckline she’s dressed me in looks perfect with the wedges. I’m all legs and collarbone and toned arms, and my hair is down and softly curled.

  Still, I feel a little overdressed.

  “I’m just going to class.”

  “Yes, but you never know who you might run into.”

  A flash of the new guy I made out with at the Alpha Sigma house last night hits me, and I smile. Maybe I’ll run into him.

  “Here,” Cassie says, popping up from her seat on Jess’s bed to hand me the one and only strand of pearls I own. “Add these. They’re the perfect accessory.”

  I do as she says, but it just makes me scrunch my nose up more. “This feels like a lot.”

  “They’re perfect!” Cassie argues, her red hair bobbing a little as she bounces with excitement.

  “It’s syllabus week, it won’t be that long of a day anyway.” Ashlei pokes her bottom lip out as she tucks her lipstick back in her bag. “Pleeeease.”

  I huff. “Fine. But next time I want a drink at Ralph’s at ten o’clock on an internship night, you both have to come.”

  “Deal,” they agree in unison.

  “Are you heading to your internship now?” I ask Ashlei, packing up my bag.