Kairos (2 page)

I turn on my signal and ease into my townhouse complex. It’s a really nice place for us to call home. Tonya’s dad is mega rich, and he bought it for the two of us to live in while we’re attending school. After that he’ll probably use it as a rental for students. He’ll have no trouble renting it. The location is great, and it has a rare sense of privacy from the bustling city life surrounding it.

The townhouses are lined up in the shape of a horseshoe with a couple of private acres lining the backs of each unit. Did I mention it is
huge?
We have a 2,300-square-foot fun pad, but it’s rarely open for business. We’re both too busy trying to graduate, so when we do have a spare minute, we usually just crash and catch up on some sleep.

I slide into my space next to Tonya’s new Jeep Wrangler. It still has that new car smell, and I envy her good fortune. My car smells like antifreeze when I turn on the heat, and my air conditioning is dying a slow and painful death. I’m hoping it just needs a Freon charge, but knowing my luck, it’s probably the compressor. And I really don’t have the money to cover that cost right now.

I turn off my lights, kill the engine, and then push my door open and step out. I pull my backpack and purse over one shoulder and clutch my phone in my right hand. At the door I fumble for a second with the lock and then ease quietly inside. It’s late, and I don’t want to wake Tonya. Finals are next week, and she has been cramming day and night.

I lock the dead bolt and slide my shoes off my aching feet. It feels good to finally be rid of those shoes.
Now the socks…ah…that feels so much better.
That fresh, cool feeling you get when you slide socks off after a long day feels so good. I wiggle my toes into the rug by the entryway. It’s mainly for decorative purposes, and I think it looks like a dead llama lying in the doorway, but Tonya loved it and therefore had to have it. There is never a dull moment with that girl, but that is another reason why I love her like the sister I never had.

My feet pad against the hardwood floor as I walk to the kitchen and grab a quick bite to eat. My first class isn’t until a quarter after eleven, so I’m in no real hurry to jump in bed. I glance at the clock on the stove and see it’s nearly 1:00 a.m. I’m in the mood for some turkey bacon and scrambled eggs. I open up the stainless steel refrigerator and pull out a pack of turkey bacon and a carton of eggs. I set them down on the granite countertop and reach back into the fridge for the milk and cheese.

Twenty minutes later I’m sitting at the bar devouring jelly toast, crispy turkey bacon, and cheese-covered scrambled eggs. It’s delicious! I crack open a can of soda and relish the smooth bubbling coolness as it slides down my throat. Ah…I love all the things that aren’t healthy for me, and try as I may, I can’t seem to stick to any diet.

I’m not fat, but I’m not runway thin either. I’m about five-foot-seven, 130 pounds, with a bubble butt and equally well-endowed chest. It’s not a figure that’s achieved through strenuous physical activity, but the guys seem to like it, so until I quit turning heads it’s not really that much of a concern to me. I kind of like my body the way it is. Sure, I have areas that need some toning, but I’m content with the way I look in a bikini, and my clothes hug my curves like a lover’s embrace.

I clean my plate and set the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. That thing is a modern marvel to me. I am fascinated by all the buttons and shiny panels, and I love that all you can hear when it’s running is a lulling swish of water, which puts me to sleep on the couch when I’m trying to read. I head upstairs to my room.

We each have a master bathroom, which was another bonus of this place. And all I can think of is soaking in my Jacuzzi tub and letting the jets soothe my aching body. It is sad to think I’m only twenty-two and complaining of aches and pains like an old woman.

After my soak in the tub, I slide on an oversize t-shirt and climb into bed. I check the clock to make sure my alarm is set for 10:00 a.m. It’s 2:30 a.m., and I’m wearing down fast. I pull the comforter and sheet up over me and grab the remote from my nightstand. The TV comes to life, and the DVD player makes a shuffling sound as Brad Pitt emerges onto the screen. Damn, he looked good in
Troy
. Now that is a fine specimen of a man. But then another image flashes through my mind, and suddenly Brad Pitt isn’t looking so good anymore. As a matter of fact, he pales in comparison.

Deep sea-green eyes with pale blond lashes tipped in shimmering gold gaze back at me. I shiver and pull the covers tighter around me. Who was that man? I can’t believe I didn’t ask his name. However, I
can
believe I acted like a total schmuck. It’s not like I’m a simpering virgin protecting my sacred virtue from the evil penises of the world. But I was a wreck in his presence, and I seriously fumbled that ball and probably cost this team a game winning touchdown.
God, I’ll bet he’s magnificent in bed.
I shake my head and clear that thought before my hormones take over and I’m digging through my panty drawer for my Magic Dolphin and some AA batteries.

My clothes feel rough against my skin and too tight, so I reach under the covers and slide my panties off and toss them to the floor. Then I pull my shirt up over my head, letting it fall beside my panties, and curl up under the warmth of my covers.

But when I close my eyes, it’s his face I see. His presence I feel. And it makes my body quiver with need. My nether regions come to life and pulse with desire.

“Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me?” I curse myself and my horny hormones. It hasn’t been that long since I got laid.

Let’s see, it was with Tommy, and that was before Christmas. Oh, for shit’s sake, that was nearly five months ago. But that breakup was so hard I don’t think I have the courage or patience to brave the dating world just yet. Just when you think you know someone, and that maybe there is a long-term future there, he goes and screws some dimwitted fraternity groupie.

