She seems just as shocked as I am, her bottom lip pinned between her teeth as she watches Kip. I can’t tell if she’s pissed or swooning.
When Skyler’s eyes find mine, I nod toward Kip, urging her to accept his date. As much as it makes my stomach curdle like an Irish Car Bomb not taken fast enough, it’s the only way to get the plan in motion.
If I want Kip, this is part of it. Skyler will have him coming around us more, and then once she breaks things off, he’ll be looking for someone to lean on, someone to confide in.
Enter: me.
“About time you did this the right way, pledge,” Skyler finally says, appearing as confident as ever. “I guess you can take me out. Friday night. And seven, not eight.”
She winks at him as everyone cheers, and I watch them staring at each other as Kip makes his way out the door with the rest of his brothers. His gaze never leaves her, and her eyes stay fixed on his, and I feel a little like celebrating and a little like throwing up all at once.
I adjourn chapter as soon as they’re gone, rushing up the stairs after Skyler and the rest of the girls. Ashlei’s pouring out of her room as soon as I make it upstairs, and we squeal together before bursting through the door to Jess and Skyler’s room.
“This is so perfect, Little!” I say immediately as Ashlei pops up into Jess’s bed with her. “I knew you would come through. I’ve been so busy getting everything situated for the semester that I haven’t had time to check in and here you are outperforming what I could even imagine!”
My chest tightens, but I smile through the discomfort.
Pulling Skyler in for a hug, I assure myself again that this will work — this will be worth it.
“I knew there was a reason I picked you as my Little. You’re a bad ass, just like me.”
Skyler squeezes me back as the girls laugh, and I hold her a little tighter, thanking her as much as I can in that embrace for what she’s doing for me. Even though I truly do believe Skyler is a bad ass, I know what I’m asking her to do isn’t easy.
“Where do you think he’ll take you on the date?” Ashlei asks, her eyes wide as I release Skyler.
“The better question is what are you going to wear?” Jess chimes in.
I launch into theories with them, the excitement and giddiness taking over me. When Skyler says she wants to get some sleep, Ashlei and I skip down to my room and rummage through my closet, trying to find the perfect outfit for Skyler to wear.
Sitting there on my bed, watching Ashlei pull out dress after dress, I finally let it hit me.
This is it.
In less than a week, they’ll go on their first date, and it’ll all start. I’ll be one step closer to being with Kip again. My smile falters, brows pinching together as the reality of it sinks in. Kip will be on a date. With Skyler. And then, because of me, she’ll pull him in, get him close enough to care about her, and then break his heart.
For me.
I should be happy. That giddiness I had before, that smile, it should be all I can register.
It’s working, the plan is in place…
So then why do I feel like the scum of the Earth?
A GIRL HAS NEEDS.
The last time I had that one, steadfast thought on repeat in my dirty little pea brain, I met Jarrett. I never could have known what would come from that, but I’m pretty sure I know exactly what will come of tonight.
After chapter, I half-walked, half-skipped down Greek Row to the Omega Chi house. Greg asked me if I wanted to come by to “study” tonight, and I have a pretty good idea what that’s code for.
“Study” equals “take our pants off and see what happens.”
So, I decided not to wear pants at all, opting to stay in the same little black dress I wore to chapter. It’s a little formal for the occasion, since we have to wear business casual for chapter, but it’s also easier access.
Priorities.
Greg meets me at the door after I shoot out a text to let him know I’m walking up, and he leans against the frame, smirking as his eyes take in my legs.
“A little overdressed for studying,” he muses. “And you didn’t bring any textbooks.”
“I don’t really need them for the subject I’m studying tonight,” I banter back, pausing in front of him. My eyes drink him in — the black sweat pants hanging on his hips, the large, heather gray Omega Chi t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, arm holes gaping so far down I have full view of his glorious washboard abs.
“That so?”
“Mm-hmm,” I assure him, tapping my temple. “All up here.”
