Page 48 of Kingston
Slowly, I let the beginning of a smile curve the corners of my lips. “Okay, so I get you through this class with a passing grade…? And what?”
“I’ll do my best to help you out back at the house. I mean, I can’t save you from the initiate games still to come or your initiation test”—he lets out a careful breath—“and I don’t want to interfere too much with how you get on with Archer, Kingston, and Cannon. But I can be a safe place for you to talk or even, I dunno, if you want to hang out. I imagine it’s going to be a little different for you in the house than it is for most initiates.” He stops abruptly and looks away, but not before I catch him wince.
His words make me curious, but I suppose if he’s willing to talk, we’ll have plenty of time for me to suss out whatever it is that made him clam up. I turn my head, keeping my eyes trained at the front of the classroom. “I accept.”
“Yeah?” He’s busied himself pulling his laptop out, as class is finally about to start.
I unzip my bag and get mine out, too, setting it on the wood table in front of me. “Yep. I’ll take all the help I can get. And it sounds like you could use my help, too.”
“Great. Then we have a deal.” He holds his hand out to me, and I shake it, smiling widely and inwardly hoping I’m not making a mistake in trusting him.
My phone chooses that moment to buzz in my lap, several times in rapid succession.
Dane clears his throat. “Better check now, then shut it off. The profs here are pretty strict about phone usage in class.”
Nodding, I quickly pull up the first texts from Cannon. This is the first time he’s texted me, yet I note his contact info is also already there. The message is pretty straightforward.
I’ll walk you home.
Meet me outside the calc classroom.
I “heart” the message, hoping it’s a good enough affirmative for him, and mumble, “They put their numbers in my phone at some point.”
“I don’t doubt it at all. Sounds like Archer got his hands on it. They can be a little overbearing, but I didn’t tell you that.” He snorts.
“You didn’t have to.” I wink at him, enjoying the fact that we have a bond with both of us tied to Kingston, Archer, and Cannon. “Hey, who was the initiate they had their sophomore year?”
“Alec.” He grimaces. “That’s why he feels like he can get away with more than he should. He’s such a dick. I don’t know how they put up with him.”
Soaking that nugget of information in, I go back to my message inbox to see who sent the other two texts. It’s Nick.Great.
You think you’re too good for me now?
Don’t make me show up at your doorstep.
The tone causes me to hesitate, catching my lip between my teeth and gnawing hard.
Shit, shit, shit.This is not what I need right now. Nick was always a little possessive… and oddly enough, the behavior continued even after he dumped me. He doesn’t want me, but he can’t handle the idea of me seeing anyone else. And now I’m here at a university on my own and I’m positive he’s scared shitless I’ll realize he really wasn’t good for me and there are plenty of other men out there. And I sure as hell don’t want to think about him showing up here.Jesus.
What the hell would Nick do if he realized I’m going through initiation to join a brotherhood? And living with ten dudes. He’d probably lose his mind. His head would fucking pop right off. All of a sudden, I’m very tempted to tell him to fucking bring it. If he wants to talk to me, he’ll need to come see me. And then I can sit back and watch the explosion.
Because I have an inkling that while I’m not the ideal initiate for the brotherhood, I am one of them now. And I don’t think any of these guys would take kindly to some jackass barging into Hawthorne Hall without their consent.
Just then, the professor calls for our attention, and I press the button on the side of my phone, shutting it off. Nick’ll have to wait.
* * *
Two hours later, I exit my calculus class feeling fairly confident. I doubt I’ll have any issues in either my chem or calc classes this semester, and as a bonus, I’ve got Dane on my side with the promised chem tutoring. This morning feels like a win. Kinda like I’ve turned a corner.
Cannon stands directly across the hall from my classroom, leaning against the wall with his phone in hand. He lets me come to him, his lips curving up when I do. It strikes me then that I haven’t seen him smile but once or twice. Usually when he’s joking around with the other two guys. “Hey. Got your text. So you’re my guard dog today?”
TWENTY-SIX
CANNON
I silently laughand give her an eye roll. Guard dog. She’s funny. And I don’t even mind her sassy mouth. It’s a good mouth, too. Full lips in a lush pink color I can imagine wrapped around my dick.
“Okay, well… uh. Where to?” The look she gives me is a bit wary.
