“Yeah, we have to check in with Crush every few days and give him an update on our progress. We’ve already been to the salon for hair, makeup, and nails, and we’ve gone shopping a couple times.”
Wes sounded as if the process had been as much fun as a root canal, which to him it probably had been.
“How about you? How are things with Karrie? I gotta say, you shocked the hell out of me when you introduced her. Is it serious?” he asked, and I knew this was the in I needed.
I looked at my brother and realized not only was this the perfect opportunity to move forward with my plan, but maybe I could also get some advice on my relationship with Karrie. The actual relationship, not the fake one.
I hadn’t lied when I said my brother had no game when it came to women, but that wasn’t the kind of information I needed. No, not only was he the sensitive brother, but he was the only one who’d had a serious girlfriend, and one of the only people in the world I felt comfortable talking about myself with.
This was perfect.
“Actually, I’d like to talk to you about that,” I began.
“You would?” he asked, looking pleased and sitting up a little taller.
“Yeah, man, I’m in unchartered waters here…”
“So, it is serious.”
I nodded.
“Yeah, I think it is. I mean, she’s great … funny, smart, athletic, and she doesn’t take any shit. She doesn’t care about our money, who our family is, or any of that. Karrie’s the real deal. And the chemistry? We haven’t actually done anything other than kiss, but anytime our skin comes in contact, it’s like … boom.”
“You haven’t done anything more than kiss? You? My brother, Ridge?”
“Fuck off,” I replied, causing him to throw up his hands and laugh.
“I’m just sayin’, it’s pretty out of character,” Wes said with a chuckle.
“I know, that’s why I need help. This girl’s got me totally off balance. She’s everything I’ve said I didn’t want, especially while I’m still in school, but now that she’s in my life, I don’t want to let her go.”
“Then … don’t.”
“But what about my rules? My plans? I’ve always been more of a casual relationship kind of guy, and nothing about what I feel for Karrie is casual. In fact, I’m thinking of taking her home for Thanksgiving.”
Wes’s eyes widened. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
“You should go for it.”
“But, what if I’m no good for her?” I ask, admitting my worst fear. “What if I’m like Dad?”
Wes scowled and stood up.
“Ridge, you’re nothing like that asshole. You’re always upfront with everyone and you’ve never cheated. You don’t use your fists to solve things, or to prove you’re in charge … And, even though you and Mom don’t get along, you’ve always been there for Brody and I. You were our protector, and more of a father to us than Dad ever was. Karrie would be lucky to have you.”
Shit. I blinked back the emotion that suddenly felt like hot needles in my throat. It felt good to know he thought that about me.
When my feelings were locked down, I stood up and moved to pull him in for a quick, one-armed hug.
“Thanks, Wes.”
“Yeah of course. Thanks for talking to me about it … I think Karrie’s great. She’s the yin to your yang. Bring her home, Brody will love her.”
He didn’t mention Mom’s reaction, and neither did I, because we both knew how Susan Temple was going to feel about Karrie and I being a couple … She’d fuckin’ hate it.
Which was the whole point.
Twenty
Karrie
I fought back the urge to run to the diner, instead forcing myself to take my time and walk like a normal person, even though I was really excited to see Ridge again.
It had only been three days, but I’d missed him.
I may have been able to control my feet, but there was no stopping the smile that spread across my face when I saw him sitting in a booth in the back when I walked inside.
He looked so handsome.
His hair was long on top, but perfectly styled, and the stubble on his face had filled in more, making him look older and even more delectable. I don’t know how it was possible for him to look even hotter than usual, but somehow he did.
Or, maybe I was just looking at him with new eyes.
Lustful eyes.
Ridge’s head came up and his mouth turned up when he saw me, which made my stomach dip and my heart do a funny flip.
“Hi,” I said, even though I was farther away than I’d initially thought and spoke a little too loudly.
“Hey, babe,” he replied, causing a thrill to rip through me at the nickname.
That’s new, I thought. But found I really, really liked it.
I scooted into the seat across from him and tossed my crossbody shoulder bag down next to me.
To my surprise, Ridge got up, leaned over the table, and gave me a lingering kiss. I figured it was because we were in a local place, which was a hot spot for other students, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Ridge took his seat just as the server came to the table.
“What can I get for you?” the friendly older woman with a nametag that said, Hazel, asked.
“I’ll have the cheeseburger combo with a Coke,” I replied.
“Same,” Ridge added, his smile devastating enough to make the poor woman do a double-take before leaving to put in our order.
“So, how’d your paper go?” I asked him once we were alone.
“Good.”
When he didn’t expand further, I asked, “Did you do anything else over the weekend? Anything fun?”
“Not really. Just hung around the house. I did have a good conversation with Wes, and checked in with Brody. What about you?”
“Hung out with Mina and got some homework done. That’s about it.”
“What do you have going on this week, anything?” he asked.
I thanked Hazel for our Cokes before replying.
