Better Together: Boys of Talbert Hall #3

by Ward, Quinn

  Colin didn’t turn away as I got into my car. The corner of his mouth quirked up as I fumbled trying to put my key in the ignition. It was stupid, but I felt as if I was under some sort of spell that made it impossible for me to look away from him before he turned to go inside. Because I hadn’t yet made enough of an ass of myself, I rolled down my window and leaned out. “This is probably my last run for the night. You want to ask Dustin if it's okay for you to take off?”

  “Is that allowed?” He glanced over his shoulder as if expecting the manager to burst out the door at any moment.

  “You aren't even on the schedule tonight,” I pointed out. “Things will die down pretty soon. Dustin's used to closing on his own. If you want, we can head out and grab a beer or something.”

  Why in the hell wasn’t I on the road already? And why was I inviting Colin out for drinks? I needed to get my shit together and remind myself that Chase and Jayden would kick my ass if I did anything with Chase's little brother.

  “Pretty sure there’s not a bar around here that will let a nineteen-year-old in.” Shit. Because he didn’t act like a typical college freshman, I’d forgotten that he was the baby of the bunch. “But if you want, I can give you some cash to pick up something on the way back to Talbert. We could drink there, as long as no one’s going to give me shit about being underage.”

  “If they do, they’re fucking hypocrites,” I scoffed. I put the car in gear because I really did need to hit the road. My tips were probably going to be nil as it was. “Get your clean up done so you’re ready to go when I get back.”

  He gave me a mock salute and turned on his heel. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him say something about me not getting used to bossing him around. I’d have to find out what that was all about later.

  4

  Daniel

  Have you ever had sex so boring you were able to text while the girl was riding you?

  I reread the text message a few times. Zach was a notorious bullshitter, so I couldn't figure out if he was being serious or not. Then again, this was Zach…he was obnoxious and crude on the best of days. Knowing him, I was about to get a play-by-play of his escapades.

  Why didn't you tell me going out tonight was a bad idea?

  Because I'm not in charge of you? I’d suggested he stay home and study since he had the night off, but that was a foreign concept to him. He didn’t talk much about his upbringing, but I was pretty sure he was making up for a lousy childhood now. And he’d been in rare form since we’d all come back to Talbert Hall after summer break. The last few weeks, he’d been content to stay in, getting to know our new roommates when he didn't have to work. I’d been impressed and thought maybe Zach was finally buckling down. But this weekend it had all changed.

  I’d tried checking in on him multiple times over the summer because I knew whatever went on at home wasn’t good. At first, he’d told me he was fine, then eventually, he snapped and told me to quit conjuring drama where none existed. Looking back, maybe that should have been a clue that things were bad. The same guy who always gave me shit about using big words actually used the phrase “conjuring drama.”

  Fuck, that might be kinda hot. Do I get to call you Daddy, too?

  Why in the hell had I said anything? If ever there was a guy who needed someone to take him over the knee and redden his ass, it was Zach. And, yes, I’d imagined it a time or two when he was being incredibly crass. But none of the guys knew I was equal opportunity when it came to who I slept with, so I couldn’t exactly come out and agree with him. And I didn’t want to be his Daddy.

  If I wound up with a guy, I wasn’t looking for some sweet little boy I could coddle. Besides, the more time I spent with the roommates who’d been part of the group for three years now, I felt a pang of jealousy over how Chase and Matt were taken care of. I wouldn’t want that all the time, but it could be nice every once in a while.

  How much have you had to drink?

  Not nearly enough. If I was drunk, I could escape and blame it on whiskey dick.

  I'd had plenty of sex in my life, but not once had I had such crappy sex that I wished for a case of alcohol-induced impotence.

  You’re not seriously texting during sex, are you?

  I quickly fired off a second message. Never mind. I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that.

  As if a simple yes wouldn't have been enough, he sent me a short video clip. Nothing pornographic, other than the exaggerated moaning from the girl riding him reverse cowgirl. She threw her head back and I saw Zach’s hand gripping her waist.

