Womanizer

"Megan!" John jogged up and gave her a loose hug, trying to keep his body from touching too much of hers. "Where were you last weekend?"

"Oh, uh..." Megan glanced at Brian. "We couldn't make it. Something came up."

John ushered Megan a few feet away from Brian, who took the hint and, after casting a sour look at the two of them, wandered over to talk to Javier Arenas.

"Is everything alright?" John asked. "You and Syn left rather abruptly in Arkansas..."

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? He seemed awfully pissed and you were upset."

"It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding."

"I don't think anything was misunderstood."

Megan's brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Megan! I'm not stupid. Something's going on between you and Syn."

"No, it's not."

"Then why was he so jealous?" John demanded.

"He wasn't jealous. He was protecting me," Megan said.

"From me?"

"Apparently."

John regarded her with a mixture of pity and exasperation. "Did you feel threatened?"

"No."

"Then why did you need to be protected?"

"I don't know." Megan shrugged helplessly. "He thought you'd take advantage of me and I would just let it happen."

"That's not what he thought, Megan."

Megan shifted, crossing her arms in a show of discomfort.

"That night, he thought you were interested in me," John said. "He wasn't pissed off because he believed I'd take advantage of you; he was pissed off because he believed you would like it. And why does he hate the idea of you enjoying another guy?"

"You're wrong, John."

"He's jealous, Megan! He wanted to be the one dancing with you, touching you, leaving with you."

Megan thought back to Brian admitting he would fuck her. She herself had accused him of being jealous. Why was she defending him against John's attacks?

"He likes you, Megan," John stated matter-of-factly, interrupting Megan's musings. "And it's mutual. Isn't it?"

"No!"

John raised his eyebrows in silent disbelief.

"I don't like him," Megan insisted. "We're just friends. I'm too nice for him and he's too dirty for me." But even as the words left her mouth, she recalled Brian trapping her against the wall in her bedroom and the sensation of his lips ghosting along her jaw line.

So? He's attractive. I'm not blind. Just because I'd have sex with him doesn't mean I like him, she told herself.

"You're such a liar," John commented.

"Whatever. Do you want us to come next weekend or not?"

John hesitated, studying her face intently. "Yeah," he said eventually. He managed a smile. "Gotta have my good luck charm there."

After a brief hug, he jogged off in the direction of the tunnel leading from the field. Megan spotted Brian at an opening in the chain-link fence that encircled the now-deserted field. She went to him and they made their way out of the stadium.

"So." Brian unlocked his car. "What the hell was that all about?"

Megan shrugged, dropping into the passenger seat. "He just wondered why we missed the Georgia game."

Brian slipped on his sunglasses and jammed the key in the ignition. "And why we left so abruptly in Arkansas?"

"Well, it's not like he could miss your disapproval."

"Do you really want to have this fight again?"

"No," Megan said lightly. "I'm merely suggesting you learn to control your temper."

"I can only control one thing at a time. My temper gets the better of me when I'm focused on reigning in my sex drive."

"Someone has sex on the brain today," Megan muttered.

"I haven't gotten laid since before the Tulane game. Excuse me for being a bit frustrated."

"Aww! Poor baby," Megan mocked. "Only has a hand for a friend."

Brian glanced at her, arching his eyebrow. "Unless you have a secret lover, you, too, are sharing your nights with only a hand."

"Unlike you, I don't have to get off every twenty-four hours."

"You know..." Brian gave her a small, wicked smile. "We could make the rest of this season really interesting."

Megan felt a pulse of adrenaline and anticipation. "I'm listening."

"Let's bet on the games."

"I predict that you're not talking about betting money."

"You are correct." Brian paused to light a cigarette. Cracking his window, he continued, "My proposal is as follows: our wagers increase with each game. The wager for the Ole Miss game is...a kiss."

"A kiss?" Megan echoed.

"A kiss," Brian confirmed. "And I mean a kiss, not a peck or something sweet and innocent that you'd give me in front of Janine and Zack."

"But we both benefit from a kiss. It's not like either of us was the victor."

"I didn't say the kiss had to be on the mouth."

"Oh, no, it's definitely going to be on the mouth."

Brian inclined his head. "Whatever you want."

Megan bit her lip. This was almost certainly a bad idea.

"Just a kiss," she said. "You're not going to try to seduce me?"

"Just a kiss. I won't try to seduce you."

"How do I know you won't push it? A kiss can turn into something more."

Brian chuckled. "Megan, if I can get you out of your clothes with only a kiss, I deserve something more."

Megan sighed. "We can't tell Jani or Zee."

"Definitely not," Brian agreed. "Then we have a deal?"

"Yeah."

Megan surreptitiously eyed his profile--the well-defined cheekbones, his strong jaw, his perfect lips. This time next weekend, she would know how those lips felt against hers.

The idea filled her with something. A mix of emotions.

She was eager.

And impatient.