Faking the Play (Hot Mess Harems #2)

11. Amelia

Chapter eleven

Amelia

I was a little surprised when Logan sent me a text asking me to come over, since I’d just gone out with Ryan last night, but when I arrived at the apartment building, I was momentarily distracted by the vast number of people around. College students, including the majority of the football team, came in and out of the entrance, laughing and talking like they were at a party.

Because they were at a party, I realized as soon as I opened the door and saw people in the hall too, with most of the activity taking place just outside the guys’ apartment. I almost turned around and walked out, but then I saw a friendly face and felt that familiar warmth bubbling up inside me.

“You made it!” Ethan beamed as he came down the hallway toward me. Heads turned to see who he was talking to even as he shouldered people out of the way to get to me.

I caught glimpses of surprised expressions as he picked me up in a hug and spun me around. Despite my discomfort at the situation, I couldn’t help but laugh. Ethan always had that effect on me.

“You’re having a party,” I said as Ethan set me on my feet. “That’s why you asked me over?”

He put his arm around my waist and lowered his mouth to my ear. “Trust us. It’s part of the plan.”

I scowled for a moment, but then he pinched my hip, making me squeak in surprise. I glared up at him, but it was impossible to stay mad at Ethan Blake, especially when I didn’t really want to.

“I’m so glad we finally ran into each other again,” he said, giving me a wink as he led me into the apartment. “You’ve always been such a good friend. Someone we could always count on.”

He wasn’t being overly loud, but he definitely made sure his voice carried. The fact that he sounded slightly drunk when I couldn’t smell even a hint of alcohol on him made me think that this was part of that plan he’d mentioned.

“Amelia!” Logan greeted me with a hug almost as exuberant as Ethan’s, pressing me against that hot, hard body for what felt like a moment too long for friends.

“Hey, Logan.” I hoped my smile wasn’t as stiff as it felt. “You didn’t mention you were having…people over.”

“Sorry about that.” He brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I figured you wouldn’t come if you knew.”

“There’s my girl.”

I turned toward Ryan’s voice and found myself engulfed in one of those hugs that blocked out everything else. I rested my cheek on that solid chest and just took a few seconds to breathe him in—the laundry detergent and soap scents that he shared with Ethan and Logan, but also that hint of spice that came from his own unique combination of aftershave and just him.

“I know you’re not a fan of crowds,” he said quietly as he pressed his lips to the top of my head. “But I think this is going to help.”

I nodded. If they thought having me here would make things better for me, I’d go along with it. I might not be comfortable, but I knew I was safe with them.

“Let’s get you something to drink,” he said as he stepped back from the hug, but reached down to take my hand. “Just follow our lead.”

I nodded and let him lead me to the kitchen where a pair of guys were arguing over something.

“…not the point, Otto. You’re being an ass.”

“It was a fucking compliment, Terrick. What ever happened to girls just saying thank you?”

I knew both guys by sight since they were on the football team, but I would’ve known who Otto was anyway. He had a…reputation with the women on campus, and it wasn’t a good one. As far as I knew, it was mostly him saying shit that he shouldn’t and just being a general narcissist who didn’t understand why every woman in the world wasn’t falling all over him.

Terrick saw us first and elbowed Otto who turned, his eyes going wide as he saw me and Ryan.

“Hey, guys,” Ryan said. “This is Amelia. She’s a psych major.”

“Nice to meet you.” Terrick sounded sincere enough, and he didn’t leer at me, which meant he either didn’t know about me, or he was a decent guy.

“How do you two know each other?” Otto asked.

It took him about half a second to start staring at my boobs.

“We grew up together, actually,” I said, finding my footing steady with Ryan holding my hand. “It’s been great reconnecting with them.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Otto grinned at me, but there was nothing nice about his smile.

“And that’s your cue to get the hell out of my apartment.” Ethan suddenly showed up. “Let me walk you out, Otto, before you end up in the hospital with a broken jaw and Coach is pissed.”

“Did you just threaten me?”

Otto glared at Ethan, and for a moment, I worried there was going to be a fight. Then, Logan appeared at Ethan’s side.

“Guess you aren’t as dumb as everyone says,” Logan said, his tone mild. “Now that we’ve got that covered, you need to go.”

Still fuming, Otto stalked off with Logan and Ethan following to make sure he really did leave.

“How about that drink now?” Ryan asked as he raised our joined hands and brushed a kiss across my knuckles.

A thrill skittered across my nerves as I nodded my answer.

I could’ve taken Otto’s words to heart, but having Ryan at my side, knowing Ethan had my back, and that Logan would too, made me strong enough to brush it off. And with every new conversation, every new person I met, I felt my confidence being built back up.

I lost track of time as we went from one group of people to another, the guys always somewhere talking about me. How they managed to do it without sounding like I’d hired a PR firm, I didn’t know, but people seemed to be listening. The alcohol probably helped with that.

It definitely helped Ethan convince me to play a version of Fuck, Marry, Kill that he apparently invented.

“It’s called what?”

He grinned at me, flashing those devastating dimples. “Flash, Kiss, Drink. If you’re picked, you either have to flash everyone, kiss the person who asked, or take a drink.”

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’d come up with a game like that.” I shook my head as he led me toward the hall. “You’re going to have people passed out all over your room.”

“We always have someone sober making sure things don’t go too far,” he assured me. “Now, let’s show everyone that even brainy girls can cut loose once in a while.”

