Next Man Up (Making the Score #2) - Tawdra Kandle Page 0,17

over, we can finally meet the elusive roommate.”

My heart began to thud a little harder than normal, and my cheeks heated. I hadn’t been to Nate’s dorm. Quinn had stopped over to visit once, but I knew she been disappointed not to meet his roommate so far. She’d told me that she was curious to see how he and Nate related to each other.

“I’m up for that.” Gia sat up, too. “I’m roasting out here, and I’m thirsty, too. Nate probably has water bottles in his fridge.”

“Definitely.” Quinn glanced at me. “How about you, Zelda? Can you tear yourself away from cholera for a little bit?”

I pretended to think about it, even though I already knew I was going with them. “If you’re both going to abandon me, I guess I’ll tag along.” I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping I didn’t look flushed and sweaty. I didn’t usually obsess over my appearance, but it wasn’t every day a girl got to see the man who’d introduced her to sex. I was entitled to a little bit of fussing.

We folded up the blankets we’d been lounging on and began walking diagonally across the green toward the long, squat brick building where Nate lived. Liddleton was only two stories high, unlike the other dormitories on campus; since it housed all the underclassmen with special physical needs, this dorm, Birch’s newest building, boasted ramps, wide doors and two elevators. Nate lived with Eli on the first floor, just off the large tiled lobby.

I hung back as our steps echoed in the hallway. Call me a diva, but this was one time I wanted to make a grand entrance. I didn’t want anything else to divert Eli’s attention from me. I needed to see his reaction—if he had one.

“Hey.” Quinn called out a greeting as she knocked on the door and then pushed it open. “I hope you’re both dressed, because here we come.”

“We’re decent.” I heard the wry amusement in Nate’s tone. “Tuck, this is Quinn. And that’s Gia.”

The answering voice was deeper than Nate’s, but I couldn’t quite make out the words. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, I stepped in behind the other girls.

Nate was grinning at Quinn and Gia. “This is Eli Tucker, guys. He’s the one who’s got to put up with me this year.”

“You mean he’s the lucky dude who gets to be your first roommate ever.” Quinn dropped down onto Nate’s bed, sitting next to him and nudging his foot. “Just like Zelda gets to be my first.”

As far as openings went, I couldn’t have asked for any better. With a wide smile, I shook back my hair. “Oh, doll, everyone wants me to be his first. There’s practically a waiting list.” I winked at her. “I was taught by the very best.”

Nate glanced at me, his smile turning quizzical. “Uh, Tuck, this is Zelda, um . . .?” He looked a little embarrassed. “Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know if I ever heard your last name.”

“Porter. Zelda Porter.” At that, I let myself actually look at Eli at last, steeling myself for whatever I might see.

He sat on his own bed, his back propped up against a couple of pillows, and my initial impression was that he’d bulked up incredibly since that night three years ago. His shoulders and chest were almost impossibly broad, and his arms were all ropy muscle.

Of course, when I thought about it, his upper body growth only made sense. He had to use those arms to move his body around these days, I assumed. Still, if I hadn’t known about his paralysis, I never would’ve guessed just by seeing him. Reclining as he was now, he didn’t look any different than a typical college football player.

His eyes were bright as he stared at me, and for just a fraction of a second, I was certain I saw a flicker of . . . something there. Was it recognition? I couldn’t be sure, because it vanished too quickly.

He swept a warm gaze over me, but I knew, with a shiver of bitter disappointment, that he wasn’t remembering me. He was simply appreciating my generous curves and the miles of long, tanned legs that were displayed by my black shorts.

“Zelda’s my roommate,” Quinn piped up. “From Lancaster.”

“Uh, hi.” He gave me a small wave. “Nice to, um, meet you.”

“Hey.” I leaned on a nearby desk, painfully aware of Eli and each move he made. I was having trouble maintaining my I don’t