Chapter Two

Raleigh

“Please, please, please, please, pleeeaaaassssseeeeee!” My best friend, Serenity, begs as we make our way to the parking lot and over to her car. I look around, hoping to catch sight of that hot football player again, but it doesn’t look like any of Hawthorn’s team has made it out of the locker room yet.
“I’m supposed to go straight home after the game―I didn’t even bring a change of clothes,” I tell her as I sweep my hand down my body and then back up, indicating that I’m still wearing my cheer uniform, unlike her, who changed in the bathroom as soon as the game was over. “Why do you want to go anyway? I thought you had a crush on a guy back home?”
*Who, I don’t know because she refuses to tell me, which I find suspicious since we tell each other literally* everything.
“First,” she says, holding up her index finger, “I brought an extra set of clothes for you.” She pats the bag hanging off of her shoulder as she says this with a sly grin, then holds up her middle finger to join the first. “Two-your brothers aren’t around, for once, to be a cunt block.” She snickers when my eyes widen at her crude words. “You know it’s true.” She says, lifting one of her perfect eyebrows as if daring me to try to claim otherwise.
With a chuckled sigh, I shake my head back and forth, “Fine, you’ve got me there. But what about―”
“It’s pointless,” she says, interrupting me, “*if* he even knows that I exist, he would never go for trailer trash like me.”
“Just because you grew up in a trailer park, it doesn’t make you trailer trash, Ser,” I tell her, hating that she feels this way about herself.
“Tell that to all of the assholes who make a point of saying otherwise on a regular basis.” She says sadly, the excitement draining from her face. “Just forget it. Let’s just go home.” She mutters, passing me by to get to the driver's side door.
“You know what?” I say, louder than I’d intended as I open the passenger door and slide into the front seat. “No! Fuck those assholes. You want to go to this party, give me those clothes.” I say holding my hand out for the bag of clothes.
“Why? You don’t want to go.”
*I don’t, or I didn’t but the chance to make my best friend happy, and just maybe see the player again, wins out,* I think, but don’t tell her that.
Instead, I say, “I changed my mind. I could use some fun!” I tell her with a waggle of my eyebrows.
“You just want to see that Jones boy that you were eye fucking the entire game.” She accuses, a grin taking over her face as she shoves the bag at me.
“Guilty,” I admit as I begin digging through the bag, pulling out a pair of skintight jeans, a crop top, a jean jacket, and a pair of boots―*Thank God they aren’t heels,* I think as I settle everything on the dash and begin stripping out of my uniform.
Excitement makes my pulse race as we make our way through vehicles, the sound of people’s voices as they laugh, sing, and the flickering of the fire up ahead beckoning me forward.
As I step out from the protection of the last car, I glance around, scanning faces looking for *his*.
I freeze, my entire body heating when I find him with his arms wrapped around a pretty brunette.
Being a glutton for punishment, I watch as they look longingly at one another, whispering secrets that are for just the two of them before he grasps ahold of her hand and leads her away from the crowd of people.
*I should have known that he’d have a girlfriend,* I moan to myself as I look around for Serenity.
Finding her surrounded by a group of people, two red cups in her hands, I stop next to her and grab one of them, pulling her attention from the group.
“Oh, there you are.” She says with a wide smile as I take a big gulp of my drink, “I was just talking to Avett, Casey, Matteo, Andre, and Lincoln.” She tells me.
“Did you say my name?” A deep voice asks, turning around to face us, causing me to choke on the drink I’d just taken when I find myself standing face to face with *him*. Or, I think it’s him. “Weren’t you just―didn’t you…” I trail off, beyond confused. Peering into my cup, I slosh it around and then pin Serenity with a glare, “What all did you put in here? Because I could have sworn that *he*,” I say, pointing at *him*, “just left with some pretty brunette.”
“It’s beer.” She deadpans, “just beer.” Lincoln just chuckles, the sound low and throaty.
“That was probably my brother, Boston, and his girl Aspen.” He says, coming to stand next to me, “We’re quads―but I’m Lincoln.”
I sputter, not believing my ears, then gasp, “There are *four* of you?”
“There are. Are you from around here?” He says, changing the subject, half of his mouth pulling up in this incredibly sexy smirk.
“No," I tell him with a shake of my head, "just visiting." He grasps hold of my hand and pulls me away from Serenity and the rest of the group. “Where are we going? I’m not done talking about this quad business yet.”
“I’ll answer whatever you want to know. We’re going just over here, where it’s a bit quieter.” He says, pointing to a log that no one has laid claim to yet.
“So, what do you want to know?” he asks, breaking the silence a few moments after we sit down.
“There’s four of you?” I ask again, taking him in. He has piercing blue eyes, full lips, dark hair that looks incredibly soft, a jaw and cheekbones that look as though they were chiseled from stone, and a strong nose. His body is thick and broad in all of the right places. He’s perfect.
“There are.” He says with a nod.
“And you all look alike?” This makes him chuckle, and seeing him smile makes him even hotter.
“Well, we are identical quads.”
“Oh,” is all I say, at a loss for words.
“Anything else?” He asks, cocking his right eyebrow, almost as if he’s mocking me.
“Nope.”
Again, he nods watching me, “Are you having fun so far?” He asks, breaking the silence, as his eyes rake over my face, making me want to squirm.
“So far, but we just got here," I state. "Good game, by the way," I tell him shyly, turning my gaze to our still-clasped hands.
"You were there?" He asks, looking surprised.
I giggle—*Did I just freaking giggle?*, I wonder to myself, *Who in the heck am I?*
"Yes, I was there," I tell him, biting my bottom lip. "That sack you took looked painful."
He nods, his eyes dropping to my mouth, making me wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
*Would he be a good kisser?* I absently wonder, my attention turning to his full mouth, *With a mouth like that, I bet he is.*
*If we were standing, and he were to kiss me, would my foot pop like they do in all those mushy romance movies that Serenity always talks me into watching?*
"Is Gutierrez okay?" I ask, changing the subject and trying to get my mind off of kissing him.
"Dunno," he mutters, his eyes moving from my mouth, up to my eyes, and then back to my mouth again. His tongue peeks out, moistening his bottom lip and it's all I can do to suppress the groan that works its way up my throat. To distract myself, I clear my throat, unconsciously licking my lips. His eyes darken and he releases a groan of his own at the action. "He was going to get his ankle x-rayed after the game." He says, his voice now thick and raspy, the tone sending a jolt of something foreign between my thighs.
The hand not holding mine reaches up and cups my cheek, his thumb caressing the heated skin. "I sure hope he's okay," I tell him, my words coming out slightly breathless.
He releases another groan and his face moves closer to mine, his attention still flitting back and forth between my mouth and eyes.
"I hope he is too." He practically growls in that low and raspy voice of his, sending another jolt racing through my core, and making me squirm at the sensation. "Can I kiss you?" He asks, and it takes me a moment for his words to register.
*He wants to kiss me?*
*He wants to kiss me.*
*Oh, shit! He wants to kiss me.*
"Okay," The word leaves me on an exhaled breath as if I'm afraid that I misheard him. But, before I get a chance to second guess his words or mine, his mouth is on mine.