“You remember Rauthruss?” Adam asks and runs a hand through his still-damp hair. Even wet it looks better than mine.

Rhett grins and steps forward with his hands shoved in his pockets. “Hey, Ginny. Good to see you again. Welcome to Valley.”

Rhett Rauthruss is a giant man-boy. He’s tall and built. His legs are like tree trunks. Seriously, his thighs could crush my head. But he’s got this baby face and pouty mouth that keeps him from looking too intimidating. He’s also got a really great Minnesota accent that I absolutely love.

He and Adam have been teammates and roommates since their freshmen year, so I’ve met him a few times over the years and he came home with Adam once last semester for a weekend.

“Hey, Rhett, good to see you too.”

He grins a little shyly.

“Are we ready?” Adam asks. “I’m starving.”

My dorm doesn’t have its own dining hall, so we cross the street to Freddy Dorm to eat. I follow Adam and Rhett inside, and we fall into the long line of people entering the dining hall, scanning their student ID cards as they go.

The smell of burned toast hangs in the air as we shuffle inside the busy dining room. Rhett heads off at a near jog for food, but Adam hangs back with me. “Grab food and then meet us at the big table in the right corner. You can’t miss us.”

With that, he rushes off too.

I do a lap while I check out the food options. Five or six different stations are set up with varying breakfast foods ranging from yogurt to omelets and everything in between.

I decide on waffles, get at the end of the line, and pick up a tray. The guy in front of me drums his fingers on the back of his tray impatiently. His fingers are long and strong-looking… somehow just really attractive. I let my gaze move up to his forearms and appreciate them in the same way. Tan and toned. The gray T-shirt he’s wearing hugs his back and the short sleeves are snug against his biceps. Muscular but not too beefy.

When it’s finally his turn, he sets the tray down and grabs a plate. With his profile to me, I take in his straight nose and sharp cheekbones. Dark, messy hair that I have the ridiculous urge to run my fingers through, sticks up on his head.