The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (Hazards #1)(32)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Hey, baby.” Dylan walked over, kissing me carefully on the cheek so he wouldn’t get wet.

“Hi, Dylan.” Amanda strolled over. She was completely dry and dressed in jeans and a Delta Mu t-shirt. Funny, how only the pledges needed to do the cleaning.

“Hey, how much longer do you need the girls? I was hoping to take Juliet out for brunch.” He talked to Amanda like I wasn’t there. I guess I didn’t actually have any say in when and where I went.

“It’s going to be a few hours, but I could probably leave Jana in charge.” Was she seriously trying to hit on my boyfriend in front of me?

“Oh. That’s okay. I’ll catch up with her later.” He turned back to me. “Call me when you get home.”

“Don’t you want your car washed?” Amanda was unbelievable.

“Do you feel like washing my car, Juliet?”

“Oh, sure.” We were wet already. It couldn’t hurt.

Amanda stepped in front of me. “Sorry, Juliet’s busy.”

“I am?” What was she up to?

“Uh huh, take care of that car.” She pointed to an old VW bus that had just pulled in. It looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned in years. The driver was probably the same age as the car.

“Come on, Amanda. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Sorry, Dylan. She’s needed.” She looked at me. “Go take care of that car.”

“Fine.” I shrugged and started over. Cara and Mallory left with me.

“Cara, Mallory, I think Juliet can handle that alone.”

Cara spun around. “Not a chance. We all know you want to wash Dylan’s car anyway.”

We didn’t wait for her answer. Part of me expected Dylan to do something. He’d managed to get me out of sorority events on several occasions if he wanted me at something else, but evidently getting me out of my current situation wasn’t high enough on his list.

I was wrong about the driver’s age. It was a couple of guys I vaguely recognized from around campus. We ignored the guys and got to work. I was scrubbing the hood of the van when Dylan pulled around next to us and rolled down his window. “Try to stay warm. See you soon.”

“You’re not getting your car washed?”

“I only came to see you.” Sometimes he sounded sweet. That thought flew out the window when I realized he wasn’t saying it for my benefit. He glared at the bus’ owner.

“I’ll call you.”

“Good. I’ll enjoy warming you up.” Ugh, he needed to stop.

“Bye, Dylan.”

“Bye, baby.” He drove away, cranking up his stereo before he was even out of the parking lot.

Chapter Eighteen

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: sigh

Dear Amy,

College sucks.

Your Confused Cousin,

Juliet

“You gave me a hickey? You gave me a freaking hickey?” I slammed the door when I got back from the bathroom. After a few months of staying over at the Phi Omega house, I was finally used to it. It didn’t mean I enjoyed staying in a house full of guys.

Dylan grinned. “I may have gotten a little bit excited last night.”

“Really, so this wasn’t intentional?” I put a hand around my neck.

“Maybe a little…”

“Dylan!” I threw a balled up shirt at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? Were you trying to mark me as yours like some Neanderthal?” After two months of dating Dylan, I wasn’t surprised, but I was definitely mad.

“Can you really blame me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Can you blame me for wanting guys to know you’re unavailable? You’ve got Mr. Muscle hitting on you constantly, and he isn’t the only one.”

“And that makes it okay to break blood vessels, or whatever the hell a hickey is?”

“Calm down. It’s just a damn hickey. You can give me one if you want.” He wriggled an eyebrow.

“This isn’t funny.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. You purposely left a mark on my neck. I worried that’s what you were doing.”

“Worried? You didn’t seem worried last night.”

“Like you’d even notice if I was?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The smug look finally left his face.

“I can’t do this. I won’t do this. It’s over.”

He sat up. “What? Are you kidding?”

“You purposely left this disgusting mark on my neck because you’re jealous that other guys look at me. How is that even remotely healthy?”

“Come back to bed, baby. You have time before class.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Yes. Are you PMSing or something?”

“Go to hell.” I grabbed my purse and water bottle, giving him the finger as I left. I wasn’t satisfied that my first door slam was loud enough, so I did it again.

“Trouble in paradise?” Ryan asked as I passed him on the way down the stairs.

“Dylan’s a prick.” I took one more step. “And so are you.” I emptied my water bottle over his head.

“What the f**k was that for?”

“The handcuffs and everything else.” Pissed as I was, there was something so satisfying about watching him sopping wet. I wished for something stronger than water though.

I crashed into a guy in a gorilla mask as I walked to the front door. “Halloween isn’t until tomorrow!” I yelled at him. Even soaking Ryan couldn’t save my mood.

I stormed back to campus, covering my neck with my hand the whole time.

I didn’t go to my room right away. I went to Cara’s. Thankfully, her roommate was out.

She opened the door, still in her pajamas. “Hey, what’s up?”

I moved my hand.

“A hickey? You have a hickey? No one gets hickeys anymore.”

“I know. I want to kill Dylan. Bad sex was one thing, but now he has to mark me? I hate him.”

“Hate’s a strong word.” She put an arm around my shoulder.

“I broke up with him.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but it’s probably for the best.”

I sat down on the edge of her bed. “You think so?”

“I know so. The guy’s a possessive, controlling jerk. That might be tolerable if he was a god in bed, but he’s not. You’ll find someone better.”