Chapter 11
Miles
M y mind’s a collision of rage and anxiety. Not exactly an unusual combo for me, but despite the panic attack, I’ve been a lot better since Dax talked me down.
His scent lingers, as if I can still smell him yards away at Zeta Tau, where I watch the TaskFrat Challenge. He’s blindfolded, in only a…honestly, not even sure what this is. A skirt with slits along the sides? White and revealing, that’s what it is.
Dax feels around as one of his teammates from inside the house talks to him on a walkie-talkie, trying to guide him and several other Alpha Theta Mus through a few feet of Solo cups without knocking any down, since part of tonight’s challenge means each overturned Solo cup will be deducted from the team’s final score.
Meanwhile, the Omega Psis are nearly finished with that part of the challenge.
I should be rooting for my old frat, but I find myself trying to mentally guide Dax through the Solo-cup minefield. Come on. Come on.
It’s been a roller coaster of a day, from after class when I went through the loop of being pissed that he didn’t show, to when I was about to confront him only to wind up with my face buried in the bushes, to telling him about my mom.
I don’t tell anyone about her because I can’t say it without choking up, and then there’ll be the question: What happened?
Maybe I felt safe because I knew Dax would understand why I didn’t want to get into it.
He’s cautious with me, like he’s disarming a bomb, knowing most of the wires are the wrong ones.
“So maybe on Monday we can have another session,” Tatum suggests, leaning against the fence, lighting up a joint.
“That works. I have some shit I need to get off my chest anyway.”
“I’d be happy to help you get something else off.”
I tense at the suggestion, which is odd because there’s nothing wrong with Tatum’s hole. It’s always been a lot of fun. But seems like I’m having an issue because there’s only one ass on my mind right now.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he practically sings, since he must realize that was an awkward-ass pause.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
I have Dax on my mind right now.
“Yeah, and usually that helps,” Tatum points out.
He moves closer, reaching out and resting the back of his knuckles against my chest. I pull away, glancing over my shoulder, like some part of me is worried Dax might’ve seen the move and gotten the wrong idea about us, though it’s not like he would have any right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do with Tatum.
Before I have a chance to figure out what the hell that was about, Tatum says, “Interesting. Haven’t seen that from you before. Miles Tanner, are you hooking up with someone?”
“I’m always hooking up,” I blurt, sounding pissed. Maybe because I am pissed that Dax and I haven’t hooked up again already.
Tatum grins. “Holy hell. I thought I’d never see the day. You like someone.”
“Shut up. We’re not in elementary school.”
He rolls his eyes. “Oh, for frat’s sake, just tell me who it is!”
“Stop being weird.”
“You like someone, and I’m the one being weird?”
I glare at him, and he smirks, his gaze probing. Any attempts to deny that will only make it that much more apparent that I do like Dax, which is strange when I barely admit that I like anyone.
“You got it, Spears!” someone shouts directly into my ear, and my buddy and former Omega Psi housemate Caleb slides between Tatum and me.
“Christ, Cabe.” That’s the nickname I’ve used for him since I first misheard it when we were introduced freshman year while we were rushing.
He side-eyes me. “Someone’s in a mood.”
“When is he not?” Tatum says, pushing smoke out through his nose.
“Well, tonight we’re having fun with a capital F ,” Caleb insists. “So whatever happened at Alpha Theta Mu today, I want you to let that go and not cause any trouble.”
“You heard about that?” Not that I’m surprised. Word travels fast around the frats, but it’s annoying since I don’t really want to get into my extreme overreacting to Dax having a fucking doctor’s appointment, especially not with the guys.
Caleb says, “That you were the idiot who got your ass handed to you by Damien Westbrook? Yeah, I heard.”
“Wait, what? I didn’t get my ass handed to me.”
“Yeah, what’s this?” Tatum asks. “I missed the gossip.” He always does. “What did Damien do? Did you kick his ass?”
“Don’t get too excited,” Caleb says. “He threw our boy through the front porch.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“What happened?” Tatum presses.
