Would You Rather: A College Romance (Campus Games Book 3)

21 questions

An hour later, Connor leaves my apartment, and when the door clicks shut behind him, I let out a deep breath. But when I turn around, Lucas is watching me, his jaw clenched, clearly frustrated. The fear of being alone with Connor had my mind racing so much that I didn’t consider the fact that once he left, I’d be left alone with Lucas instead.

“You like him,” he says, lifting an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I make my way to the table to pack up my books, trying to ignore Lucas behind me.

He lets out a scoff, trailing behind me as I head to my bedroom to stow away my books. “You can deny it all you want, princesa.” I turn around, finding him leaning against my door frame, his arms folded tightly across his chest. “But I’ve just witnessed you blushing and giggling for him for the past hour.”

I hate when he uses that nickname. I hate the way it’s filled with mockery, and I definitely hate how my pulse races it whenever he says it. “You’re crazy,” I say, pushing past him to pick up the half-empty bowls.

I barely touched the food, as did Connor. Lucas, however, kept himself busy eating snacks while I attempted to study with Connor. Of course, I couldn’t focus when I had Lucas’ arm pressed against me, calling me every Portuguese nickname under the sun. And even though I might not have known what they all meant, they served their purpose, making sure Connor got the idea that we were dating.

He leans against the countertops, watching as I dump the bowls in the sink. “If I hadn’t been here, would you have kissed him?”

My head snaps to him. “What?”

“You heard me,” he says, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You swore up and down that nothing would happen, but would it have if I hadn’t been here?”

I let out a bitter laugh, turning on the faucet. “You can’t be serious. We were studying.”

“He didn’t bring any books, Madeline,” he says, his tone sharp. “How do you not see that guy is into you?”

Fine, it was a little weird that he didn’t bring any books when it was his idea to study, but I quickly brushed it off. Connor’s friendly, sure, and he always smiles, but is Lucas right? Is he actually into me? I don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, sure, I find him attractive, but that doesn’t mean anything. Hell, I find Lucas attractive, and I don’t like him.

He lets out a scoff. “You’re happy about it, aren’t you?” I don’t even get a chance to say anything because he continues. “You act like my touch would make you detonate, but I don’t think you’d mind if it were him.” He shakes his head, his lips dropping into a frown. “What did I do that was so bad, Madeline?”

I swallow, turning my head away from him. He’s touched me so many times. His hand around my waist, his hands on my face, his breath an inch away from my skin, and all I could do was drink it in. But thinking about Connor doing the same? I hate the idea.

“I know we didn’t have the best first impression,” he says, a sigh leaving his lips. “I just thought… I thought you were using me,” he admits, making my eyes widen when I look up at him. “I thought you orchestrated it all in the elevator to make sure we were seen together, and I guess… I resented you for it.”

That’s why he was such an ass in the beginning? “I wouldn’t do that,” I tell him, my brows knitting together.

“I know that now,” he says with a nod. “I’ve just had enough experiences like that to think any differently.” He shrugs. “You don’t have to like me, but maybe you can act like you don’t want to stick pins in your eyes rather than being around me? Maybe frown less?” He tilts his head, a smirk on his face. “You know it causes wrinkles, right?”

I squint at him. “Are you giving me beauty advice?”

He lets out a chuckle, a smile dancing on his lips, and shakes his head. “Nah. You don’t need it.” My heart races uncontrollably. “I’m just asking for us to work together, at least until this is over. Once we’re done, you can turn the other way and never talk to me again.” He shrugs dismissively, but for some reason, the mere idea of that happening knots my stomach.

“But until then, I need you to trust me,” he says, taking a step closer to me. “I need you to believe me when I say your rules are always going to be a priority.” His voice has gone deeper, and I swallow, my throat feeling constricted. “I won’t kiss you, and I’ll only touch you when it’s necessary.” His eyes scan my face, landing on my lips, just for a second, but I feel the burn of his gaze all the same. “But I need you to stop dating, drop any other crushes, and just focus on us.” His face is right in front of me, and I have to strain my neck to look up at him. God, he’s tall. “Can you do that for me?” he asks in a whisper.