  I wasn’t there to know for sure, but from the few seconds I saw, it did look pretty fucking bad. But part of that was on him because he wasn’t doing anything to even try making it enjoyable. I considered sending him some pointers, but that would definitely cross the line.

  My God. I can't believe you sent me that.

  It's like you don't know me at all.

  I'm not having this conversation with you. Before Zach could reply, I tossed my phone onto the bed. Yes, it was still early in the school year, but that didn’t mean I had a free pass to blow off my homework. I pinched the bridge of my nose when my phone buzzed again. And again. And…oh, my god, I was starting to feel bad for the girl who didn’t realize he was texting me while she was riding him.

  That was probably weird, right? I mean, it wasn’t normal to text your buddy while your dick was inside—

  Nope. Wasn’t even going to think about that. I’d spent the entire summer reminding myself what a horrible idea it was to crush on my roommate. It didn’t matter that the two of us had an explosively hot spring semester. He didn’t have to know how many times I nutted while fucking a girl and imagining it was his ass instead. It was a catastrophically terrible idea to think about how much more satisfying his night would be if he was home with me.

  The phone screen lit up, yet again, as I stormed out of the room. I might not be going out to get hammered, but that didn’t mean I had to stay sober, either. I considered ignoring it, but for some stupid ass reason, I looked.

  Come on, man. I need you to call me and say there’s an emergency or something.

  “Fuck that noise,” I grumbled as I slammed our bedroom door closed. I turned left out of habit and ran directly into one of the new guys. If I hadn’t known better, no fucking way would I have believed he was a freshman. His body screamed gym rat, and it wouldn’t have surprised me to find out he’d researched the exercises that would turn him into the ultimate thirst trap. It took me a few seconds to realize my hand was glued to his chiseled chest. “Shit, sorry.”

  I wasn’t sure what strings Chase and Colin’s parents had pulled to get approval for a freshman to be in an upperclassmen residence hall but, so far, he was pretty cool. If I hadn’t known Colin was Chase’s brother, I never would have believed it. Where Chase was on the small side and shy as hell, Colin had these broad shoulders and exuded confidence. Unfortunately, having Colin rooming with us meant we’d been put into one of the quad suites and nothing was where it was supposed to be.

  “No worries.” Colin’s hand was warm as he curled his fingers around my wrist and removed it from his chest. He gripped my shoulders and turned me around before giving me a nudge toward the common area. He followed me into the kitchen and pulled a loaf of bread out of the cupboard while I grabbed a beer. I almost offered him one before remembering he was only nineteen. Old for a freshman, but I wasn’t about to ask what that was about. “Everything good?”

  “Yeah. Why?” I swiped the bread out of his hand and pulled out a couple of slices to make myself a snack. Drinking on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea, and I was determined to be smarter this year.

  “You seemed out of sorts when you plowed into me.” I choked on my beer at his choice of words. While I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to plowing into him, I was much more interested in what someone like him could do to me. He smirked, lifting an eyebrow as if silently daring me to comment. I might have, but there wa
s a sudden lump in my throat. I opened and closed my mouth a few times while my brain tried to come up with a valid excuse for being so spacy.

  “I’m still trying to get used the new suite.” Yes, I’d been distracted, but after two years living in the same layout, it was hard getting used to rooms not being where they belonged.

  “Yeah, okay,” Colin scoffed. He spread mayo on the bread with enough force I feared the survival of the cheap shit we used. Maybe I wasn’t the only one in a pissy mood tonight.

  “Seriously, it’s nothing.” But if it was nothing, why was I so pissy about him not believing me? I wouldn’t react this way if it was any of the other guys.

  But dammit, I was tired of pretending Zach wasn’t a huge fucking block in my mind.

  No, it wasn’t that. I just needed to finish my homework and get a decent night of sleep.

