Page 86 of Cold as Ice

“I really thought when Elliott finally got into your pants, you’d be a bit more relaxed,” Jane said in a teasing voice. “Besides, that’s not the only reason I’m happy it’s not raining. It gets sopacked in the house, it’s easier when the party can spill outside, too.”

“Like a little rain ever stopped the idiots of this school from drinking too much and grinding up on each other,” Mal muttered.

“You are really no fun tonight, and that’s too bad. I’m sure Elliott will be pretty disappointed.”

“Ell’s not going to be anything.” Elliott knew what he was like. There was a reason Elliott hadn’t invited him to this party. First, because they weren’t doing that kind of thing. Parties had nothing to do with tutoringorhockey. And second, because he had to know Mal wouldn’t be into it. Frankly, he wouldn’t be going at all, if Jane hadn’t guilted him into it.

He definitely wouldn’t be wearing all this fucking glitter.

“Sure,” Jane said knowingly.

They turned down Clackamas Street. Gamma Sigma house was in the middle of frat row, and even though none of the houses were particularly dark or quiet, that one was bright with flashing lights, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” spilling out of every open window and door. Nearly everyone they passed on their way through the yard and up the stairs to the front door was in costume.

“See, it looks fun, right?” Jane coaxed.

Mal didn’t say anything, just shot his best friend a glower.

“Come on,” she said, “let’s get a drink.”

“One drink,” Mal said. He didn’t normally drink, but if he was going to survive this hellhole, he was going to needsomething.

They wove their way through all the dancing bodies in the packed living room and headed towards the kitchen where the bar was usually set up.

Ramsey was there, leaning against the counter. It took a second for Mal to take in his costume, and when he did, helaughed in spite of what he told himself was disgust. “Are you asperm?” Mal asked, in disbelief.

Ramsey laughed and shook the stiffened tentacles that towered over his blond hair.

“Appropriate,” Jane said wryly.

“If you wanted, I’d share some with you, my little she-devil,” Ramsey crooned.

Jane rolled her eyes. “Fuck no.”

“And you’re painfully appropriate,” Ramsey said, eyeing Mal’s form from his halo to his tight white T-shirt.

“Yeah, he is.”

Mal turned and nearly swallowed his tongue.

Elliott was shirtless, a pair of bright red suspenders holding up a pair of far too big jeans, the open waistband flirting with the very bottom of his abs, all that skin making it clear that he wasn’t wearing a stitch underneath them. A bright plastic firefighter hat was perched rakishly on one side of his head, and he was grinning, like he knew exactly how much of a wet dream he looked.

Mal swallowed hard.

“I think you just rendered Mal speechless,” Jane pointed out. “Might have to put out that fire later.”

If Jane was talking about the fire currently raging in his underwear, then he sure as fuck hoped she was right.

“Oh I intend to,” Elliott said, sidling closer. He put a hand on Mal’s chest, eyes so bright that Mal felt hypnotized by them—and a little by all that gorgeously muscled flesh on display. He’d just seen Elliott naked less than twenty-four hours before this, but somehow this was different.

“I—”

“And I can promise you,” Elliott interrupted him, which was probably for the better because God knew what undignifiedsound was going to come out of his mouth next, “that Mal’s not nearly the angel he’s pretending to be.”

“I believe that,” Ramsey said, patting him on the back. “Our Mal’s a dark horse.”

He was not. He was just a guy in front of another guy . . .

Well,fuck.

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