by L. P. Dillon
"What? I don't understand any of this. Are your family the mafia or something?" I asked in a serious tone.
More laughter bubbled out of him, and when he stopped, he tilted his head towards me. "Well, kinda. You could say that it's similar for sure. Look, I know I've planted more questions in your head than answers tonight, and they will probably drive you insane. But please don't tell them I told you. I'm begging you. Please, Aubrey, they’ll kill me!" He grabbed my hands, squeezing as he pleaded with me, and I saw actual fear shining from his eyes.
I nodded in agreement, then sat back in my seat.
“Thank you,” he whispered under his breath, and then he drove me back to the Sorority house. We pulled up, and I expected to see him get out of the car and open my door for me, but he just sat there staring at the closed front door.
Taking off my seatbelt, I turned to him. "Jesse?"
"Huh?" His eyes stayed on the door when he spoke.
"Can I have your number?"
His head jerked in my direction as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard, and he searched my eyes like they might hold the answer.
"I don't have my phone on me, but do you have a pen?" I asked him as I gazed into his bright green pools.
One corner of his lips lifted as he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out his wallet and taking out a business card. His fingers traced up my thigh, lifting up my dress to reveal the thong I wore underneath. He didn't take his eyes off mine, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. His delicate touch made my heart pound so hard that I thought it might burst out of my chest. My breathing labored as he pulled the band of my thong out, slipping the card into it before he released it. As it slapped against my skin, a moan fell from my lips.
When he tugged my dress down again, he whispered. "You haven't got a purse. Be careful no one catches you messaging me, okay, Darlin’?"
I nodded. It was all I could do. My mouth was so dry I couldn’t speak. And when he leaned over me and opened my door from the inside, my heart leapt with excitement. As he pulled away from the door, I bent down to kiss him, but he pulled away. Lowering his hand beside my leg, he pointed towards the house. My eyes fell to a very angry Chase standing in the doorway, and I huffed in annoyance. How the fuck did he get here before us? I thought as I turned to Jesse and said, "Thank you for an amazing night." Moving just a little, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. I might have lingered a bit longer than I should have, but I couldn’t help it.
"Darlin’, I suggest you get out of the car, now!" Jesse’s voice was panicked and way more high-pitched than it usually was.
My eyes moved to the house where I found Chase charging at us. Rolling my eyes, I climbed out of the car, but even after I hopped out, Chase didn’t look like he would be slowing down. In fact, it looked like he was itching for a fight, so when he came nearer, I decided I’d give Jesse a head start. Stretching out my foot as he ran past me, he tripped and went hurtling through the air, landing on the ground and rolling a few times before finally coming to a stop.
Rolling to his back, he laid on the ground, glaring at me. I gave him a wide smile then turned, strutting towards the house. Once inside, my eyes landed on Arabella and Payton, both sitting on the couch. When they saw it was me, they went to stand, but I held my hand out and stepped through the entrance hall, up the stairs, and marched straight to my room. The sound of footsteps followed me, so I turned at the landing before my room to see who it was.
Standing below me in the entrance hall were Payton, Connor, Arabella, and Chase, each of them staring up at me. I gave them all a scowl because I didn’t trust a single one of them. Not even Payton.
It didn’t take long for Chase to move towards the stairs, and I seethed. "Don't you even think about coming up here Chase! I swear if you come anywhere near me, I'm either going to punch you in your stupid face or kick you square in the balls. The choice is yours."
He held his hands up and backed away from the stairs. Payton moves forward next. so, I shouted at her too,
"No! I'm sleeping alone tonight! Go and stay with Connor again," I yelled.
And with that said, I stormed into my room, slammed the door behind me, and clicked the lock in place. I didn't have it in me to deal with any of them tonight, so I stripped out of my dress, kicked off my shoes, and jumped into bed.
I must have fallen asleep instantly because the room was now bathed in brilliant sunshine, and an annoying thumping was coming from my bedroom door.