“I don’t date,” I manage to get out, swallowing when his brows knit together. “I’ve told you that before.”

His lips lift the tiniest bit, and then he pulls back. “Good.”

Good? What the hell does that mean? I shake away the thought and turn on the faucet, washing up the dishes.

“So you don’t date,” Lucas says, reaching over to grab a cloth before he grabs the clean bowl from my hands, drying it off. God, why is that so hot? “Are you into hookups then? Maybe with guys like Connor?”

I glance at him, glaring. “I don’t do that either.”

He’s quiet for a second, and that second seems to drag on forever, especially since his eyes are laser-focused on me. “Is that why you’re always moody, then?” He grins, grabbing another dish before drying it. “You just need to get laid?” he jokes.

I let out a scoff, shaking my head. “I don’t need a guy to make me feel good.”

His dark chuckle makes my skin grow hot, my stomach churning at the sound. “Are you telling me you know how to get yourself off?”

My cheeks heat as I finish off the dishes and turn away from him. “Can we stop talking about this?”

“You’re embarrassed,” he says, throwing the dish towel on the rack. “It’s cute.”

“I am not embarrassed,” I lie, reaching for the bag of chips before I place it back in the cabinet. My eyes scan my apartment, looking around for something to do. Cleaning is my stress relief, but I already did that this morning, so now… there’s nothing to clean.

“You definitely are,” Lucas says, humor coating his tone. “This is fun. Tell me more.”

I roll my eyes, turning to face him. “You’re irritating.”

He smirks, drops down to the couch and stretches his legs onto the coffee table. “And you’ve just become a lot more intriguing.”

“Because I choose not to indulge in casual sex?” I scoff. “Yeah, that must be a shock for someone who’s seen with a different girl every night.”

His eyes narrow. “You looked me up.” He says it as a statement, not a question.

“No,” I tell him. “But Leila might have filled me in.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “I can’t believe she still believes that crap.” He wipes a hand down his face and exhales, looking at me. “I don’t either,” he says. “Indulge in casual sex.”

I scoff. “Right.”

“I’m serious.” When I glance at him, his shoulders lift in a shrug, and he gives me a smirk. “Cross my heart,” he says, gesturing over his chest in an X motion. “The last girl I slept with was over a year ago.”

I squint at him. “You really expect me to believe that?”

“Believe what you want,” he says. “I’m just telling you the truth.”

Huh.

I drop down onto the armchair, facing him, and smile. “Guess who just became interesting too.”

He shakes his head. “I’ve always been interesting,” he says with a grin. “You’re just too hard-headed to see it.”

My eyes roll at his cockiness, but a smile plays on my lips, and I realize… I’m actually having a good time with Lucas. “So we have something in common,” I say. “Doesn’t mean we have to hold hands and skip.”

“God no, I wouldn’t go that far,” he jokes. “But we can get to know each other better.”

My eyes narrow, wearingly. “So, what do you suggest?”

“21 questions?” he asks. “That way, you don’t have to tell me your entire life story, but we actually know stuff about each other. After all, you are supposed to be my girlfriend.”

“Okay,” I agree, knowing it would be hard to convince someone we were dating if we didn’t know anything about each other. “Question number one. Where are you from?”

He leans back into the couch and adjusts his position, rubbing his chin. I try not to ogle his chest when his t-shirt clings to his muscles, and I try not to think of what his beard would feel like against my skin, but it’s really hard to do so. God, what is wrong with me? I clear my throat and bring my attention back to his face.

“I was born and raised here,” he says. “I moved away to New York a few years ago for my career, but I decided to move back to Pennsylvania.”

“Why?” I ask.

He tuts, shaking his head. “It’s my turn,” he points out. “Question number two. Where are you from?”

