Kiss King - Mickey Miller Page 0,116

a sigh of relief that April finally realized this for herself. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to being a bridesmaid for her. “Well, if you have any questions on that front, I’m here to help.”

“Actually, I do have a question.” April gets a mischievous grin on her face that I’ve never seen her have before. “Do you think that tall drink of water over there, standing next to Luke Rutledge, is hot? Also, who is he?”

She nods toward a man leaning up against a fence. He’s tall, wearing jeans, dark hair, and has a very muscular build. Clearly, he’s not a student, he looks like he’s maybe twenty-four years old. When he turns, he looks right at April.

Alex interjects, “DJ said Luke and some of the other Alpha Z’s came into town for the Island Party today. Maybe he’s an alumni?”

“And to answer your first question, he’s completely hot,” I say. I notice my brother Paul is still down there chatting with Luke. I wonder what they’re talking about. “Where have I seen him before?”

I can practically see April’s face turning pink. “I’m drawn to him and I don’t know why.”

“His butt,” I snort. “You really are a dirty girl under that fa?ade, aren’t you?”

April takes a sip of her water. “If I weren’t so shy, I’d go over and talk to him.”

“Just do it!’ I urge. “You can do it!”

“No, I’m just going to the bathroom,” she says. “I can’t do it.”

She leaves, and Paul comes over after running “the test” he was talking about on Grant.

“So, what exactly did you do?” I ask.

“Well, you said Luke there was in his frat and knows all the dirt on him, right?”

I nod. “Yes. They were thick as thieves last year.”

“So I just walked up to him and said, ‘guy like that must really crush a lot of women.’ He said, ‘nah. He’s just got the one, and from what he’s told me, she’s everything to him.’”

I get a little choked up, and glance over at him on the mound. Grant throws one more strike, ending the game to cheers.

I smile at Paul. “So, you’re saying you don’t have to kill him?”

“Not yet. But I’ll keep my eyes on him.”

I throw my head back with laughter.

“By the way, who is the other guy standing next to Luke?”

“Are you serious?” he says. “You don’t recognize Morgan Kennedy?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“He won the World Series last year. He’s literally famous.”

I grin. So, the hot guy April has a crush on is a famous person. “I don’t really watch baseball on TV,” I say.

“Aw, sis. You’re so cute.”

The players all head inside to the showers, and although the game is over, my family and friends trail behind, all chatting together.

Eventually, they leave, and we make plans to meet up at the bars later, after the Alpha Island party.

Which, we’ll want to be heading over to right about now. They’ll have that slip n’ slide ready to go.

I wait until everyone is gone, and then open the fence, head into the dugout, and sit.

Sometimes, true life really is stranger than fiction. I never thought I’d date the campus king. I never thought one kiss could alter the course of my life.

Turns out, I was wrong about a lot.

But I was right to trust Grant Taylor with my heart.

A few minutes go by and I’m lost in thought, when I’m interrupted by the voice that by now, makes heat pool between my legs.

“You loiter in this dugout often?”

I turn around, smiling. Grant’s hair is ruffled from the shower, and he’s wearing board shorts and a tank top that lets me see every ridge of his muscles.

I bite my lip and give Grant my best “na?ve cheerleader” role play voice because why not? “I was just hoping to meet the star pitcher.”

He laughs deeply, then sits next to me. I notice he has that red notebook in his hand.

“When I was a freshman, Luke told me how he keeps a red notebook where he tries to figure out the meaning of love. So, I started one too.”

“Luke is one of the most complex men I’ve ever met.”

“I know. But this isn’t about Luke. It’s about you and me. Here.”

He opens the notebook and turns to the first page.

It says:

I met the most amazing girl today. Her name is Maya Waters, and she likes to paint. Who knows, Maybe she’s the one? Just kidding.

But she was really cool and I’m digging her.

I giggle. He turns the page to another passage he’s marked.

Yesterday, I almost kissed Maya in the dugout. We have a friend pact, though. And I don’t want to start things with her now. She’s going to Italy. Italy! I really wanted to kiss her. Maybe I’ll just do it.

I put my hand on his. “You knew it was us.”

“I just wanted to show you. I always had a feeling with you.”

I lean into him, and he kisses me so hard it sends tingles up my spine.

“You’re so damn good at that,” I say when we finally pull back.

“Well, get used to it,” he growls. “Because I’m going to be kissing you all night.”

“Just kissing me? Is that all?”

He waggles his eyebrows. “Maya, I’ve spent the past year trying to pretend there wasn’t something going on between us. And tonight…” His hand slides along my neck, then cups my cheek. “We’re going to make sure the entire suite knows you’re mine.”

“Oh?” I grin. “And how are we going to do that?”

“Kisses. Really loud kisses.”

I laugh. “Is that all?”

“And by worshiping every inch of you. I don’t know. We’ll have to see where the night takes us. We’ve got a lot to be happy about though, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do. I was thinking, can we do it in my room, for old times sake?"

“What about April and Alex?”

“I do feel bad for April. But Alex has sexiled us enough. She’s got it coming,” I grin. “And it’s just tonight.”

Grant squeezes my side. “It would be my pleasure.”

His gray eyes aren’t cloudy any more. They’re bright and heated on me.

I giggle. “My roommates are so sexiled, aren’t they?”

“Very sexiled.”

THE END