2. JAXON
2
JAXON
The look on 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 full course 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 face again . 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 for all of 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.
Her mouth opens in shock—or is it dismay?—and she begins to shake her head.
“What? Wait, what’s going on?” she breathes out, her gaze bouncing from me to the guy who has bound us together for who the hell knows how long.
“Here ya go. This is yours.” A bottle of rum is shoved into my hand by one of the frat brothers who gives Rya a leering once-over before addressing me again. “I hope you and your new friend enjoy it!”
Just then, Trip’s booming laugh fills the room, amplified by the way it echoes off the high ceiling of the basement. “I present you lucky people with our Friend and a Fifth challenge.” His gaze drifts around the room. “Twelve couples, twelve bottles of alcohol. No trading. No talking, except to your booze buddy. You figure out who drinks how much. You’re stuck together until the bottle is empty. Figure out what that might entail on your own. Best of luck to you.” His eyes twinkle with mischief. “Get to know each other. Have some fun.” He sweeps his gaze around the room, checking in with each of us. “And no cheating. We’ll know if you break one of the rules.”
“How?” some redhead asks as she edges away from the guy she’s strapped to, like she’d bolt if she could.
“Cameras, love. We’ll be watching.” Trip’s lips twitch as he surveys the room for more questions.
A short guy tied to a willowy brunette raises his hand. “What’s in it for us?”
He throws his head back and laughs. “What? The pretty girl you get to spend the evening with isn’t enough?” I kinda gotta agree with Trip here. What a pussy. Make the best of it, man. You’re stuck with a hot girl. Oh no! The Tri-Beta president grins big as he nods. “There is indeed a prize, but you won’t find out what it is until it’s over. It’ll go to the pair who finishes fastest without breaking the rules or passing out.” With that, he eyes the other fraternity brothers, and every single one of them turns and heads up the stairs, leaving us down here to our own devices.
Rya’s unsteady sigh at my side grabs my attention, and I nudge her with my arm. “Hey. You’re okay. We’ll be fine. What’s your name?” As if I didn’t already know .
Her teeth scrape over her plump pink bottom lip. I’m not letting on that I’m privy to anything about her or her boyfriend, even though I’ve been paying attention to the two of them for a while now, letting their happiness poison my insides. Fucking Logan gets everything he wants. But maybe not for long.
“Rya,” she says after a pause, but then surprises me by giving me a once-over, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile.
She’d actually do well to be cautious, but it doesn’t really affect my course of action either way. “Pretty name. A little unusual. I like that.” I glance over her shoulder for a split second, connecting with Logan’s eyes. He’s not happy. I almost start cracking up at what an understatement that thought is. The man is straight going off the deep end, anger and frustration battling for supremacy. I shoot him a fierce smile, which is met with a clenching of his teeth and a shake of his head. A soft chuckle leaves my lips as I bring my gaze back to Logan’s girl. “Rya, I think you and I are going to have a lot of fun tonight.”
Her smile widens. “I hope so! I’m a little nervous about the alcohol. I don’t drink much.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.” I shoot her a wink meant to charm her. “It shouldn’t be too bad or they wouldn’t have us do it, right? ”
As Trip reaches the top of the stairs, the overhead lights go out, the music goes up, and the door slams shut, leaving us with the dimmest glow coming from an undetermined location. There’s some mumbling from the group, but no one is talking specifically to anyone else. No breaking of the rules yet.
Rya makes a little squeak of protest in the sudden darkness and clutches at me with her unbound hand. I smirk, lifting my own to trap it against my chest. Hers is so fucking soft. An image of her jerking off my stepbrother pops into my head, but a moment later, I manage to block that out, instead imagining her touching my dick. I wonder if she knows how to give good head. Doesn’t matter. I’ll teach her. And Logan will wonder where she picked up her new skills.
From across the room, Logan’s voice is barely audible. He’s in panic mode, though, that much I can tell. I don’t know if he can see us, but if he can, he probably won’t like this. I duck my head close to Rya’s ear. “Come over here with me. Let’s sit and get to know each other.”