“And what subject is it that you’re studying?”
“Anatomy.”
He chokes out a laugh, shaking his head and holding the door wide for me as I slip under his arm and into the house. He tosses that same arm over my shoulder, guiding me through the hallway back to his room with my arm pressed against his bare ribcage — also exposed by that artfully shredded t-shirt.
“I really do have to study,” he says. “I started my internship, and hatching season is coming up soon.”
“That’s right,” I mused, snapping my fingers. “I forgot how much you nerd out over turtles.”
“Don’t act like it doesn’t turn you on.”
“Oh, it definitely does,” I agree as he ushers me inside his room. “Which is exactly why I didn’t bring anything to study, nor did I wear panties under this dress.”
Greg groans, sitting on the edge of his bed with my hands still in his. He pulls me to stand right between his legs, his eyes roaming over my curves appreciatively.
“You just sit there and talk about turtles,” I tell him, guiding his hand up my inner thigh. He bites his lip, shaking his head as he follows the movement with his eyes. “And I’ll do my own kind of homework.”
Standing over him, his hand inching closer and closer to my heated and severely underused treasure box, as Skyler would call it — I realize Greg is actually insanely hot. His features are all so dark — and delicious. From his caramel skin to his jet black, messy hair, he’s like sin wrapped up in an ice cream cone. Add in his eyes, black and wide, like deep, bottomless pools of water, and his smirk, devilish enough to melt even the chastest of panties — and I can’t figure out how I ever didn’t notice his sex appeal.
I should have realized all of this the first night we met at Ralph’s, but then again, my heart belonged to Jarrett that night. I couldn’t think of any other guy in any kind of sexual way, not in the entire time I was dating Jarrett. I was literally broken when it came to having those thoughts.
And while my heart might still belong to Jarrett, it’s different now, knowing he doesn’t want it — knowing he’s holding on firmly to another woman’s heart now, and most likely holding on to a lot more than that at the present moment.
So, when Greg slides his hand up a little more, his fingers brushing my slick heat, I moan with him at the feel of it, closing my eyes and letting go.
Greg may not be Jarrett, but he is a sexy, fun, single male with his hand between my legs.
And right now, that’s all I need, anyway.
As soon as he feels how wet I am, Greg stands, yanking my wrists over my head as he crashes his mouth to mine. He tastes like beer, like he’s been drunk since noon, and I feel his kiss like an intoxicating shot of alcohol warming every single limb. His lips are firm but warm, his breaths coming harder now — which, coincidentally, leads to him growing harder in a completely different way, too. I lean forward, pressing my stomach into his erection, and he groans at the contact.
Running his rough hands down over my arms, he hooks them in the hem of my dress and yanks up, breaking our kiss long enough to strip me out of the black fabric and drop it to the floor. My bra comes off next, an easy snap of his fingers sending it down to the floor next to my dress.
I wait for it to hit, that shock of electricity I always felt when Jarrett touched me, but it never does. My heart is racing, my clit swollen and throbbing, just waiting for Greg
to touch me. But it feels a little empty, a little detached — a little like every other guy felt before Jarrett.
Again, I’m reminded of how my life was severed by that man.
Shoving him out of my mind, I push my hands into Greg’s chest until he’s sitting on the bed again. I rip his shirt over his head, nodding to his sweat pants as I toss the shirt over the back of his desk chair. Greg just smirks, lifting his hips enough to take off his pants and briefs in one sweep of motion, and when his hard-on springs free, all I can do is lick my lips.
I drop to my knees, giving Greg a wicked grin as I take him in one hand and tease the tip of him with my tongue. He’s not quite as big as Jarrett, and he leans a little to the left, but it’s still a beautiful cock — and definitely a tool I can work with.
Greg leans back on his palms, watching me with rapt attention as I take him inside my mouth. My brows pinch together as I figure out how to fit him inside, working with his unique shape, and once I find the magic combo, he lets out a steely, “Fuckkk.”