  “I know I'm the new guy, but I'm not fucking stupid,” Colin scoffed. He pulled a stack of baggies out of the fridge, tossing the meats he didn’t want to the side. I did the same, wondering why in the hell Brandon bought a bit of everything from the deli. The man was seriously obsessed with keeping us all fed.

  “I never said you were.” Even if I knew what the hell I wanted to say, I didn't want to suck anyone else into my drama. It was bad enough the rest of the guys knew how I felt about Zach, even if I hadn't meant to tell them. And with two happy couples in the suite already, it felt like they were suddenly trying to play matchmaker. Hell, if anything, maybe I should warn Colin about that. Pretty soon, our suite was going to get a reputation for turning everyone gay, even if that wasn't what was happening.

  “I’m just sayin’, you don't know me, and I don't know you, but don't you think that might make me the perfect person for you to talk to about whatever had you so rattled?” Oh, this kid was good. I pursed my lips together to keep anything from slipping out. No, I wouldn’t tell him I was irritated about Zach throwing his sex life in my face.

  And, really, I couldn’t even be pissed off at Zach about that because he didn't know what was going on in my head. As far as he knew, the threesomes this spring were two guys trying to sow their wild oats. I hoped he never knew that they were something different to me because he’d kick my ass. As he should, because it had been wrong of me to keep going after I knew what was going on in my head.

  I slapped together a couple of sandwiches and retreated to the common area. If I’d been smart, I would have escaped to the safety of my bedroom, but if I was in there, I’d just be annoyed about the Zach situation again.

  Colin started opening and slamming cupboard doors, muttering under his breath about something. “What are you looking for? I can’t guarantee I know where shit’s at, but I do have a couple of years trying to get used to Brandon’s organization system.”

  I cocked my head to the side at the distinct sound of ice filling two glasses. A responsible adult would tell the underage kid to stay out of the booze, but I didn’t have it in me to be Captain Buzzkill tonight. It was better for him to have a drink in the privacy of the suite rather than going out.

  “What’s in it?” I asked when Colin handed me a drink. Despite what some of our roommates assumed, I rarely drank more than a beer or two at a time, and almost never touched anything harder. That shit was expensive and I didn’t need to get derailed by getting fucked up.

  “Just drink it,” Colin goaded me. “You wouldn’t make me drink alone, would you?”

  I quirked an eyebrow as I pointed to the bottle of beer sitting on the coffee table in front of me.

  “You need something stronger than that piss water,” he scoffed. Instead of taking one of the empty chairs across from me, Colin settled on the opposite side of the small couch. He held up his glass as if preparing to make a toast. I mirrored his action before taking a sip of the drink I assumed was something cola based. I was pleasantly surprised when it was nothing like I’d been expecting. “Good? I didn’t have much to work with in there, but it was something I saw online and wanted to try.”

  “So I’m your guinea pig?” I took another sip. I couldn’t place what was in it but, yeah, it was tasty as hell. Dangerously good. This was the type of drink I could see sneaking up on me before it knocked me on my ass.

  “I mean, sure.” Colin shrugged. “I get that you’re not going to say shit about what’s going on, but you looked like you needed something stronger than cheap beer tonight.”

  “I’m not that rough,” I argued. Still, I was grateful for something that would help me chill the fuck out. By the time I finished this drink, I might be calmed down enough to focus on my homework. And it wouldn’t do any harm to spend a bit of time with him.

  “Yeah, okay,” Colin scoffed. He and his older brother were polar opposites. Where Chase came across as timid when he’d first moved in, Colin was determined to make his presence known. He didn’t so much as twitch as I watched him, trying to figure out how two men raised in the same house wound up so different. He leaned into the arm of the couch, casually crossing his legs.

  It wasn’t intentional, but my gaze drifted down his broad chest…and then lower. If I wasn’t mistaken, Colin was freeballing it, and the guy was hung. That thing would split me in two and leave me begging for more.

  Fuck. I clawed at my sweatpants, reminding myself he was my roommate’s kid brother.

  But he was also my roommate, so sort of an equal?