“Nothing big. I’m going to meet some of my teammates at the gym on Tuesday and Thursday. I have a quiz, I think … and then Homecoming.”
“You planning on going to the game?”
I shrugged.
“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Well, you can come with me, if you want. Most of the Deltas will be there since we have a couple guys on the team. The pledges will be back getting the house ready for the party that night.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Honestly, Ridge could ask me to go with him to watch a table tennis tournament, and I’d probably say yes. That’s how much I enjoyed being around him.
“Great,” he said, his blue eyes shining. “And, I was thinking if you’re not busy, we could go see the new Marvel movie on Wednesday night.”
“Oh, I’ve been wanting to see that. Where, the multiplex?”
Ridge’s lip curled up and I bit back a laugh.
“Seriously? No,” he exclaimed. “I went to that place once my freshman year and vowed to never return. The seats are uncomfortable, the popcorn is stale, and the sound system sucked. We’ll go to the place downtown with the bar and reclining seats.”
“Wow, so not even the local theater is good enough for you? You have to go to the fancy-pants place twenty minutes away?” I joked.
“Have you ever been there?”
“No, Ridge,” I said with mock patience. “I’m a college student on scholarship. I don’t throw my money away on reclining seats when there’s a perfectly good theater a mile from my house.”
“I promise, once you go there, you’ll be ruined for anything else.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go then.”
Ridge scoffed.
“We’re going. Not only is it comfortable with surround sound, but they deliver the food and drinks right to your seat. You’re going to love it.”
“Okay, but I hope I’m no
t devastated when I’m delegated back to food courts and multiplexes.”
“Nah, you’re with me now … It’s only the best from now on,” Ridge replied cockily, and although I smiled, I couldn’t help but wonder if he meant it.
After all, the pact only lasted until we got back from Thanksgiving break.
I couldn’t expect him to foot the bill indefinitely. Once the pact was over, I’d feel guilty having him pay my way, and I couldn’t afford to live the way he did. Not many people could. Would he still want to be friends and hang out, or would I be dropped for the friends who were in his social class?
“Ridge, you can’t pay for me forever,” I said, deciding to lay it out.
He reached across the table and laid his hand over mine. “Of course I can, you’re my girl.”
I furrowed my brow and looked around us to see if anyone was listening. They weren’t.
“Only for a couple more weeks,” I whispered.
“Let’s just play it by ear,” Ridge said with a wink, letting my hand go when Hazel arrived with our food.
What the heck did he mean by that?
Twenty-One
Ridge
The more I thought about things … me and Karrie, my conversation with my brother, my parents and family relationships, the more I wondered if I was being too cautious. And, if I was letting fear hold me back.
I’d always thought of myself as a casual kind of guy, interested in hookups and sex, but not anything deeper.
But, now that I’d met and spent time with Karrie, I was starting to think the baggage from my childhood was possibly standing in the way of something amazing. I’d always been so adamant about not getting too serious, that if I didn’t get my head out of my ass, I could let the most amazing girl I’d ever met slip through my fingers.
I was cockblocking myself.
Before we’d met for lunch, I’d decided I was going to get out of my own way and see what happened.
Let nature take its course, if you will.
I’d started by letting myself be affectionate with Karrie when the mood struck, rather than keeping myself tethered, and by asking her out on a date. She’d seemed a little surprised at first, but not at all turned off.
In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, she’d been looking at me with the same desire and curiosity I felt for her.
I’d been anticipating our night out ever since, and when I picked her up for the movies, I wasn’t disappointed. Wearing skintight jeans, a green tank, and a million-dollar smile, Karrie’d returned my hug of greeting with gusto.
As we drove to the theater, I took her hand in mine and listened while she chatted about what she’d been up to.
“I took the coward’s way out and texted my mom about Thanksgiving,” she was saying, her lilting voice and laughter filling the space around us. “To say she’s not pleased would be an understatement.”
“Sorry, I didn’t even think about the effect your missing a holiday at home would have on your family,” I said, kind of surprised that I actually did feel bad.
Being a selfish person by nature, when I’d brought up the stipulation about going home with me for Thanksgiving, the fact that she’d have to cancel her own plans had never even crossed my mind.
See, I am a dick.
“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” Karrie assured me with a smile. “It’s not like I’m missing Christmas or something. She’s just disappointed because she was expecting me to come home.”
After parking, we went inside and placed our food and drink orders. I’d already purchased our tickets through the app, to ensure we had good seats and weren’t stuck up in the first row with a shitty view of the screen.
“Wow, fancy,” Karrie laughed as she sat down and reclined her seat.
“Told you it was great,” I replied, reclining my own seat before pushing up the arm that separated us.
With that barrier gone, I moved to put my arm around her and pull her closer.
She looked up at me, lips parted with surprise, but didn’t protest or move away, so I took that as a good sign.
When the lights dimmed and the previews started, I turned my face toward her and moved my free hand up to cup her cheek. Karrie looked up at me, her expression expectant, and something else…
Hopeful, maybe?
