False Start - Jessica Ruddick Page 0,77

the homecoming game because the closest hotel they could get was almost two hours away. Roman had managed to rearrange his schedule so he could attend the game, too, but he would stay with me the entire weekend. Or that was the plan anyway. He might change his mind after I talked to him.

Becca pursed her lips. “Roman will be fine. Even if he’s mad at first, he’ll get over it. But he’ll be hurt if we wait a long time to tell him.”

I snorted. The idea that Roman would be hurt that I was dating his sister was laughable. He was going to be pissed. I’d been putting off thinking about it, much less picking up the phone to actually have the conversation with him. Now I would be forced to face him. At least it would be in person, so he would be able to punch me if he wanted. I wouldn’t stop him.

“I’m almost ready,” Becca said. “But you can still change your mind if you want. I wouldn’t mind.”

I grinned, grateful for the topic shift. “Hell no. There’s no way I’m going to miss your first appearance as a court princess.”

“Candidate,” she corrected immediately. “Calling them princesses is a high school thing.”

I got off her bed and went over to where she was finishing her makeup in front of the full-length mirror on her closet. Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I nuzzled her neck. “You’ll always be my princess.”

She smiled. “You know I love it when you talk cheesy to me.” She was such a nerd. I loved that about her, though.

“You look amazing,” I said. Her navy-blue dress was conservative, much more business than party, but she looked amazing no matter what she wore. Tonight, though, her dark-blond hair was styled into loose curls that flowed down her back, making me wish we could blow off the alumni event. I wanted to see her in those curls and nothing else.

She turned so she could wrap her arms around my neck. “So do you, Mr. Fleck.”

My clothes were nothing special—dress pants with a light-blue button-down shirt—but I cleaned up nicely when I wanted to. I was glad I’d put in the effort since it seemed to make her happy.

The homecoming alumni party was being held in the alumni center. It had recently been renovated, but since I’d never been inside, I couldn’t tell the difference. It was super nice, though. I guessed it would need to be to entice rich alumni to donate large sums to the university. As I walked up the stairs with Becca on my arm, I idly wondered how much I would have to donate to have a building named after me. Maybe it was narcissistic, but that would be fucking cool.

We went to the lounge being used by the homecoming committee so that Becca could pick up a sash. I helped her put it on, holding my breath as I stuck a pin in the fabric near her shoulder and only releasing it once the sash was in place and none of her blood had been shed. “What do you do now?”

She shrugged. “Mingle, I guess. They’re doing the court presentation at nine. I think we can go after that.”

The lounge door opened, and Blake stood there. I instinctively stepped closer to Becca. The last time I’d seen this guy, he’d been sharing a plate of sticky buns with her. I really needed to take her to Beans and Buns to replace that memory for both of us.

Seeing us, Blake smiled widely. “Hey, Becca. Hey, Carson. Ready to go into the battlefield?”

“Battlefield?” Becca questioned. She glanced up at me.

“You have no idea, do you?” Blake laughed. “It’s an open bar for alumni. Some of them are going to be drunk off their asses. It’s like they come back to campus and try to drink like they did when they were students here.”

“How do you know that?”

He shrugged. “I went to an alumni event as an officer of my fraternity last spring. It was a total shit show.” For the first time, Blake seemed to notice my arm around Becca. “Are you two together?” His question made me tighten my hold on her.

She blushed slightly. “Yes.”

“Cool. Carson, are you ready for the game tomorrow? It should be a blowout, right?”

Despite myself, I couldn’t help but like the guy. Though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Becca didn’t stay friends with assholes. Except me. “If we can’t whip JMU, we’ve got problems.”