Tommy was all about the Greek life. He thrived off the events and recruiting for his fraternity, but he always seemed to balance it just right. He made time for me when I asked him, and he stayed away from the heavy drinking and excessive partying as well as can be expected. He indulged but never overindulged. It was a truce drawn early in our relationship.

He knew I wasn’t big on the whole campus scene but didn’t fault me for it. When we first started dating, I thought he was “the one.” But after two and a half years, we grew apart, and he became a distant stranger I shared a bed with a couple of nights through the week. Even that got old after a while, and I was quickly growing bored, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt if he betrayed me. And obviously he did. I just wish it could have been something a little less flamboyant and widely known. He practically did her on the billiards table at their frat house, and when he carried her up the stairs to the affectionately named boom-boom room, everyone knew what would follow.

By the time I arrived at class the next day, the word was out in our small group of friends, and I had to hear the news from Tonya about what the dumbass had done. The bastard sent me a text apologizing and asking forgiveness, but I’m not one to forgive betrayal. So I told him to kiss my ass and haven’t spoken to him since. It’s for the best, even though I get so lonely sometimes.

I don’t cope well with being single. I think my fear of being alone in the world cripples me when it comes to relationships and having any success with them. Thanks to a mom who abandoned me, and a father who was ripped away far too soon, I have extreme issues with developing attachments to people.

Tonya has a steady boyfriend these days, so she’s gone most of the time on the weekends unless we make plans, and I get tired of sitting at home day after day with no one to cuddle up next to or to scratch a throbbing itch. I have needs you know! And being a pretty conservative kind of girl, I try not to dabble with one-night stands. They’re too messy and dangerous. After all, the last thing I want is an STD, so I play it safe and stick to having sex with someone I’m in a relationship with. When I’m single and my sexual fulfillment has dried up, there are always toys, but even those can only ease the craving momentarily.

Again, those beautiful eyes appear in my mind, and I let myself drift off, thinking of his long, masculine fingers splayed over my bottom, pulling me onto his stiff erection, and claiming my mouth with the hunger of a starving man. I moan and pass into the darkness of sleep with a smile on my face and a burning heat between my thighs.

My alarm startles me awake, and I slam the snooze button and roll back under the covers. It’s ten o’clock, and I feel like I’ve been dragged beneath a car all night. I had the most erotic dreams of my life last night, and my body is strung tight as a bowstring. I am aching but not with fatigue. I need to get laid, and that’s all there is to it.

I guess I’ll be man-hunting today. It’s Friday, and I’ve got off from the store this weekend. It was a miracle my boss approved it since I don’t have any time to cover it, but I needed a break. I’ve only got one final left, and then I’m finished with the semester. I’m taking the summer off and returning in the fall for my last semester of college
ever
. I am beyond thrilled and excited for what is to come. No more classes, lectures, homework, exams, pop quizzes, or group presentations. I cannot believe how anti-group
anything
I’ve become over this last year.

I rise slowly from the comfort of my warm bed and stand to stretch my stiff body. After working out the kinks in my neck, I walk to the bathroom to get ready for class. My hair isn’t too messy because I blow-dried it before going to bed, so I run a brush through it and whip it up into a ponytail. My reddish-brown hair is long and wavy with a few wispy flyaways around my temples. I put on some eyeliner to make it look like I’m awake, then some powdered concealer, pinch my cheeks, and I’m ready. It’s a short day, so I’ll be home by four to shower and get ready for a night out.

Pulling into the ETSU parking lot and searching for a parking space is kind of like searching for land mines. You know there is one out there somewhere, but finding it is another story. I spot my unsuspecting victim and begin to stalk him as he weaves between cars and makes his way to my future parking spot. After waiting ten minutes for him to get situated in his car and finally move out of my way, I pull in. I glance at the clock to find it’s now 11:10 a.m. Shit, I’m going to have to beat feet across campus to get to my class.

I sling my backpack over my shoulders, shove my phone into the zippered pouch, and proceed to my class with the finesse of a wounded gazelle. I approach my class just as my professor is closing the door.

“Wait, I’m here…I’m here.” I look up to see his wrinkled face smiling back but still somewhat perturbed with my tardiness. I walk quickly to an empty seat and pull out my notebook and pen.

“Pssst…hey, Sully…” My head whips around to see who is trying to whisper-yell at me. Spotting Taylor, I shoot him my award-winning smile. Which he knows is my way of saying “Piss off.”

“What?” His lips pucker into a mock pout. It seems that he’s trying to appear deeply wounded but failing miserably. “Have lunch with me?” He wags his eyebrows at me enticingly. I’m assuming that’s code for “Let’s have a quickie,” but what do I know?

My brows bunch together, and I feel a snarl seize my mouth. “You have lost your damn mind. Leave me alone.”

I turn around and pretend to take notes while Professor Fuller goes on and on about the importance of studying people and their behaviors in order to properly capture character nuances. I doodle swirlies on my paper and get lost in thought.

A certain person has been dominating all of my attention. I can’t seem to shake this weird feeling that I’ve had since the sexy stranger walked into my store last night. I keep imagining his eyes, angular jaw, and perfect body with startling clarity. After a while I look down to see that I have been drawing his eyes. The sketch is amazingly good considering my subconscious took over. This behavior goes on for almost an hour, and then we are dismissed early to work on our projects.