Page 63 of Harpy

She shook her head and smiled up at me. “Her color, but your shape. Not his. I’ve seen your stupid brother for weeks now. He is…not exactly an energy-efficient light bulb over there. Rip is too smart to come from that. She may have loved you both.”

I looked over, and they were talking like two people who had years to catch up on life. “What if she—”

Apollo said, “You know better. Your mother made sure of it. I’d get the test just so you don’t wonder, but I agree with our girl, here. He’s a smart kid, and your brother…just let me know some things I didn’t plan to learn.”

Harpy looked at him. He looked at her and said, “It’s always a strategy, baby. I’m not always sure how things will shake out, but when they do, well. I learn.”

He winked at her, looked at his watch, and said, “I have to be somewhere. Can’t miss this appointment.”

She looked up at me as he actually ran off toward the lot where all the vehicles were parked. Whatever he was doing, it was important. I looked at my brother, who waved and motioned for me to come back toward them. Okay, he really is a fucking self-entitled idiot. “No.”

I grabbed Harpy’s hand, and we headed back into Sophomore House. I did make sure to look at Helen’s face, and she was happy. Like, happy I was holding Harpy’s hand. It came back to me in a hard flash of memory. She had told me when I said I could marry her, protect her, the baby, that she didn’t love me. She was the first person I thought I loved, but that was just…hormones and stupidity. I looked down at Harpy. No. It wasn’t the same. She…understood me. She loved me, too and said it.

Cass came up to us and said, “Breakfast breakdown over, Boss?”

“No.” I tugged Harpy with me.

She said, “I owe you one, Cass.”

“Yes, you do,” Cassidy retorted.

I pulled her into my room and said, “Take those off.”

Work clothes. She removed them as I got into bed. She asked, “Are you leaving your bottoms on?”

“Yes. I just…” Needed her. She slid in next to me. “I know you have classes to get to this afternoon. I just…” I couldn’t articulate what I needed.

She snuggled up to me.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Harpy

He wasn’t going to unload all the fears, but I knew them anyway, so why make him say it. I hated the way he looked at her. Like…she might have been competition. Then, as we walked away, leaving that crazy bitch on the front lawn of Junior House with his brother, he looked at her like she was the enemy, maybe both of them.

Apollo was a natural villain, but his cryptic messages were making me think he was trying to teach me things. I just didn’t get the lesson. Well, I sort of learned from his example with the whole assignment situation, and now that I knew her history, I wondered if I needed to put her in the senior or freshman houses instead. I left a sleeping giant all warm and welcome body in that bed only to run into another grumpy man in the kitchen. I said, “I have to get to class.”

“You wearing your uniform?” Tituss asked. He lifted his lip in disapproval. “I mean, I get it. I just—”

“It’s the Bunny Shirt. It signifies I belong to this frat as a House Bunny, remember?” I tilted my head and my lips.

“You are not a House Bunny. You’re…my…bunny…hunny.” He lifted and lowered his eyebrows. He winced, reached for his neck. “I slept wrong or something.”

“Later. I need to get to class. I have a test in algebra, and I’m relying solely on classical music fed to a pair of earbuds provided by Apollo for subconscious education.” I grumbled.

“You always hated math. I could tutor you, for real, you know?” He looked at someone behind me and said, “Or he could.”

I turned, and it was Winston. He asked, “What can I do?”

“Your Momma needs help with math. Think you can set something up and—”

Before he could even finish it, there were four more of them. Squeak pulled at his t-shirt and said, “Hell yeah!”

I looked at the shirt, and maybe Tituss noticed it for the first time, too, as he snickered and said, “Looks like you’re raising ‘em right, Momma.”

He popped me on the ass, which made me yelp and them laugh as he left and said, “Tonight! My shoulders. Do not make me wait.”

I rolled my eyes, and the guys in the grand foyer laughed. Winston said, “Just text me. We got your back.”

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