Page 8 of Kings of the Campus

Shit. I must have fallen asleep and dreamed about her. My cock is hard and throbbing and I reach a hand down, quickly jerking myself off to completion, mildly annoyed at the entire situation.

God. If we’re not careful, this girl could be bad news for us.

5

TESSA

Ican’t get that kiss out of my head.

It’s been days since the party, but every time I close my eyes, I’m back in that moment, Devin’s lips on mine, the shock of it still making my heart skip a beat. And it’s not just the kiss—that would be bad enough—but there’s also Jace, with his easy smiles and effortless charm. It’s like I can’t escape them, the Sigma Thetas. They’re everywhere, and worse, they’re getting under my skin.

I need to clear my mind and get some perspective, so I head over to Valencia’s dorm, my footsteps echoing as I trudge up the steps of the sorority house.

Valencia’s the one person I can talk to about all of this without feeling like I’m going off the deep end. She’s my best friend and she’s always had this way of cutting through the noise, helping me see things for what they truly are.

When I knock on her door, she opens it almost immediately, like she’s been waiting for me. Her eyes widen when she sees my expression, and she steps aside to let me in without a word.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says as I drop onto her bed.

“Not quite,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “More like…kissed one.”

Valencia’s eyebrows shoot up. “Kissed one? Tessa, what are you talking about?”

I let out a frustrated sigh and start pacing the small room. “At the party, I ended up playing spin the bottle. And—don’t laugh—Devin kissed me.”

She blinks at me, surprised, but she doesn’t laugh. “Devin? He kissed you?”

“Yeah,” I say, running my hand through my hair. “It wasn’t just some stupid kiss either, Val. It was…I don’t know how to explain it. There was something there.”

“You like him?” she asks, keeping her tone neutral.

“No! Yes? I’m not sure. And then I’ve been spending time with Jace Whitmore lately, so I’m even more confused.”

She watches me for a moment, expression unreadable before coming to sit down next to me.

“Just be careful, girl. They’re frat guys and they like to play around.”

“What about Matteo?” I tease, nudging into her with my shoulder.

Valencia frowns. “Matteo is different. Those guys might be different too, but I know you’re too smart to get caught up in their charms, okay?”

“I know,” I say, dropping my head into my hands. “But it’s like…I don’t know. It’s confusing.”

“Of course it is,” she says gently. “You’ve seen the worst of them, but now you’re seeing another side. But that doesn’t mean you should just forget everything you know about them. Just…keep your guard up, okay?”

I nod, trying to absorb her words, but my thoughts are still swirling. “You’re right,” I say after a moment. “I’ll be careful. I just need to figure out what’s going on in my own head first.”

When I finally leave Valencia’s room, the sun has dipped below the horizon, and the campus is shrouded in shadows.

As I walk back to my dorm, I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching me. I glance over my shoulder more than once, but the path is empty. Still, the prickling sensation at the back of my neck doesn’t go away. I pick up my pace, my pulse quickening.

I’m being paranoid. It’s just because I’m on edge. That’s all.

But the feeling doesn’t leave, and when I hear what sounds like footsteps behind me, I don’t take any chances. I duck into the campus café, the warm, familiar smell of coffee instantly wrapping around me. My heart’s still pounding, but at least in here I’m surrounded by people. I’m safe.

I take a deep breath trying to calm myself down, but when I turn toward the counter, I nearly walk right into Alec.

Oh. Great.

---