Adam beams. “Yeah, thank you. I’m pretty stoked about it. The pledges are all really excited to be here and to make a great name for our fraternity.”
“Must be your infectious attitude,” I tease. Adam smiles, but it fades after a moment and he just stares at me. I feel naked with his eyes on me that way.
“Why didn’t you return my calls over the holiday?”
I drop my eyes to my hands, picking at the nail polish on the fingers gripping my cup. “I just needed a break from everyone.”
“Even me?”
“Especially you,” I murmur, my chest tightening.
“What?”
I sigh, lifting my eyes to his again, somewhat thankful he didn’t hear me. “It’s nothing personal. I was just homesick, so I tried to focus on my family while I had them close.”
Adam’s brows are still furrowed, but he relaxes a bit. “Understandable.” For a moment he just watches me, and I really wish he’d stop. “I was just kind of worried about you, you know… after the way the semester ended.” I really, really wish he’d stop looking at me the way he is. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” It’s not a lie, not completely, anyway. I was far from fine over break, especially after Clay took my virginity and then embarrassed me in front of the entire school. But being home with my family really did help, and now that I’m swearing off boys, I know I’ll be okay.
“You know I’m always here for you.” His hand touches my arm just slightly with his words and I shudder.
“There you are!” Skyler bounds out the sliding glass door and throws her arms around Adam’s neck. His eyes are still on me, but his hands wrap around her small waist. “Come dance with me.”
Finally tearing his eyes from mine, he smiles down his nose at her, nodding. “Whatever you want, Poker Star.”
Skyler’s blue eyes dazzle in the low light of the night as she turns to me. “Coming, Little?”
“Yeah. Just give me a second.”
Skyler drags Adam inside and I lean on the railing again, focusing on my breaths. My skin still feels hot, despite the water and the fresh air. Once I feel I have myself together, I pull out my phone to check the time.
And I have two missed texts.
Both from a number I don’t have saved in my phone.
– Okay, so I waited a few days so I wouldn’t seem so desperate, but I’m tired of playing the “I’m not interested” game. Can I take you out this week? –
– … Please say yes. –
I smile, biting my lower lip as I type out a response.
– Friday. Seven o’clock. Ralph’s. –
If Grayson wants me to break my no boys, no drama rule, he’s going to have to work for it.
First test — saving me from the creeps at the auction.
UGH. I’M FUCKING BORED.
Buzzed.
But bored.
Refilling my cup at the keg, I watch as Ashlei and Bo dance in the living room. Ashlei’s long blond hair is sticking to the back of her neck, but she somehow makes sweating look sexy. I swear she was born to dance. It still hasn’t left her, even though she stopped dancing back in high school.
There are guys all around them, but they’ve turned every single one down enough tonight that they’re staying away now. They only have eyes for each other. Ashlei’s hand is on Bo’s waist and they’re giggling, hands lingering, eyes flirting.
It really doesn’t bother me that they’re together. Honestly. What really fucking pisses me off is that Ashlei is one of my best friends and Bo is my Little and yet neither of them have told me about their relationship. I tried talking myself out of it, thinking maybe it was just a drunken kiss, but ever since we got back from Winter Break they’ve been inseparable. I can just tell, the way they act around each other, the things they say, the things they don’t say. In fact, I’m not sure how anyone else hasn’t caught on yet.
I’ve been spending more time with Bo lately, making sure it’s one-on-one attention and not just sister events. She made it clear last semester that she wasn’t going to take a Little until she got the experience of being one herself, so I’m trying to be better. Still, every time we’re hanging out and she skirts around questions about her dating life, I get a little more irked.
I swear I’m going to explode on the both of them if they don’t fess up soon.
Sighing, I take a sip of my beer and whip out my phone, shooting a text to Jarrett.
– This party sucks. I’d rather be with you. –
– Ditto. This professor assistants game night is as about as exciting as tweezing out my eyelashes. Shocking, right? –
– Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have a good time tomorrow night. ;) –
Smiling, I tuck my phone back in my pocket just as Skyler slides up next to me.
