by H Q Kingsley
"Free food?" I asked with a raised brow. "Now I have the motivation to move fast."
"This is what makes you move?" Cameron called after me. "Not the giant paddle? Your priorities are fucked up, dude!"
Cameron had a point. Maybe part of me didn't mind some of the punishments. Or maybe it was because of the person that usually dished them out. Nick's devious grin popped into my head and my body responded immediately.
I gripped my dick and turned the water on in the shower.
The warm water did nothing to discourage my swelling erection. If anything, it coaxed it on more.
Somehow, Cameron got tangled up in my fantasy. His strong hands pressing on my back, pinning me as he shoved his cock deep inside of my hole.
I shook my head. I hadn't had any time to myself since I’d started pledging. It was class, homework, pledge, pass out, repeat. How long had it been since I’d jerked off?
I licked my lips as I stared down at my cock, lifting my hand to stroke it. The vision of Nick’s hand over mine, helping me to come, flashed in my mind. I jumped in surprise, squeezing a little harder when the unexpected vision of Cameron on his knees in front of me popped into my head too.
Fuck, what was wrong with me. Fantasizing about my abuser and my best friend. I seriously needed therapy. But I gave in anyway, keeping the fantasy going in my head as I stroked myself.
“Fuck!”
I jumped at a loud bang on the door. "Hurry the fuck up or I'm leaving you," Cameron shouted, making me flush with embarrassment and guilt even though he couldn’t actually see me.
"I'm coming!" I shouted back, my ears burning with guilt.
What the hell was that about? I couldn't start daydreaming about Cameron. It was weird. We were friends and nothing more. I wasn't going to start drooling over him like some kind of desperate weirdo.
I left my dick alone. Cameron’s interruption had killed the moment anyway.
I quickly showered and wrapped a towel around my waist. When I wandered out into our bedroom, I shuffled through my drawer in search of clothes, but I felt Cameron's eyes on me.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and watched him bite his lip and a shiver ran up my spine.
I must be imagining things. No one should be this sleep-deprived…Or this horny.
We always changed our clothes in the same room, and I didn't want to stop suddenly. It would feel weird.
I whisked the towel off of my waist and tossed it into the hamper. I could have sworn I could feel Cameron staring holes through my body, but I had to convince myself I was going crazy, or in my sleep-deprived state, I was bound to do something stupid. Like kiss those perfect, plush, pink lips, or run my hands through those amazing blond curls.
I shook my head. I really needed to jack off. I was getting delusional.
I quickly slipped into a pair of jeans and a well-fitting t-shirt and ran my fingers through my dark hair, letting it fall chaotically all over my head. I shook away all of the insane thoughts of Cameron and his lips and straightened.
"Okay, I'm ready," I said as I turned on my heels. "Let's go eat."
Cameron stared for a minute longer, and my face turned heated under his scrutiny. Could he know? Could he have somehow read my mind and known I was daydreaming about him?
I swallowed. Stop. Stop being so damn crazy, Zachary!
Finally, he stood up and grabbed his wallet off his desk.
"Took you long enough," he grumbled and returned to the same old Cameron I knew and loved. "Get out of the way."
"Yeah, yeah," I laughed. "I'm coming. Let me lock up."
We headed out of the building and argued over what to eat. Finally, we settled on burgers and walked into the restaurant. I ordered my usual, a double with the works, and patted Cam on the shoulder.
"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"If you take too long, I'll eat all of your fries." Cameron grinned at me.
"Do it and I'll bite your fingers."
"Do I hate that?" Cameron questioned as he tapped his chin in contemplation.
I blinked at him for a second and walked away before he could say something that would give me another raging boner.
Just in case he was serious about the fries, though, I quickly finished up and walked back to the table. I came to a dead stop when I realized someone was sitting in my seat across from Cameron, and both of them were laughing.
