by Lexi Lawton
Signed,
Brad F.
Xander’s jaw clenched, and the muscle in his temple throbbed. Brad had warned him that if he missed even one class, he’d be banned from house functions, but to do so in a letter? He let out an angry scream and stomped out of his room. He pounded on Brad’s door.
“I didn’t realize you were back,” Brad said, opening the door.
“What the fuck is this shit?” Xander thrust the paper in his face.
“It’s the consequences for you missing classes. Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so upset. We discussed this, remember?” He crossed his arms, a smug smile on his face.
Rage spilled into his limbs, making his muscles tight. He crumpled the paper in his fist and threw it at Brad’s chest. His face was fiery hot, and he was sure it was bright red, too. “You’re a fucking coward! If you think I’m going to just go away, you’ve got another thing coming.” He spun on his heel and stormed outside. The fresh air hit his face, cooling him, but the anger in his veins didn’t go away. He paced, stopping only when Finn came walking across the front yard a few moments later.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you until Tuesday.” Finn shoved his keys into his pocket, then narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Fucking Brad.” He balled his hands into fists, then flexed his fingers. “He left me a letter telling me I’m banned from all functions. A fucking letter! Goddamned wimp couldn’t even tell me to my face.”
“All right, take it easy.” Finn sat on the porch and motioned for Xander to do the same. “You knew this was going to happen.”
Xander took several deep breaths and nodded. He did know. That was the thing about Brad—when it came to this fraternity, he never went back on his word. In that regard, he was an upstanding guy. That was probably the reason he got voted in so easily as president.
“Look, keep your head down and do what needs to be done. Balls to the wall.” Finn grinned.
“What’s the point?” Xander threw his hands up in frustration. “I have a feeling no matter what I do, it’s not going to matter. Brad has it out for me, and he’s not going to stop until I’m kicked out of here.”
Finn stood. “If you bring your grades up, there won’t be a thing he can do. Last I heard, he wasn’t planning on taking a vote for another couple of weeks. He needs to give you official notice, which is what that letter was, and give you a chance to improve. So, work hard, and when the time comes, bring proof of your grades. Everything will work out.”
“Yeah, maybe.” But he wasn’t convinced.
Finn put his hand on Xander’s shoulder. “Don’t give up. It sucks, but I know you can do this.”
Xander nodded. He wasn’t going to let Brad get the best of him, which meant he was going to have to work twice as hard. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. “It’s been a long few days. I’m beat.”
“Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” He headed up to his room.
…
Xander walked into class Monday morning to find Kylie already there. When she saw him, she smiled. His heart fluttered. Taking his seat, he leaned over and kissed her. “Morning.”
“Hi. How did things go at the house last night?”
He gave a noncommittal shrug, not wanting to get into the details. She already blamed herself for him missing classes. Telling her what happened would only upset her more, and he didn’t want to do that. “Talked to Finn and Eric for a bit. Other than that, it wasn’t too bad.”
Professor Jamison entered the room and promptly started class. Xander took copious notes and even wrote down the extra practice assignment. When class was dismissed, he gathered his bag and took Kylie’s hand.
“Lunch today?” she asked.
He frowned. “I can’t. I have to meet with my advisor.”
“Oh, okay.” Her face fell. “Maybe we can get together later, then.”
“Definitely.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then hurried to his next class.
Business Ethics was his favorite class, and he settled in for what he hoped would be a lively discussion—he needed something to keep his mind off the disappointment he’d seen in Kylie’s face. It was going to take a massive amount of effort and focus to get his grades up and stay in his frat’s good graces. Could he do that and still have all the time he wanted with Kylie?
When class was over, he hurried across campus toward the administration building, arriving at his advisor’s office two minutes late. She looked up over her wire-rimmed glasses, a flash of disappointment appearing in her eyes.
“Sorry, Mrs. Mullins.” He set his bag on the floor and took a seat.
She nodded, pushed up her glasses, and opened a folder. “As we discussed last time, per the university’s academic policy, anyone on academic probation has one semester to pass all failed classes while maintaining passing grades in their current classes.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ve gotten a progress report from all your professors.” She flipped through the folder, pursing her lips and nodding, then turning to another page. “It appears you’ve completed all the work for the classes you didn’t pass last semester. But…”
He gripped the armrests, his stomach knotting.
“It says here you’ve missed several classes recently.”
Nodding, he cleared his throat. “Yes. I had a funeral out of state. But I spoke to all of my professors before I left, so they knew I wasn’t blowing off class, and I got all my assignments.”
“Good.” She gave him a tight smile. “However, part of the academic contract you signed with us stated you weren’t allowed to miss more than two classes. According to this, you’ve missed three.”
He flexed his fingers and gritted his teeth. He had no defense to that.
“In order to stay enrolled, you’re going to have to get written statements from your professors stating they knew of your absence and excused it.”
He refrained from groaning out loud.
By the time his meeting with his advisor was over, it was almost two p.m. He pulled out his phone to text Kylie and realized she’d already sent him a message. Smiling, he opened it. Pizza and the horizontal version of Just Dance? My room. Tonight. Celeste will be gone.
