More Than a Memory Read Online Free Page A

can’t see.
    I push away from the island and gather our plates, berating myself for finding Olivia to be so gorgeous. She’s not single. She’s going to talk to her boyfriend. And I’m just grateful my jeans are restrictive, since I couldn’t stop the grunt that escaped my lips unchecked when she bent over, exposing a sliver of silky skin.
    I wash the dishes and put them in the dishwasher to be washed again, shaking my head at how freaking ridiculous her rules are. After clearing the trash and cleaning up the rest of the kitchen, I head back to my room to change. Since I drove here straight from my parents’ house, I haven’t had a chance to check out the town, or campus.
    Mumbling from Olivia’s room catches my attention as I walk past her door. I should be a good roommate and just keep walking, but the baritone voice on the other side of the door makes me curious.
    “Duncan,” Olivia grouses. Even her whiny voice is hot. I can imagine her whining for me to… I shake my head to clear those thoughts. Wasn’t I just acknowledging her boyfriend and how she’s off-limits?
    “I’m sorry, sweet cheeks.” Sweet cheeks? Seriously, dude? “I’d be there if I could. I’ll be home soon.”
    “I’m just bored,” she sighs in exasperation.
    I lean in closer, leaving less than an inch between my ear and the surface of the door, recognizing how creepy this is. Too bad that’s not going to stop me from listening—and now questioning Emerson’s claims of the high amounts of estrogen in our mother’s womb.
    “I know you are. Call one of the girls, go to a movie or something. When was the last time you left the apartment?” I don’t hear her respond. “That look tells me you’ve been cooped up so long, you can’t even remember. You need to get out and live a little.”
    “I don’t have any interest,” is her response. “Why don’t I just fly there?”
    “Can’t happen, sweet cheeks. You know what my parents said.”
    “They’re just trying to keep us apart. You even told me that yourself. I’m going nuts being away from you,” she says, emotion evident in her pleading voice.
    “They’re paying for this, Olivia. If you want me home at all, I have to go by their rules. You know that. We talk about it almost every day.” The growing frustration in his tone fills her room as his voice gets louder.
    I leave the hallway to change for a run, their conversation becoming muffled through our shared wall. Although it makes me feel less creepy, the thin walls are going to be a problem.
    “Bringing a girl over is going to suck,” I mumble as I tie my sneakers, then wonder if she has a “no members of the opposite sex in the apartment” rule. I huff at the thought. She may insist that I prewash dishes, but I’ll be damned if I can’t fuck in my own room.
    Grabbing my phone and earbuds, I head out of the apartment toward campus.

    * * *
    “ D amn it ,” I mutter to myself when I pull open the heavy door, interrupting the baseball meeting already in full swing.
    Coach looks up and frowns in my direction, but continues to talk to the team. If I didn’t waste five minutes this morning pre-washing my to-be-washed dishes, I would’ve made it on time.
    If Olivia had been around this morning, she would’ve gotten a little piece of my mind.
    I grab a seat, but only seem to focus on Coach when he says something important. At least I have that going for me. I can’t seem to let go of the frustration I feel over my current living situation and the effect my tardiness will have on my time here. Her rules may have just fucked my college baseball career.
    “Rough start,” the guy sitting behind me says after Coach dismisses the meeting. I turn to face my new teammate, who sticks his hand out. “Liam Ashford, third base.”
    “Bryson Daniels, short stop,” I say, shaking his proffered hand.
    “Don’t worry about Coach,” he says, nodding toward the empty lectern. “He’ll forget you were late before he sees