It had to be one of Cam's classmates because I didn't know a lot of them. I walked forward and felt a strange tug in my gut. It grew as I got closer to the guy. By the time I knew who it was, the time to escape was over, and I was stuck staring at Nick with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.
"Zach," he said with the same surprised expression as I wore. "What are you doing here?"
"M-me? This is my best friend. H-how do you two know each other?" I managed to stutter out.
"We have the same biology class, and we study together twice a week," Cam said as he raised a brow. "Remember, I told you about my study partner."
"I-I remember. I just didn't know it was the man who's currently tormenting me every day for fun," I grumbled.
"You signed up for it, you know," Nick shot back evenly. "If you can't take it, feel free to quit at any time, Mutt."
I was sure my face was bright red. Was it possible to climb underneath the table and still be considered normal? No? I sighed and rubbed a hand over my neck.
"You're in my seat," I said.
Nick slid out of the booth, and I quickly moved into it. Once I was seated, he sat back down and shoved me over with a sharp and rough push.
I stared at him with an open mouth, ready to say something back, but he knew it. He raised a brow and a smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
Fuck. Why does he have to look so goddamn gorgeous? It makes me want to do everything he says.
I snapped my mouth shut and glanced across the table.
The look on Cameron's face was a mixture of confused and amused. Thankfully, the food was dropped off, and I could forget about all of it long enough to stuff my face. At least, I thought so until Nick pulled my plate over to him.
"Really?" I groaned. "I'm starving."
"You're supposed to do anything for your brothers, Zach. Don't you know that?"
"I think you just like pushing my buttons," I muttered under my breath.
"I don't hate it." Nick shrugged and chuckled. He cut a piece of the burger and took it before he pushed my plate back. "Eat. I'll order my own food. I'm just fucking with you."
I glanced up at him and saw the soft expression on his face. Stop being so sweet. It's making it worse.
The smiled that curved his lips was the icing on the cake, and I very suddenly had blood rushing to my cock all over again.
"You two are interesting to watch," Cam said as he leaned forward with his chin on his hand. "I thought Zach would hate this whole pledging thing, but he seems to like it a little. And I never took you for the fraternity type, Nick. Not after seeing you in class."
"There's more to a fraternity than people think. I mean, do we have a whole shit-ton of fun during pledge season?" he asked as he grinned at me.
I narrowed my eyes. "Too much fun. You guys have way too much fun."
"True," Nick laughed. "It's not just about fucking with the pledges though. Honestly, it's a test to see who deserves a spot. Who'll stick with you no matter what shit you go through. A frat really is about brotherhood and supporting each other. Not just in college, but for the rest of our lives. It ends up being like a family almost. It's why I signed up in the first place."
I stared at Nick in amazement. I'd heard nothing but him barking at me and, quite frankly, making me bark like a dog. I had no idea that he thought of the frat the way that he did, or that he could talk about it so succinctly.
"Ah, you know I never thought about it like that," Cameron said. "I figured it was just a bunch of jocks being dicks."
Nick laughed. "That's only partly true. You shoul
d try to join next year."
I laughed this time. "Cameron? He gave me the most shit in the world for even considering it! He tried to talk me out of it the first day."
"I did," Cam said as he popped a fry into his mouth. "To be fair, though, you never explained it like he did."
I glared at him. "I'm going to kick your ass."
Nick shook his head at the both of us. "The three of us should hang out more often," he said as he held up a finger and a waitress went to his side right away.
The rest of dinner was...normal. We talked about our majors, our classes, and even our families. I was surprised that it was so easy to talk to Nick, like we'd been friends for years. There was nothing awkward between us. By the time we were done, I'd laughed myself out and my stomach slightly ached from Cameron and Nick's antics—most of which involved teasing me.
"Shit," Cam said as he looked at his phone. "I'm supposed to be at study group. I completely lost track of time. I'll pay for dinner."
Nick waved a hand. "If you're any later than you already are, you're going to piss everyone off. Go ahead and I'll take care of it. You can grab it next time."