He groaned and hung his head. A heavy weight landed in his chest. Can’t. Have a group project for class. Need to meet with them tonight.
She replied with a frowny face. After?
Don’t know how long it will take. I’ll call you? He started walking toward his next class.
K. That was her response. A single letter. He cursed.
Sorry. He added a kissing face emoji, hit send, then tucked his phone away so he could concentrate on his next class and not be tempted to spend the entire time texting with her.
Chapter Thirty-Five
So many thoughts raced through Kylie’s mind, but the most prominent one was the nagging voice telling her Xander was using his classes and the issues with the fraternity to avoid her. Although, she didn’t know why. They’d connected on so many levels, and he’d asked her to be his girlfriend. Why would he do that only to then push her away?
She went about her classes under a black cloud of depression. Self-doubt sat heavily on her shoulders. She hadn’t seen Xander at all today. Now, more than ever, she was convinced he’d changed his mind about her. About them. She was going to become just another girl he’d fucked and then pretended not to know.
As she trudged across the quad, her phone dinged with a message. It was a text from Xander. Her heart jumped to her throat. But as she read his words, her stomach plummeted. She stared at the message through teary eyes. I’m free tomirrow night. Maybe we can get together then.
Maybe? She blinked back her tears.
She and Xander had gotten back to campus four days ago, and she’d seen him a total of three times, two of which were during class. He was always either in class, working on a group project, or studying. She could understand all of that. Hell,
she even supported it. But maybe they’d get together tomorrow night? What the fuck?
Dropping her phone into her backpack, she found Celeste and Finn sitting in the quad. Weighed down with disappointment, she took a seat across from them. Naively, she’d imagined she and Xander would walk across campus holding hands, laughing, kissing; that they’d eat lunch with Finn and Celeste like two couples who were the closest of friends.
“What has you looking so grumpy?” Celeste asked.
“Xander.” She sighed. “He’s been so busy, I haven’t had much of a chance to see him since we got back.” She fidgeted with her fingernails as guilt and shame battled inside her. She was being selfish. Xander needed to concentrate on his classes, and all she could do was whine about missing him. I’m a rotten girlfriend.
Finn nodded. “The whole thing is a bunch of bullshit, if you ask me.”
“What is?” Kylie asked, confused.
“Brad giving him that ridiculous letter, banning him from all functions, and stripping him of house duties.” He shook his head with disgust. “Brad’s had it out for Xander since he joined the fraternity.”
She nearly fell off the bench seat. Why hadn’t Xander told her any of that? Her head spun. “When did that happen?” The bitter taste of bile stung the back of her throat.
“He got the letter as soon as he got back. It was waiting for him on his pillow. Brad didn’t even have the balls to tell him to his face.” Finn shook his head.
Her jaw dropped. It hadn’t even been a week since they’d gotten back on campus. He’d known this and had been keeping it a secret from her? Why? “I thought…” She cleared her throat. “I thought there had to be a vote or something.”
He nodded. “There does. That’s happening Sunday evening. Brad needed to follow the rules and give Xander enough notice to improve, but the sneaky bastard issued the official letter the day after Xander left with you, so he lost those four days.”
Hysteria bubbled up inside her, and she stood. She had no idea where she was going or what she’d do, but she couldn’t sit still a second longer. “Isn’t there something you can do to help him?” Her heart broke at the thought he’d be kicked out. All because of her. Because she’d cried on his shoulder about her grandmother and not being able to go to the funeral. She was such an idiot.
“I’ve done everything I can. Xander knows what he’s up against. And he’s resourceful. Who knows?” Finn shrugged. “Maybe he’ll pull something out of his ass. I’ve seen him do some pretty impossible things.”
“I gotta go.” She grabbed her bag and started off toward her res hall.
“Ky!” Celeste jogged up to her. “Hey, are you okay?”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “I just need some time to think.” She forced a smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Without waiting for a response, she walked away.
…
Hugging her pillow to her chest, she watched Celeste hustle about the room. “What’re you doing tonight?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. Finn asked me to help him with something, but he wouldn’t give me any details.” She yanked a fitted sweater over her head. “I think it’s pledge initiation night or something. He was telling me about the pranks they pull on the pledges.”
Kylie’s shoulders slumped. Xander should be involved in that.
Celeste shoved her feet into her sandals. “You sure you’re okay here alone? I can totally stay and hang out with you.”
“No. You go. Have fun.” A flicker of hope still burned in her chest—hope that Xander would call or text or come over.
Leaning on the mattress, Celeste hugged her. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay.” She smiled.
Moments after Celeste left, there was a knock on the door. Kylie opened it to find Xander holding a single red rose. Her heart stopped, and her breath caught.
“Forgive me?” he asked.
She took the flower and nodded for him to come in. “Did you do something that needs to be forgiven?”
“Yeah. I’ve been ignoring you all week, and that makes me an asshole in need of some serious forgiveness.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been busy.” She set the flower on her desk, then moved back across the room to close the door.
“It’s not okay.” He shook his head. “I don’t ever want to be too busy for you.”
