Wild Kisses (3:AM Kisses #7)

by Addison Moore

  “Stop!” Piper tugs us apart until Cade relents and shoves me back a good foot. “I’m not so innocent here,” she barks at her brother. “But”—she looks to me with knives jetting from those pearly blue eyes—“there was nothing about sleeping with you to get me into Alpha Chi. They made that all up.” She swallows hard. I can see her emotions running strong just below the surface. “I slept with you because I wanted to.”

  A collective groan comes from her brothers. The three of them look as if they want to vomit, right after they kill me.

  I raise my hands in surrender. “I swear to God, that bet was not my doing. I wanted no part in it. It was never real. Jet knew I was in a financial hole, and he just wanted to throw some money my way. He thought he was being clever. Ask Rex. I didn’t think of it, nor did I agree to it.”

  “You sure took the money,” she shoots back.

  “It’s sitting in that same room down at Think Ink. I don’t want a dime from that dirty stack of dollars. I never set out to hurt you, Piper. This was never about me landing you in my bed for a minute. In fact, I made you off limits to the droves of guys that begged me to introduce you to them because I wanted to protect you—just like that day in Founder’s Square. Something in me has wanted to protect you from the beginning. Never to harm you. Never to sleep with you in an effort to make a dollar.”

  The crowd around us stills.

  Piper takes a bold step forward. “Okay.” Her lips tug down as she fights the tears. “I’ll go somewhere. We can talk.”

  “No way.” Cade steps up next to her. The hate in his eyes is palpable.

  Wyatt pulls him back. “Owen is a good guy. I believe him.” He looks to his sister. “Do not let him touch you. You need to clear your head. Just talking.”

  She growls at him a moment, but I realize the brunt of her anger is geared toward me. Piper and I walk right out of the Black Bear and into the ice-cold night. Her fingers find mine, and we walk hand in hand all the way to my apartment building in thick silence. We hit the elevator, and as soon as those doors entomb us, I wrap my arms around her. Her body clings to mine, and my chest bucks as I beg my emotions to keep themselves in check. Piper buries her face in my neck, never once letting go. We get off on my floor, and I let us into my apartment, bolting the door shut behind us. The place is still happily trashed from last night’s sexual rumble, and I’m glad. I want to remind her of the magic we shared. There was no way in hell either of us faked that. It was real, and so are we.

  Piper doesn’t say anything. Her fingers find their way to my cheek, and I dip a kiss into her hand. Her ruby lips quiver, and she shrugs.

  “You didn’t really bet you could sleep with me?” Tears fill her eyes, but she doesn’t let them fall.

  I shake my head, ignoring the hot tears rolling down my cheeks. “It was Jet’s ridiculous idea. I never wanted a dime.”

  “Too bad,” she whispers. “I was a sure thing.”

  I shake my head and pull her close until the heat off her body sears through my clothes. “I’m sorry to put you through that.”

  She nods, glancing down—her scalding tears burning through my T-shirt. “I’m sorry about what happened.” She pulls a letter from her purse, and I stare at it a good few minutes.

  “I’m number four, huh? And for the record, I hate number five.” A volatile anger burns through me seeing this pig vomit in writing. “They wanted you to sleep with him, and then, when you didn’t, they turned it all around to ruin us.”

  “Yeah, well”—she takes the letter and buries it back into her purse—“you had them pegged right from the beginning. They were nothing but a bunch of manipulative lowlifes.”

  “Those girls have been up to something else behind your back, Piper. There’s someone I think you need to talk to.”

  She closes her eyes as if girding herself for the news.

  “There’s someone else who can explain it a hell of a lot better than I ever can. What time is your last class tomorrow?”

  “Two.”

  “Are you up for a drive through the countryside?”

  “What’s in the country?”

  “The correctional facility housing my sister. Aubree needs to tell you something, and you won’t like what you hear.”

  She gives a reluctant nod. “I’m in.”

  I pull her in, so tight, her heartbeat echoes through my chest. I’m not making a move unless she wants it, and if she does, I’m ready to unleash all of my grief, all of my relief upon her body.