“Born and raised in Colorado,” I tell him. “Moved here for college, never been anywhere else.” I paste a smile and say, “Question number three. Why did you move back?”

He lets out a laugh, but then it drops when he sighs. “My best friend had an accident,” he says, swallowing hard. “A few months ago, he was in a terrible car crash, and while he survived, he injured his spine, lost mobility in his legs, and um…” He scratches at his beard. “His mom died, so me and my family are all he has now.”

My stomach plummets, my brain flooding with memories of Nia. How I felt after the car crash that took her from me. I was so lost without her, but at least I still had my family. Even if their attention stopped, they were still there. I can’t imagine not having anyone. “Shit. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs, but I can see his face dropping. “He’s okay,” he says. “He’s doing physical therapy, and he’s slowly learning to walk again.” He nods, more to himself. “But when I heard the news, there was nothing that could keep me in New York.”

I see the sadness in his face, and I feel it in my heart, in my bones. “I lost my sister in high school,” I tell him, blinking away the tears building in my eyes. “It was raining pretty hard, and she… um.” I shake my head, unable to finish the story.

“Fuck.” His face drops. “Madeline, I’m sorry. If I had known…”

I shake my head, wiping away the tears. “Don’t be, I was the one who asked.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t imagine losing my sister,” he says, his brows furrowing. “My dad passed away when she was only two. She didn’t even get to know him.”

His jaw clenches when he looks at me, and my chest aches at the thought of growing up without my dad. Sure, my birth parents might have given up on me, but I love my mom and dad so much. I can’t imagine life without them.

“She’s been more like my daughter than my sister,” Lucas continues. “I’ve watched her grow up. I watched her become her own person and the thought of something happening to her…” A heavy breath leaves his lips. “It would fucking kill me.”

“It sounds like you’re a good big brother.”

A soft chuckle escapes him. “I try,” he admits. “I really fucking do, but there are some things that I can’t help her with.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “My sister has always been bigger than other girls, even as a little kid, and she… she was having some problems with bullying.” My heart aches for her, for every little girl who grows up to hate their bodies. “I couldn’t do shit,” he admits with a shrug. “They were twelve-year-old girls. What could I do?” His jaw tightens. “Adrianna wouldn’t talk to me, she would just shut herself in her room for hours, and it broke my fucking heart knowing those girls were hurting my sister.”

“That’s so awful. Is she ok now?” I ask, worried for Lucas’ sister. I saw the toll it took on Leila growing up with constant negative comments about her body and the way she treated herself like she wasn’t worthy of love just because she lived in a bigger body. I’m so glad she found Aiden, who’s completely obsessed with her. She deserves it.

“Luckily, yes. But it was all thanks to Leila.” He shakes his head. “I honestly think she saved her, Mads.” My throat swells at the nickname. “If she hadn’t talked to Leila, I genuinely think…” He shakes his head, not wanting to finish the conversation. His eyes drop, and his lips part as he lets out a shaky exhale. I can see how much this is hurting him.

I blink away the wetness in my eyes and sit back on the armchair. “My turn,” I say, wanting him to forget about what might have happened if Leila hadn’t been there for his sister.

He runs a hand through his hair. “Hit me.”

I look to the side wondering what to ask him, when the biggest question roaming through my mind hits me. “Question number four. Why don’t you date?” I ask him.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Seriously?”

I shrug. “I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “I don’t trust easy,” he admits, blowing out a breath. “And being in this line of work, the girls I meet only want one thing.”

“Sex?” I guess.

“Well, that, yes, but mostly they want fame.” He shrugs. “They want to be seen with me, be my date to an event, or get their picture taken with me because if they do… they become someone, they get a piece of my fame.”

I bite my bottom lip, wondering how often it had to happen for him to write off every girl as being after his fame. “So that’s what you thought of me?” I ask him. “The day we met?”

