Page 2 of This Is War: All's Fair Duet
I’m about to suggest to the girls that we head back to the dorm when the volume of the music lowers and a booming voice sounds. I turn swiftly, finding a guy standing on a chair in the middle of the room.
“I’m Trip Bentley, the president of this fraternity. I’m pleased to say we’ve got something special in store for the first ladies and gents who have graced Tri-Beta with their presence tonight. The twenty-four people in this room are about to undergo a surprise social experiment.” He flashes a wicked grin as he looks around the room at the shock and confusion gracing more than one face. “Are. You. Ready?”
What the fuck?I groan, not at all sure I’m up for this… and even less sure Rya is by the leery frown on her face.
One guy laughs, a loud “Oh, shit” rumbling from his throat.
Another dude punches his hand into the air. “Fuck, yes.”
“OMG, I’m scared,” squeaks a blonde over in the corner.
Hazel shoots me a mildly excited grin while Rya grasps my arm, practically gluing herself to my side.
“You may have noticed when you came in that we were keeping a tally of men and women who entered and taking names of each guy who came down here. We’re going to pair you up first, then we’ll explain the rest.”
There’s a low rumble from the smallish crowd as to whether we have to do this or if we’re allowed to join the party getting started above our heads instead.
“We don’t get to choose who we do this… thisthingwith?” one girl shouts, a wild look in her eyes.
Trip shakes his head, grinning widely. “Nope, the closest you get to choosing is selecting a name from the bucket. It’s a random selection process.” He pauses, eyeing us as a group. “And there’s no leaving, either.” He winks. “Yeah, I heard your grumbling, but you must play our game if you want to stay.”
Ah, fuck.I dip my head close to Rya’s ear and whisper, “Why do I get the feeling that means we’re the entertainment for the evening?”
She shrugs, mouthing “Sorry” to me, but I shake my head, letting her know it’s okay. It’s not her fault some ofthese frats enjoy hazing their partygoers and not just their pledges.
“Okay, ladies, you’ll take a single piece of paper from the bucket and find your partner for the challenge.” Another Tri-Beta brother moves around the room, allowing the girls to draw a name. Some seem excited, and others, not so much. The problem is, we have no idea what this so-called social experiment entails. And it seems we’re stuck here unless we want to argue before being blacklisted. Because that’s how it works. No one disagrees with the antics of the frats on campus. It’d be social suicide.
The guy with the bucket stops in front of Hazel, and she reaches in to retrieve a name. She’s almost giddy as she opens it. But then, her nose wrinkles. She glances over at me, a twist to her lips. “I’ve got you, Logan.” She turns her head, her eyes meeting Trip’s. “Hey, can we trade?”
Before he can answer, a guy I know from our dorm mutters from beside us, “Damn, Logan,” shaking his head and laughing with mirth. “What’d you do to her, lover boy?”
Hazel rolls her eyes. “I just thought Rya might like to be with Logan.”
As she says it, it occurs to me that depending on what’s about to happen that could be more awkward thananything else. But… she’s right. Rya would probably prefer it.
Trip shakes his head. “’Fraid not, little lady. That’s whatrandom selectionmeans. You get who you get.” His gaze flicks to me. “Logan’s a cool guy. You’ll be fine. Some of the rest of you? Maybe not so much.” He snickers, then gestures that the bucket boy should finish distributing names. Pretty soon, it’s just Rya left, and I look around to see which guy isn’t paired up, but I can’t figure it out.
“I’m nervous,” she mumbles as she reaches for the final piece of paper, fishing it out of the bucket. She looks at it, her brows drawing together, then shrugs like she must not know the name. Wetting her lips, she calls out, “Jaxon Ledger.”
Some catcalls go up at the same time my hackles rise.You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.I heave out a breath, scanning the room, but before I can locate him, he’s tapped Rya’s shoulder and draws her away from me. I don’t hear what he says to her or get the chance to say a goddamn word to warn her before Trip begins bellowing out more instructions. My mind descends into a state of chaos.
Whatever we’re doing here tonight… she’s doing it with my fucking stepbrother.
2
JAXON
The lookon Logan’s face will be imprinted on my mind for the foreseeable future. It’s fuckin’ funny the way he’d been looking around the room to find out who his girl was to be paired up with, all while I was standing behind him, waiting for the bomb to drop. Did my buddy Trip owe me a favor? Sure as fuck did. And this is the perfect opportunity to cash in on it.
Logan stares boldly at me, his jaw tightening like he’s grinding his teeth. He’s pissed? Good. Me too. Always. I’m catching a touch-her-and-die vibe that makes me want to put my hands all over her tight little body. I let my gaze roam from head to toe while he watches. She looks so fucking innocent. So sweet. Might not be anymore, once I get through with her. I haven’t quite decided on my fullcourse of action, but savage, deplorable ideas of how to handle this are forming in my head.
The hate I feel for my stepbrother is like a sickness, and the two of us in the same room will lead to certain disaster. Ever since my dad married his mom two years ago, the guy has been fucking up my entire life. He’s the bane of my existence. I can’t fucking stand him. And the fact that we’re about to be thrown together way more often has me on edge in a way that’s going to turn me into a motherfucking monster. He’s the reason for every disappointment I’ve had.
Then, I’d clawed my way free of him by coming to Evermore University, made it into a place I could thrive… and he couldn’t just stay the fuck away. Couldn’t pick another goddamn school, had to follow me here and get in my faceagain. We managed to steer clear of each other for an entire semester, but shit’s changed in the last few weeks. Circumstances at home have worsened, and Dad’s no fucking help at all. So, Logan will pay for it. He’ll pay forallof it. And this is where it starts.
I glance down at the girl standing beside me. She can’t control the trembling of her body. She radiates anxiety as we wait to find out what Trip and his Tri-Beta brothers have planned. As it is, it’ll be an interesting night, keeping my hatred for my stepbrother to myself while coaxing his girl to forget he ever existed.
When a dozen guys thunder down the stairs, each going to a different pair of us, I chuckle internally. I have a feeling this is going to be good. Exactly the sort of thing that’ll drive Logan fucking crazy. A Tri-Beta stops in front of us. Rya tilts her head to look up at me, eyes wild as the frat bro zip-ties our wrists together, my left to her right. It’s not tight or anything, but I test the bond, and there’s no way even her small hand is escaping. She’s fuckin’ stuck with me. I love it. Rya has a slightly different reaction, which is totally understandable.