“Don’t let me keep you from studying,” I tease, releasing him from my lips with a pop. “Come on. Tell me about hatching season.”
Something between a laugh and a curse escapes his lips as I take him inside my mouth again.
“I can’t,” he manages, his breaths labored.
Greg flexes his hips into my slick hand when I take my mouth off again, eyes meeting his.
“Come on. Talk turtle to me.”
He spits out another laugh, but it dies quickly when I strengthen my grip, sliding down from his tip to his base. With a growl, he leans forward, hands wrapping around my upper arms as he tosses me onto the bed.
“We’re done talking.”
“Oh, are we?” I tease, spreading my legs wide open for him to see. He’s on his knees above me, one hand stroking his cock as his eyes roam over my breasts, down my stomach, his pupils dilating when he takes in my wet pussy.
Greg bends forward, which gives me hope that he’s going to spend some time downtown returning the favor I just paid, but instead, he grips my ass, yanking hard until my wet entrance is lined up with his ready member.
“Tell you what,” he says, teasing the slick skin between my lips with his crown. “If you can say a word after this, you can talk about whatever the hell you want.”
It’s right on the tip of my tongue, the smart-ass remark to his challenge, but everything is wiped from rational thought when he slides all the way inside me — all at once, balls deep, not a single centimeter of space left between us as he groans in ecstasy and I try desperately to catch my next breath.
Before I can so much as moan, he’s withdrawing, plummeting inside me again with just as much gusto. He feels even deeper somehow, and when he lifts my ankles up to rest on his shoulders, I finally cry out, the sensation too much — but in the best fucking way.
Greg works himself to a release within minutes, and I fake mine, just to give him credit for surprising me. The poor guy likely didn’t stand a chance of getting me off, anyway — not tonight, at least. With Jarrett, it was easy to come. Hell, just looking into his eyes while he whispered that he loved me was enough to send me skyrocketing.
Still, when Greg rolls off of me, kissing my neck with a chuckle before retreating to the bathroom to clean up, I smile. And when he comes back with a hot wash cloth, wiping between my legs carefully, I smile a little wider. And when he hands me a pair of his boxers and an oversized sweater, when we crawl into bed — me with my phone, him with his textbook — I rest my head on his chest and revel in the comfortable silence between us.
Greg holds me while he studies, his fingers drawing circles on my shoulder, and I turn the page for him when he asks me to. Sometime after midnight, I pull the book from his sleeping hands, kiss his cheek, and slip out of the Omega Chi house.
He may not be Jarrett, but no one ever will be. And when I’m with Greg, I feel a little less shitty.
I’ll take what I can get.
“WHAT HAPPENED TO GOING easy on the pledges?” Jeremy asks me, his voice low as we circle our new members. They’re all standing huddled together in a kiddy pool full of ice water in the middle of our chapter room, teeth chattering as they silently pray not to be the next one I call on. “I mean, don’t get me wrong,” he adds with a chuckle. “This is priceless entertainment, but I thought you said you were going to run the pledge process differently when you were president.”
“And I have been,” I remind him. “But, some things are tradition — like the camping trip.”
“And this particularly torturous brand of hazing.”
“Exactly.”
Jeremy smirks. “I will say, this might be the best pledge class we’ve ever had. Between Kade showing athletic promise and Kip already making such a big splash, we’re on everyone’s radar. Let’s just hope they can keep their GPAs up.”
Something twists in my stomach at the mention of Kip, a foreign feeling I can’t fully digest.
“We shall see.” I make my way toward Kip next, that same uncomfortable swell in my gut as I approach him.
“Go easy on him,” Jeremy warns as I close in, but I brush him off.
“Pledge Jackson,” I say, pausing to stand in front of him. His glasses slip down his nose a bit, and he pushes them back up, his eyes as confident as they can be as he shivers his ass off, waiting for my question. “Name the three founders of Alpha Sigma who helped the sisters of Pi Gamma Zeta sneak out of their dorms when they were founding their sorority.”
