Chapter 1
Chapter One
Robbie
The second Bailey Prince walks in that front door, I know there’s gonna be a whole hell of a lot of sex noises happening this afternoon.
Too bad I’m not the one who’ll be making them.
I tilt my head back from where I’m lazing on the couch, in the middle of kicking Brandon’s ass at Tekken, and watch Bailey close the front door behind him. The blast of cold December air cuts off instantly, and Bailey throws an unsure smile our way.
“Hey, Chad upstairs?”
It’s only been a few weeks since I found out my frat brother was dating a dude from our rival frat, and I’m still not sure how to feel about it.
Having a Rho Kappa Tau member in the house is fucking weird, given the majority of my college years have been spent targeting the brothers in that house with pranks.
“Bedroom,” Brandon answers.
“KO” blasts from the speakers, pulling my attention back to the TV to find the asshole kept playing while I was distracted. That little shit.
By the time I glance back toward the front door, Bailey is gone.
“I don’t get how you’re so chill about him always being here,” I say.
Brandon shrugs, focus still on the game. “He’s Doomsen’s boy.”
“He’s also part of the frat that put you in the hospital.
” Because while our house might be shitheads when it comes to pranks, the Kappas took it way too far a few weeks ago, and Brandon ended up having a massive asthma attack because of their stupidity.
And all in the name of King of Thieves, something that is supposed to be a friendly competition between the two houses.
“One of our pledges was the main problem, which you know,” Brandon says. “Plus, they gave us back everything they stealth stole, they paid for my ambulance, and I’m fine for the hundredth time. As far as I’m concerned, things are back to normal.”
Normal. I know they’re supposed to be, but I still can’t look at him without seeing him gasping for air.
I prod his thigh with my foot. “Go again.”
“Urg, keep those things away from me.”
“What, this?” I lift my foot to poke his ear, and he bats it away.
“You have issues.”
“Me?” I snort. “I once hooked up with a chick who liked to suck on my toes. She had issues, brother.”
Brandon cringes.
The game restarts, and we have a few blissful moments to zone out as we beat the shit out of each other.
“Fuck, fuck.” Brandon grunts as his character is flattened. He tosses the controller on the coffee table and drags a hand through his blond hair. “I guess I better head out.”
“Going to see Jenny?”
“Some sorority tea party shit.”
I laugh at the clear pain in his voice. “That’s what you get for doing the relationship thing.
We’re in college. Most of the chicks on the row want you, and instead of taking advantage of that, you’ve gone and got yourself a girlfriend.
” Brandon is one of those guys who can get by on looks alone.
Not pretty, more … Hollywood. Symmetrical face.
Blond hair that does that perfect wave thing.
The most unusual thing about his face is his vampire teeth. Girls go crazy over that shit.
“I don’t have time to take advantage of anything. I’m too busy herding you idiots every weekend.”
“Hey. I’m fucking delightful.”
“You and Doomsen are going to give me a heart attack one of these days.”
I frown at the throwaway phrase. Normally shit like that doesn’t bother me, but after the asthma attack, I’m getting way too sensitive to it. Is it my fault I thought he was going to die?
As if right on cue, the telltale sounds of rhythmic thumping and moans come from overhead, and we both glance toward the sound.
“That’s me out,” Brandon says. “What are you doing?”
“I’ll hang here.”
“You don’t wanna come and eat too-small sandwiches and drink out of itty-bitty cups?”
I send a grin his way because he knows what I think of tiny food. I’m a big guy at six foot four and two hundred and sixty pounds, and there’s nothing I find more fun than eating shit that makes me feel like a giant.
“I’ll pass.” Not that I don’t want to go, but because there’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a few days, and it isn’t going to leave my brain until I balls up and do it.
He leaves, and I head for the stairs.
The sex noises are louder up here.
Usually it’s not too bad because the house is full of people and the noise is canceled out, but Sunday afternoons are when most people are working or studying or nursing hangovers.
By the time I reach the hall, I have a front-row seat to a full-blown porn soundtrack … and I don’t hate it.
Instead, my pulse jumps at the husky sighs and deep grunts.
When you live in a frat house, hearing your brothers have sex becomes a standard weekend, but hearing one have sex with a dude is new.
There are frats with queer members all up and down the row, but until Chad came out, there were none in this frat.
So until the last few weeks, I had no idea how hot overhearing gay sex could be.
My curiosity is running riot.
