“Yeah, you’re not gonna try any funny business, right?”
Ridge scoffed.
“I don’t make a habit of pawing at wasted girls, even if they look like members of the Nirvana fan club.”
“Good one,” I said, as he pointed me toward the stairs. “Are you sure there isn’t some hot chick in stilettos waiting to warm your bed?”
“Jealous?” he asked.
I tried to guffaw, but it came out somewhere between a snort and a burp.
“You gonna be sick?” Ridge asked, moving us faster.
“Your insinuation that I’d be jealous of you makes me sick, but physically … no.”
“Okay, well, let me know if you do feel like puking, I have a bathroom off of my room, and I’d rather you make it to the toilet, than vomit on my bed.”
“Will do, Captain,” I said, giving him a jaunty salute.
Ridge shook his head and propped me up against the wall while he unlocked his door.
“You lock it?” I asked, letting my head fall back.
“Not always, but during parties, definitely.”
“Hmmm, I don’t remember it being locked last time I was up here.”
He looked at me with annoyance.
“Just an observation,” I said with a wave of my hand. “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
Ridge just sighed. “Come on, killer, let’s get you inside before you fall over.”
He led me to the bed and I laid back on it with a happy squeal.
“Mmm, soft.”
“Here, take these.”
I opened one eye to see Ridge standing over me with one hand out and the other holding a Gatorade.
Sitting up, I took the pills he offered and the blue drink. Before popping them in my mouth, I looked closer at the pills, saw they said Motrin on them, and took them.
“Thanks.”
“Drink all the Gatorade,” Ridge ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
Ridge got some clothes out of his dresser and disappeared into the bathroom while I downed the rest of the drink. Once it was done, I set the empty bottle on the side table and laid back down on the bed.
“Is Wes your only brother?” I asked, then realized the last time I’d seen him was in the beer pong room. “Hey, is he going to be okay? Did you leave him in the corner?”
The door opened and Ridge stepped out wearing basketball shorts and a plain white tee.
“Don’t worry, a couple of the pledges had to stay sober to make sure the rest of them got home safe. Wes’ll be fine. And, no, our youngest brother’s Brody. He’s a senior in high school, but he’ll be coming to U of M next year.”
“Wow, all of you at the same school. That’s pretty cool … I mean, as long as you all like each other.”
“Yeah, we get along, it’ll be good for Brody to get away,” Ridge said, opening his drawer again and holding up a T-shirt. “You wanna put this on? It’s probably more comfortable than that.”
I looked down and saw my Docs were perched on his bed and quickly swung my feet to the floor.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, placing my hands on either side of me to steady myself on the bed.
“Here, let me help.”
Ridge crouched before me and started unlacing my boots.
“I didn’t think you’d be this nice,” I told him softly, enjoying the way his dark hair fell over his forehead.
“Don’t be fooled, I can be a total dick,” Ridge said, his blue eyes intense when he met my gaze. “But, you and I, we’re a team now, we need to have each other’s backs.”
I started to nod, but the room started spinning, so I stopped.
Once my boots were off, I scooted back up on the bed and laid my head on his soft, yet firm pillow.
“What about you?” Ridge asked as he crawled in beside me. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Turning on my side, I tucked my hands under my cheeks and looked at him.
“I do … My mom and dad met when I was like two, at college. He was a baseball player and she was working her way through school and raising me. Eventually they got married, and now I have a younger brother, Carter.” I paused, thinking about my family and how much I missed them.
“So, he’s your stepdad?”
“Yeah, Judd’s my stepdad, but really the only father I’ve ever known. Initially, my real dad, Tucker, didn’t want anything to do with having a kid. He and my mom were just a hookup and he had dreams of playing professional baseball, which he did. About five years ago, he settled down and got married and realized what an ass he’d been. He contacted my mom and asked if we could meet. She left it up to me.”
“So, both Judd and your dad were ballplayers?”
“Mmm-hmmm, on the same team. I guess they were even friends, until Judd found out Tucker was a deadbeat dad. They hadn’t talked to each other either, until five years ago.”
“What did you decide? Did you give him a shot?”
“Yeah,” I said, trying to cover a yawn. “I met him and his wife, Claire, and once they had my little sister, Evelyn, I started spending more time with them. Now we’re a big, crazy, dysfunctional family.”
“Sounds cool,” Ridge said. “My brothers and I just recently found out we have three sisters, who are all older than us. My dad was a deadbeat too, and didn’t have anything to do with them once he left their mom for ours. So, I have a crazy dysfunctional family, too.”
“Huh, who would’ve thought?”
“What?”
“That we actually have something in common,” I joked, and then I couldn’t fight it anymore, and fell asleep.
Nine
Ridge
I woke up quickly, going from dead-ass asleep to wide awake in seconds, just like I did every morning. And, just like every morning, my dick was hard. This time, however, it was cozied up to something very soft and supple.
Karrie’s ass.
Despite my cock’s protest, I rolled over and out of bed, being as quiet and speedy as possible, so as not to wake my partner in crime and give her more ammunition against me.
