stopping you?” he challenges.
“Get me down from this thing,” I tell him, and he smirks.
“I thought you’d never ask.” His hands grip my waist, and he lifts me in the air, only he doesn’t put me down. Instead, he just holds me suspended in the air, staring up at me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, resting my hands on his shoulders for support.
“Gotta make it look convincing.” He winks, then begins to lower me to the ground. However, he holds me close, every inch of my body pressing against his on the way down. Once my feet, attached to wobbly knees, are firmly on the ground, he links his fingers with mine and pulls me a few feet away to where the others are dancing.
His big arms pull me close, and we begin to sway to the music. It’s a slow song, one I’ve heard countless times on the radio. I think it’s by Brett Young. “How are you liking CU so far?” Levi asks.
“Well, I’ve only really seen my dorm room, the library, and the cafeteria outside of my classes.”
“You don’t get out much, huh?” He chuckles.
“Not much of a partier.”
“Yet, here you are.”
“Yeah, well, Coop wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed to come with him,” I grumble.
“Here we go,” he says, adjusting his hold on me as the song changes to Tyga’s “Taste.”
Levi takes that as an opportunity for us to cut loose. He pulls me impossibly closer and rolls his hips. One hand is resting on the small of my back, and the other hangs at his side as he begins to rock his hips.
Something you don’t know about me? I love to dance. It’s my jam. I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent hours in my room growing up, just dancing and acting a fool. It wasn’t until I started high school that I took it to a whole other level. Janie, Beth, and I all took a hip-hop class. I loved it. We all did. So, yeah, I’ve never been one who was able to resist moving to the beat.
I move to straddle his leg and do a little grinding and swaying of my hips. Levi moves his hands to rest on my hips, and we quickly find our rhythm.
“There you go. Damn, no wonder Coop’s been keeping you all to himself.” Levi’s smile lights up his face.
I smile at him and roll my eyes. “I’ve kept myself hidden, thank you.”
“Why would you do a thing like that?” he asks as he bends his knees and shimmies down to my level, then back up again.
“It’s easier that way. All the football groupies they’re mean as hell, and no matter if I argue back or sit around and tell them until I’m blue in the face, they’re still catty about our relationship. They say nasty things, and honestly, I would just rather remove myself from it all.”
“But he’s your best friend?”
I sigh. “Yes. Which is why I’m here tonight instead of sitting at home reading my book and eating my mint chocolate chip ice cream.”
He throws his head back and laughs, turning us around to where my back is now to the fire. “I’m a mint chocolate chip fan myself.”
“Well, I have a small fridge/freezer in my dorm, and it’s as stocked as the tiny appliance allows. If you’re ever over in Banner Hall, stop in, and I’ll share.”
“You might be willing to share, but your boy over there, he doesn’t look too happy about us dancing together.”
I don’t look back, because I’ve seen the look he’s talking about. I used to get my hopes up and think that it meant Coop wanted more. However, time has shown me that his look, although intense, is just him looking out for me. “Nah, he’s just protective.”
He leans in close, and once his lips are next to my ear, he whispers, “I think you’re wrong about that.” His hot breath caresses my ear as I struggle to comprehend his words. Then he’s gone and talking to someone next to us.
“Reese.” I snap out of my fog when I hear my name. I turn to see Coop and some dark-haired girl hanging off his arm. “You okay?” He lifts his hand as if he’s going to touch me, and then drops it to his side.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask with more snark than he deserves. I can see a small tic in his jaw, and only because I know him well enough to know that my