  Piper looks up with those blue butterfly eyes and touches her lips to mine. I don’t kiss her back right away. I don’t want her to think I dragged her up here just to take advantage of her. Her mouth works over mine. Her tongue pierces on in, and I fold. I clutch her face gently with my palms and kiss her like my life depended on it—more importantly, our lives, our relationship, as if every second of our shared future rides on this single special kiss.

  She works my pants off, and I don’t fight her. I pull off her shirt and bite down on the grin begging to burst forth.

  That lump in my throat builds, but I swallow it down in agony. “Do you want this with me?”

  “I want everything with you.” Her lips quiver involuntarily. “Do you want this with me?”

  “I want it for as long as you’ll have me. I’m hoping forever.” I press my mouth to hers, hard, and push her tiny, soft body against mine. Her cool hands cup my balls, and I moan directly into her mouth. I help peel her clothes off until we’re standing there just the way we should be, naked. I fall to my knees and make her come hard right there in the living room before carrying her off to bed. We make love all night.

  I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure Piper feels safe, loved the way she deserves to be.

  Despite the fact her brothers demand my dick on a chopping block, we’re going to make this work.

  We have to.

  I can’t live a day without her.

  A Tameless Kind of Love

  Piper

  Seventeen calls and texts—and those are just the ones from my brothers. Cassidy, Scarlett, and Daisy also tried to get in touch with me all night, so I spent the majority of the day assuring those who care about me that I’m still very much alive—that “the bastard” as Cade refers to Owen, did not kidnap me to “God knows where.” As much as I appreciate everyone’s concern, I also wish I could’ve had that moment with Owen last night without feeling as if I had caused them all to lose some sleep.

  I spend the morning talking each of my brothers down off a sword-wielding cliff. Even Blake said he’d risk prison to teach Owen a lesson for me, despite the fact he’s a father now. I don’t need anyone altering the course of their lives for me. Wyatt was the most understanding of the bunch, but that’s because he’s had a chance to really get to know Owen. Cade still thinks he’s an ass.

  My last class just finished up, so I head over to Hallowed Grounds, where Cassidy holds up my pumpkin spiced latte, already hot and waiting for me. Scarlett and Daisy wave me over to an empty seat at their table.

  Scarlett looks up at me from under her lashes. “Rumor has it, your bed was never slept in last night.”

  Cassidy pushes out a laugh “She slept in someone’s bed, all right.”

  “I didn’t sleep,” I’m quick to correct.

  Daisy raises her iced coffee with a puzzled look. “Cheers to that, I think?”

  “Yes,” I say matter-of-factly. “Owen and I are back together.” The three of them exchange nervous glances. “What?”

  “I don’t know.” Cassidy shrugs so hard her blonde curls spill into her cleavage. “You sort of quickly forgave him for betting on you. We’re just afraid you’re going off emotion. You know, going too fast. We don’t want to see you crash again.”

  “I don’t think we’ll be crashing again anytime soon.” I say it emphatically, but I suppose I see their point. “Owen’s buddy put him up to it, and he never took the money. Look, I know there’s no real way to convince
you of how genuine I believe he is, but I know with everything in me that he is genuine.”

  “How?” Daisy is unconvinced. “Trust me, I thought I knew once, too, and I was completely wrong. I hope to God you’re not, because I know how it feels to have the floor drop out from under you.”

  “I’m sorry.” I feel bad that Daisy had her heart severed in two. I just don’t feel like that’s something Owen is about to do to me. “I guess the only thing that can assure you guys of anything is time, and I’m hoping Owen and I will be together for a very long while—actually, I’m rooting for forever.”

  “Spoken like a girl in love.” Cassidy raises her cup, and this time the girls do a round of cheers, to love.

  “I couldn’t think of anything better to toast. Salute.” I take a quick sip of my latte just as the most handsome boy at Whitney Briggs walks in.

  Owen makes his way over, and I stand, greeting him openly with a kiss.

  “You ready?”

