Page 1 of Bedeviled By The Jock (Halloween Temptation #3)

“ G oing to the Halloween party tonight?” Ana asks as we step into the pumpkin patch.

“You know I hate parties,” I say, kicking a dried leaf off my shoe.

“Yeah, but you’re a Halloween guy.”

“True. But the party-hating part wins.”

Leaves crunch under our feet, and that smoky, earthy scent of fall tickles my nose. Stands are spread out across the fields ahead, their vendors wearing witch hats and cat ears, selling mugs of warm cider and pumpkin bread.

“Too bad,” Ana presses. “Especially since Caroline’s gonna be there.” She waggles her eyebrows.

Here’s the thing Ana doesn’t know—I’m not actually into Caroline. I made that up to shut down her endless matchmaking. She thinks I don’t get laid enough, which, fair, maybe I don’t. But still. Something’s just... off. Has been for a while. Not sure why I can’t make myself care more.

“Nah, not even Caroline can tempt me out tonight,” I say, eyeing the stand ahead. A tall woman with black hair and dark lipstick is selling jack-o’-lanterns. They glow a deep orange, their creepy smiles seeming to follow us as we walk by.

“Well, I tried. But I really think you should go, Sebas. You need to have some fun. Live a little. Hook up with someone. You’re a hot guy, and you’re wasting your prime acting like a recluse. If you want to get into a girl’s pants, you’ve actually gotta talk to one.”

“You think I’m hot?”

“Of course that’s the part you latch onto.”

“Sorry. Just wanted to hear it again.” I grin at her, and she shakes her head, smiling.

Ana and I have been friends since freshman year. We met in the dorms and bonded over a shared love of horror movies. I’d never met a girl as into gory slashers as I was. We became inseparable fast, which is a feat for me, since I tend to push people away. Ana was persistent, though.

She’s pretty, too, with big green eyes, copper-red hair, and a curvy figure, but I don’t see her that way. I don’t think I could, even if she were into me. She feels too much like a sister now. I love her as a friend and nothing more.

Sometimes I wish I could be more like her, though.

Confident, easygoing, social. Ana knows what she wants and goes for it.

If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have joined the theater program.

Because, yeah, even though I’m a bit of a hermit, I love being on stage.

People say I have a good voice and a knack for bringing characters to life.

Guess it has something to do with how pretending feels easier than being myself. As long as I can play a role, I don’t have to figure out who the real Sebastian is.

“Oh, look, they have candy apples,” Ana says, pointing at a nearby stand. “Want one?”

“Sure. My treat.”

I buy two, and we munch as we walk. The caramel is warm and gooey, sweet enough to make my teeth ache. I can already feel the cavities forming, but it tastes too good to care.

Just as I take another bite, Ana gasps.

“What is it?”

“That guy,” she says, nodding toward a stand where a guy our age is selling pumpkins.

He’s got to be at least six-four, with thick dark brown hair and a white long-sleeve shirt that does a terrible job of hiding how jacked he is.

A group of college girls is crowded around him, giggling like he’s some kind of celebrity.

“What about him?”

“He’s in one of my classes.” She pauses to chew her apple, her cheeks turning pink. “His name’s Josh. God, he’s so fucking hot.”

“He looks like a douche.”

“That’s just your bias against guys who look like that.”

“I can tell by the way he’s standing. That smirk. The swarm of girls around him.”

“He’s a football player.”

“Of course he is.”

Josh carves a pumpkin for one of the girls, making her squeal when the guts spill out. Orange-yellow pulp drips down his fingers and onto the table, and I have a sudden, random thought: he’s got nice hands. Strong. Masculine.

I quickly banish that thought.

This is exactly the kind of jock I’m trying to avoid. The type who gets everything handed to him just because he looks good and knows how to throw a ball. The type who’s never had to struggle. The type who makes girls swoon just by carving a damn pumpkin.

Guys like that are always so full of themselves. I can sense the arrogance from here, see the cockiness in the way he moves. He probably has a different girl in his bed every night, all of them vying for his attention, fighting for scraps.

He finishes and hands the girl the result—a perfectly carved jack-o’-lantern with a big, toothy grin.

Her face turns bright red as she takes it, and she might as well whip off her panties and hand them over, because she looks ready to.

I’m sure she’s soaked, and the guy knows it. Oh, yeah, he knows.

It makes my skin crawl.

“I’m gonna do it,” Ana says, eyes lighting up with determination.

“Do what?”

But she’s already heading toward the stand, leaving me no choice but to follow.

“Josh! Hey!”

“Yo, Ana, right? How’s it going?”