"Brie, let me in, I need to get my clothes, and we have to sign up for classes today!" Payton shouted through the door, then pounded on it again.
"Ugh! Okay, okay, I'm coming. Hold your horses."
I dragged myself out of bed and gradually made my way to the door. After I unlocked it, I turned and walked back to my bed, hopping back in it and pulling the covers over my head.
"Finally!" Payton whined as she entered the room.
I could hear her rummaging through her closet, surely getting clothes out. Then she opened and closed drawers, slamming each one. There was no reason to be that loud, but I knew she was angry, and she probably wanted to make sure I knew it.
Groaning loud enough for her to hear me, I rolled to my side just as she ripped the covers off me.
"Stop acting like a damn child, Aubrey. We have to sign up for classes today. You can be pissed off with me, that’s fine, but get your ass out of bed and get in that shower. You're a mess!"
I sat up and glared at her, she had always spoken her mind, but she'd never been so harsh with me. She placed her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows, and widened her eyes at me. I couldn't help what happened next. That serious face of hers made me burst into hysterical laughter. She joined in, sitting on my bed so she didn’t fall over.
Once we stopped giggling, her eyes met mine. "What have I done? What happened last night?"
I sighed. "You haven't done anything. Last night was just so crazy. After you disappeared with Connor, I danced with a guy, and Chase went insane again and started charging towards us."
She gasped and then asked, "He did that before?"
I nodded. "At the party, our first day here. I had a flashback of that night, and I remember him tackling some big guy to the ground and fighting."
"Oh, I must have been outside with Connor."
"No, Connor broke them up..."
"Maybe I was in the bathroom?" she interrupted.
"Maybe. But it doesn't matter. The point is that he flipped out again last night. I didn't want to put up with his outrageous jealousy again, so I ran off with Jesse."
"Who's Jesse?"
I smiled just thinking about him. "He is Chase's cousin. He took me to his boat restaurant, and we had a great night. Then when we went back to his family home where his dad, Chase, and Chase’s dad were all waiting. He went in alone and, when he came out, he had a split lip and a black eye. Chase had attacked him."
"Oh God, was he okay?" she asked, concern etched into her words.
"Yeah, but he told me that he couldn't see me anymore because Chase had claimed me. Like what the hell is that?"
Payton’s mouth dropped open, then she closed it and her face turned serious. Glancing behind her, she stayed silent for a minute before turning back to me and leaning close to my ear. "Aubrey, if you like this guy, you cannot tell anyone what you just told me. I can't explain just yet, but you need to trust me. If anyone finds out that he's been telling you stuff like that, he won't be safe."
I raised my eyebrows. "Payton, what the hell is going on? You need to tell me because I'm going insane with all this weird behavior and all the strange comments. I can't take it anymore."
"Oh Brie, I'm so sorry you feel like that. Look, I'll set up a meeting for tomorrow. I think it's about time you know exactly what's going on."
"Can't we do it today?"
"No, today we need to set up classes. Look, get ready, I have some things to sort out, but I'll be back in an hour to pick you up."
She didn't eve
n give me a chance to reply as she stood and rushed out of the room. I sat there in silence for a bit, completely baffled by the whole situation. I couldn't work out what was going on, and I hated knowing that my best friend was a part of it all. She always had my back, and the thought that she was keeping something from me was upsetting. I didn't know who to trust. The only person who had been somewhat honest with me was Jesse, and he was a complete stranger. A hot one, at that.
I picked up my phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. Rolling my eyes, I threw the phone on my bed and dragged myself out of bed, heading to the bathroom to shower. I’ll just try him again later.
After my shower, I got dressed and waited for Payton to come back. When she returned, she seemed flustered as she grabbed her purse and threw it over her arm. "Come on, let's sign up for classes."
Not once did she look at me, instead, she spun around and marched right back out of the room. Climbing to my feet, I hurried to the door, but by the time I caught up to her, she had made it downstairs and was almost at the front door. I rushed down the stairs, jogging towards the door. Payton stood there holding it open for me, but when I glanced her way, her face was blank, and she didn’t acknowledge me at all. Pressing my lips together and scrunching my forehead, I continued forward, letting her silently follow behind me.
