False Start - Jessica Ruddick Page 0,2

coming?” Nicole asked.

I shifted my gaze back to Carson and his lopsided smile. What was left of my cellophane shriveled into nothing. The girl put her hand on his shoulder, staking her claim, just in case I actually was a threat. I definitely was, but not in the way she thought.

My lips stretched into a slow smile. Perhaps it was time I repaid Carson and saved him from himself. I might not be intimidating like he was, but there was more than one way to get the job done.

“Coming.” I threw my shoulders back and ran my hands through my hair.

This was going to be fun.

***

Carson

“ZIZZO!”

Shit yeah! My night just got a million times better. Ziz was my best friend, Roman’s, little sister and the only person at VVU from home that I’d kept in touch with. It had been almost a month since I’d seen her. Way too long.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she sauntered toward me, swinging her hips and attracting the attention of several guys she passed. I scowled and instinctively cracked my knuckles. Those dudes better tuck their eyeballs back into their skulls before I was forced to knock their teeth out.

Beside me, Demarcus grinned. “Damn. Who’s that fine thing?”

Before I could set him straight, Jimmy shook his head. “Do yourself a favor and don’t even look at her, man.” Damn straight. I’d taught my teammates years ago that Ziz was off limits. I knew better than anyone that no VVU football player would ever be good enough for her.

Ziz came in for a hug and wrapped her arms around my neck, which surprised the shit out of me. Her tits pressed against my chest, making my pants suddenly feel too tight. What the hell? Ziz and I were close—she knew me better than anyone else at VVU—but we didn’t hug on the regular.

As she pulled away, she trailed one arm across my shoulder and down my arm, leaving the other arm wrapped around me. She cozied up against me, practically purring.

Fucking shit all to hell. Not much took me off guard, but her behavior was throwing me for a loop. The upper half of my body stiffened, and the lower half… Well, let’s just say the lower half stiffened as well. Fuck.

Ziz was like my sister, but times like these made me remember that she was very much not my sister. She was the prettiest girl I’d ever laid eyes on. Her hair was gorgeous—long, wavy, and golden blond. She had big brown eyes and thick lashes that, as a kid, she’d used to get her way with her parents. Lord knew she could bring any guy to his knees with just a bat of her eyelashes. But my favorite part about her face was her mouth. She had lips that were made for sin—full, plump, and pink.

I pitied the man who ever tried to tempt her to sin, though. His funeral.

I looked at Ziz out of the corner of my eye, confused all to hell. She wasn’t even looking at me, though. Instead, she was smugly gazing at the chick that had come up to me a few minutes ago. Kayla? Carly? I couldn’t remember. In fact, I’d forgotten she was still there.

Despite my alcohol-fueled haze, the reality of the situation finally clicked. I burst out laughing, wrapped my arm around Ziz’s waist, and pulled her closer. The skimpily dressed girl’s eyes widened and then narrowed in anger. She turned on her heel and walked off without a word.

“You know,” Ziz said in my ear, her breath warm against my skin. “I just did you a favor. She isn’t nearly good enough for you.”

I laughed harder. I’d said almost those exact words to her before. The difference was that when I said them, they were true.

The girl who’d walked over with Zizzo cleared her throat and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. I’d met her before, but I couldn’t remember her name. Damn. I was sensing a trend.

“Carson, you remember Nicole, right?” Ziz asked.

“Of course,” I said smoothly, silently thanking Ziz for her good social graces. Most of the guys I’d come in with had wandered off, but I introduced Jimmy and Demarcus. They started chatting up Ziz’s friend, who was cute for guys interested in nerdy scientist types.

Zizzo extracted her arm from around my shoulders, and I stifled the urge to stick out my lower lip like a petulant child. I could have gotten used to having