Before she was able to respond, he had his hands on her face and his mouth on hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, moaning softly when his tongue slid past her lips, teasing her with an erotic kiss that she never wanted to end. His lips, his taste, his scent, his embrace…it was all so familiar, so warm. Longing stabbed at her, and the sting of tears pricked at her eyes.
“God, I’ve missed you, Ky.” He moved from her lips and nipped at her jaw before kissing down the column of her neck.
“I’ve missed you, too. So much.” She slid her hands up his shirt, letting her fingers roam over his hard, chiseled abs.
“I have all night, baby.” He grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked it off over his head. “And I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
She placed her palms on his chest and lightly dragged her hands down his torso. “Good.”
Xander groaned. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, playing with her, tempting her. His kiss left her frazzled and dizzy, unable to form a coherent thought. A week’s worth of desire exploded between them, and she swore the temperature in the room spiked a hundred degrees.
She reached for the button of his jeans, undoing it before pulling down his zipper. “I need you, Xander.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out roughly and then pressed his mouth to hers in a dominant kiss.
She slipped her hand down the front of his jeans, her fingers grazing his hard cock, which jerked at her touch.
“Ky…” He pushed his hips forward, his voice trembling.
“Make love to me. Please,” she begged.
With a sound that was a mix between a groan and a snarl, he crushed her lips with another bruising kiss. She tugged at his jeans until they were down below his ass. He kicked off his shoes, then fully removed his pants, leaving him in his boxers. His erection jutted out in front of him. She licked her tingling lips, letting the memory of how he’d tasted and felt in her mouth settle over her.
“You absolutely sure about this?” he asked.
They’d only had sex twice, both times in New York, and they hadn’t had any time alone since. Her heart raced with anticipation and a hint of nerves. She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. “I need you.”
Grabbing the hem of her T-shirt, he slowly eased it off over her head, letting his fingertips tickle her stomach, her breasts, her arms. Goose bumps erupted on her flesh. “So gorgeous.” He ushered her onto the bed, then kneeled on the floor. With a faint smile, he coursed his hands up her legs and down again.
A shiver shot up her spine. “Mm-hmm.” She closed her eyes and leaned back, propping herself up on her hands.
Leaning over her, he dragged his mouth across her collarbone. She moaned softly.
“I’ve missed touching you. Kissing you.” He flicked his tongue over her nipple and then drew the hard tip into his mouth, tugging on it gently before closing his mouth on her breast, suckling her tender flesh.
Her back arched and a louder moan left her mouth, the sound echoing around her. She bit the inside of her cheek to quiet herself. She had no idea how thin the walls were or how much other people would be able to hear.
“Hmm.” He moved to her other nipple, giving that one the same attention he’d given the first. “Fucking Christ, Ky,” he snarled and brought his mouth back to hers. “I’m not sure I can control myself.” He wiggled her shorts off.
“I didn’t ask you to.”
He put his hands flat on the mattress on either side of her and grinned. “Good, because I’m about to do something you’ll never forget.” Gently placing his hand on her stomach, he guided her down so she was flat on he
r back. He put her feet on the edge of the bed and eased her legs open. “This”—he kissed her clit—“you, your body…they’re all mine.”
Her breath caught on a gasp, and her eyes widened. The memory of how his mouth had felt down there once before, much too briefly, rushed over her, and her heart thudded at the possibility of what would happen next.
He hooked his arms around her thighs, making it impossible for her to get away, and then he spread her lips with his thumbs, licking up toward her clit. Her ass jerked off the bed, and she let out a high-pitched cry of pleasure. He held her down—not that she was trying to go anywhere.
“This okay?” He glanced up at her, his gaze as ravenous as his touch.
She gasped and nodded frantically. “Yes.”
His breath rasped against her thigh, both warming her and sending chills throughout her body. Holding her lips open with one hand, he used the other to ease a finger inside of her while teasing her clit with the tip of his tongue. Her body tensed, and her toes curled. “Ohmygod.”
He smiled against her folds and eased a second finger into her, working her body. “Mmm,” he hummed. “So good.”
“Xander, please,” she whined. She propped herself up on her elbows and glared down at him. “No teasing.” Frustration filled her voice.
He actually laughed. “Oh, I’m not teasing, baby. I’m savoring.” He sucked her clit into his mouth, and she gave him another satisfying moan. He kissed her inner thigh. “And I’m not moving from here until you come for me.”
“Oh God.” She groaned and slid back down on the bed, her body once again flat on its surface.
Having his face buried between her thighs was euphoric and sinful all at the same time. Nothing should be allowed to feel as good as he did.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding his head between her legs, and then she started to move her hips. Slowly at first, then faster until she was all but fucking his face. Her own face was numb, and her throat was dry from panting. What he was doing…it was so intimate. So intense and personal. Had he done this with other girls? He must’ve, seeing how great he was at it. She shoved the thought from her mind and focused all her attention on him. Tightening his hold on her, he buried his tongue against her clit as he worked his fingers inside of her, stroking her delicate inner walls.