When Connor’s car pulled up, I wondered why she hadn’t told me he was taking us. I’d hoped we could do this on our own, but it seemed those days were long gone.
Moving to the car, I glanced at Payton as I opened the back door. She came up beside me, opening the passenger door, and paused as if waiting for me to get in. She was being really weird, and I had no clue why. Until she nudged her head towards the car, wanting me to look inside. When I did, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
"Jesse!" I said, excitement coursing through me.
"Shhh! Just get in, Darlin’!" he whispered, his voice breathy with panic.
I quickly jumped into the car and, before my ass hit the seat, he leaned over and smashed his lips against mine. I inhaled deeply as his hand slid up the side of my face, his soft touch making the hairs on my arm and neck stand up in delight.
After our long kiss, he pulled back, pecking my lips a few more times before leaning back in his own seat with a blissful sigh. When I opened my eyes, his bright emerald pools twinkled as they stared at me. The guy had a huge smile on his face, probably the biggest one I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t stop my lips from stretching into one of my own.
"Sorry Darlin’, I've been dreaming about doing that all night."
We quickly pulled away, and I sat in the backseat of the car, touching my lips and grinning after Jesse's kiss. I didn't expect to see him, let alone share a mind-blowing. To be honest, it was incredible and left me wanting more, but I would have preferred to have been alone and let the passion flow.
He left me tingling everywhere and unable to think of anything other than unfastening my seatbelt and ripping his clothes off. Letting my mind go there made my heartbeat fly to unreasonable rates. Breathe, Aubrey, I thought to myself. Yes. It would be good to just take a few deep breaths. Maybe then I could calm myself down.
But Jesse didn’t help at all. While trying to unruffle my proverbial feathers, his hand found my leg, sliding up it ever so slowly. Goosebumps danced down my arms. Taking my hand into his, he intertwined our fingers.
Glancing at our joined hands and then angling my head to look at him, his smile was infectious, and I found myself grinning right back at him.
I didn't know what the hell was going on, why he was here, or why Payton and Connor were helping us see each other, but I also didn't care. There was something about the guy that had me falling head over heels already. It wasn't just his good looks and the seductive way he called me darling.
No, it was an unexplainable, deeper connection, and I'd never felt anything like it before. It was like we had known each other forever, despite not knowing anything about one another.
He stroked my hand with his thumb, exciting every cell in my body. Wave after wave of tiny, electrical charges surged through me, and although it drove me insane, it was in the most remarkable way.
Connor carried on driving until we arrived at the campus, and that was when my chest felt heavy and it became harder to breathe as panic settled over me. If Chase saw us here, he would be fuming. I didn't want him causing a scene in front of all the other students. So far, he'd only done it in front of the Sorority and Fraternity brothers and sisters, and I guessed they were used to seeing him like that because no one batted an eyelid.
I squirmed in my seat, checking every window to ensure Chase wasn't anywhere to be seen. Connor parked the car, then he and Payton exited the vehicle.
For some reason, it was as if Jesse could sense my emotions because as soon as they exited, he squeezed my hand. "Are you okay, Darlin’?" When he used my nickname, his southern twang was accented even more, which sent chills racing over me.
I met his eyes. "I'm worried about Chase seeing us." As soon as the words left my mouth, they tasted vile, almost as if I came off ashamed to be seen with Jesse, or like I wanted to hide us being seen together when it was actually the opposite of that.
"I mean, I don't want him going after you in front of everyone on campus."
" I knew what you meant. And there is no need to worry. Chase is away from town for the day because he has business with my dad and his. He won't be back until late tonight," he said with a huge smile.