Kip forces a breath, and for some reason, I find myself silently wishing for him to screw up. Of course, that would earn him some groans and possibly a few punches from his fellow pledges. If they answer wrong, we start back over, and we go until they can answer ten questions in a row without missing one.
It seems cruel to anyone outside of the Greek system, but anyone who has had to earn their letters, to learn about how their organization was founded and discover a new kind of respect for the gentlemen who paved the way — they understand. These potential new members aren’t getting hazed for fun. They’re being tested, not just on their knowledge, but on their loyalty.
Alpha Sigma was quickly becoming a top fraternity on campus, and I would do whatever I could to ensure this next group of guys would add to that, that they would help us continue to build a legacy.
“Harry Winters, Edward Sanders, and…” Kip’s voice fades, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling as he tries to grasp for the last name.
“Ten. Nine.” I start a countdown, just to give him a little pressure, a little push. The rest of his pledge brothers groan, some of them cursing while others encourage Kip that he can do it. They’re a small group, only eight of them, and they’re already forming the bonds of brotherhood.
“Clarence Bell?” he finally says, the answer more of a question.
For a moment I just stand there, making him sweat his answer, but then I nod, moving down the line to the next pledge. Kip lets out a relieved breath, along with the rest of his brothers, but they still have one more question to answer correctly before they’re out of the ice pool.
Jeremy suggests Christopher, our youngest pledge. He answers his question correctly, and all at once, the pledges tumble out of the water as our brothers toss them towels and bring them hot water to sip on. We push them to their limits, but we’re still careful with them. The last thing we want is to end up like Omega Chi for not being smart with our pledging process.
“Can I ask you something?” Jeremy says, handing me two cups of hot water to deliver.
“You already did.”
He smiles a little, rubbing the back of his neck. Jeremy is never nervous when it comes to talking to me. Hell, he’s one of my best friends. So, the fact that he can’t look me in the eyes when he asks his next question puts me on edge.
“What’s your deal with Kip?”
I swallow, my eyes flicking over to where he and Kade are sitting on the couch, chatting and waiting for their water as they war
m their feet.
“I don’t have a deal with him.”
“You’re pretty hard on him,” Jeremy argues. “Like, more so than the other pledges. Is it because he’s got a thing going with Skyler?”
“No?” I say, but it doesn’t come out confidently, and Jeremy cocks a brow. I sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe. There’s just something about him that irks me. I can’t figure it out. I mean, I’m the one who wanted him to pledge, but he’s just… he’s so showy. And he’s got all this attention on him already. He’s not laying low, not working hard like the rest of the pledges. It’s like he has this sense of entitlement or something.”
“I think he’s just confident,” Jeremy says. “I mean… I hate to say it again, Adam, but…”
“If you say he reminds you of me again, I’ll nut tap you.”
Jeremy chuckles, tossing his hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying. He’s a great pledge, and he’s going to be a great brother, if he makes it through your tests, anyway.” He lets his hands drop to his sides, tucking them in his pockets. “If it is about Skyler, just talk to him. Let him know whatever it is that you need to tell him. You’re his president, man, and he wants to impress you. Don’t make it harder on him than it already is.”
I huff, aggravated both at the thought of talking to Kip and that Jeremy is right. I care about Skyler, she’s one of my best friends, so maybe part of my annoyance toward Kip has to do with her. Then again, maybe it has to do with the fact that, like Jeremy said, he reminds me a little of myself.
Do I feel threatened?
I shake off the possibility of that. If jealousy has anything to do with my attitude toward him, I sure as hell wouldn’t be admitting it to Jeremy — or even myself, for that matter.
With two cups of hot water in hand, I make my way toward where Kip and Kade are sitting, and their conversation comes to a grinding halt once I reach them.
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