Because, seriously, morning wood was as common as breathing, and had nothing to do with how good Karrie’s hair smelled, or how deliciously curved her ass was. It was simply how the male body worked … it didn’t mean anything.
That was my mantra as I locked myself in the bathroom, jumped in the shower, and jacked off.
If Karrie popped in my mind a couple times, or twenty, it was only because I just spent the night next to her, not because I thought she was hot.
Once I was clean and no longer ruled by my hard-on, I wrapped a towel around my waist and went back into my room to get dressed.
And, I’m stiff again.
Karrie was sitting up against my headboard, her curly hair a riot around her face, which was soft with sleep.
Her lips were full and pouty, and I instantly imagined them wrapped around my dick.
Fuck.
“Morning,” she said with a smile, her voice low and rough.
That isn’t helping.
“Good morning,” I managed, grateful that I had big extra-long and thick towels, so there was no evidence of my traitorous desire. “Feeling okay?”
I turned my back on her as I pulled my boxers out of the drawer, then moved to the closet and went inside.
“Yeah, great actually. Your Gatorade trick worked wonders.”
“Good,” I called out through the half-closed door as I got dressed.
“Who knew you were so smart?” she asked with a smirk when I came out.
“I did,” I retorted, and was pleased when she laughed.
Why that pleased me, I had no idea.
I need to shake this shit off.
“What’s your schedule look like today?” I asked.
“Free morning and one class this afternoon. I tried to get all of my classes on the same days, but the teacher I wanted for accounting only had one class available, so I had to take it. Why?”
“I thought we could get a jump on things and go shopping, but if you’re busy…”
“My class is over at three, we could go after,” Karrie suggested.
“That works for me, where should I pick you up?”
“My apartment at three thirty? That would give me the chance to drop my stuff off. I can text you the address.”
“Sounds good,” I replied as I shoved my books into my backpack and threw it over my shoulder.
“Are you leaving?” she asked.
“Yeah, I have class. You don’t have to hurry out, but I wouldn’t spend too much time down in the common rooms, there’s no telling what you’ll see or hear,” I warned her. “I have some stuff in my mini fridge, and snacks in that cabinet. Help yourself.”
“Okay, thanks,” Karrie said, but her expression conveyed her discomfort. “See you later.”
“Will you be okay? Do you need me to wait and walk you out?” I asked, looking at my phone and seeing I only had ten minutes to get to class.
“No, I’m a big girl, I’ll be fine,” she said, lifting her chin.
I nodded, taking her at her word.
“Later.”
I hurried down the stairs, said, “Hey,” to the pledge who was cleaning up, and rushed to my car.
Once I found a parking spot and did a light jog to my building, I made it to class with one minute to spare.
I was about to grab the seat in the back left corner that I’d claimed as mine, when I saw Drake standing by the door talking to a couple teammates, and redirected myself.
“Hey, asshole,” I said as I walked up to them, lifting my chin at the other guys and adding, “Connor, Marcus.”
Connor and Marcus said hi, but Drake just sneered.
“I wanted to thank you for being such a dick. Looks like you inadvertently did me a favor,” I told him with a smirk.
“Oh yeah, how so?” he asked, taking the bait.
Dude was so fucking predictable.
“By being a dumbass and letting Karrie go…”
Drake looked me up and down, so I stood a little straighter, making sure he had to look up at me to finish his perusal.
“Karrie wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole, preppy.”
“That’s funny, cause I’m pretty sure I have a date with her tonight,” I replied, leaning in close to get in his face.
“Bullshit,” he retorted, but he no longer looked sure.
I grinned.
“Sorry, but it’s true,” I said, making sure he saw the intent in my eyes. “And, I hate to break it to you, but when I left Delta, she was still warming my bed.”
Drake’s eyes widened and his lips thinned.
“I just love the smell of honey and cinnamon, don’t you?”
That did it. Describing the smell of her hair was all he needed to believe Karrie and I had spent the night together.
“Later, fuckwad,” I said with a laugh, then spun round and went to find my seat.
Ten
Karrie
It felt like the walk of shame, even though I hadn’t done anything to feel ashamed of.
Not that I thought having sex, one-night stands, or spending the night with a guy you had a mutually beneficial understanding with was anything to be ashamed of. But, walking through Delta that morning after sleeping in Ridge’s room, I’d been very unsettled at the thought of anyone seeing me.
I didn’t want to be seen as a Delta Groupie, or one of Ridge’s randoms.
I wasn’t sure why it mattered to me, but it did.
Luckily, I made it out with only one pledge seeing me, and he’d looked like he was more afraid of me than I was of him.
Feeling surprisingly chipper, considering how much I drank last night, I hopped on my bike and pedaled home, enjoying the feel of the sun on my skin as I navigated the streets.
There were students everywhere. Some headed to class, others piling out of the coffee shop, and I smiled as I realized for the first time since Drake broke up with me, that I was happy and excited to see what the day would bring.
After I locked up my bike, I hurried upstairs and into my apartment, throwing open the door and calling Good morning to Mina.