“Have you seen my Little? Or my Big?”
I shake my head. “Last time I saw Cassie she was dancing with you, and Erin said she had to pee but that was like thirty minutes ago.”
“Weird. Oh well. Did Erin tell you what the Social Chairs have been thinking for Spring Break?”
“I thought they weren’t telling us until chapter next week?”
Skyler’s blue eyes gleam as she rakes her damp hair off her neck. “They aren’t, but Erin has all the inside knowledge now that she’s on the executive board. And she heard the girls talking to the O Chi boys about Key West!”
I squeal. “Fuck yes! Oh my God, I haven’t been since my parents took me when I was in high school. I was too young to drink then. Oh my God, this is going to be amazing.”
“The possibilities on Duval Street alone make me giddy.”
Frowning, I eye the beer in my cup. “I should probably start drinking vodka waters like now.”
Skyler laughs. “Spring Break diet here we come!”
My phone buzzes and when I check the message, my mouth goes dry.
– I’m not satisfied with just tomorrow. Go find an empty room. –
I smile, but can’t deny the little flip in my stomach. I love when he goes into sexy Jarrett mode. It’s like there’s a switch — sometimes he’s just hot, funny Jarrett in presentable PA clothing. But when the switch is flipped, he’s unbearably sexy, demanding, fire-eyed Jarrett in nothing but a tight pair of boxer briefs.
I personally prefer the switch flipped.
– Are you asking me to sext you, Jarrett Locke? –
– Was there a question mark in that last text? Find a room. Now. –
I bite my lip, a little turned on at the thought. Dirty pics and words in the middle of a crowded party? I can dig it.
“Be right back,” I tell Skyler, pushing myself off the wall we were leaned against and heading straight for the bathroom. There are several in the house, but the best one is in the upstairs loft. By best, I mean cleanest. Using the bathroom in a frat house is like hanging out the door of a speeding car. You’re taking a risk. My Big used to always say, “Shots and squats, my dear. Do not touch that seat.”
Making my way up the stairs, I type out a text to Jarrett asking him what he wants me to do to myself. The three little dots pop up letting me know he’s texting me back and my stomach tightens in anticipation. When I push through the bathroom door and find Erin with her head in the toilet, my excitement fades.
“Shit, Ex, what the hell?”
She heaves, but it doesn’t sound like much comes up. Cursing, I fall to the floor next to her and scoop her dark blonde hair up, fastening it at the top of her head with the spare hair tie on my wrist.
“You’re such a freshman right now.”
Erin groans, leaning back on her heels and lifting her eyes to mine. They’re red, rimmed with tears, and her entire face is a sheet white. “I’m so fucked, Jess. I’m so, so fucked.”
“What are you talking about?” I shake my head, ripping a few sheets of toilet paper off and offering them to her to clean her face. “You’re fine. Just drunk. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Jess, you d
on’t understand.”
I groan when I see the dirty text from Jarrett, telling me, in amazing detail, what he wants me to do to myself. Then my phone pings again, and it’s a photo of Jarrett palming himself. His abs take up most of the picture, but just the sight of his hand wrapped around his thick cock makes me whimper. It’s clear he also snuck off to a bathroom, and all I want is to be bad with him.
But, sisters first.
Fuck me.
“I understand just fine. Do you not remember me on Spring Break last year?”
Erin huffs, grabbing my wrist with force. “Goddamnit, Jess, listen to me! I’m not drunk!”
“Clearly.”
She levels her eyes. “I’m serious. I haven’t had a single drink tonight… or this semester, period.” She stares at me expectantly, like I’m supposed to understand. When the little lightbulb finally flashes on, I gasp.
“Holy shit. Do you think you’re…”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh my God, Ex, how?!”
She sighs. “I’ve been throwing up and my body just feels weird. I’m freaking out, Jess. What do I do?”
