My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) (2 page)

“What’s not fair?” She stared at me with a dubious look, even though she knew what I was talking about.

“You know my name, and I don’t know yours.”

A slight smile emerged through her fake stare. “Everyone knows your name, Luke Thompson.”

I shook my head and said, “I doubt it.”

“Whatever, first baseman for Park Hill University. You’re known around here.”

Despite what she thought, I wasn’t that popular. Unless they followed baseball, most people on campus didn’t know me, which was fine. I could do without all the attention—helped me keep my focus. Or at least what my parents wanted me to focus on—landing a spot with a Major League Baseball team. I loved playing, but wasn’t sure I wanted to do it for a living. My passion was in the training room, and earning a degree in sports exercise would hopefully work to my advantage.

“Are you a stalker or something?” I retracted slightly, hoping she wasn’t some kind of bat-shit crazy woman.

“I guess you can say that.” She gave me a sexy shrug. “I’ve had you on my
To Do List
for a while.”

“Your what?” I half laughed, half shuttered at the thought that this woman was after me. I normally kept an eye out for those only interested in a Mrs. Degree, but between the beer and shots, I’d somehow gotten careless. She made it damn easy to get in her pants so I figured what the hell?

“Yeah, you know, a list of guys I want to have sex with.”

I choked on my spit and coughed. “I guess you don’t have any issues with consensual sex, huh?”

“Not at all.” Her bright, sparkling blue eyes surveyed me purposefully. I wasn’t sure if she wore color enhancing contacts or what, but I’d never seen eyes that blue before. “We’re adults.”

“In that case, you want to hook up again?” I rose up on my forearms as she crawled out of bed. Long, dark hair cascaded down her back leading to hips I’d never seen before. With a perfect ass and a tiny waist—I couldn’t wait to get her from behind.

“Maybe,” she said, gathering her clothes.

“Can you at least give me your phone number?” My eyes stayed fixed, unable to stop watching her get dressed. She didn’t seem to mind, giving me a full frontal view of everything. And boy, do I mean everything.

“Nope.” Her voice was blunt, without a hint of teasing or flirting present.

Strike two.

I fell back against the pillow. How I managed to get this woman in bed was beyond me. Then it occurred to me that she was the one who got me in bed. This game was totally in her control.

“But don’t worry, I know how to find you.”

“You do?” I threw the covers back and sat on the edge of the bed. Picking up my boxers from the floor, I stepped into them and then stood up as I put them on.

“Well, duh. Isn’t this your place?”

“No,” I laughed. “In fact, I don’t know who the hell’s house this is.” I glanced around the room, knowing damn well it belonged to my teammate, Riley Stotz.

“Oh, shit!” Her hand flew to her mouth. “So, we were screwing in someone else’s bed?”

“Yep.” I grabbed my jeans and slipped them on, not bothering to button them. I had no problem keeping a straight face. If she liked playing games with me, then I would have some fun with her.

She rolled her shoulders and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, well.”

“Do you typically have sex with guys you don’t know in a stranger’s bed?” I approached her as she hopped up and down, squeezing into a pair of tight jean shorts.

“Not usually.” She latched on to my arm as she shoved her feet into a pair of wedge sandals. “Besides, we’ve met before tonight.”

“We have?” I arched a brow.
“Yes.” Her hand glided down my arm, and her nails tickled my skin. “I believe it was at a frat party.”

I searched my mind trying to recall meeting her, but it was pointless with her breasts pointing straight at me. With heels and Daisy Duke’s, she was freakin’ hot.

“Are you sure?” I ran my thumb under her chin. “With a pretty face like yours, I’m sure I’d remember meeting you.”

“You were doing shots and were wasted, so that’s probably why you don’t remember.” She picked up her bra from the floor.

“That was a waste of a night.” I snorted a laugh.

She laced her arms through the straps of her bra and turned around. “Do you mind?”