“Maybe I should’ve said that is what happened…”
I turn back to the challenge, where the Omega Psis and Alpha Theta Mus, still blindfolded, are feeling their way through kiddie pools packed with Jell-O, while the other frats are still stuck in the Solo-cup minefield.
Dax retrieves a dildo, which I’m guessing is what they had to find, then speeds through to the finish line.
Fuck yeah.
The crowd loses their damn minds over Alpha Theta Mu’s victory.
“Look,” Caleb says, “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Damien, but you really need to play it safe this year. If you get expelled, I’m gonna feel like an asshole for…”
He stops there. He’s not gonna say it, and damn well he shouldn’t, not when we’re surrounded by frats who could overhear and discover he was the one behind the prank at Sigma Alpha that caused the fire. He didn’t mean for it to go that way. It was an accident. I just took the blame for it.
“I didn’t do anything to Damien,” I say, “and as far as I know, the most that’s gonna happen is I’ll be spending the weekend fixing the front porch.”
Caleb’s quiet, and I can read the guilt all over his expression. “Sorry, I just, I’d hate to be the reason something else were to happen to you.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. If we could go back in time, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”
“Yeah, but it sucks not having you in Omega Psi.”
I shrug. “Eh, I’m a loner anyway. Don’t know what I was doing in a fraternity to begin with.
” The words are hollow as I feel this sinking sensation in my belly.
I was excited about Omega Psi. A bunch of weird-ass rebels who get up to a little more trouble than all the goody-goodys at the other frats.
It’s where I started talking to guys like Tatum and Caleb, opening up… As much as I can, at least.
Fortunately, before I have time to sit with all that crap, we head over to afters at Omega Psi.
Caleb gives Tatum and me a ride over, and as I catch up with some of the Omega Psis, I search around for Dax, which reminds me of that night when he was drinking with his friends and slipped away, and me searching for him, hunting him like prey.
I find him in the living area, dancing with Keegan and Jaxon from Sigma Alpha. Well, Keegan’s dancing. Jaxon’s busy on his phone. Both have put some clothes on since the challenge, but not Dax, who’s still half-dressed—and I wouldn’t mind it if he lost that little skirt thing.
“You know those matches will still be there when the party’s over, right?” Keegan tells Jaxon, clearly annoyed. I definitely get it because sometimes Tatum leaves me hanging with how much he’s on his phone.
Jaxon snickers. “Uh-oh. Someone mad he’s not getting enough attention from me?” He tucks his phone in his back pocket.
“Come on,” Keegan says. “You need to meet real-life people who will actually fuck you.”
Jaxon cringes. “You know I suck at peopling.”
Keegan rolls his eyes. “Dax, I’ll be back. I gotta get this one laid.”
“Finally! He’s been waiting for you to fuck him since freshman year!” Dax jokes. From what I know of the guys, Keegan is straight and Jaxon is bi, so I’m guessing that’s an inside joke.
“Shut up, you two,” Keegan says, taking Jaxon by the arm and leading him off, giving Dax some space on the dance floor.
I enjoy a sip of my beer, my eyes still on Dax like the creeper I am. He scans the room, his gaze catching mine. I nod to acknowledge him, then look away.
What the fuck is this? I’m not a mess. I’m cool as fuck. I can attract whoever the hell I set my sights on, clearly including Dax Armstrong, so why am I suddenly acting like I’m the nerd in an ’80s movie around him?
But I’m not approaching him while he’s on the dance floor. Dancing is not my thing.
Like ever.
But if that’s the case, why am I gravitating closer and closer, until I’m in the middle of the grinding and silly moves.
I sip my beer, but now I’m the awkward guy not dancing in the middle of the dance floor when Dax glances at me again.
The way his lips curl into a smirk is the kind of thing that gets on my nerves, but it does something else to me tonight because a rush of adrenaline surges through me.
And as he dances away from his friends, making his way over to me, I feel this visceral relief.