She glances at me, eyes wide, and mouths Oh my God, he remembers my name like it’s some kind of miracle. Then she turns back to him.

“Good, good. Didn’t know you’d be here, selling pumpkins?”

Her voice tilts up at the end, like she’s asking a question, even though it’s obvious he is, in fact, selling pumpkins. What else would he be doing behind that stand?

“Yeah, I do it every year. Got a family of pumpkin farmers, so it kind of runs in the blood, you know?”

“And you still have time for this with all that football practice?”

“We always get Halloween off. Tradition.”

He smiles at her, and she practically turns into a puddle, all but dissolving onto the ground.

I roll my eyes.

“And who’s this?” Josh’s gaze drifts to me, and my skin prickles for no reason. “Your boyfriend?”

Ana laughs a little too hard. “No, no, this is my best friend, Sebastian.”

“Nice to meet you, man.” He sticks out his hand. The same hand that was buried inside a pumpkin just moments ago.

I reluctantly shake it, noting how firm his grip is. His hand is a lot bigger than mine, rough with calluses and sticky with pumpkin pulp. He holds on a beat too long before letting go.

My fingers tingle, and I wipe them on my jeans.

I expect him to turn back to Ana, but he keeps looking at me, those deep brown eyes locked on mine. What’s with the stare? Is this some alpha bullshit? A power trip? Trying to show me he’s on top?

“I like your jacket. Where’d you get it?”

It takes me a second to realize he means my denim one. No one’s ever commented on it before.

“Thrift store find.”

Josh nods. “Sweet. Looks good on you, man.”

I blink, caught off guard by the compliment. What’s his angle? Is he buttering me up? Being sarcastic? Or just trying to impress Ana by being nice to her best friend? Yeah, that’s probably it. He’s showing how unbothered he is by another dude’s presence.

“Thanks,” I say, forcing myself to smile.

“Are you going to the party tonight?” Ana jumps in, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

He grins. “The party in that haunted mansion? Hell yeah.”

Ana raises an eyebrow. “Haunted?”

“Yeah, there’s a local legend about a ghost that lives there. Every year, it lures people in to throw a party. Some say it feeds on the energy, like a vampire feeds on blood or whatever.”

“That’s so creepy,” Ana says. “And I’m all about creepy stuff.”

I scoff. “I think you’ve watched too many scary movies.”

“Yeah, but isn’t that the best kind?” Josh says, his smile widening.

It lights up his whole face, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and I catch myself staring a second too long before looking away.

“You coming too, Sebastian?” he asks.

“Nah, I’m not a big party person.”

“Too bad, man. You’re missing out. Big crowd, great costumes, and, uh…” He lowers his voice. “Plenty of spots to have a little fun. That place is huge.”

What is it with guys like him? Always making everything about sex. I can only imagine what kind of “fun” he means: a blowjob in the bathroom from some girl in a slutty nurse costume, most likely, or nailing a cheerleader in the pantry, hidden by stacks of canned food.

“I’ve tried to convince him, Josh, but he prefers locking himself away from the world,” Ana says, shooting me a wink.

“Hey, now. I’m out here, aren’t I? At a patch, surrounded by people. Socializing.”

“And that’s a step in the right direction.”

Josh leans forward over the table, puts a hand on my shoulder, and gives it a light squeeze. “No one’s gonna bite you, Sebastian. Except maybe the vampires.” He winks.

The touch, so sudden and unexpected, makes me freeze. His hand’s big enough to cover most of my shoulder. Heat seeps through my denim jacket, and there’s an earthy scent of pumpkin on his skin. His thumb presses just above my collarbone, and fuck, why does that feel so... good?

His brown eyes lock on mine, and the intensity hits like a punch to the chest. There’s something weirdly magnetic about them, like pools of melted chocolate. I get the strangest urge to reach up and touch the scruff on his jaw. To lean in and press our mouths together. To?—

What the fuck. No, this is exactly why jocks are a problem. They think they can charm anyone with a glance, a touch, a smile. Just because they’ve got good looks and muscles. And most people lap it up, dropping to their knees, ready to suck their dick.

Not me.

I take a step back, out of his grip, and clear my throat. “Yeah, no thanks. Not interested.”

“Told you he’s a lost cause,” Ana says.

Josh studies me for a second, something flickering across his face, but it’s gone too fast to read. “Hey, if you change your mind, you know where to find us.”

Us. A minute ago, he barely remembered Ana existed, and now it’s suddenly us.

Yeah, he’s definitely playing mind games. I’m not falling for it.

I give him a curt nod and a fake smile, then grab Ana by the arm and lead her away from the stand, leaving the douchebag and his pumpkin guts behind.