Ava
My phone was vibrating so hard it was practically dancing across the nightstand.
I groaned, blinking against a headache that felt like a tiny construction crew was drilling into my skull. I reached out, grabbed the phone, and squinted at the glowing screen.
43 missed calls.
Thirty-two from Brad. Eleven from my older brother, Chase.
Oh, sweet mother of God.
My eyes snapped wide open. This wasn’t my bedroom. The ceiling was too high, the sheets were a dark slate gray instead of my usual soft pink, and the air smelled faintly of expensive cologne.
I froze, the memories of last night crashing into my brain like a freight train. The fight with Brad. The absolute rage that had consumed me. The college party I had snuck into. And then… the guy with the ocean-blue eyes and the smirk that made my clothes feel too tight.
I lifted the heavy duvet and peeked underneath....I was completely naked. Naked!!
I lost my virginity last night.... To a stranger.
Panic, sharp and icy pierced through my hangover. I saved myself for years, thinking I would marry Brad, and I just threw it away because of one stupid argument?
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I whispered, scrambling out of bed. My legs were a little shaky, but my internal alarm bells were screaming. I spotted my clothes scattered across the floor, grabbed my underwear, jeans, and my jacket, and pulled them on in a record-breaking ten seconds.
I grabbed my keys, slipped my boots into my hands so I wouldn't make a sound, and began to tiptoe toward the door. I just needed to get to my car. If I got to my car, last night never happened. It was a glitch in the matrix. A temporary lapse in sanity.
I reached for the doorknob, my fingers just millimeters away from freedom...
"Never would I have guessed that you were a hit-and-run kinda girl."
A deep, gravelly masculine voice vibrated through the quiet room. It was raspy from sleep, dripping with a lazy, amused arrogance that made my blood boil.
I shut my eyes tight, absolutely refusing to turn around. My shoulders squared. I had just made the biggest mistake of my entire life, and I wasn't about to let Mr. Gorgeous voice mock me for it.
"Are you going to say anything? Or at least look at me?" he asked, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
My jaw clenched. The panic melted into pure, defensive fury. I whirled around, clutching my jacket to my chest like a shield, and glared at him.
He was propped up on one elbow, the sheets dipping dangerously low around his hips, revealing an absurd amount of toned, hard muscle. His messy dark hair was sticking up in every direction, and he looked entirely too comfortable.
"You stole my virginity!" I burst out, my voice cracking with a mix of rage and embarrassment.
His eyebrows shot up, genuine surprise flashing across his handsome face. "Whoa, wait—"
"This was a huge mistake!" I yelled, refusing to let him speak. "And I hope to never, ever see you ever again!"
Before he could even untangle himself from the sheets, I slammed my boots onto my feet, yanked the door open, and stormed out. I didn't care that I was basically running down the hallway of a random hotel. I didn't care if I looked insane.
I bolted down to the parking lot, my heart hammering against my ribs. Thank god my fuzzy memories were correct...I had driven myself here. I unlocked my sedan, threw myself into the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, and just—
“SCREAMED!”
I gripped the steering wheel, letting out a frustrated, horrified wail. What the hell did I do? I had sex with a random stranger. Sex!
"Okay, breathe," I gasped, catching my reflection in the rearview mirror. My cheeks were bright pink, my hair was a bird's nest, and my lips were slightly swollen. "Breathe. You're going to college today. You're moving into your dorm. You're going to fix things with Brad. And that guy? He’s a ghost. He doesn't exist."
With that lie firmly planted in my head, I turned the key in the ignition.
Four hours later, I was on campus, desperately trying to play the part of the perfect, put-together freshman. The afternoon sun was bright, the quad was packed with students carrying boxes, and the air was buzzing with orientation energy.
Chase, my overprotective senior brother, was walking beside me, effortlessly carrying two of my heaviest storage bins.
"I'm telling you, Ava, college is different," Chase was saying, giving me his classic big-brother lecture. "You gotta keep your head on a swivel. Don't worry about Brad being at his own campus, you've got me here to watch your back."
"I can watch my own back, Chase," I mumbled, offering a weak smile. I was still exhausted, and my conscience was eating me alive. Every time my phone buzzed with a text from Brad saying 'I'm sorry about our fight, text me when you get to campus,' a fresh wave of guilt washed over me.
"Hey, I know you can. But you're my little sister. It's my job," Chase laughed, nudging my shoulder with his elbow.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed across the crowded lawn behind us.
"Yo, Chase!"
I didn't know why, but the voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Chase stopped in his tracks, a massive grin breaking out across his face. "Oh, perfect! Hold up, Ava, there's someone you need to meet."
I turned around slowly, my eyes scanning the crowd.
Walking toward us was a tall, athletic guy wearing a varsity hockey jacket. He was laughing, tossing a football from hand to hand, his broad shoulders cutting through the crowd like a ship through water.
The football stopped in his hands. His eyes locked onto Chase. And then, his gaze shifted slightly to the left.
Directly onto me.
The smile froze on his face. Those familiar, striking ocean-blue eyes widened in absolute shock.
It was him. The hotel room. The slate gray sheets. The guy I had screamed at just four hours ago.
"Liam, man!" Chase cheered, stepping forward to give his friend a bro-hug. "Ava, this is my best friend and roommate, Liam Carter. Liam, this is my little sister."
Liam slowly broke the hug, his eyes never leaving mine. A slow, dangerous, incredibly wicked grin began to spread across his lips.
"Nice to finally meet you, Ava," he murmured, his voice sending a violent shiver right down my spine. "Your brother talks about you all the time."