Page 43 of Kingston
I blink a few times, trying to decide if I’m already in bed and dreaming.
“Keep in mind this small favor is more than you’ve done for me.” She shakes her head and walks out a second time.
TWENTY-FOUR
ELLIOT
My first threedays at Kingston University have been nothing short of a disaster. Moving into Hawthorne Hall to assimilate into the brotherhood has been a more daunting task than I was initially prepared for. It’s taken up all my time, headspace, and energy, not allowing room for much of anything else. I’m mentally and emotionally exhausted, and unsure of every single decision I make. The push and pull I experience with Kingston, the absolute obsessive vibes that roll off Cannon, and the way Archer watches every little thing I do—it’s too much.
I moan, rolling over in the big bed. I want to burrow under the covers and never come out. All the brothers watched me—a video of me—masturbating. I’m so far beyond mortified, I don’t know how to handle it. And fuck, that reminds me. There are cameras in here. Not that I could find them. I’d tried.
Archer was zero help. I’ll have to find the damn things myself. I don’t know what I was thinking when I went to his room, except maybe he’d take pity on me if we were one-on-one. Turns out, all he wanted to do wasoffera little one-on-one action. Not exactly what I’d been looking for, buddy.
But nice dick.
Really.
I keep telling myself I’m doing all this to ensure I get out of this insane experience what I came for—to find out what happened to Will—but I’m beginning to think it’s all one huge fat lie.Shit.I don’t know.
What I do know—I’m not completely myself in this house. I’m some other girl because I have to be. She’s stronger, sassier, and all-aroundmore.Who the hell was the girl who’d indulged in what can only be described as a hate fuck? My brain is absolutely floored by my behavior last night.
But I’ll do whatever I have to do. I’m finally beginning to uncover a bit about the inner workings of the brotherhood. I’m positive someone here knows the secret of Will’s whereabouts. In the coming days, snooping around this house needs to become a top priority. And most important: Don’t get caught.
I let out a sigh as I pick up the second nastygram I’ve received from some unknown jackass.
pussies = problems
Now leave before we fuck you over even worse
I found the ugly, handwritten note first thing this morning. Reading over it again doesn’t make me any less angry than when I’d first laid eyes on it.
And strangely enough, the note wasn’t the only thing that appeared in my room last night. Eyeing the cold mug of hot chocolate on my nightstand, I remember thinking it was a sweet gesture at first. But… it’d shown up while I’d been in the shower with my door locked. Now I’m questioning everything.
I’d been too scared to drink it, even though I love marshmallows. I mean, someone has access to my room. How can I be sure that the person leaving the notes isn’t the same one who left the cocoa for me? What if they laced it with something awful? What if this person doesn’t care if they physically hurt me?
A shudder rolls down my spine. Am I safe living here? Biting back panic, I slowly get out of bed. And wince.
Thanks to Kingston, my inner thighs and other assorted muscles I’d forgotten about ache this morning. Before last night, I’d only ever been with Nick, and sex with him was never likethat.It was more like an exercise in embarrassment.
Good god, Elliot, you’re such a bad fucking lay.
Would you move or something?
Put those chunky thighs around my hips.
Blowing out a hard breath, I try to shake off the needling pain of those memories.
Kingston, though—he’s something else. Despite how angry we both were, it was kinda mind-blowing. The uncontrollable heat. The fiery words. And the raw emotion that’d been channeled into the most intense sex of my life to date.
The way he’d looked at me afterward. Touched me. It’s etched into my memory. That parting shot, though. That’d been devastating.Thanks for the fuck.
I should have known better than to think it meant anything to him. I’m such agirl.
I throw the curtains back, letting some light into the room. I don’t want to be late for my first class, so I’m going to have to deal with some of this later. But Kingston—how I’ll cope with seeing him first thing this morning, I have no idea. I’m going to pay for slapping him, I know it.
Honestly, how the hell am I going to look any of them in the eye? But there’s no time to worry about it. I’ll have to figure it out as I go.
Thirty minutes later, I’m dressed and almost ready to head downstairs. It’s supposed to be blazing hot today, so I decided on a red cotton sundress that hits an inch or two above my knees and sandals. The simplicity of the outfit gave me time to use the flatiron on my hair to calm some of the frizzies. Georgia heat is something else, so I go light on the makeup, not knowing how long I’ll be outside at any given point… not that I usually wear a lot, anyway.