"Thanks, man." Cam grinned before he saluted us both. "Get him back home before curfew."
"Fuck off!" I laughed as he turned and jogged out of the restaurant.
"I guess it's just you and me," Nick said in a voice so husky I nearly creamed my fucking pants right there. "I'll walk you back to your room."
"That's okay," I said quickly, and was suddenly very aware that I was trapped in the booth by his big body. "I can make my way back."
"I said I'm going with you. It's easy to get lost, especially for a freshman." He paid the check, but his leg stayed pressed against mine, making my heart race at a million beats a minute. "Ready?"
"Yeah," my voice cracked and I cleared it. "Yeah, let's get out of here."
Clink. Clink.
"I just live right here," I mumbled as my key hit the doorknob instead of the lock once again. "You don't have to stick around."
"It looks like you're having some trouble there," Nick said and as he pressed against my back. His hand wrapped around mine and he steadied it before he guided me to slide the key into the lock.
My breath caught in my throat as I felt him. All of him. His muscled, hard body pressed against me and…I swallowed. Was I imagining it, or was his cock as hard as mine? Barely concealed by his snuggly fitting jeans.
The lock clicked and his breath caressed my throat as he turned the knob. "There you go."
He pressed his hips into me, and I nearly fell through the door.
My heart pounded in my chest as I steadied my footing and tried to do the same to my breathing.
When I turned around, Nick was inside of my room and the door closed behind him.
"Do I make you nervous, Zach?" he asked, his voice a low, sexy rumble.
I licked my lips. That's the understatement of the century.
I tried to keep up the charade and shook my head hard.
"Why would I be?" I offered unconvincingly.
"You tell me." Nick chuckled. "Every time I see you, you have that," he nodded toward my cock, and I flushed at just how hard and noticeable it was tucked against my left thigh.
My whole body heated when he reached out and ran a hand over it.
"It never goes away when I'm around,” he added. “I've noticed." His eyes hooded and he didn’t move his hand away from my groin.
I dropped my gaze to the floor. "It's weird," I muttered. "I know it's weird. I can't help it."
Panic swirled in my chest. What the hell was he going to do to me now? What gruesome punishment would I be made to suffer after this?
Was Nick going to call me a freak? Tell everyone just how fucked up I was? I didn't want to think something like that would happen, but if it did, I had a feeling I wouldn't go back to Mu Theta Delta. I would probably hide away in my dorm room forever.
Nick finally pulled his hand away. "It's not weird. It's kind of a major compliment."
“Oh.” I blinked up at him in surprise. "But you're not...you know...” I trailed off realizing I didn’t actually know much about Nick. That much had been proven to me over dinner.
“Are you?" I asked.
Nick smiled. "Am I gay?" He shrugged. "I've always considered myself bisexual, but I'll admit, I haven't fucked a guy yet.”
“Oh.” I nodded, dumbfounded. I hadn’t expected that at all. Actually, part of me had expected him to slap me for even posing the question.
He stepped closer to me. “Want to be my first?"
I froze, my breathing completely stopping until dots spotted my vision. Yep, I was going to pass the hell out. I was going to faint like an old school drama queen.
Who the fuck just comes out and asks someone that?
A million thoughts swirled in my mind. There was still a chance that he was just screwing with me, but from the look on his face, I could tell that wasn't it. Nick was being upfront. Very, very upfront.
"I-I...” I placed my fingers to my temples. “Hold on, my brain just broke," I said as I held out a hand to him. "Wait, nope it's definitely broken."
Nick pushed his fingers through his brilliant blond locks and grinned.
The way he moved, I could see every single muscle through his skintight t-shirt as they rippled over his sides and chest. His shirt lifted in the front, exposing a view of his belly, and I wanted to run my tongue up and down his flesh.
So why the hell am I frozen here?
