Chapter 4

Alec

I was walking towards the apartment complex where my boy, Jaylen, lived. I usually hung out with him because the guys at the fraternity house were more obnoxious. He was a calm, introverted guy. He’d been my friend since high school back in Los Angeles. We both wanted to get away from our families.

I had heard so many things about Texas and searched UT Austin online, becoming fascinated with the photos and reviews. So, Jaylen and I made a quick trip down here for a week before applying.

The hill country was fascinating. We went to the Oasis, explored caverns, which I’d never seen before, visited rivers and lakes, attended parties, and drove through different cities, discovering a whole other world. Texas should really be its own country if you ask me. So now, here we were, living the Texan life.

Jaylen was more of a computer whiz, while I was athletic. I played football for the Texas Longhorns as a wide receiver. Jaylen used to play football with me back in high school, but he got tired of the beatings and endless practices. I, on the other hand, loved it. It wouldn’t be long before I became eligible for the NFL draft, and I looked forward to it since it was my second year here at UT.

I remembered my first year fitting in so well with the guys, especially with the girls. I’d had more hooking in college than I ever did in high school. Jaylen would sometimes join me at parties, but honestly, I preferred hanging out at his place instead, playing video games, ordering takeout, and watching movies. Just chill stuff.

I guess you could say he was my only real friend because I already had plenty of fake people in my life. People equipped with enough bullcrap and fake smiles to entertain me.

I mentally rolled my eyes when I saw Jessica walking towards me. She knew where my boy lived and usually swung by to see if I was there. I’d made the stupid mistake of mentioning his place at a party the other day, and she overheard me calling him, telling him I wasn’t into the party scene that night.

Never thought Jessica would actually follow me, but she did. She was what you’d call a punt bunny, a fangirl obsessed with football players.

She wasn’t the only one, though. We had kind of hit it off, becoming nothing more than casual partners. I told her I wasn’t interested in a relationship, but she was relentless, obsessing over me and wanting to be the only girl I’d call for a quick lay. Couldn’t complain, though. The girl was hot.

“What’s up with you?” I asked in an uninterested tone.

“Some freak bumped into me and almost made me fall on my butt. She was rude, and then her ‘boyfriend’ yelled at me!” she whined dramatically, stressing the word boyfriend.

We both heard a door slam and turned our heads in that direction.

“That’s her,” she pointed out.

I was surprised to see a cute girl in short shorts and a black tank top carrying boxes in her arms. Even from where I stood, I noticed her beautiful legs, round bum, and perfect breasts. Damn, she looked good. When our eyes met, she simply smiled. Those oversized glasses somehow made her even more alluring.

“Alec?”

Jessica’s annoying voice snapped me out of my trance.

“What?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Jessica, there’s nothing I can do. Look, I gotta go. I’ll see you later tonight, sweet cheeks.”

I kissed her cheek and walked in the direction the cutie had disappeared.

I got there just in time to notice which apartment she walked into. I slowed my pace, trying not to look obvious, before knocking on the door. A few seconds passed, but she didn’t answer. I knew she heard the knock, though, because I could hear her setting the boxes down inside.

“Open up, sweetheart. I know you’re in there. I promise I’m not here to scold you. I just want a glimpse of the girl who pissed Jessica off,” I said calmly, not that I really cared about Jessica’s feelings.

I heard soft footsteps approaching. The lock clicked, and the door slowly opened. She hid half of her body behind it.

Too late, doll. I already saw you earlier.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. She looked stunning. I felt an immediate pull towards her, my body reacting instantly to the sight of her. She was beautiful, and those glasses somehow made her look even better. The cute, impassive expression on her face made me chuckle.

“What do you want...” she started to say before freezing mid-sentence.

The cutie was eye-raping me.

The way her eyes roamed over my body sent warmth through me. I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth. She was eye candy, and I loved the way she stared at me. Keep looking at me like that, and I’m going to have to...

My thoughts stopped when I heard her whisper, “It should be a sin to look like that.”

I chuckled softly. Did I hear her correctly?

“I don’t think it’s a sin. Blessed would probably be the correct word.”

Her eyes widened like saucers, and she gulped. I was guessing she hadn’t realized she’d said that out loud.

I cocked an eyebrow and smirked, remembering what Jessica had said earlier. “I don’t think your boyfriend would appreciate hearing you say things like that to other guys, sweetheart.”

She furrowed her brows in confusion. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Her voice was angelic.

Oh, she didn’t? Even better.

“W-what d-do you want?” she stammered.

I see I make her nervous.

“Well, I wanted to see the person who made Jessica flip out, that’s all,” I replied casually.

“Oh... well, now you did. I’m sorry. I tried apologizing to your girlfriend, but she wouldn’t hear it. So... is that all? I have things to do.”

“Beautiful, temperamental, and rude. I like you already. Oh, and Jessica is not my girlfriend.”

I winked and grinned. I didn’t like other girls thinking I was tied down to Jessica.

“Will you be attending the party tomorrow night?” I quickly asked.

“I don’t know. I have more important things to do than go to a party. But if you’re going, enjoy it!”

She closed the door right in my face.

Damn.

I chuckled to myself. “Feisty. See you there, sweetheart. I’ll be waiting for you.”

I was about to walk away when I faintly heard her mutter, “Hot, gorgeous, sexy boy, say whaaa?!”