“Have you missed a period yet?”
“I was supposed to have it this week, but nothing.”
I curse, my hand flying to my forehead. No way. No fucking way is Erin Xander, the most angelic of all of us, pregnant. The girl doesn’t party as much as we do, she hasn’t had a boyfriend in I don’t even know how long, and she’s not exactly the hook-up kind of girl.
Actually, that’s a great fucking point.
“Erin, who… um,” I fade off, not sure how to phrase my question. “If there were, for argument’s sake, a little bundle of joy in your belly — who would be responsible?”
She bites her lip just as the door swings open. Clinton startles when he sees us just as Erin yells something about them needing a new lock on the damn door.
“Whoa. You two okay?” Clinton asks. I ignore him, turning my eyes back to Erin.
But her eyes are still fixed on his.
And she’s breathing really fucking hard.
When she looks at me once more, panic evident in her features, I know I don’t need to repeat my question.
Well, shit.
Spring semester is off to an interesting start.
“OH MY GOD, GIVE ME THAT!”
Skyler flies through my bedroom door, kicking it closed behind her before snatching the large burrito I was just about to bite out of my hands. Her soft hair falls into her face a bit as she shoves nearly half of it in her mouth, her eyes rolling up. Moaning, she chews it slowly, like she’s savoring every morsel.
I blink.
“Thank you,” she says, handing me back what’s left of the burrito and wiping the corners of her mouth.
“You sure you don’t want to eat the tin foil, too?”
She swats at my arm before climbing into bed next to me. “Don’t be an ass. This Spring Break diet is going to be the death of me, I swear.”
I laugh. “Ah, it all makes sense now. Want the rest?” I offer her the burrito again but she pushes it back, shaking her head.
“I’m already going to have to do like fifty crunches and run a mile to get rid of that one bite. But seriously, who made kale a thing?” She grimaces. “I just want to eat cheese fries and lose ten pounds.”
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper, kissing her nose. She scrunches it, so I kiss it again.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, blushing a little. “Still, I’m going to be on the beach surrounded by a hundred tiny little things in thong bikinis. I need to be on my game.”
Frowning, I take a bite of my burrito and chase it down with the soda on my night stand. “Don’t remind me.”
“Why are you all grumpy?”
I sigh. “I won’t be with you that week. I’m kind of bummed about it.”
“What are you talking about? Of course we’ll be together.”
“Did you forget what fraternity I’m in?”
Skyler’s still frowning, but as recognition sets in, her brows pull inward and she chews her lip. The Kappa Kappa Betas always go on Spring Break with the Omega Chis, and being that I’m an Alpha Sigma, that pairing doesn’t exactly do us any favors.
“Well, whatever. You can still come.”
I chuckle around another bite. “Yeah, because that would go over well.”
“I’m serious.” Skyler sits up on her knees, making me look at her. She’s dressed in nothing but a small Kappa Kappa Beta tank top and tiny little shorts. No make-up, hair natural and wavy. Stunning as usual. “I’m not giving you the option. You’re my boyfriend and you’re coming on Spring Break with me. Where’s your laptop?”
“Why?”
She rolls her eyes at my question before hopping off the bed and retrieving my computer from the desk. Falling back into the covers, she flips it open without another word, clicking away at the keys.
“Done.”
“What’s done?”
“I just booked you for the all-day boat trip we’re doing on the second day of Spring Break. And…” her voice trails off as she finishes typing off a text. Not a second goes by before her phone pings in her hand. “Perfect! You’re set to go in the van we rented to take down there and you’ll stay in our hotel room. All set!”
I shake my head, finishing off my burrito and chugging down half my drink. “Are you serious right now? You know the Omega Chis are going to flip their shit.”
“They won’t. Because if they do, I’ll bitch at Bear, and he’ll bitch at everyone else until they shut up. Trust me. It’s all good.” Smiling devilishly, she crawls up the covers and locks her lips on mine, grinding her hips against my own. My boxers, the comforter, and her tiny ass shorts are the only things separating us. I groan, tugging on her bottom lip.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Skyler Thorne.”
