“In that case—carry on with the stories,” Luka said with a grin.

Lexi took him up on the offer even though he’d only meant it as a joke. “Okay then. That covers an embarrassing moment. What about something you regret?”

“Lexi, c’mon. Give Luka a break,” I pleaded with her. “I wasn’t like this when you started dating Drake.”

Luka laid his hand over the one I had on his thigh. “No, I’m a big boy. I can take it. And it’s good that you have a friend who looks out for you. To be honest, there isn’t much in my life I regret. The only thing that really comes to mind is that, after a really bad breakup this summer—which Aubrey already knows the details about—I was very angry with my ex and slept with her best friend. Well, now her ex-best friend since they don’t speak to each other anymore.”

Lexi stared at him for a moment, her eyebrows raised and her lips parted in surprise. “Damn. I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Shit, Luka. I wasn’t even going to go there and you know I don’t mind giving you a hard time,” Jason said.

Although Luka hadn’t shared that part of the story with me earlier, I could tell the conversation was making him very uncomfortable and I wanted to move it along as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I also knew that sometimes Lexi could be worse than a dog with a bone.

“Hey, the good news there is it’s not like I ever have to worry about that, because even if I fucked him over as badly as his ex did,” I started, wanting to get the point across to Lexi that he was the wronged party in that situation, “there isn’t a chance in hell you’d ever sleep with him, Lexi.”

“Damn straight,” she agreed.

“It’s not like he’d survive the beatdown I’d have to give him for trying,” Drake added, making Lexi and me giggle because of the glare he gave the other guys just at the thought.

“You’re such a caveman,” Lexi teased him. “And I think the guys already got that idea the first time we saw them in the hallway. Right?”

“Hell yeah. It was pretty hard to miss that Lexi was yours with the way you practically pissed in circles around her,” Jason joked.

“Pissed in circles,” Lexi snorted as she laughed. “Ohmigod, that’s so funny.”

“And so accurate, too,” I said, chuckling along with her.

“Hey, I resent that remark,” Drake mumbled under his breath, making Lexi and me laugh even harder. It finally broke the tension at the table, and conversation turned away from the grilling of Luka to lighter things.

****

I panted against Luka’s mouth, drowning in his kiss. The rest of the evening had gone much more smoothly once Lexi backed off. We’d had a few drinks and I’d had the chance to catch up with Lexi while the boys talked about sports. All in all, it was a success.

“Come back to my apartment with me,” he demanded.

“Not yet,” I replied.

I wasn’t sure what kept giving me the power to resist saying yes, but I was starting to think there was a little bit of fear mixed in there. What was building between Luka and me was deeper than anything I’d felt for any guy before him. I didn’t want to mess this up. Plus, it kind of felt like cobwebs had grown down there seeing as so much time had passed since the last time I had been with someone. I knew in my head that I was being silly, but I worried a little that maybe I’d lost all my moves and I wouldn’t be good enough in bed to satisfy Luka. I’d clearly lost my mind since meeting him.

“I know you want to say yes,” he muttered. “Why do you keep saying no?”

“I don’t think I’m ready for us to take that step yet,” I argued.

“Nothing even has to happen tonight,” he rasped out. “I swear to god I’m not pressuring you for sex. I just don’t want our night to end like this. It isn’t enough. I want—no, I need—more time with you.

“Soon,” I promised.

Luka grunted with frustration before replying. “Very soon?”

“Yes,” I agreed, reaching up to give him one last kiss before stepping away to go into the dorm.

chapter 6

luka

Each date with Aubrey sent me closer and closer to the edge. When I first asked her out, I hadn’t expected that I’d find myself a month later with the biggest case of blue balls in the history of man. I couldn’t help but think that it was my penance for judging her because of her dating history. It didn’t matter how often I jacked off¸ any time I got near her, my dick would get as hard as steel.