She stares up into my eyes, then down at the ties that bind us. “Sounds good.”
I bring us over to an empty space at the side of the room and take her hand in mine. She has no real choice but to sink down onto the floor with me, the wall at our backs .
She draws her legs up and hugs them with her free arm, gesturing to the alcohol with a jut of her chin. “Should we open the bottle? What kind of liquor is that?”
“You read my mind. And it’s rum.” Without thinking, I move to open the bottle, but her arm comes up right along with mine. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to yank you around.”
I can barely make out her expression enough to witness her nose as it wrinkles. “No problem. We’re attached at the wrist. Go ahead and get it open.”
Uncapping the bottle, I take a whiff. “Seems like decent enough stuff. I’m actually surprised they didn’t give us shitty liquor.” Taking a swig of the rum, I let it roll around in my mouth before I swallow. “One shot down.” I tip the bottle back to my mouth. “Two.” I blow out a hard breath, then wet my lips. “Damn.”
In the pitch-dark space between us, I sense the nervous energy still spilling off her. “Give me the bottle. I can help. I never said I wouldn’t drink some of it.” Her voice is hesitant. Unsure. But also kinda raspy and sexy.
I chuckle. “You’ve gotta be a lightweight. We don’t have a chance in hell at winning. Not without taking you out of here and directly to the ER to pump your stomach.”
Her eyes flash at me, revealing a feisty side to her I wouldn’t have guessed existed, and she huffs out, “Gimme the bottle. I want some.” When I don’t immediately comply, she shifts toward me, stretching her arm across my body to make a grab for the bottle in my right hand. At the last second, I move it out of her reach, and she falters, unsteady in the dark. Her breasts smash against my chest, and her free hand lands on my lower abs. A little whimper falls from her lips, but she doesn’t move. In fact, her fingers flex, digging into my skin.
Well, well, well . My eyes narrow on her, not that we can see each other very well, and her bowed head slowly tips up. She stares into my eyes, horror-struck. I think hers must be green or blue, because I can sorta see the irises when the dim light hits her just right. Wetting my bottom lip, I murmur, “Sorry, I was going to hand it to you, but you freaked me out, lunging for it.”
“Oh my god, I’m sorry.” She lurches backward, pulling her body away from mine.
“No harm done. Here.” I hold the bottle out to her, and she takes it, albeit gingerly, from my hands.
“How many shots do you suppose are in this bottle?” Rya tips it to her lips, sipping carefully.
“In a fifth? Like fifteen or sixteen.” I reach over and take the bottle back from her and down another shot. “And if we go sip by sip, we’re going to be here all night.” Squinting in the dark, I search out Logan. “Who did you come with tonight? ”
“Just a couple friends.”
I nod. Interesting . I take another long swallow.
“It was mostly my roommate. She loves a good party.” She wets her lips before continuing. “Your name is Jaxon, right?” At my nod, she finishes, “I can drink more. It didn’t taste so bad. I don’t want you to have to drink an entire bottle because you got stuck with me.” She moves to her knees beside me, holding out her hand.
“All right. But don’t force it down. And we can go slow.”
“I just don’t drink very often. I’m, uh… I’m a dancer.” She swallows deeply before handing the bottle back to me.
My brows drift upward, and I smirk. Nice. Very nice.
We exchange the bottle several more times over the next twenty minutes or so. The more Rya drinks, the looser she gets, becoming less cautious with her words and way more touchy-feely with me. And I gotta say, I’m living for it, especially because Logan hasn’t stopped looking over here. Not for a second. I shoot a feral grin in his direction.
