Secret Admirer - D.J. Jamison Page 0,13

the one frat event I attended. The guy always looked half-baked, but he made it look good. He had a classic Hollywood bad-boy vibe.

“Is Ace here?” I blurted.

Jonas, Benji. You’re here to see Jonas!

“Think he’s at work,” the baked guy said.

He started to close the door, and I thrust out a hand to stop him. “Jonas?”

“I’m Cooper,” he replied.

“No, I know.” I laughed, not sure if I was laughing at him or myself. I must be out of my mind. “Is Jonas here, I mean?”

He pulled the door open, turning to call over his shoulder. “Jonas! You got a visitor.”

Cooper walked off without another word, so I let myself in. I was a few steps inside the door — no going back now — when Jonas emerged from the large living area.

“Hey!” He grinned, his eyes lighting up. “What’s up, Benji?”

He remembered my name. That was a good sign. Of course, my brother had been in the frat for three years. Cooper probably hadn’t remembered because he was high all the time.

“Oh, uh, I came by to talk to Ace, but I wanted to say hi. I know I kind of disappeared when I decided not to pledge.”

“You broke my heart!” he teased. “I thought for sure I’d convinced you.”

That was flirting, right? It sounded kind of like flirting.

“You were very convincing,” I said with a smile. “The other guys, though…”

Jonas laughed. “You want to come in and wait for Ace?”

“Um, sure.”

“Cool. He’ll probably be back soon, and if he’s not, then it’s his loss and my gain.” He winked before turning to saunter back into the living area.

Okay, that was definitely flirting.

Maybe I was finally getting somewhere.

Ace

I walked into the frat house, surprised to recognize Benji’s voice coming from the living area. What was he doing here? Frowning, I checked the time on my cell, even though I knew it was past nine.

Jonas sat close to Benji on the old, sagging couch we kept mainly because it didn’t matter if it got splashed with beer every other week. A sketchpad was open on Benji’s knee, and Jonas was hunched over, studying his artwork, sending a flash of jealousy through me.

They weren’t touching. They weren’t even making eye contact at the moment, though I didn’t doubt Jonas was working up to it. But there was something intimate about Benji sharing that part of himself, and I hated that he was sharing it with Jonas and not me.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

They both looked up — Jonas with a sly grin, Benji with pink cheeks and a small smile. That was my smile. The one my little gifts and notes had put there. Shit, did he like Jonas, then?

“Everything’s great,” Jonas said. “Benji and I were just getting to know one another better.”

I resisted the urge to warn him off. That wouldn’t earn me any points with Benji.

Am I trying to earn points? Not like I’m his boyfriend.

Forcing a smile to my lips, I said, “Cool. So, Benji, did you come over to visit Jonas, or…”

Benji snapped shut his sketchpad and stood up, cheeks still cherry red. “Oh. No. I, uh, came to ask you something.”

“Okay,” I said. “What’s the question?”

“What’s the question…” he mumbled. “Um, well.” He glanced at Jonas, and I thought maybe it was personal.

I nodded toward the door. “Why don’t you ask me on the way back to your dorm? I can walk you back.”

I wanted to get Benji away from Jonas. He was a flirt and a player. An actual, real player. Not just overly picky like me. In fact, Jonas was kind of the opposite of picky.

“I could take him,” Jonas offered. “I’m about to make a food run.”

Benji flashed him a smile, and my stomach sank. “Thanks, but I can walk myself back. The dorm wouldn’t be on your way off campus.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Yeah, I’m not a damsel in distress or anything.”

Jonas laughed off the subtle scolding. “Fair enough. Lemme give you my digits?” Benji looked blank until Jonas made a grabby motion with his hand and said, “Phone? I’ll put in my number so we can text.”

“Oh, yeah! Good idea.”

Benji fished out his phone, and I hovered uncomfortably, feeling like some kind of awkward chaperone.

Jonas tapped in his number, sent a text to his own phone from Benji’s cell, then grabbed his jacket to leave. “Don’t be a stranger,” he told Benji, reaching out to touch his arm before leaving.

Benji sighed happily just as the door closed, and I clenched my jaw.

I will not