I glance at Cassidy. “Is he always this way?” I mouth.

“Baby of the family,” she whispers.

Rick, whose grandmother owns the house, claps Tate on the back. “We love ya, buddy. But she’s your cousin, which means you give her your bed.”

Tate gives him the evil eye. “Thanks for the support, ass-wipe.”

Jon points his beer bottle at him. “I’ll bet if you’re really nice to James—you know, make him dinner or something, rub lotion on his feet—he’ll let you sleep with him.”

“Fuck you, Priestly.” James props his long legs on the coffee table and clicks the remote.

“That’s okay,” Cassidy says. “I can sleep on the couch. No big deal. I’m just happy I’m not at the dorm. Half the girls on our floor have moved out until they catch the guy.”

Jon sets down his beer with a bang, his face stern and angular. “This is Tate’s problem, Cassidy. He needs to fucking man up and take the goddamn couch.” He glares at his roommate. “It’s not like you’ve never passed out and slept on it anyway.”

“Dude, he’s right,” James says. “Quit your whining and do the right thing.”

“This sucks.” Tate stomps out of the room and heads toward the stairs. “You guys are all ganging up on me.”

“Take the sheets and the pillowcases off the bed,” Jon calls out to him. Tate doesn’t answer, but his footsteps in the upper hall get louder.

A short time later, with Cassidy busy doing laundry and cleaning the disgusting upstairs bathroom, Jon and I are in his room. I grab my sports bra and head to the bathroom. I’m not used to changing in front of him yet.

“Thanks for going to bat for Cassidy,” I tell him.

“I’m glad Tate finally agreed. I was getting ready to give up my half of this bed to her.”

I hesitate in the bathroom doorway and turn around. “Good thing you didn’t have to do that, because I’m kind of thinking I might want to hook up with you again tonight. Just sayin’.”

He laughs. “Oh really? Is that all this is?” Suddenly he’s in front of me. He backs me into the bathroom and lifts me up onto the counter. I let out a little giggle. I’m thankful this room doesn’t look like the one down the hall.

“If this is just a hook-up, I might be thinking it’s the only chance I’ll have to be with you, so I’d better take advantage of the situation.” He pulls the shirt over my head.

“And you might have to be a little more aggressive, since we may not have much time. We could be interrupted any minute.”

“Definitely.” His mouth crashes over mine, consuming me. He manages to slide one of my legs out of my jeans without pulling away from me, leaving my thong in place. I hear the zip of his fly and the sound of him rummaging in a nearby drawer.

His lips leave mine just long enough for him to roll on the condom. His erection, sheathed in flesh-colored latex, juts out at me, thick and proud. A thrill runs through me knowing where it will be in a moment. He scoots me to the edge of the counter and moves the thong aside. I cling to his neck as he lifts me slightly. I feel the tip of him right there.

His crystal blue eyes lock onto mine. “Doing okay, babe?”

I nod, too breathless to form any words. I love that he asks me that every single time.

“Good.”

In one quick thrust, he fills me completely.

Pleasure shoots through my core so intensely that every other part of my body goes weak and numb. I cling to his shoulders for stability, loving the feel of his powerful muscles flexing under my fingers.

With one hand behind me on the counter and the other holding my hips still, he thrusts into me, fast and feverish. His dark, glistening hair hangs over his face, just like when I first laid eyes on him. Wild, like an animal, determined and driven to attain a primitive goal. But this time, that goal is me.

Arching into him, I let my head fall back and instantly his hot mouth is on my nipple.

The pressure in my lower belly is unbearable, and I dig my nails into his shoulders. Just when I think I might break, my inner muscles tighten around him and incredible waves of pleasure crash over me.

“Holy shit, Ivy,” he says, thrusting even harder and increasing the intensity of my release. “I’m coming, baby.” Groaning, he grabs a handful of my hair and buries his face in my neck as he climaxes.

As he holds me, both our bodies trembling, I wonder how it’s possible to feel this in tune with another human being. Joined like this, we are one flesh, one mind, one thought.

He nuzzles my ear. “God, that was intense, Ivy.”

“Same.”

“Sorry if I pulled your hair.”

“If you did, I must’ve liked it. Sorry if I scratched your back.”

He lifts his head but doesn’t pull out. “Don’t be. I like your marks on me.”

“I’d say that was a pretty damn good hookup,” I tease, rubbing my bare foot over his bare ass. “Who knew two strangers could be so compatible?”

He gets that devilish glint in his eye that I’m really growing to love. “I wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime. What’s your name? Can I get your number?”

It seems funny to be having this conversation when he’s still inside me. I scratch my head and pretend to be thinking aloud. “Hmmm. Should I give him a real name or a fake name?”

“Just as long as the number is real, I don’t care what your name is.”

I smack him on the butt with my foot. He laughs and pulls out of me. I watch while he disposes of the condom, his penis still semi-erect and glistening.

He catches me looking at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” I say, jumping off the counter. “You’re just really beautiful. That’s all.”

He hikes up his jeans, covering that awesome tight ass of his, then he exits the bathroom, grinning.

When I enter the bedroom a few minutes later, Jon is lying on the bed. With his hands behind his head and an open textbook next to him, he looks relaxed and content. I love knowing that I helped him feel this way.

“Are you going running?” he asks, looking at my workout clothes. “Why don’t you come over here and do some homework with me instead?” He pats the bed.

“That’s tempting, but if I have any hope of not dying from exhaustion while staying out of the clutches of brain-eating zombies, I need to stay in shape. Want to come?”

At first I think he’s going to say no. He looks too comfortable. “How far are you going?”

“Not far. Maybe three or four miles.”

“Okay, fine.”

While Jon gets ready, I sit at his desk and put on my running shoes. “Can I use your computer for a minute? I want to see if the grades for the biology midterm have been posted.” My computer is in my backpack, but it’s old and takes forever to boot up.

“Sure, go for it.” Jon says, grabbing a T-shirt from the floor.

One of his tattoos, different from all the rest, catches my eye. The 3D design on his ribcage under his left arm gives the illusion that the skin is pulled back to reveal a lone rose inside. I wonder what the story is. I know he’s been with a lot of girls. Was that for a girl who stole his heart?

He catches me looking and quickly pulls on the T-shirt, covering up the inkwork. “Listen, if we don’t head out soon, it’s going to be too dark.” With a hand on the wall, he bends his knee, stretching his quad.

“Okay, hold on.” I pull up the grading website and plug in my student ID. The biology midterm results haven’t been posted, which means my hopes for an A haven’t been dashed yet. A notification chimes on his computer just as I’m logging out.

“Do you want me to see what that is?” I ask. Then I remember Cassidy’s experience with Will. Jon and I have become close, but obviously there’s a lot about him that I don’t know.

“Yeah, sure.” He grabs his other foot and continues stretching. “Go ahead.”

Somewhat relieved, I click the other open browser tab. If he had something to hide, he probably wouldn’t let me do this. Or at least he’d be hovering to make sure I didn’t see something I wasn’t supposed to see.