Rya takes another swig of the rum, then flops against me, giggling at her own clumsiness. “I feel… all floopy. Like I’m not myself. But… so free.” She stretches her unbound arm into the air, swaying to the music, as she glances around the room. Her eyes widen as they drift over quite a few pairs of booze buddies going at it, hot and heavy in the dark. The music has changed, it’s sexy and sultry, and damn, maybe this is what Trip and his fraternity brothers had intended. They’re probably all upstairs watching the live porn with popcorn. I have no problem giving them a show.
“You know what?” I whisper in Rya’s ear.
“What?” She laughs and might have tipped over if we weren’t tied together, but I tug gently on her arm, bringing her fully upright.
Yep. Good and intoxicated, and the hilarious thing is I didn’t have to do a fucking thing. I set the bottle down at my side, then deftly maneuver her until she’s straddling my lap. “I just wanted to be able to look at you. You’re so fucking pretty.” Her mouth drops open, and I draw her closer to me with my free hand pressed against the small of her back. “You feel good, Rya?”
She nods, leaning close, her lips a hair’s breadth away from mine. Holy shit. Logan’s girl is going to kiss me before I can kiss her first—which had totally been my intention, because I figured it’d piss him the fuck off. But hey, even better if it’s not me who initiates it.
There’s a scuffling noise from Logan’s direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Logan lurch toward us, dragging his partner with him. “Rya! Don’t?—”
She jerks at his shout, but before he can finish, the door upstairs whips open, and two frat brothers thunder down the stairs. “You’re done, Logan and Hazel. Let’s go.”
Rya stares at me bleary-eyed and gasps out, “What’s going on?” Her whisper-shouted question near my ear is comically loud, betraying every bit of how drunk she really is.
I can’t see much of the chaos occurring on the other side of the basement in the dark, but it’s clear from the grunts and groans that Logan is struggling hard not to be removed. I return my attention to Rya, shaking my head. “I’m not sure, babe.”
Logan’s muttered cursing is only partially audible as the Tri-Betas grab the first losers at Friend and a Fifth and begin hustling them toward the stairs. My stepbrother isn’t taking news of their departure very well. “Get the fuck off me. I need?—”
“What you need to do is exit the basement,” the brother at Logan’s side barks out with a laugh.
The other guy joins in with a mirthful, “But good news, you’re free to join the rest of the party now.”
“Aw, man!” Hazel grumbles. From her somewhat giddy tone it’s obvious that she’s consumed more than her fair share of whatever alcohol they were given, and she probably doesn’t comprehend what’s going on in the same way Logan has. As they’re led up the stairs, she turns back and shouts, “Rya! Whatever you do, don’t break the seal, girlfriend!”
In direct opposition to her friend’s instructions, Rya swipes the rum and chugs. She lowers the bottle, licking at a droplet lingering on her lip before asking, “What’d she just say?” Frowning, she takes another mouthful as the door leading to the raucous party above slams shut.
My eyes follow every move my little boozy buddy makes, and I attempt to stifle my laughter as I relay Hazel’s message. “She thinks you should slow down on the alcohol so you can hold off on going to the restroom.” Shooting her a wink, I hold out my hand for the bottle. “Here. You should let me finish it,” I urge, my damn fucking conscience getting the better of me.
“Well, nobody tells me what to do.” A few of her words come out the tiniest bit slurred, and I try to take the rum from her grasp, but she holds it over her head, arching her back to keep it away from me. Never mind that I have to hold onto her so she doesn’t go toppling over with it.
She shakes her head, giving me a rather devious smirk, considering I swear this girl is mostly innocent. Locking eyes with me, she brings the bottle back to her lips, pouring more of the potent drink into her mouth before setting the glass bottle down on the floor with a loud thunk . The alcohol I’ve already consumed swirls in my head, and I watch in a semi-dazed state as she leans forward, bracing her hand against my chest. What is she doing? My mouth drops open, and the next thing I know she’s let the rum she’d apparently held in her mouth flow into mine. I drink it down as her tongue follows, sweeping into my mouth in a hot, wet kiss. She tastes of rum and my stepbrother’s girlfriend—and there’s nothing I want more than another motherfucking swallow.