Barefoot in College: A New Adult Romance Read online

  BAREFOOT IN COLLEGE

  By, S. Cinders

  A NEW ADULT ROMANCE / Book 2 of the Barefoot Series

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher - S. Cinders, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Barefoot in College © 2017 S. Cinders

  PROLOGUE - BRIANNA

  I felt like I had been run over by a semi. And then they had backed up and ran me over a few more times just for good measure. My mind was as fuzzy as my tongue and I hurt in places that I didn’t even know existed on my body. Just how much did I have to drink last night?

  Wracking my brain for any type of memory, I pried one eye open only to slam it shut again. The early morning light was way more than my budding migraine could handle. Besides, if I opened my eyes I would just have to look at the ugly fruit bowl painting that was hanging above me.

  Wait a minute—I didn’t have an ugly fruit bowl painting on my wall or anywhere in my apartment. Cracking my eyes back open I took in the basic beige paint and tacky florescent light fixtures.

  Slowly, the previous day filtered through my mind. I was back in Maytown, where my mom and I had moved to when I was in high school. I had vowed never to go back to dullsville, but there was one person that I would do anything for. And that would be my best friend Katie.

  Katie McCannon had married her longtime boyfriend Colt Andrews. I felt a rush of affection for my girl Katie. We have been best friends since we were Juniors in high school. When we first met, Katie was seventeen and pregnant. Our classmates were being total douches to her, which I couldn’t really understand. So, she was pregnant, she didn’t have malaria.

  My mom is an OBGYN, so babies and vaginas are a topic that has been flying over our dinner table my entire life. I saw no reason to not talk to her. There had been a bunch of gossip going around about her at the time as well.

  Gossip means jack shit to me. I’ve had my fair share of bullies over the years. My dad was black and my mom is white, being mixed never was a big deal to me, but it was to some.

  My dad was killed overseas when I was a baby, he was in the army. I have poured over the pictures that my mom has of him. It seems strange to miss someone that you never knew, but somehow, I do.

  Katie’s little girl Gracie was the hit of the wedding. She is the cutest eight-year-old I have ever seen. Long curly red hair and Katie’s blue eyes. Colt had proposed when he was a freshman at Yale. But they had waited until he was finished with med school to get married.

  Katie had gone to a local university in Connecticut and was now teaching kindergarten back in Maytown. Colt had just gone into practice with Dr. Howard. They were living in the home Katie grew up in which was conveniently located right next door to Colt’s mom.

  I choose to go to UMD, because they had a great nursing program. I had a great time at the university and after working as a nurse for a few years decided to go back and teach nursing. I am currently on staff at Waitsfield University. I like it better than working at the hospital with the crazy schedules and stress on the triage unit.

  It’s funny that both Katie and I ended up in education. Her brother Liam also went to UMD, but aside from the occasional beer we never saw each other. He was known as a bit of a player in college, and I was committed to getting through school as quickly as possible.

  I had quite a crush on Liam back then. And who wouldn’t with his smoking hot body from years in the gym. That and his curly brown hair which was perfectly set off by his dark blue eyes. But I knew that I never had a chance with him.

  He had dated Heidi Delany in high school and part of his first year of college. I had always thought she was kind of a bitch. She never even gave Katie the time of day until she started going out with Liam. Heidi was one the elite back in Maytown, completely gorgeous and she knew it. Katie said that Liam was devastated when he found out she had been cheating on him.

  Maybe Liam wasn’t as bright as I thought because Heidi had never been faithful to him in high school either. What is it with guys that turn into absolute idiots when a pair of legs and tits come into view?

  Liam had been at the wedding last night. And damn, the years had been good to the man. He had filled his six foot something frame out nicely. There wasn’t an ounce of flesh out of place. And the shadow on his squared jaw added to the rugged elegance that he portrayed without even trying.

  Liam was the best man and he had walked Katie down the aisle. Gracie was the flower girl and after throwing her rose petals stood proudly next to her father, Colt. I bawled like a freaking baby throughout the entire affair. Which would have been fine if I hadn’t been the maid of honor. I was thankful that Mrs. A, Colt’s mom, had leaned over and offered me some tissues. No doubt I looked like a raccoon with my makeup halfway down my face.

  I remember dancing with Katie and Gracie and throwing more than a few back at the open bar. But for some reason, the rest of the evening was a blur. I had glimpses of Liam in my mind, but that wasn’t unusual. I had been dreaming about him for years.

  Just looking at him in his tux had soaked my panties clear through.

  Groaning, I considered rolling onto my back, looking for a clock. My flight was in the early afternoon and I couldn’t miss it, I had to teach tomorrow. I figured that it was time to bite the bullet and gathered my energy to push myself into a sitting position.

  It was when the blankets and sheets fell away, that I realized I was totally naked. I am not one to sleep in the nude. Then the blankets started moving of their own accord.

  I couldn’t help myself, I screamed.

  “Damn it Bri, could you keep it down?”

  To my absolute horror lying next to me not even a foot away was a rather large, beautifully crafted naked male body.

  “This is not happening.”