  “Whoa.” Cassidy pulls me back. “You can’t go hogging my best friend. You need to understand that Piper isn’t a commodity. We want to spend a little time with her, too.”

  “We’re going out for a ride,” I say, blushing from the show of affection Cassidy piled on me. I’ve never had a group of close friends like this before, and I feel lucky to have it when I need it most here at WB. I know for a fact Jules and Lucille aren’t through making my life miserable.

  “Where are you going?” Scarlett asks, sounding a little less caustic than Cassidy.

  Owen wraps his arm around my waist and gives a mournful smile. “Prison.”

  * * *

  The women’s correctional facility that houses Owen’s sister is surprisingly less than an hour away. We make it through security, and I fill out an extensive visitor’s form before they lead us to an unassuming room in the back that looks like a cafeteria.

  Owen explained that his sister is using a visitor’s pass she earned through good behavior, and I feel bad about it, but he assured me this would be well worth it for everyone involved. He’s built up so much secrecy around this that the suspense is killing me. The only thing I know about his sister is that she killed some poor girl and almost killed Baya. This girl is batshit, so it will be interesting to see what advice Owen thinks she can give me. I do feel bad for Owen, though. It has to be tough to have a family member behind bars.

  “Hey, ho! Two days in a row!” A strawberry blonde bounces out in a plain brown uniform. Her face is made up as if she were going out for the night, and her hair neatly curled. She’s pretty, as in an obvious beauty. And for the most part, she seems totally normal.

  “You pulled out all the stops.” Owen gives his sister a hug. “You look great.”

  “I want to impress this girl you keep bragging about.” She pulls me forward with her cool fingers twining around mine. “Let me look at you. Oh, my, wow.” She glances to Owen. “You are a lucky bastard.”

  “That’s me.” He gives a giant grin.

  We take a seat at a small round table, and she doesn’t let go of my hands. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or afraid.

  She clears her throat. “I don’t know if my brother mentioned it, but I used to be a captain at Alpha Chi.”

  My blood runs cold, and I instinctively pluck my fingers from her grasp. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay.” She waves it off. “I take it my reign of terror at Alpha never came up.”

  “He mentioned something. I didn’t realize you were a captain.” I glance to Owen.

  “I knew you wanted to get in that place, and I was the last person who was going to cloud your judgment about it. I did try to warn you.”

  I clear my throat. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, I guess—although, in this case, it was pretty much a disaster I walked into and had to learn the hard way.” Much like every other disaster in my life.

  She looks to her brother. “Did you tell her about Theta buying girls?”

  “What?” A ripe anger shakes through me. I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about, but I don’t like the sound of it.

  Owen scoots in close. “Do you have that letter?”

  I pull it out and hand it to Aubree. A smile flirts on her lips as she studies it, and it unnerves me on some level. After closer inspection, there is a definite creepy factor to her.

  “I don’t know where they came up with number four.” She shakes her head, disapproving. “I usually had them do something nice for someone, like tell their tackiest friend she was dressing like a skank. You know, pay it forward and stuff like that.” She hands the letter back. “That boy, Winston? He bought you with cold hard cash.” Her brows rise in the same way Owen’s do. “Now, before you go exploding into a million pieces, just know that’s the way it’s been long before he ever set foot on campus. If a Theta boy is interested in an Alpha PNM, then he best shred some serious cheddar.”

  Both Owen and I lean in a little to try to understand.

  Aubree titters into her fingers. “That’s what they say on the inside.” She points to the floor. “It means cough up some serious bank—pay the ponytailed piper. No pun intended.” She nods, and it becomes clear as crystal what the Theta boys are doing. She folds her hands over the table. “The Theta with the most dollars at the end of the hard-on war—wins.” She shrugs. “Simple as that.”

  “You mean he paid Jules and Lucille? They’re the ones that gave me the letter.”

  She nods. “And they split the cash. Any Alpha who’s told to date a matchup has pretty much greased a captain’s hands. In the old days, the boys would get aggressive, and so this little bit of capitalism was born. It’s really an enterprising system when you think about it.”