I can’t help looking him over, drinking him in, wondering if there’s anything under that skirt or if I could just slide right in.
The pleasure I get from it quickly shifts as I search around to see who else might be admiring his physique.
“Impressed with Alpha Theta Mu?” he asks.
“Omega Psi nearly had you guys.”
“Whatever. Now come on. Where are your moves?”
He gets into the beat, his expression an invitation.
“I don’t dance.”
I’m not nearly as dismissive as I would usually be, and he studies my expression as if trying to get inside my head. And he’s already gotten in further than most.
He shrugs. “Okay, then. Just stand in the middle of the dance floor and act too cool for fun.”
When he turns to head off, my chest tightens. I could say I don’t like how this feels, like Dax has these invisible chains tethering me and the power to pull at will, but…that would be a lie.
On his way back to his friends, he attracts more glances, all these fuckers wanting a piece of action with him, because why the fuck wouldn’t they?
I think he’s given up on me, but as he nears his friends, he whirls around, and he’s still moving to the beat, tilting his head as he signals for me with his forefinger.
Don’t give in. Don’t you dare.
He must realize I’m steadily caving because he persists, and damn these invisible strings because I head toward him. As pissed as I am at myself for giving in, the grin across his face makes it worth it.
“Okay, we’re almost there,” he teases. “Now you actually have to move.”
“I’m walking. That’s moving.”
“Fine.” He steps closer. “You stand right there, then.”
He’s got this wicked glint in his eyes, making me think of the naughty things we did in the bathroom stall together. The way he liked me ordering him around. How well he took my load.
He presses his pelvis against my thigh and begins grinding on me. My cock shifts in the crotch of my pants, tightening as we lock eyes, and then he spins around, his ass against my crotch. He’s really getting into it, ignoring this stiff, unmoving object behind him…well, one stiff thing is moving.
He glances over his shoulder. “Oh, look who’s happy to see me again.” He pushes closer, and fuck, the guy knows how to move. I rest my free hand on his hip, tucking a finger under the waistband of his skirt.
“You like that, don’t you?” he asks.
“Just keep dancing.”
He obeys—he’s so good at following orders. He keeps up his work until he offers a long stroke along my shaft, making me moan before he pulls away, and it’s like I black out for a moment, trying to make sense of why he stopped, before he’s facing me again.
“Guess we’re gonna have to do something about this again,” he says.
“Guess so.”
“But you’re gonna have to dance first.”
“Fucker.”
“You like it.”
Yes, I do.
I grunt, mostly annoyed because my dick knows exactly what it wants and I can’t have it.
“Come on,” he urges, and I bob about slightly to the beat.
He laughs.
“I’m not gonna do it if you’re gonna laugh.” But I notice I’m about to crack a smile.
“I won’t laugh. Just think about how much you want my ass.”
“Like you don’t want my dick?”
“Oh, I want your dick. And when I get it, you better be prepared to make me remember it.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“Talk is cheap.”
This chemistry between us is fire, and I want to be consumed by it.
He gets right in my face, his lips centimeters from mine, sporting that classic Dax Armstrong smirk. Those fucking kissable lips are so close, so damn inviting. I may have a weird thing about not kissing friends, but good thing is, Dax isn’t really a friend.
Tempted as I am, I’m patient. I don’t want to just mess around with Dax.
I want to tease and entice him. I want to toy with him the way he’s toying with me, so I keep dancing, being slightly more dramatic as I sway with the music.
Dax doesn’t make fun of me this time, and I steadily relax.
A few of my former Omega Psi housemates are looking my way, surely thinking I’m ridiculous. But fuck them. I can have some fun too.
As the song goes on, I throw my ego out the window, even get a little goofy, until Dax and I are in a competition to see who can do the silliest moves.
Suddenly, he turns and starts off again. The tightness in my chest returns, but then he spins back around and waves for me to follow. Those invisible strings get me once again, and I head through the crowd, tailing him into the hall.