Page 4 of Mason
THREE
DUKE
I reach up,tugging at my hair as I watch Mason usher Lennon into the house, his charcoal-coated fingertips brush the back of her upper arm, leaving dark smudges on her skin. Unaware that he’s marked her again, she walks with a haughty step, those wide, luscious hips of hers swinging, head held high.
Fuck.Her body was made for destruction… as in, she’s going to wreak havoc on this house. Destroy us.Me.I can see it coming a million miles away.
But my father’s word is law, so there’s not a goddamn thing I can do about it but suck it up and watch her like I’ve been tasked to do. But damn, I fuckin' hate that my old man comes around and makes me feel like a surly teenager all over again. As one of the founding brothers, there’s no going over his head. Tristan Valentine, Derek Pierce, and Murdock Mikaelson rule a good portion of this town—the dirty side—and definitely those of us here at Bainbridge Hall.
“Holy shit.That’syour fucking stepsister?” Bear’s deep, growling voice shakes me free of the unending loop ofwhat the fuckI’d been circling in my head.
I glance at him, working my jaw back and forth. The look on his face is priceless. I give a stiff nod, my lips pressed together as I try to formulate the right words to express the torment in my head. “He fuckingknowshow I feel about her and her mother,” I grit out. Nikki had come sauntering into my father’s life—some supposed rich bitch he met at a bar one night. At a full twenty years my father’s junior, it’s obvious why he’d missed the fact that her clothing must have been purchased from some upscale secondhand store—the old man was too busy thinking with his quickly shriveling dick to recognize that she was a siren in disguise. A beautiful young thing willing to suck it for him because she knew what it would get her.
“So you’ve said.” Bear’s shrewd eyes focus on me while waiting for me to continue instead of commenting. He has this habit of letting me talk shit out.
“It’s the fuckin’ truth. Nikki’s nothing but a gold digger.” I throw out my arms from my sides, agitated. “She mesmerized him with her penis trap without telling him about the fact that she had a kid until it was too late for it to matter.”
Bear’s brows raise, and he lets out a low whistle. “And that kid is now all kinds of grown. Fuck, man. It’s a good thing you were already here when they got married and she moved in. I’d have—” He stops himself, biting down on his lip and groaning as he slams one fist into his palm.
I get his drift. Yes. Lennon’s fuck-hot. But she’s also my goddamn stepsister. “Don’t be fooled, man. She’s using us to further herself. She’s money hungry. In fact, her mouthing off and running like she did is all a ploy. She’s clever and manipulative, just like her mother. Whip-smart, sassy-mouthedbitch.”
Bear clears his throat, eyeing me with his arms crossed over his broad chest. “Did your dad give you any specifics about why he punted her to your watch? Fill me in on what I’ve missed.”
“As far as I know, it’s about the Valentine image. He doesn’t want his stepdaughter attending some community college like she’d planned. It’d look bad, and it’d be fairly difficult to conceal. So, he’s bought her way into KU and has threatened me within an inch of my life if I don’t keep an eye on her.” I heave out a breath. “I need you with me, man. I’m fucking stuck with her, so we’re gonna put her through the paces just like we would any other new pledge coming in. Grind subservience into her until it’s fully ingrained. She’s a nuisance that’s been dropped at our doorstep, but we’re going to have so much fun putting her in her place...”
Bear barks out a laugh. “That’s if she doesn’t fuck you up with that bangin’ body of hers.” At the annoyed look I shoot him, he holds his hands up. “Just sayin’.” He chuckles again before his firm hand clamps down on my shoulder. With a sigh, his tone shifts to a more serious one. “Of course. Whatever you need. The new generation has to stick together.” He holds out his fist to me. “Friends to the end?”
I smack his fist solidly with mine. “Friends to the end. Mason’s going to be a fucking pain in the ass about her, isn’t he?”
He bobs his head, smirking a bit. “Yep.”
I blow out a breath, leading the way into the house. Bear and I walk through the entry, past the staircases that curve up either side of the room and take a right. Our feet carry us quickly to the den where Mason’s got the entire brotherhood, as well as the two new pledges and Lennon, ready and waiting.
