Covering the Carolinas by Casey Peeler Read Free Book Online Page A

private, I try to put him off,
but my mind is a little hazy from the alcohol. Before I think about
the consequences, I just react and follow him to his room. Feeling
a little out of place, I start to pull away from him as he slides
his hand around my waist but then stops.
    “ Mar, you are absolutely beautiful. How is it
I’ve never seen you before?”
    “ Um, it’s my first semester,” I say
honestly.
    “ Well, let’s see if I can show you a good
time. What do ya say?” he says as I look into his eyes. Do I want to do this? How far do I want to
go? He leans in and I do the same, and as his hands
guide up my back, mine move to his chest and our lips
collide.
    As things heat up between us, I know I need to stop,
but honestly, I don’t want to. This isn’t why I’m here. Trying to
catch my breath to speak, I pull away from him. “Brett. I can’t.”
He pauses and you can see his ego is crushed. “I really like you,
but I just got here and… and this isn’t exactly what I had planned
tonight.”
    Finally, he speaks and it’s not what I expected.
“Come here. I want to show you something.” He takes me by the hand
and leads me to the sliding glass doors that lead to a small
balcony. After sliding the door shut, he wraps his arms around me
from behind. He doesn’t speak, but instead we look out into the
ocean and listen to how peaceful it is.
    “ This is amazing. We don’t have a view like
this from ours.” He kisses the side of my cheek and we just enjoy
the night together. We talk about lacrosse, his major as well as
mine, and what’s it like to be at Coastal. I feel comfortable with
him, and I think meeting Brett is part of my journey
here.

Chapter 12
    GUNNISON
    Loading up in Summer’s jeep, we make our way to the
lacrosse house. I’ve missed this place all summer. Don’t get me
wrong, I love home, working with the horses, and playing ball with
my high school teammates, but there’s something about this
place.
    We arrive and it’s obvious the party is well
underway. Making our way up the stairs, we make our way straight to
the keg and then begin to play beer pong. I’m doing extremely well,
but Summer is totally not. She’s getting closer to being beyond
drunk with each tick of the clock. When I beat the last guy
standing there, I wander over to her on the make shift dance floor
and try to pull her off it. She’s not having it and before I know
it, she has me dancing with her.
    MARLEIGH
    Brett and I hang out on the balcony and then I
realize it’s getting really late. I tell him I have to find my
sisters. As we make our way down the hall, I swear I hear his voice. I freeze and Brett looks
at me. “Sorry, I thought I heard someone I knew, but I don’t know
anyone really.” Shaking it off, we find Tinleigh, who’s taking
shots and Carleigh, who is keeping an eye on her while talking to a
cutie. When Carleigh sees me, she makes her way over to Tin and I
meet her there.
    “ Looks like you’ve had a good time tonight,”
Tinleigh says as she places the shot glass on the counter. I just
nod my head. “Guess y’all are ready,” she says as she places a
teasing kiss on the guy she’s with. “I’ll call you, Paul.” She
winks, and grazes her hand down his chest leaving him there
speechless.
    We make our way to the road and begin to laugh as
they question me about Brett, and I replay Tinleigh’s flirtatious
moves. So far tonight has been one of the best nights of my life.
Who knew college could actually be this much fun?
    GUNNISON
    After several songs, I can tell Summer is
about to either get sick or pass out. Megan, her roommate, comes to
my rescue and says they are taking her home. Thank goodness. I really didn’t want to hold her hair while
she puked all night.
    As soon as their taillights are out of sight, I make
my way back in and decide to cut loose. I don’t have to worry about
making it back to campus, I know I can crash here and catch a ride
tomorrow.
    Several guys are funneling