  No. He was only here because of Chase. Otherwise, he’d have been stuck in the dorms with the rest of the freshmen. After things had been dicey last spring, I wasn’t going to do anything to threaten my friendship with the rest of the roommates.

  I could not use him to scratch the itch. I turned away as I reached between my legs to rearrange things, so I wasn’t pitching a tent.

  Colin chuckled and my cheeks burned when I realized I’d been busted. “I guess that answers that question. For what it’s worth, the feeling’s absolutely mutual. You decide you want to do more than just gawk, you let me know.”

  The shithead had impeccable timing, and I choked on my drink. He tipped back his glass and drained what was left before getting up while I used the hem of my shirt to sop up the root beer from my chin. He licked his lips and let out a hum of approval before turning away.

  “If I made a list, would you hit the liquor store for me? I’ll give you whatever money you need.” Colin flipped on the kitchen light and started pulling bottles out of the cabinet over the stove. “I’m disappointed by the boring stash you guys have in here.”

  “Yeah, well some of us are actually old enough to go to the bar when we want to get shitfaced,” I pointed out. The reminder of his age was as much for me as it was for him. I could not use Chase’s younger brother as a way to forget my misguided crush.

  “True, but it’s cheaper to drink at home,” he countered. “And it limits the number of drunk, belligerent assholes you have to contend with.”

  “And how in the hell would you know the difference?” God, I sounded like a total loser. It wasn’t like any of the rest of us had waited until our twenty-first birthdays before tasting alcohol. And obviously, Colin wasn’t a stranger to mixing drinks.

  “Come on, are you telling me you never snuck into a bar before you were legal?” he scoffed. He said it so casually, as if it was a regular occurrence in his life. And maybe it was. It was probably easier to sneak in when you were built like him and lived in a small town with several other towns nearby. I’d never had that luxury. For as long as I could remember, it was drilled into my head that I had to keep out of trouble unless I wanted to work dead-end jobs my entire life. I knew I wanted something better than where I came from, so I toed the line, much to the chagrin of my high school buddies.

  I watched as he pulled everything out of the cabinet. He checked each label before moving the bottle to the left or the right. Finally, curiosity got the best of me. I joined him in the kitchen, hoisting myself onto the counter. He ran the tip of his tongue over the seam of his lips as he slowly ran his gaze ove
r my body.

  “Shot glasses?” he asked as he filled a pint glass with ice.

  “I’m pretty sure this is considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor,” I protested.

  The corner of Colin’s mouth lifted into a devilish smirk. I swallowed hard at the mischievous gleam in his eye. “Please, you stick with me long enough and I’m pretty sure I could teach you a thing or two. Didn’t my brother tell you I’m the troublemaker of the family?”

  I nearly made a snarky comment about how that wasn’t saying much since Chase struck me as an almost angelic child, but something in the bitterness laced in Colin’s words stopped me. I knew all too well what it was like being compared to siblings, and if I hated that shit, I wasn’t about to do it to someone else.

  The new plan for the night? Let the new kid get me drunk if that’s what he needed to feel a connection to someone. He’d kept mostly to himself since moving in, and I knew neither of the siblings were happy about being forced to share a living space.

  “Point taken.” I twisted around to grab a couple of mismatched shot glasses out of the cupboard. I watched as Colin poured a bit of this and a splash of that into the pint glass, covered it with another glass, and gave it a shake. A butter knife wasn’t the proper tool to use to strain the liquid, but he made it work. I’d have to see if I could track down a decent set of equipment for him.

  No. I was not going to start buying gifts for Colin just so I could sit here and watch him come up with tasty concoctions. That was just—

  “Salud!” Colin’s toast snapped me out of my thoughts. He handed me a shot that looked an unappealing shade of brown. I’d watched him add orange juice to the glass, so there was no reason it should be that color. “I know it looks strange. It’s one of the best shots you’ll ever have.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” Even with my aversion to doing shots, I couldn’t imagine this would be something I’d willingly ingest more than once.