  “Does it work both ways?” My blood surges through me, toxic as lead.

  “When someone expresses interest in a matchup, the captain suggests a retrieval fee.”

  “That sounds like what I do.” Owen looks just as stumped by his admission as his sister and me.

  He winces. “Guys pay me all the time for my wingman services. They need a makeup or a breakup? I’m their guy. I’ve got dozens of scripts I work from, and, with a little help from the Internet, I’ve yet to have an unsatisfied customer.”

  “You let guys pay you for girlfriends?” I’m not sure exactly how pissed I should be.

  “No.” He looks at me with that serious yet playful gleam in his eye that I’ve grown to love. “I work for the greater good of the people, offering advice, never bodies. If say, Jet likes a girl—he can procure my services to try to land himself a date. Nothing more. If he wants to exit the relationship, I’ll offer some very firm yet practical advice. A hundred bucks in or out. It’s pretty black and white.”

  “Oh, I just remembered something!” Aubree holds up a hand. “At Alpha, the captains have to pay back up to fifty percent if a breakup occurs in the first two months. Those boys want to assure they get laid. And trust me, with the captains on their side, they usually do.” She looks rather smug as she says it. “Did you sleep with him?”

  “No.”

  “Then he has to be pissed—not to mention gunning for a refund.”

  “I’m the one who’s pissed.” I openly glare at the dark mouth of the door. “I’m ready to leave now, Owen.”

  * * *

  After the long drive back from the correctional facility, I have Owen drop me off at my dorm. It’s time to get my girls together. There’s a certain sorority we need to confront.

  Cassidy, Scarlett, Daisy, and I storm over to Alpha House and glare at it as if it were a living-breathing monster. It might as well be; it houses two of them at least.

  I shared the notorious letter with Scarlett and Daisy, and neither was too shocked to see it.

  “You ladies ready?” Daisy links arms with Cassidy and me as we step onto the lawn.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” We stomp onto the property, walking right through the unlocked doors, and head for the common room as if we belonged there.<
br />
  A smattering of girls sits around studying, and it takes less than three seconds for Jules and Lucille to manifest themselves.

  “I didn’t think it’d take long for the two of you to show up.” I step forward, ready to face them with every ounce of loathing I can muster. “God knows you have this place covered with cameras. I used to think it was for security purposes, but now I realize it’s for ammo in the event you need to blackmail a fellow member of the ponytail society.” I glance around at all of the curious faces. “I came mostly for your benefit. It’s about time you realize who you’re dealing with. These two captains promised me a bed in the house, as a freshman, if I slept with Winston Stanford.”

  The room grows strangely silent as the girls exchange glances.

  “I didn’t sleep with Winston, and all that bullshit you read on social media was a load of crock, too.” I pull out the letter and proceed to read it. I get halfway through, and Jules snatches it out of my hand. “That’s okay. You can rip it up if you want. It’s just a copy. I’ve photographed it and sent it to all the school officials I’ve deemed necessary to take down your reign of terror.” I glance back at the blooming crowd. “And don’t worry, girls! I’ll be sending a copy to each of your inboxes, including a letter of my own, relaying what I learned about Alpha’s policy on selling its members to Theta Sigma Tau. You’ll find that part particularly interesting—especially you, Landry, and you, Kiley. You’re both still dating those matchups, right? It’s going to blow your mind, and perhaps your relationships, when you find out how they came to be.”

  Jules gives me a stiff shove in the chest. “Don’t listen to her!” she shouts so loud my face ripples. “It’s lies, all lies! I’ll have our attorneys look into the matter. It looks as if we’ve got a defamation suit on our hands. This is just sour grapes from two girls who weren’t good enough to get in.”

  “Oh, I believe I did get in.” I blink a quiet smile.

  Lucille smirks as she looks from Cassidy to me. “Why don’t you take your backwoods cousin humping BFF and get the hell out of here? Nobody has time for whiners who don’t know how to gracefully accept the fact they didn’t get in—and FYI, you didn’t. Neither of you was Alpha material. We knew it from the get-go.”