Eight or nine people were already in his room, sitting wherever they could find room. The only free spaces were in the center of the floor and on his bed, and I had a pretty good idea of where he was going to go. As we sat on the bed, Ethan went around the room and introduced everyone. While I knew a few of them by sight, only two had shared classes with me that I remembered. Normally, that would have my stomach in knots, worrying about what I was going to say, but with Ethan next to me—and a bit of alcohol in me—I smiled at everyone and joined in the game.

“Since it’s my game and I’m host, I’ll start,” Ethan said. “And remember, everyone, you get one flash with underwear, and one chaste kiss. After that, it’s bare skin and tongue.”

A ripple of laughter went around the room as I held my breath, fully expecting him to pick me. Instead, he turned to the pretty blonde across from us.

“Felicity. Do you want Flash, Kiss, or Drink?”

She grinned. “If you’ve got ’em, flaunt ’em.” Going up on her knees, she lifted her shirt to flash a sheer pink bra. “My turn.” She scanned the group and pointed to a beefy guy sitting in Ethan’s desk chair. “Demo. Is it Flash, Kiss, or Drink?”

“Kiss.” He got out of the chair and came over to where Felicity was waiting. Bending down, he cupped the back of her head and gave her a thorough, definitely not chaste, kiss. When it was over, he went back to the chair and turned to the dark-haired girl perched on the edge of the desk. “Phoebe. Flash, Kiss, or Drink?”

The game continued on for several more rounds, during which I finished my beer after choosing Drink twice, and got a chaste kiss from Phoebe when I realized picking the same gender didn’t remove the Kiss option. We’d also made it through enough people that we now had half a dozen undergarments in a pile in the middle of the floor and I’d seen more of Demo and Felicity than I wanted.

But we were having fun. No one was asking me about Professor Isenberg or those pictures. No one was asking if I’d cheated or slept my way into a job. And no one was leering at me like they were picturing me naked. Or treating me like a leper. I didn’t know if it was because these were the few people on campus who didn’t know about me, or if they’d heard what happened with Otto and figured it’d be better to play nice than get on the guys’ bad sides. Either way, I was more relaxed now than I had been in a group since those pictures went viral.

“Amelia. Flash, Kiss, or Drink?” Demo grinned at my empty cup and winked, but it was definitely a playful wink, not a creepy one.

Still, I wasn’t going to kiss him.

I did, however, still have my bra on, and it covered as much as a bikini, so my answer was a no-brainer. I flipped up my shirt, grateful that I hadn’t worn a dress, and let everyone see the white and blue checkered bra I wore. Next to me, Ethan muttered a curse.

With my attention drawn to him, I did something very stupid.

“Ethan. Flash, Kiss, or Drink?”

His gaze flicked down to my mouth for a moment, and then his eyes met mine. The heat in them sent my heart racing, my mind knowing what was coming, even if I couldn’t quite accept that it was real.

All of this happened in seconds that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. An eternity where no one else, and nothing else, existed. And then he said a single word.

“Kiss.”

Before I could do more than suck in a quick breath, Ethan cupped my chin and pressed his mouth against mine. His lips were warm and soft as they moved, parting my lips to let his tongue slip inside my mouth. A shiver of pleasure went down my spine and I found myself clutching his shirt, pulling myself closer, needing to taste more of him. His teeth scraped my bottom lip and I made a soft sound.

At that, he drew back, slowly breaking the kiss and then locking eyes with me for a moment before he sat back. I could feel the flush in my cheeks, but they weren’t the only part of my body heating up.

“It’s your turn, Ethan.” Phoebe’s voice broke through, reminding me that we weren’t alone.

“I, uh, I need to use the restroom.” I bolted to my feet. “Don’t stop the game on my account.”

I could’ve just gone into Ethan’s bathroom, but I needed space as well as time to collect myself. Hopefully, they’d just assume that I didn’t want an audience on the other side of the door while I peed, or that Ethan didn’t want anyone using his private bathroom. Even if they knew the real reason I rushed out of the room, it wasn’t going to stop me.

Ethan had kissed me, and I didn’t know what it meant other than the fact that I’d really liked it.

I made my way through the crowd to the half bath that guests used, and was relieved to find it open. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned over the sink, closing my eyes as my head spun.

I could still feel his mouth on mine, taste him. More than that, my body was still humming with everything he’d made me feel. Wanted. Desired. Safe.

His.

What really blew my mind was that I’d felt it before.

When Ryan had kissed me.

Thinking about that wasn’t going to make things any clearer. Maybe what I needed to do was go back to my room, focus on the lesson plans Dr. Isenberg had given me for next week, and take a break from the boys until it was time for Ryan and me to go on our next date.

With that thought in mind, I opened the bathroom door and found myself face-to-face with Logan. His eyes were dark, his expression more intense than I’d ever seen it before.

“You kissed Ethan,” he said.

“Um, yeah? We were playing—”

“And you kissed Ryan.”

“Well, technically, both of them kissed me,” I pointed out.

He stared at me for a heartbeat, then caught my face between his hands. “My turn.”

And for the second time tonight, I found myself being thoroughly and properly kissed. Ethan’s kiss had been heated, but sweet. Logan, however, kissed me like a starving man, tongue plundering and teeth nipping. Sharp jolts of pain that barely registered before he soothed them away. He stole the air from my lungs and thoughts from my head. My entire body throbbed with need.

Then he stopped.

No easing out of it like Ethan had done. Logan was kissing me one moment and gone the next, disappearing before my eyes even opened.

What the hell had just happened?