  I hadn’t even realized that I had spoken until he opened his dark blue eyes and gave me a sexy smirk. His chocolate brown curls were in disarray and he had more than a day’s growth on his gorgeous face.

  “Have you been dreaming about me, Bri? Because as hot as things were last night, I hate to think we might have missed out on one of your fantasies.”

  Liam McCannon’s sexy naked abs made it difficult to listen to him. I wanted to lick every inch of that six-pack he was sporting. But something told me that I had already done that. I just wished to hell I could remember it.

  CHAPTER 2- BRIANNA

  Two months had passed since the awkward escape from Liam’s hotel room. I still feel the embarrassment of having to take the walk of shame. And I never did find my damn underwear.

  Liam had gone to use the bathroom so I flew out of bed and started searching frantically. The red silk thong was not on the floor with my maid of honor gown. Nor was it thrown over the lampshade like my strapless bra. The last place I could think of was under the bed. It wasn’t until I heard the low whistle from behind me that I knew complete and utter humiliation.

  Liam was obviously finished in the bathroom. And there I was, with my stark-naked ass in the air no less.

  Liam’s gravelly voice sent chills all over my skin, “Damn, Bri, if this is an invitation I am accepting.”

  Squealing, I tried to pop my head up. But all I managed to do was whack it against the guard railing of the bed. The goose egg took a full week to recede.

  I had gone home with more than a head injury. Two days later the coughing and chills
started in. By day four I was laid out, completely confined to my bed. That idiot had gone and gotten me sick. My roommate Sean laughed until he had tears rolling down his face.

  “Bri, darling, perhaps you should have taken him up on that invitation in the morning. At least then you could have had something memorable from this mess.”

  Sean sucks as a nurse.

  I met Sean at UMD. No, he is not gay, and yes, we have never dated. Sean is the brother that I never had. He has seen me puke, fart and burp. He knows what chronic halitosis I have in the morning before I brush my teeth. He is well aware that I put off shaving my legs in the winter months when I can get away with it.

  And he claims that I snore. For this alone he is completely undesirable.

  Sean is also a serial dater. He falls in love rather quickly. I would say at the second drink. But as easily as he falls in love, he falls right back out again. As soon as the sun rises he realizes that the woman he brought home the night before is not the woman of his dreams.

  I am very fond of watching him try and get out of the morning after fiascos. My personal favorites are when he tries to pretend he is dying or that he has a contagious disease. He did try to convince one that I was his wife just arriving home. But after she broke his nose, the girl had a fantastic right hook, he never tried that one again.

  I love Sean to the depths of my soul. I also see a very long and lonely future for the man. However, he is an excellent friend. Sean works as a computer programmer, and often works from home.

  I went back to work after a few days of being deathly ill. But I felt miserable for several weeks.

  Sean and I went to the same gym, it made life easier. There were plenty of creeps in the city, and having a large heavily muscled man with me kept them at bay. I was just finishing my second mile on the treadmill when I felt a wave of dizziness overtake me.

  I pressed the stop button and plopped down right on the belt of the machine.

  Sean, who had been running beside me, turned his own machine off and grabbed his hand towel to wipe the sweat away from his face.

  “Bri, you okay?”

  The room stopped spinning, but I felt cold and clammy. Which was weird since I had sweat pouring off me.

  I tried to nod, but caught a drift of Sean’s sweaty body odor as he leaned over to speak with me. Suddenly I was pushing him out of the way and racing to the nearest garbage can. I threw up everything in my stomach and then a kidney and a lung as well. At least that is what it felt like.

  “That’s pretty nasty, Bri.”

  I turned to see Sean trying to cover his mouth. He was a sympathetic puker—poor baby.

  “I’m okay,” I mumbled, not sure that I was okay, but I knew that we needed to get out of there. “I am going to get my stuff. Meet you in the lobby in five?”

  Sean looked relieved to get away, “Absolutely, this will be the fastest shower ever.”

  Ten minutes later, Sean came out. His black hair still wet, and holding his gym bag. He came over and grabbed my bag, “All right, Bri, let’s get you home.”

  I let him lead me to my car and then gladly gave him my keys. Putting the seat all the way back I mumbled something to him about not going too fast or over too many bumps.

  Sean looked offended, “I am not the one that drives like a bat out of hell.”

  I flipped him off. Words were beyond me at that moment. It was torture getting home and I made him pull over half way to the apartment. There I threw-up again on the side of the road.

  “I don’t even know what I could have eaten,” I cried, feeling like death.

  Sean looked at me worriedly, but didn’t say anything. When we finally got to the apartment, Sean helped me up the stairs. We lived on the second floor. He went in and started running a bath for me. I know that as a nurse I shouldn’t subscribe to the theory that baths solve everything. But I am a firm believer that baths solve everything.

  When the water was hot enough, he turned to me, “You are going to be okay to get in, right? I don’t want any weird shit here.”

  I rolled my eyes. Sean had once walked in on me in the shower. He couldn’t talk to me for a week without blushing. For a man that brought home someone knew a few times a week you would think he had never seen boobs before.