“You were a pain in my ass that day.” He laughs. “But I genuinely thought you were panicking, and I was trying to help you. But then, when I saw the headlines and when I saw you again in Ana’s office, I was certain you had used me and that I fell for it.”

My brows furrow, trying to imagine not being able to trust anyone. He was so cold that first meeting, but I had cracked it up to him just being an asshole who thought he was better than everyone else. “I didn’t even know who you were,” I tell him, wanting him to know I’m not the kind of girl who uses people. “I just thought you were a bossy asshole.” He chuckles. “And honestly, I was too preoccupied with being stuck in a giant metal box twenty feet in the air with a stranger who was yelling at me.”

He scoffs. “I was not yelling.”

I narrow my eyes. “You definitely were.”

“Next question,” he says.

I let out a laugh. “Deflecting from admitting the truth, I see.”

“Question number five,” he says, grinning. “When was your first kiss?”

“You’re joking.” I glare at him.

“Hey,” he says with a playful smile. “I’m just trying to get to know you better.” He throws my words back in my face, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“And knowing about my first kiss will do that?”

He shrugs. “You never know. It could have been a memorable kiss.”

I sigh, looking to the side when I think of my first kiss. “Sixteen,” I tell him.

“Late bloomer,” he teases.

I was too damn young and stupid, but I just press my lips together and ask, “Why, when was yours?”

“I was seven. It was with this girl I went to school with. I had seen my parents kiss, so when I was saying goodbye to her, I smashed my lips against her face and kissed her instead.”

I chuckle, imagining little Lucas running around kissing people as a goodbye. “As adorable as that sounds, that isn’t a real kiss.”

“Hey.” He frowns. “It was real to me.”

“I doubt the girl thinks so.”

He sighs, tilting his head. “Fine. I guess my first real kiss was with this girl in middle school. I was…” He squints, deep in thought. “Twelve, I think.”

My eyes widen. “Oh my god, you were just a baby.”

“She didn’t think so,” he says with a grin. “Who was yours with? Boyfriend?”

I hate thinking of him as my boyfriend. I don’t want to think of him at all, but I won’t get far if I avoid the question, so I just nod. “Yeah. It was on my sixteenth birthday, actually.” I think back to that day, only a few months after Nia had died, and I let myself get distracted by him.

“Happy sweet sixteen,” he jokes. “Question number six. What’s your dream date?”

The question caught me off guard, and I let out a laugh. “Seriously? Again?”

“Hey,” he says with a shrug. “How am I supposed to know what my girlfriend likes if I don’t even know her favorite date?”

“Fake girlfriend,” I reiterate, narrowing my eyes.

His smirk makes a shiver run down my body. I hate when he does that, and I hate how attractive he is when he does it. “Answer the question, Madeline.”

A sigh escapes me as I shake my head. “I told you I don’t think about that stuff,” I tell him.

“Why not?” he asks, rubbing his chin.

“I don’t know,” I admit, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. “I guess I just know it will never happen, so I try not to get my hopes up.”

“So, you’ve never been in love?” he asks.

“No,” I admit to both him and myself. What I had with Daniel was everything but love. “And I don’t think I ever will.”

His brows shoot up. “Seriously?” he asks.

I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “It’s just not for me,” I tell him, seeing his brows drop into a frown.

“Why not?”

I don’t want to get hurt again. “Just isn’t,” I say, not wanting to go into it, and I clear my throat. “Question number seven.” His eyes turn to me, waiting for my question. I smile when I ask, “What’s your dream date?”

He returns my grin. “You trying to ask me out?”

“Of course, your ego would think that.” He chuckles, and I hate to admit I like that sound. “Just answer my question.”

He tuts, shaking my head. “Sorry, only my future girlfriend gets to know that.”

My eyebrows lift. “Seriously?”

“Of course,” he says with a shrug. “I can’t tell you all my secrets. You might fall for me.”

“Careful,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. “Your head might not fit through the door on your way out.”

He laughs again, settling into the couch. “Question number eight.”

