Next Man Up (Making the Score #2) - Tawdra Kandle Page 0,24

didn’t mean anything—and I also knew that what she’d said came from her current state of mind and drunkenness. But it didn’t change the fact that her words had made me feel . . . less. As if it was safe to tease about shit like this, because I was about as likely to take her up on the offer as Nate would be.

And that made me feel bad that I’d automatically jumped to the conclusion that Nate was in the same boat as me. As far as I knew, my roommate was perfectly capable of having sex and regularly turning down offers. It was just that his preferred partner was out of reach.

I was irked enough that I almost opened my mouth to tell Gia I’d be glad to help her out. After all, back when I’d been a player—literally and figuratively—I’d had a special soft spot for girls who were a little buzzed and ready for fun.

Before I could make a complete ass out of myself, though, Zelda spoke up.

“I think you’re out of luck in this crowd, G.” She tossed her head and laughed. “Nate’s too honorable to help you out, and Tucker . . .” Tilting her head, she pursed her lips, regarding me, a mix of dark humor and cynicism on her face. “Tucker wants you to think he is. Of course, if the rest of us weren’t here, he might take you up on it. Drunk and horny girls are his favorites.”

I flinched as though Zelda had physically struck me. That she’d voiced almost exactly what I’d been thinking hit too fucking close to home. All the eyes in the room swiveled toward me.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I balled up my fist and glowered at Zelda. It was the first time I’d addressed her directly—aside from maybe Please pass the ketchup or Excuse me on occasion—but I wasn’t going to sit back and let her bash me like that, even if that smackdown was disguised as some sort of joke.

She lifted one delicate shoulder. “Just an observation.” She pushed off the closet door and twisted to stretch. The material of her dress strained over the alluring curves of her tits, and I looked away out of a desperate sense of self-preservation. “Are we ready to go, bitches? Mama’s got hearts to break tonight.”

Gia laughed, Quinn sighed and Nate groaned. “Are we sure it’s a good idea for us to go out tonight? Maybe we should just . . . settle down and turn on a movie or something.” He flickered his attention toward me, and I read a fleeting apology there. He knew that at this point, I just wanted all of them gone.

“No.” Zelda stood by the door, her hand on the knob and her foot in its black high heel tapping the floor. “We’re going out. Gia wants to dance, and I . . . I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Quinn stood up, too. “Nate, if you don’t want come along, it’s okay. I understand.”

He shrugged. “If you’re going, I guess I will, too. You might need some help with—” He coughed. “Things.”

“Yeah, you might be right. Thanks.” Quinn hesitated by the foot of my bed. “Tuck, you coming with us? I can use all the moral support I can get.”

I smiled at her. Quinn was a decent girl who tried to do the right thing by her friends, even when they were being idiotic. I had to respect that. “Thanks, but I’ve got to study for this last exam. I’ll leave you all in Nate’s capable hands.” I paused before adding, “I hope you have fun. All of you.”

Zelda opened the door and ushered Gia out in front of her. “No worries about that. We’ll have a blast. Enjoy your books, Tuck.”

Nate tossed me a glance that was pure misery as he and Quinn followed the other girls out in the hallway. Even after they’d closed the door behind them, I could hear their voices and laughter.

Suddenly, my room seemed very empty and quiet.

That was a good thing, because I hadn’t been making an excuse to Quinn—I really did have a shit ton of studying to do. I flipped back a few pages to re-read what I’d been pretending to see before, but even with the silence, I had trouble focusing on the words.

I kept seeing Zelda Porter in my mind.

Nate wasn’t off-base when he’d noted that Zelda slept around. That was a nice way of