Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

CAMMIE

“ T hat’s right, Cammie, don’t be shy. Tell me exactly what you want,” Chase whispers against my lips, his hand gliding down my stomach.

“Don’t stop touching me.” I run my fingers through his dark, silky hair. “Or kissing me.”

His luscious, full lips curve into a panty-melting smile as he circles my navel. He opens his mouth, and a horrible, shrill sound comes out of it.

The dream dissolves and my eyes pop open as the fire alarm blares through the building. “For fuck’s sake, it was just getting to the good part.” I pull my pillow over my head and groan. Why, even in my dreams, can’t I be forward and explicit with my direction? I should have asked him to eat me out and pound me into the mattress. But no, all dream me can ask him to do is kiss and touch me.

It’s the third time this week that the fire alarm has gone off in the middle of the freaking night. Maybe I can just lie here and pretend I don’t exist until it’s over.

“Everyone up and out! This is a real fire alarm!” A fist slams against my door. “I know you’re in there. Get your ass out of bed! ”

So much for pretending I don’t exist.

Colby Barton, our floor RA, moves on to the next door. “You can’t bring a suitcase with you, Fred. Grab a hoodie and let’s go.”

I throw off my covers and roll out of bed. It’s one-oh-seven in the morning. Living on campus will be fun, Essie said. You’ll love it, Essie said. She failed to mention this less than pleasant frequent occurrence. I rush to pull a hoodie over my T-shirt, tug on a pair of jeans, grab my backpack, toss the book on my nightstand inside, along with my phone, and shove my feet into my shoes. I throw my door open and am about to step into the hall when a giant, half-naked man body comes careening into my room. I stumble back to avoid being knocked off my feet, but trip over my own feet and wind up on my ass.

My mouth goes dry, and my palms and panties dampen as I take in the hulking form standing in the middle of my room. Chase is six-foot-four inches of hot-as-fuck hockey player. And he’s inside my room. Every single part of me is immediately alert even though he doesn’t even notice me sprawled out on the floor.

“Stiles and Lovett, stop messing around and get your asses outside! This is not a drill!”

“Sir, yes, sir.” They salute Colby and hustle down the hall.

I pick myself up off the floor and shove my wallet into my backpack before I sling it over my shoulder and head for the door. But I pause to grab my laptop, just in case.

I join my floormates in the hall. The crowd has thinned considerably in the last minute. I’m halfway to the emergency exit stairs when the sprinklers come on.

The girls ahead of me shriek. The sprinklers are a first. I quickly shove my laptop under my hoodie to protect it. I really wish I’d put it in my backpack before leaving my room, but it’s too late for that now.

I pull my hood up. Maybe this time it isn’t just pizza burning. I huddle close to the wall and get swept up in the sea of bodies. I rush down the stairs and out into the cool fall night.

Groups of students congregate outside the residence building, some still dressed, having just returned from a night out. Others, like me, are wearing wrinkled clothes pulled over pajamas. A few unfortunate girls are in sleep shorts and tanks, and a handful of guys are shirtless. A few weeks ago, it was warm enough for shorts, but fall has crept in, and the nights around here are cool.

It takes me less than two seconds to find Chase in the gaggle of groggy students. The star hockey player (and hero of my hormone-fueled dreams) is standing beside Brody and another guy whose name I don’t know but whose face is familiar. I head for the closest empty bench, which also happens to be near Chase and his hockey buddies. I need to check my laptop for water damage, obviously.

One of the girls who clearly went out tonight based on her outfit, bounces over. “Chase! I thought you were coming to the keg party!”

I pause as I pull my laptop out from under my hoodie, jealous of how easy it is for her to talk to him. How casually she puts her hand on his bare arm. How brazenly her eyes rake over his bare chest on an appreciative sweep.

“That was tonight? We ended up playing a game of pickup.” He tips his chin toward the building. “You know what the deal is?”

She shrugs. “Dunno. But we might go back to the party if it’s gonna be a while. You can still come.”

Chase frowns, attention shifting to Gage as he joins the group. “Why are you soaked?”

“The fucking sprinklers went off.”

“What? When?” Chase asks.

Lightning zigzags across the sky as I inspect the state of my laptop. I need to be quick before it starts raining .

This newfound knowledge triggers panic from the keg party girl, and that panic spreads like a bad rumor as the fire truck pulls up. I’m more worried about being able to check my fanfic updates than I am the state of my clothes. Wet things dry. Unless they’re electronic. I heave a sigh of relief when my laptop screen comes to life. I quickly close it, slide it into its protective sleeve, and put it in my backpack. I check a few of my fanfics on my phone, none of which have updated in the past two hours. I huddle into my damp hoodie and wish I’d thought to bring my pillow. Then at least I could curl up on this bench.

We’ve been out here for a freaking hour in the drizzling rain when I notice Colby, the RA, talking to one of the firefighters and a few other older adults. They’re all frowning. Eventually one of them takes the megaphone, but their grim expression is not reassuring. “Attention, everyone! I need your attention!” He shouts three times before everyone finally shuts up.

I just want to go back to bed. I don’t even care if it’s wet.

“As I’m sure you know, there was a fire in the common area on the third floor that triggered the sprinkler system. Unfortunately, there was a technical issue with the sprinklers.” He clears his throat. “And uh…it looks like it will be a couple of days before we’re able to get everyone from the first three floors back into your rooms.”

Angry chatter bursts from the crowd.

The guy with the megaphone has to ask for silence five times.

“I understand this is inconvenient, however, we’ve made arrangements with the hotel down the street to accommodate all of you.”

That incites more questions about getting things out of rooms. A girl breaks down in tears. Some guy makes a joke about needing his condoms. I sigh and really wish I’d brought my pillow, because hotel ones are way too poofy and they give me a neck crick.

Megaphone man moves to the front of the pack and we shamble as a herd down the street to the hotel, which is located at the edge of campus. We’re halfway there when another bolt of lightning streaks across the sky. A sonic boom of thunder follows, and then the sky opens up. Within seconds, I’m completely drenched. And really freaking glad I put my laptop in its protective, water-resistant case.