I stared at her back for a few seconds before realizing what she wanted me to do. “Not at all.” I connected the hooks on her bra. That was a first.

“Thanks.” She slipped on her tight PHU T-shirt and grabbed her purse. “I appreciate the night of hot sex, Luke. You were amazing!”

Before she could slip away, I tugged on the strap of her purse, pulling her close to me. “So, you gonna tell me your name?”

“I kind of like it like this, don’t you?” She latched on to her bottom lip, pulling off an erotic look that had me ready to toss her back on the bed.

“No, not really.” I released the strap, realizing I was headed for a third strike. It was better to stay where I was so I could keep playing her game.

“Don’t worry. I’m confident we’ll see each other again.” She walked toward the door.

“But it’s the end of the semester. Are you staying for the summer?”

“In fact, I am.” She stalled for a moment. “What about you?”

“I just got an apartment and plan on taking a few classes.” Maybe she was right, and we would be seeing more of each other, after all.

“Then I’m positive we’ll see each other.” Her lips parted in a huge smile before opening the door. Glancing over her should she said, “See ya around, Luke.”

I ran my hand through my matted hair, trying hard not to grin. “Yeah, see ya around.”

I immediately felt the tug in the center of my heart. What was it about her that had me anxious to know more about her? Was it her wild, adventurous, carefree attitude? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to make it my quest to find out who in the hell this girl was—even if I had to call every girl at PHU. I’d find her.

***

Fall Semester—Junior Year

Delaney

“This is the last bag.” Martin, also known as my adoptive dad, huffed as he placed my over-stuffed Vera Bradley duffle bag on my bed. “Here’s your key card.”

“Thanks.” I took the key from him.
Charter Hall was an all-female dormitory that required a key card for access. It made me feel safe, but it was also an inconvenience at times. I argued with my parents that they could at least let me stay in a co-ed dorm, since they wouldn’t allow me to stay in an apartment, but I lost that battle, too.

“Sure thing, sweetie.” He wrapped an arm around me, and I rested my head against him. Something that took me a few years to do. “I can’t believe you’re already a junior.”

“It’s going by so fast.” Veronica, Martin’s better half, and the woman that served as my mom for the past eight years, said with a shaky voice. “Before long you’ll be graduating.”

I shook my head. “Y’all act like you’re never going to see me again once I graduate.”

Martin retracted his arm slowly and shoved his hands in the pockets of his twill shorts. “You never know. You could run off with some guy to another country.”

“Not happening.” I rolled my eyes and yawned. Partying last night with some of my high school friends had lasted until five in the morning, and I was feeling it today. “I don’t have time for all of that.” I waved my hand in the air. Being tied down with one guy was the last thing I wanted. I enjoyed my freedom too much and intended on keeping it that way.

Veronica shook her head and Martin gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “You say that now but wait until you meet the right guy.” Veronica placed a hand on her husband’s chest, gazing at him with goo goo eyes. It was great to see them in love with each other, when most of friends were bitching about their stepmother or stepfather. I guess I was lucky my parents were still married—even if they were my adoptive parents.

“Yeah, well, I’m not holding my breath for that.” I grabbed a stack of clothes from my bed and hung them in my closet. “This closet is too little,” I moaned as I pushed my winter clothes as far to the side as possible. “Apartments have bigger closets.”

“Delaney, we already talked about this.” Martin’s voice switched to a more serious tone, indicating he didn’t want to discuss the subject any further. Several thousand dollars later and a fine for disturbing the peace left a spoiled taste in my parents’ mouths after I held an end of semester party at the apartment I shared with two other girls. As expected, they stiffed me with the bill for replacing the carpet that caught on fire and repairing a wall that someone kicked. That also cost me summer tuition, and instead of staying at PHU for summer classes, I ended up at my local community college, which totally sucked.

Asshats!

If I found out who did it, I was going to rip their balls off with my hands.

I pressed my hands together in prayer mode. “I promise, no more wild parties.”