  Sean argued that he liked to think of me as a non-sexual being, having no lady parts whatsoever.

  That did wonders for my self-esteem. I told him as much, and he reddened further by adding gruffly that he couldn’t live with me if I was constantly giving him a boner. It was too awkward. So, me being non-sexual was his way of being my roommate.

  That I could understand.

  “I won’t be exposing anything today, if that is what you are worried about.”

  Sean looked relieved, “You know I would do anything for you, Bri. But that is asking too much. I will let you get your bath. I am just going to get some coding done.”

  I nodded and he left the bathroom. Just as I had hoped, I felt much better after my bath. Slipping into some soft pajamas I padded out into the living room to see him with his glasses on working on the computer.

  “Better?” he asked, his blue eyes inquisitive.

  Sean really was a good-looking guy. He just wasn’t the guy for me. “Yeah, thanks for everything today.”

  Sean rubbed the back of his neck, “No problem.”

  I could tell that he wanted to say more, but was holding back. Sure enough, after a moment of silence he blurted out, “Bri, don’t you think it’s odd that you are sick to your stomach again?”

  I had been fighting some kind of bug for the last week. “No, I am around sick people when we do clinicals for our students. Everyone gets sick once and a while.”

  Sean wasn’t convinced, “You have been moody, sick to your stomach and exhausted. To be honest you haven’t really bounced back since you brought home whatever that virus was from Mr. Perfect.”

  That was his pet name for Liam. I may have gone on and on about how much I liked Liam back at UMD. Sean loved to rub this in. Especially after our night of frolicking that I really wish I could remember.

  I was tired and didn’t want to argue with him, “What are you saying, Sean?”

  He shrugged, “I don’t know, you are the nurse. I just think you need to get checked out, that’s all.”

  I hated the doctor. Kind of amusing, since I am a nurse and my mother is an OBGYN. However, I could see Sean’s point. “I will see Dr. Green tomorrow and ask if he can run some labs.”

  Sean nodded.

  “But it will probably come back as nothing,” I warned.

  He smiled, “At least then you will know for sure if something is wrong.”

  He was right, it was best to know that I wasn’t spreading any germs about. And we were working on phlebotomy in class the next day anyway—it was a win-win.

  CHAPTER 3 – Brianna

  “Bri, I don’t think it matters how many of these things that you pee on. How could the first seven be wrong?”

  I glanced at Sean not really seeing him. Something had happened in class today that had knocked my world from its access and I didn’t know if I would ever be the same. When my students had run my bloodwork, everything came back normal, which I had expected. Everything except the qualitative hCG test indicating that I was pregnant.

  Pregnant—how could that possibly be? I picked up every test at the drug store, praying that I was either dreaming, or that my students were playing a practical joke.

  But all seven tests lay before me, with either two lines, a plus sign or the ever-annoying pregnant screaming at me from the results window. Sean was trying to be supportive, but I could tell that he thought I had gone over the deep end. Sad thing was—he was right.

  “I can’t be pregnant, Sean, this can’t be happening!”

  He cocked a brow, “You can, Bri and you are. I think we have more than enough proof of your fertility.”

  “Eww, don’t say fertility!” I hated that word almost as much as moist. />
  Sean grinned, “So, who’s the father, you, naughty little minx?”

  “You aren’t funny, not even a little bit. Sean, what in the hell am I going to do?” I could feel my emotions rising, “I can’t have a baby, I don’t even know how to take care of myself! I don’t eat right, I hate to exercise. OMG what is my mother going to say?”

  Sean took my hands, “Stop, Bri. You are freaking out unnecessarily. Let’s just take this one step at a time.”

  I looked into his comforting brown eyes, “Sean, what do I do?”

  “You are going to call Liam. He is the father, right?”

  I wanted to hit him, “Of course, he is the father! You know that I don’t sleep around!”

  Sean laughed, “You don’t sleep with anyone! That’s why it was such a surprise when you came home all hopped up on your sexual conquest that you didn’t even remember. Apparently, it was a night bearing gifts.”

  “Shut the hell, up!” I was starting to hyperventilate.

  “Bri, relax,” Sean came over and sat next to me. “You don’t have to do anything this second. It’s not like anything will change by tomorrow morning. But you do need to think about calling Liam. This is his baby too. I would want to know.”

  I knew that Sean believed everything that he was telling me. But he didn’t have the history that Liam had. Liam’s parents had been killed in a hit and run accident when he was barely eighteen. He took on guardianship of his sixteen-year-old sister, Katie. After a rocky year, where Katie had struggled with partying too much, she ended up pregnant.

  Katie had been my best friend for the past eight years, I desperately wanted to call and talk to her. But I never had confessed to shaking up with her older brother at the wedding. If I called her I would have to tell the truth about everything. And I just wasn’t ready for that—not yet.

  I turned to look at Sean, his face was compassionate and I felt a surge of affection for him. “Thank you for being here, Sean. I can’t do this alone.”

  All the sudden I had a terrible thought, “You aren’t going to leave, are you? I can’t do this alone!”