It’s a fairly large room, full of cushy leather couches and other assorted seating, perfect for times when we have to call the entire brotherhood together. There’s still some light streaming in through the windows, but not much as the harsh summer sun sets. I flip on overhead lighting and fans as I walk to the front of the room with Bear. Mason joins us, a cloud of gloom surrounding him as he studies Lennon, his misery-filled eyes glued to her. He’s been strangely vacillating—one minute finding amusement in taunting me and messing with Lennon and the next wallowing under whatever depressing thoughts he’s having today. Dude has fuckin’ issues galore.
Mason and I have had complications stemming from a blowup freshman year, but we’ve agreed to at leastpresentourselves as a united force this year. It’s the only way to gain the respect of the initiating brothers and maintain it with the remainder of the brotherhood. Every year, the heads of house lead with an iron fist—but we’re going to have to double down on that. We’re the sons of the founding fathers, and I’m aware there are at least a couple members of the brotherhood who would love to see us fail. They know we didn’t ever have to worry about our admission to the Bainbridge Hall brotherhood. Unlike the rest of them who paid up and then clawed their way through initiation, we’re sons of the OG Bainbridge Bastards. They think our lives are easy. But we’re the ones with an inkling of what belonging to this house means. And I do mean belong to. The alumni own us and will forever.
My eyes land on Lennon the moment I turn around to face everyone. How could they not? As the sole female in attendance, she sticks out like a sore thumb with waves of blonde hair and long legs hanging out of frayed and holey jean shorts. Her lush breasts push the limits of her strappy black tank top. And those fucking lips.Jesus.
I blow out a breath, tearing my eyes away and observing for a moment how the others are reacting to her. Tucker’s a year behind us, on the football team with Bear, and he’s pretty obvious about his interest in her. Too busy on his phone to care about the feminine presence in our house, the other junior, Warren, sits with his head bent, reading his text messages. Pierre, Brendan, and Kai—the sophomores—appear to be leery of getting their hands slapped, having just come out of their probationary period last year themselves, so their glances her way are few and far between. And the grunts, I don’t even have their fuckin’ names straight yet. The one with white-blond hair notices me studying him and quickly looks away. My gaze moves to the second one who, much like Tucker, can’t seem to unglue his dark eyes from Lennon, though he’s doing it kind of shiftily, since she’s sitting right next to him.
And then, there’s my stepsister. I haven’t fully processed this, so having her sitting in the middle of our den is jarring. Wrenching my gaze from her, I give myself a shake. The aberration of our plans, the mere idea of Stella being here day in and day out has me all twisted up. I don’t trust that she won’t delight in causing ripples throughout the brotherhood. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she started hooking up with half of them. Like mother, like daughter. She’ll go until she finds one who gives her what she wants, just like her mother did with my father. Probably has a magic muff, too.
I groan internally, irritation rising within me that she’s already got my attention diverted to places it shouldn’t be. But one thing’s for certain—Stella Bella had better listen up once we get started, because I will treat her just like any of these other grunts. She’ll do everything they will, exactly like my father said, because from experience, we know it’s the best way to keep newbs in line.
I clear my throat, getting everyone’s attention, ready to get this over with. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Welcome, Arik and Quincy. Congrats on making the cut.” I pause, my eyes shifting to Lennon as I run my hand back through my hair, pushing it from my face.
Before I can explain her presence to the group, Brendan mumbles, “Who’s the bitch?”
The deafening silence in the room serves to let him know that he’s taken a misstep, but then Mason finishes the job. He takes a half step forward, cocking his head to the side and staring at Brendan. “Don’t you think we’re getting to that, dumbass?”
Brendan’s mouth snaps shut, his face coloring. The swift intakes of air around the room don’t surprise me, these guys no doubt are now nervous to open their own mouths for fear of saying something stupid.
I tip my chin at Mason, acknowledging that his bold move was fairly effective, then glance to my side toward Bear, who I can tell is inwardly laughing again. With a roll of my eyes, I wet my lips. “Boys, meetthe inconvenience.This is Lennon Bell, and she’ll be living here this year.”
Her pretty face screws up into a scowl, clearly pissed off by her introduction. “Well, believe me, I don’t want to be here either. It’s not by choice.”
Her biting words trigger a rumbling from the brotherhood. It starts quietly, then builds to a dull roar until I slice my hand through the air. “Nope. We’re not here to discuss Lennon’s situation. What we are here to do right this moment”—I look pointedly at the grunts, and even include Lennon in my stare—“is give you a rundown on the rules we have here, and how this entire process works.”