“Delaney, the answer is no.” Veronica was adamant this time. Usually she could persuade Martin or convince him to do something he was dead set on not doing, but this time, he wasn’t budging, and neither was she.

“What if my roommate is some type of freak?”

“I thought you said you two had talked?” A perplexed expression washed over her face.

I pushed out my lips, forgetting I’d told her that she seemed really nice. “Yeah, we did, but you never know. She could be some type of stalker-crazy person.”

Martin’s eyes narrowed with disbelief. “If you have any problems with her, we can talk with the university and have you reassigned with someone else.”

My shoulders dropped. Martin’s mind was set solid. I had royally screwed up this time. My parents helped me unpacked, probably making sure I hadn’t snuck any liquor into my room. Little did they know my stash was in the trunk of my car.

“Call us if you need anything.” Veronica squeezed a hug from me.

“I’ll be fine.” I smiled and then turned to Martin. Placing a kiss on my cheek, he said, “I have an automatic deposit going to your account every other Friday. Please budget your money because I will not be giving you anything extra.”

“Okay, I will.” I gave a slight roll of my eyes. It was the same lecture every time, and although I’d gotten better at controlling my spending, Veronica always spotted me if I needed more money. “Thanks for everything.” I opened the door for them to leave and was promptly greeted by a girl with brown hair that was twisted in a bun on top of her head.

“Hi, you must be Delaney.”

I nodded my head. “Yep, and you must be Lexi.”

She struggled to extend her hand, shifting a box to her side and readjusting the strap of a duffle bag on her shoulder. “Nice to meet you.”

We laughed as we tried to figure out how to shake hands. “Here, let me help you.” I extended my hands.

“Thanks.” Her big brown eyes relaxed with relief as she handed me the box.

“Come in.” Veronica urged her husband to take a step back.

“Thanks.” She stepped inside, and two people followed behind her carrying a few bags.

“Hello, I’m Veronica Dukakis.” She introduced herself.

“And I’m Martin, Delaney’s father.”

Lexi’s mother set the bag she had in her arms on the coffee table. Pushing her blonde hair out of her face, she corrected her posture and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia Thompson.” She shook my parent’s hands, “And this is my husband, Travis.”

“Hi.” Lexi’s dad stepped forward for a quick handshake and then retreated behind his wife.

“What a relief to meet you both.” Lexi’s mom pressed a hand to her chest. “We were worried that . . . well, you just never know about roommates.”

Veronica let out a soft laugh. “Oh, I know. We had the same concern. The girls she lived with last year were wild and crazy.”

“Well, you have nothing to worry about.” Olivia wrapped an arm around my new roommate, pulling her close. “Lexi’s a good girl. She doesn’t go to parties or drink.”

My parents’ eyes went wide. “Oh, that’s great news.” Veronica gave me a stare that said it all.
Don’t screw this up.
They continued to chat, and immediately I saw the too-good-for-you attitude in Olivia’s mannerisms. She bragged about almost everything and claimed to be a
follower of Christ
. My parents took the high road and just agreed with her. Internally, I shook my head and tried my hardest not to roll my eyes. She had fake written all over her, and the smell of her bullshit was filling our dorm room suite to the point that I was ready to kick her out.

By the expressions on my parents’ faces, I could tell they were comfortable with Lexi and her family. Any hope of moving into an apartment was out. I was stuck at Charter Hall for my junior year, and that sucked balls. At least I didn’t have anything to worry about, but the Thompson’s on the other hand did. I could tell my roommate was dying for some fun, and I knew just what she needed.

As soon as our parents left, I wasted no time going to my car to retrieve my liquor stash. I had to be careful because if I got caught with it, I could get kicked out of school. That was the last thing I wanted, but since my parents took my fake ID and my twenty-first birthday wasn’t until next August, this was all I had. Unless I could sweet-talk one of my guy friends into buying me a few bottles.