It wasn't like I was a virgin and I'd never done it before. Although the few times I had fooled around had been quick and fleeting. I wondered if Nick would be different. I swallowed hard and realized that little mischievous grin on his lips still lingered and that he was just waiting to go at me if I said yes.
"I can't," I croaked out. "Sorry. I just—"
Nick waved a hand. "You don't have to explain, man.” He shrugged. “It was an invitation and the invitation will stay open, but I'm not gonna push it on you.”
He took a step back. “I better get back to my room and let you recover." He grinned. "Oh, and this doesn't change things. Tomorrow night, I'm still going to torment the hell out of you."
I barked out a laugh and the tension fled. "I'm looking forward to it."
Nick tossed me a grin and then he was gone. I stared at the closed door for a few minutes and cursed myself for turning him down. I didn't want to cross the wrong boundaries. What if he thought I sucked at sex? What if he...
The thoughts went on and on until I flopped back onto my bed and groaned up at the ceiling in defeat. I should have said yes. If he makes another move, I'm gonna ride his dick like a mechanical bull.
"And you said no!" Cameron gasped as he sat up on his bed after I'd told him what happened. "If his sexy ass grabbed me, I'd be naked and all fucking all over this room."
I groaned. "Shut up, don't remind me.” I smacked my palm to my head. “I wanted him, but I got scared. What if he was just fucking with me? Or what if I suck?"
"That's what you're supposed to do." Cameron laughed.
I picked up a pillow and chucked it at his head. "You know that's not what I mean, you asshole!" I laughed. "I mean it. It's been a while since my ex, and I'm nervous as hell."
"Do you need me to hold your hand and guide you through it?" Cameron asked as he quirked up a brow.
"How would that help?" I demanded. "You're like my best friend, man. That would be weird as hell."
"It's not like we haven't fooled around before," he pointed out.
I groaned. "I barely even remember that night."
It was true that we had definitely messed around one night, but I was drunk and so was Cam.
Apparently, I was slightly more drunk because I remembered feeling amazing, but not exactly what happened that night. I'd never regretted it, but we never talked about it again either. I’d just always assumed Cameron didn't want to pursue anything, and I didn't want to seem like some kind of clingy,
desperate jerk who couldn't handle a one-night stand.
"It was a good night," Cam offered. "And to be honest, I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He grinned as he stood up and pulled his shirt over his head. "I'm gonna shower."
My mouth went dry and I had forgotten how to speak again. What was it with the men in my life leaving me speechless?
Cameron had never said a word about that night, and then suddenly, he drops the bomb on me that he’d been willing to try again in sobriety this whole time.
Suddenly, every feeling I’d suppressed for him flooded me, but I couldn’t move off the bed. God, I was such a pussy. Why couldn’t I just go for the things I wanted? For the men I wanted?
The bathroom door was only partly closed, and I heard the shower start. A few minutes later, his moans flowed from the doorway and I stared at it.
How the fuck is this my life?
I stood outside of Mu Theta Delta and felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. I was just as nervous as I'd been the first time, maybe even more so.
Cam's little show the night before and Nick's husky voice played through my mind on repeat. I was going to die from being too turned on. I just knew it. I was sure that was a thing. Death by blue balls.
"Pledge! Get your ass up here and get to work." Nick stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his thick chest.
I quickly shuffled up the stairs, but he didn't move out of the way to let me in more than an inch or two.
I stared up at him and he raised a brow. "Did you hear me? I said get inside."
His voice was softer, the hint of a smile on his lips, but he still didn't move.
I squeezed past him, his body tightly tucked against me as I inched my way past. I tried not to focus on how hard and chiseled he was. How good he smelled. How good it felt when his arm brushed against mine.
I failed in pushing away the thoughts. Instead, my body reacted, my cock swelling as I breathed him in. His cologne clung to me as I passed him, and the scent made me want to grab him and fuck him senseless, and I was sure he knew it.
He winked at me as I finally stumbled into the house. "Everyone's lining up for assignments. Move your ass!"