Leaning over and undoing my seatbelt, he brushed his hand against my boob as he guided my seatbelt to its proper place, but the instant he touched me, it was as if he had lost all sense of control. His lips crushed mine in a passionate kiss, and it took my breath away in the best way imaginable. My heart pounded as my lips danced with him in perfect sync. It was as if we were meant to be like this when his tongue slipped into my mouth to greet mine, I planted my hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in even deeper. He held my cheek, and our kiss slowed, became more sensual.
And then, Payton banged on the window. She didn’t stop, either, just kept pounding over and over, and irritation swarmed me. When Jesse pulled away, I sighed.
He chuckled. "We will pick that up again later. For now, let's go pick your classes."
I huffed. Screw classes. I wanted to pick that kiss up again now. In fact, at that moment, I felt like I could kiss him all day, every day, and for the rest of my life.
What was wrong with me?
"Fine, but straight after, we are picking up exactly where we left off," I said, shooting him the sexiest smirk I could muster.
"That's a promise," he replied, opening his door and getting out.
I hopped out, too, and Payton and Connor greeted me, both standing by the car hand in hand with knowing grins on their faces. Rolling my eyes at them, I ignored their gazes, which only made Payton chuckle.
Jesse came up beside me, slipping his fingers between mine, which set off another wave of the tingles. Would I ever get used to that? No, probably not. I’d never had that kind of reaction from a single touch before.
Payton and Connor turned, heading towards campus so we could pick our classes, and I couldn’t help the happiness bubbling inside of me. I hadn’t felt like this in so long, and for once, there were no threats of fights breaking out, arguments, or bad boys.
Jesse did attract some attention from the girls around campus, but even though I thought he rivaled Chase’s looks, he didn't command the same level of interest. Truth be told, that was a nice perk. Not having girls scowling at me just for being alive felt pretty good to me.
Payton and I signed up for classes and decided we should all go for lunch. Jesse obviously offered his boat restaurant, so we headed over there. When we pulled up, Payton gasped at the restaurant's beauty. I won’t lie, it felt nice to be with the guy that owned it. We went into the restaurant and every table was occupied for the lunch rush. When the customers’ gazes fell on me this time, I stood tall,
proud to be on Jesse’s arm. It felt good to no longer be so self-conscious.
"Hi, Jesse. Unusual to see you two days in a row. You showing your cousin around?" the hostess asked, eyeing me up and down.
I raised my eyebrow at her. It was obvious she was jealous as I looked nothing like Jesse. Expecting him to brush it off, I was shocked when he took my hand, linking his fingers with mine, raising my hand to his lips, and kissing it while staring into my eyes like a fool in love.
After winking at me, he faced her, his tone confident and sure when he said, "Aubrey isn't my cousin, Sasha. She's my fiancé. So, if she ever comes in here with her friends, it's on the house. And make sure you give them the works, got it?"
Snickering when the girl’s eyes widened in shock, I watched her demeanor changed in an instant. When she gave a silent nod our way, Jesse waved at us to follow as we went past her towards the stairs. As we took the stairs to the private dining area, at the top, I ran to the giant leather sofa and threw myself on it, laughter fizzing from me in steady waves.
"I can't believe you just told her that! Although, it was nice to see that smug look slide right off her face."
Payton made her way over, her eyes sparkling in humor. "That was hilarious. She looked like someone had just pissed in her Lucky Charms, the stuck-up bitch."
Sitting on the couch, I forgot about the lie as I eyed Jesse pouring beers at the bar. He handed Connor his drink first, then filled two more glasses to the top.
"Don't you think that was a little risky, Jesse?" Connor asked him, leaning his back against the bar.
"It was just a joke, Connor, chill out!" Jesse replied without even turning around.
My ears perked up as I listened even harder, trying to hear every single detail of the conversation, but Payton was making it difficult because she wouldn’t stop talking. Somehow, I was able to tune her out, and when she realized, her eyes followed mine and she stopped talking altogether.
"It may seem like that to you, but you know that hostess has a crush on you. How do you know that she's not going to go to Chase?" Connor took a sip of his pint. “Or worse, his father.”