“At least it’ll be a fun way to go,” she whispers, nipping at the skin on my neck. Fastening my hands on her small waist, I flip her over, pinning her in the sheets.
“Can’t argue that.”
As I kiss my way down her neck, Skyler runs her fingers through my hair and gives it a small tug. “How are the pledges doing? You guys had a killer rush.”
I move my lips to hers, snaking my tongue inside her mouth and stealing a moan before replying. “Good. We’re getting ready for the camping trip before the bonfire next week.”
“I always forget you do that,” Skyler pants, bucking her hips up to meet mine. “Creepers. Kidnapping those poor kids.”
Grinning against her skin, I slip my hands under her tank top and push it up and over her rib cage. “Trust me. It’s the most fun they have in the pledge process.”
“And what’s the worst part?”
I pull her tank off the rest of the way, sucking the sensitive skin on the swell of her breast. “If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Death by orgasm?”
“Torturous death by orgasm.”
She smiles, biting her bottom lip as she peers down at me with heavy blue eyes. “Tell. Me. Everything.”
EVEN THOUGH SKYLER OFFICIALLY CALLS me her boyfriend, she never sticks around after we have sex. Sometimes she’ll lie on my chest for a while or we’ll talk, but sooner or later, she’s out the door and it’s just me alone in my bed.
And when I’m alone, I think.
About rush. About all the activities coming up. About the whispers I’ve been hearing around our fraternity concerning the presidency next semester.
I know I’m at the top of everyone’s mind, and as fucking stoked as I am about that, I can’t help but wonder if being with Skyler is going to pull me from what I need to do to make it actually happen.
I love being around her, we have fun together, but I can still tell it’s not serious for either one of us. Couple that with the fact that planning events and taking on a presidency requires most if not all of my future time, it just feels like we’re speeding fast toward an inevitable c
rash.
Sighing, I reach for my phone and type out a text to Cassie.
– Breakfast tomorrow – the usual spot? –
Letting my thoughts drift to that little redhead does absolutely nothing to soothe my stress. After what happened with Clay last semester, I knew she would need someone to lean on over break. Apparently, that someone wasn’t me. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does.
She came to my window that night.
I can still remember the way it felt to hold her, the way my chest ached when she told me I was right about Clay. It fucking killed me, because I didn’t want to be right — not about knowing he would hurt her.
What she doesn’t know — what no one knows — is that I laid that fucker out the next day. I stormed right into his bedroom while he was getting dressed, Paris having just left, and decked him hard across the jaw. I made sure he knew it was coming. Hell, I even told him to hit me back. But he didn’t. He knew he was a piece of shit, even if he didn’t admit it to anyone else.
But then, I didn’t hear from Cassie all break, and when I finally saw her at the Omega Chi party last week, she made me feel like I was responsible for the hurt she endured — not him.
I can’t figure this girl out.
After twenty minutes go by with no response, I sigh, plugging my phone into the charger and setting an alarm for class in the morning. Leaning back on my pillows, I tuck my hands under my head and stare up at the ceiling, brain still not getting the memo that it’s time to turn off.
I’m excited Skyler wants me with her for Spring Break, but I can’t shake the feeling that whatever is happening between us is going to be short lived. She’s smart, funny, and gorgeous — but that’s exactly it. She deserves to be with a guy who can give her all the time in his life, or at least to be able to have the freedom to do whatever she wants. I can’t call her my girlfriend and then put other things before her — like the Alpha Sigma presidency.
Rolling over, I pull a pillow over my head and let out a large puff of air. There are too many “what ifs” and I don’t have enough energy to figure them all out tonight. One step at a time, Brooks. Tomorrow starts the planning for the pledge retreat. I need to just focus on what I can control.
Palm South University: Season 2 Box Set Page 4