I stop him with a raise of my hand. “You didn’t answer my question, why should I?”

He smirks, running his thumb over his bottom lip. “You’re dying to know what I like, huh?”

I roll my eyes. “I take it back. I don’t care anymore.”

“You little liar,” he says with a laugh. “My answer isn’t going to be some elaborate date I had planned since I was five, Madeline.” My eyes drift to his, and he breathes out a sigh when I look at him. “The truth is, I’ve never had a girlfriend.” My eyes widen at his admission. “I don’t have the slightest clue what I would do if I ever did get one.”

“What about all the girls before me?” I ask him.

He smirks sheepishly. “You should know the answer to that. They were all hired by Ana. A kiss here, a picture there, and I’d never see them again.”

“Never?” I ask, my brows knitting together.

“Never,” he repeats. “You’re the first girl I’ve dated.”

My throat closes with that information, and I force myself to swallow. “But it’s not real.”

“Regardless,” he says with a shrug. “Real or not, hate me or don’t. This is the first relationship I’ve had.”

Silence bounces between us at his confession until he leans forward and flashes me a smile. “Can I ask my question now?” I nod, unable to form any words, and he settles back into the couch. “Have you had any luck with auditions?” he asks.

I frown. “Not yet, why do you ask?”

He shrugs. “This deal was about the both of us. I want to make sure you’re getting something out of it, too.”

It’s only been a few weeks since we started doing this, so I don’t expect to be hired already, but it would be nice to know that it’s going somewhere. “I haven’t even had time to apply for auditions. School takes up ninety percent of my time,” I tell him. “And the other ten percent has been taken up by you.”

His brows bunch together, but before he can say anything, our phones go off at the same time. He reaches into his pocket and I reach for mine on the table.

Ana:

CelebCentral Tonight Interview Thursday 10:00

I look up, and Lucas’ eyes meet mine. “Ana?” he asks.

My brows furrow as I grab my planner from the table and open it up, letting out a sigh. “I have class.”

“But you’ll be there, right?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “CelebCentral is one of the biggest media outlets.”

“I’ll be there,” I assure him, jotting down the information. “I guess I’ll just have to skip that day.”

The door opens and Gabi walks in, singing to herself with her earbuds in. When she looks up and sees us, she pulls one out of her ear, her eyes widening. “Oh shit, sorry.” She looks toward me. “I didn’t know you had anyone over.”

“It’s ok,” Lucas says, lifting himself off the couch. “I was just leaving.” He gives Gabi a smile.

“You don’t have to leave because of me,” she tells him, a smile on her lips. My eyes narrow at her. What the hell is she doing? “If you want to hang out with your girlfriend, then go ahead.”

Lucas glances at me, and I force my face to remain still. Gabi knows we aren’t dating, whereas Lucas is under the impression that Gabi thinks we’re dating, which makes this whole situation a little complicated.

“No,” Lucas says, shaking his head and ripping his gaze away from mine. “It’s late, I uh…” He rubs at the back of his neck. “I should get going.” He nods toward me and heads toward the door.

“Aren’t you going to give her a kiss goodbye?” Gabi’s voice stops him, and I narrow my eyes at her, but she just grins.

Lucas turns around, and his eyes lock with mine. I watch his throat move as he swallows, and then, his lips lift in a smirk as he heads back toward me. “Of course,” he murmurs, grabbing my face in his hands, and leans down until our lips are a few inches apart. “How could I forget?”

“What are doing?” I whisper, my eyes widening.

He just smirks, leaning in closer. “Necessary,” he says before he leans in and presses his lips against my cheek, a couple of inches away from my lips.

One second. Merely one second that his lips were on my skin, but it still felt like an eternity. My chest rises and falls as I breathe hard, trying to keep some control, but when he pulls back, his hand still on my face and grins, my core grows hot, need pulsing through me.

“See you next Thursday, girlfriend.” Then he narrows his eyes and whispers, “And don’t be late.”

“I won’t.”