I moved slowly, giving her time to stop me if she wanted, before capturing her lips with mine.
The kiss began soft, sweet … searching, but when Karrie’s tongue darted out and caressed my lower lip, I angled my head and deepened the kiss, showing her what I’d so far been unable to put into words.
How much I wanted her.
She shifted toward me in her seat, one hand coming up to touch my face, while the other fisted in my shirt at my side.
I pulled her tighter and lost myself in her, growing needier and greedier with each little moan that escaped her lips.
We stopped to take a breath, foreheads resting against each other, both softly panting, and then Karrie said my name on a moan before grasping the back of my head and pulling me down as she lifted her lips to mine.
This time, she took the lead, her lips soft and supple, her hand moving from the fabric of my shirt to the skin underneath.
I was ready to pull her on top of me, and urge her to straddle me in the seat, not giving a fuck where the hell we were, when I heard a throat clearing loudly beside us and felt a tap on my shoulder.
I pulled away and glared at the pimply faced teenager who was looking at me with a red face.
“What?” I barked, tucking Karrie’s head into my neck so he couldn’t look at her.
“Uh, sorry, sir, but we have your food, and, uh, the movie’s about to start. You can’t, uh, go at it like that in here,” he managed, his voice shaking so bad it would have been funny if I didn’t currently want to break his face for interrupting us.
Karrie released me and moved over into her seat.
We both put down our trays so the kid could deliver our food before scurrying away.
Once he was gone I looked at Karrie and asked, “You okay?”
She flushed and nodded.
I leaned over and whispered, “Sorry, I guess I got carried away.”
Her eyes were big when she looked at me, but she was smiling when she replied, “That’s okay, I did, too.”
I grinned at her, happy that she didn’t seem to regret our little makeout session, and lifted her hand to kiss the back of her knuckles, before settling back to enjoy the movie.
Twenty-Two
Karrie
I’d been floating on a cloud for the last few days.
Any time Ridge and I weren’t in class or I wasn’t training, we’d spent together. Talking, laughing, and kissing. Lots and lots of kissing.
It was fun, easy, and utterly frustrating.
Neither of us had brought up the change in our relationship. There no longer had to be people around for us to show affection; in fact, we were usually alone. But Ridge never took it further than kissing, and when I tried, he backed off.
The funny thing was, since the day we’d met we’d always talked things out. The pact, our expectations, and everything in between. But neither of us had used our voices when it came to what we were doing now.
Maybe we were scared, or worried that talking about it would scare the other person off.
Or, maybe we were just unsure of what in the hell it was we were doing, and wanted to explore a little more before labeling it.
All I knew, on my end, was we needed to progress from kissing because I was walking around with the female equivalent to blue balls. I’m talking a constant state of horny. I didn’t know how Ridge did it…
But, I was hoping tonight was the night.
Mina was at Trap’s place and Ridge was coming over for dinner, which I was making for us, and we were going to watch some Netflix.
And, yes, I am totally hoping Netflix was code for having lots and lots of sex.
I’d just finished mixing the salad and pulling
garlic bread out of the oven when I heard a knock at the door. My heart leapt and my tummy dropped as I hurried to the door, then stopped to compose myself so I wouldn’t look like I was too eager, and opened the door.
My jaw dropped when standing on the other side was not Ridge, but my parents.
“Mom?” I asked, confused and taken aback. “What are you guys doing here?”
My mom pulled me in for a quick hug and kiss before pushing past me and walking into the apartment.
“You sent that crazy text about not coming for Thanksgiving and I haven’t heard from you since. I had to come and make sure you weren’t being held against your will.”
I blinked up at Judd.
“Hi, Dad,” I said as he bent to kiss my cheek.
“Sorry, Karebear, she was on a rampage. I couldn’t stop her from coming to make sure you weren’t tied to a chair.”
I looked out into the empty hall for a second, then closed the door and turned to lean back against it.
“Mom, I’m okay. I’m sorry if you were worried, but, you could have just called, you didn’t have to drive all the way out here.”
“I had to see for myself that you were okay,” my mom said. She held her stomach and asked, “Is that spaghetti?”
I followed her into the kitchen, with Judd trailing behind us.
“She wouldn’t let us stop to eat,” my dad complained.
“We needed to get here quickly, so we only stopped when absolutely necessary,” she explained.
“Apparently, eating is no longer a necessity,” he countered dryly, but his expression was full of love as he grinned at my mom.
“Oh, stop,” she laughed, lifting the lid off the pot and sniffing. “Wow, you made a lot. Are you meal prepping?”
I shifted from one foot to the other and her eyes narrowed.
“Judd, honey, would you be a sweetheart and bring up our bags?”
“Will do,” he replied, turning to leave and shooting me a wink.
“Bags? Plural?” I asked. “How long are you staying?”
Frat House Confessions: Ridge Page 8