This girl was going to be fun.

I already loved her sass and her habit of thinking out loud.

So I replied loudly, “He said he’ll be waiting for you!”

I cackled while walking away from her apartment and heading towards Jaylen’s place. Wait until I tell him about her. Coming over here had suddenly become a lot more interesting if it meant bumping into that beauty again. She might seem different, but she’d definitely caught my interest.

Hours later.

“Bring out the jugs!” I yelled to Travis, one of our linebackers.

“Jimmy is bringing them out, Alec!” he yelled back.

The music was blasting, making it hard to hear each other. We had all pitched in for a DJ and the liquor, and everything was being set up for the party that night.

Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it, but Xander Hills, our quarterback, wanted the new freshmen to join us before another frat house got to them first. He was ruthless, hooking up with practically every girl he crossed paths with. The college Casanova, and trust me, he didn’t care.

Rumor had it he wasn’t always like this. I’d been told he was in love with a girl back in high school, but she cheated on him with some guy from another college during the summer. Since then, he’d completely given up on relationships.

Can’t really blame him. The guy was heartbroken.

We all made mistakes. Well, some of us did.

I knew it didn’t excuse him for using girls, but they weren’t exactly innocent either. Every girl nowadays wants a chance with the popular jock.

My story was different, though.

I came from a rich family. My father, Bryce Alec Madden, owned an event management company. What started as a small business eventually grew into a massive corporation that handled events for celebrities and major companies worldwide. Our name became widely known and respected.

I was an only child and the future CEO of Madden Luxe Events Corporation.

The problem was that my father didn’t give a damn about what I wanted. My mother, Trisha Madden, supported me and usually tried flying out to watch my games, but my father was something else entirely.

Things had been tense ever since I chose football. He forced me to take business courses if I wanted to come down here to Texas, but my heart had always belonged to the game and always would.

He forgot that I had dreams too, and one of them was getting drafted into the NFL.

He was the only person who couldn’t fathom the idea. The guy hadn’t even attempted to come watch me play once. Funny how he could sit around gambling on other teams with his friends, though. It seemed to me like he enjoyed football just fine. Maybe I was the actual problem.

Typical rich-boy problems.

I came here to get away from all of that, and frankly, it felt great.

A couple of hours later, the frat house began filling up with old and new faces. It wasn’t hard spotting the freshmen girls. Besides the guys, they were the only ones wearing masks.

“Welcome, welcome! Let the party begin!” Xander shouted into the mic. “DJ, play Party Rock and get this place jumpin’!”

Everyone cheered as the music blasted through the house. People danced, shuffled, and threw their hands in the air while clutching red cups.

The place was overloaded with people drinking, dancing, sucking faces, and groping each other. Same crap, different night.

“This is getting old,” I muttered under my breath.

I don’t know why, but I kept thinking about the girl I met yesterday. I should’ve asked for her name. Hopefully she showed up tonight, even though she’d made it pretty clear she wasn’t planning to come. I just wanted to have a little fun with her, but if she wore a mask, finding her would be impossible.

An hour passed, and I was already getting bored.

Girls kept approaching me, tugging at my shirt, and trying to drag me somewhere private, but I wasn’t interested. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me because normally, a quick release was all I needed. But I couldn’t, for the life of me, get my soldier up. Their skimpy dresses and exposed legs weren’t doing a damn thing for me.

I was already thinking about leaving when my eyes landed on a small girl walking through the front door.

She wore a short black lace dress that left almost nothing to the imagination and a matching black lace mask. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, and her legs were sexy. Those black heels practically screamed, “take me.”

“Hello, gorgeous,” I whispered.

She looked around the room, probably searching for someone. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd, before suddenly turning towards the dance floor. The sexy smirk spreading across her lips told me she liked the song playing.

She stepped forward, then hesitated. Something must’ve changed her mind because a few seconds later, she slowly made her way into the middle of the crowd. Her arms lifted above her head as she swayed her hips to the beat in a sexy, hypnotic way. The small bounce of her bum instantly brought my shaft to life, pulsing painfully against my jeans.

The way she danced completely mesmerized me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Even with the mask on, she looked beautiful. Too bad I couldn’t fully see her face.

Who was she? I had to get to her before someone else did. I placed my drink down and sauntered towards her. The moment I reached her from behind, I placed my hands on her hips. She startled slightly, her body going still, but she didn’t turn around.

A few seconds later, she relaxed and continued dancing. I held onto her firmly, swaying with her from side to side while moving along with the beat. I inhaled her scent and groaned internally. She smelled incredible, sweet with a hint of vanilla.

A wave of electricity shot through my body as I felt her pressed against me, igniting a hidden fire deep inside. I’d never felt this way before, not for a girl. Sure, I’d been with plenty of women for pleasure, but this... whatever this was... felt foreign to me.

I couldn’t quite place this unfamiliar feeling. There was something extraordinary yet strangely peculiar about her.

Being me, I reached up and gently gripped her throat. I knew my eyes were probably blown wide because I felt aroused and excited all at once. I tightened my hold on her waist and pulled her flush against the front of my body, wanting her to feel exactly how badly I wanted her.

Tonight, this gorgeous girl would be mine.

***You can find me on I.G. for updates, songs, and pictures of ppl who inspired my characters @ Liz.S.Bluemoon.