“What’s so good about it? Where have you been? Are those yesterday’s clothes? Spill!”
I laughed as I turned to look at my best friend, who was eating cereal at the counter.
“Don’t get excited, nothing happened … but I spent the night at Delta,” I told her, feeling an odd thrill at the memory of falling asleep next to Ridge.
“Shut the front door,” Mina cried, doing a little high step in place. “With Ridge?”
“Yes, but like I said, nothing happened. We just hung out, played some beer pong, and then he let me sleep it off in his room,” I told her.
I really wanted to spill all … the makeover, the fake dating, etc… but since Ridge wanted to keep this secret from everyone, including his own brother, I didn’t know how he’d feel about me letting Mina in on it.
“In his bed?” she asked gleefully.
“Yes.”
“With him in it?”
I nodded.
“But nothing happened?” Mina pressed. “No accidental touches or inadvertent kisses? Tell me you at least grazed his dick.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well, let’s just say I did feel a wakeup call on my ass this morning,” I admitted.
“And? Was it a big wakeup call, or just a little guy?”
“Oh, it was substantial.”
“I knew it. Dude’s big all over, it would be depressing if the girth didn’t match the stature, if you get my drift,” she said wryly.
“He’s not getting complaints in the girth department, I can assure you of that.”
“Mmmmm,” Mina said, shaking her head. “Did you at least wiggle up against it?”
“No, I pretended to be asleep.”
“What a wasted opportunity,” she chided.
“I didn’t want to complicate things,” I told her truthfully, even though I knew we were about to ramp up our makeover game, and with the way Mina was acting, she was going to fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
I needed to talk to Ridge and see if he’d be okay with me telling Mina the truth. I didn’t want to lie to her, especially not when she was so excited about even the possibility of me and Ridge.
“Girl, you got a man that fine, hard and ready to go, you do whatever you can to get yourself some. You could have started your day off with an orgasm. When’s the last time that happened?”
“Um…”
“Exactly. Ridge is hot as fuck, plus, you could throw that shit in Drake’s face.”
I nodded, since that was the whole reason I agreed to Ridge’s crazy scheme in the first place. Drake had always been jealous, and even though he’d apparently cheated on me repeatedly and moved on, I knew he still wouldn’t like the idea of me moving on with someone else.
Especially Ridge.
“Well, I am seeing Ridge tonight, so we’ll see what happens.”
Mina’s eyes widened and she threw a fist in the air.
“Yes! This is the best news I’ve heard all day. Now, please tell me that you’re finally going to change your clothes and do something with your hair,” she said, curling her lip as she looked me over. “You need to show Ridge that you’re more than sweats and a messy bun.”
“Actually, he’s taking me shopping … for clothes.”
“Seriously? Did he lose a bet or something?”
“It was actually his idea,” I told her.
“It’s because of that shirt, isn’t it? He thinks you’re a poor student with no fashion sense and he’s taking pity on you.”
I slapped her on the arm.
“Ouch.”
“That’s not true,” I argued, even though it probably was.
Mina gave me a look that said, it absolutely is true, and said, “Just promise me you’ll put some effort in so Ridge can see how you look when you’re not sad
and depressed Karrie who doesn’t give a shit.”
“I promise,” I told her.
“Good, now promise that you’ll try to get to first base … maybe second.”
“No,” I said with a laugh, “we’re going out as friends.”
“Wear that sundress you have, with the little flowers and tight bodice. Ridge will be begging to round the bases with you.”
“Mina…”
“No, Karrie, you deserve this. You deserve to have some fun after what that fuck did to you and Ridge looks like he’d be an amusement park full of fun.”
Eleven
Ridge
I jogged up the stairs to Karrie’s apartment and knocked.
I felt an anticipation I couldn’t quite explain, since I was just picking her up to go shopping, which wasn’t very exciting.
Maybe it was because I wanted to tell her about my run-in with Drake, or see if memory served and she looked as hot as she had in my bed that morning. Hell, maybe I just wanted to spend more time with her again.
It was weird, but I wasn’t going to dwell on my feelings. I was simply going to go with it and see what happened.
My greeting of, “Hey,” was on my lips as the door opened, but it fell off when I got a good look at Karrie.
Her blonde hair framed her face with soft curls, looking more controlled than I’d ever seen it. Her face was done up tastefully in neutral tones, and her body was encased in a very flattering, form-fitting dress that showed off her toned body.
The girl looked thick in all the right ways, and utterly gorgeous.
I blinked and looked behind her, as if searching for the T-shirt-wearing girl who threw her hair up and walked around with a no fucks given attitude.
“Hi,” Karrie’s voice said from the bombshell’s mouth, and I blinked my focus back on her.
“Hey,” I said again, not sure if I’d actually said it initially or not, even though I probably sounded like an idiot.
She gave me a confused smile and stepped aside.
“So you want to come in?”
I looked over her shoulder again, into the living room with throw pillows and blankets galore, and shook my head.
Frat House Confessions--Ridge Page 4