I tried watching some gay porn, but that evidence is incon-fucking-clusive, because it was sex, and all sex can get me off.
There was also that one time, freshman year, when I hooked up with a dude by mistake.
I was blind drunk, he was pretty, and I didn’t put the pieces together until he whipped out his cock and told me to suck it.
So I did what any champion would do and got on my knees.
If only I could remember more than a lot of choking followed by projectile spraying his cum all over him.
I grin at Chad’s closed bedroom door. Good times.
The noise inside has died down, so I give them a minute to catch their breaths before I knock.
“We’re busy, asshole,” Chad says.
“Sounds like you just finished up.”
There’s a muffled curse, and after cracking the door and giving them a second, I walk right on in.
Chad quickly throws the sheets over him and Bailey, and I eye where Bailey is lying boneless on the bed, curls plastered to his forehead, and cheeks redder than they were when he got inside out of the chilly wind.
“You guys look like you’ve been having fun.” I pump my eyebrows as I grab Chad’s desk chair and straddle it backward.
“Tell me you weren’t listening at the door,” he says.
“Door. Living room. A street away. It wouldn’t have made any difference.”
Bailey sits up, leaning back into his hands as Chad tucks his behind his head. He’s got one hairy thigh not covered by the sheet, and my gaze snags on it, hovers. It’s not like I’ve never seen Chad naked in the locker room before, but I’ve never actually paid attention.
“I have a favor,” I say before I can get sidetracked.
“I won’t hide the body with you, but I’m happy to provide an alibi,” Chad says.
“Is murder a frequent occurrence?” Bailey asks. “Because manual labor isn’t my thing either.”
“Nope,” Chad says. “But I figure if I always reply like that, the odds are in my favor.”
“You’d have more chance with Brandon,” I point out.
“This is cute, but I’d like to clean up once you’re done, so want to get to it?” Bailey says.
“Ah, right. Yeah. Look, I’m glad I caught you two—”
“In my bedroom? After sex? What a coincidence,” Chad says.
I flip him off and turn to Bailey. “You’re the most reasonable one in here—”
“I’m really not.”
I huff. “Can I ask what I wanna ask without you guys interrupting?”
“Not sure.” Bailey tilts his head. “Can you?”
I turn to Chad. “I’ve changed my mind. Back to you. This is important.”
Concern immediately crosses his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Specifically.”
“So why the hell couldn’t it wait until after I’d spooned Bailey for a bit?”
“I’ve been thinking about this all week!”
“All week?” Bailey smirks. “Sounds painful.”
“Bro my god, fuck you both. I’m feeling the love here.”
Chad laughs. “Tell me. You’re all thinky and quiet, I don’t like it.”
“Fine. But I’m invoking the Chet Protocol first.”
My buddy immediately sits up, all teasing gone. “I’m here for you, man.”
“Chet Protocol?” Bailey asks, eyeing Chad’s sudden change.
“Named after a brother in the seventies who accidentally fucked his cousin,” Chad explained. “It’s a judgment-free pass.”
“And we really want to give that to Robbie, who barged in here after listening to us have sex and now is looking … shifty?”
Chad kisses his head. “Sorry, princess, we don’t have a choice.”
“Frat boys, I swear.”
Bailey can act as exasperated as he likes; I already know he’d do anything for Chad. It’s the reason I decided to like him, even though I hate Kappas as a rule.
“Go.” Chad nods at me.
“I want to touch your dick.”
Silence follows my words.
A really. Long. Silence.
I point at Chad. “You’re judging.”
“No judgment. No, no. I’m … confused.”
“You are aware we’re dating.” Bailey’s voice has a hard edge to it. “No judgment.”
“I know. I don’t wanna mess with that, but Chad’s my best bro, and I can’t think of anyone else to help me out with this.”
“With what?”
“Well, I’m sort of curious what dick is like.”
“Haven’t you already done the experimenting thing?” Chad asks. He lifts a hand. “No judgment.”
“Technically, I guess, but I was trashed. I didn’t know my ass from my face that night.”
“There are apps, you know,” Bailey says. He still looks kinda shitty with me, but not like he’s about to lunge at me.
Though, he is naked, so I suppose I’d inadvertently cop a feel that way.
“And the apps are a thing I could do. I’m not picky about who I’m sleeping with, but first, I think I should probably be sure I’m comfortable with snake wrangling before I jump into the viper’s pit.”
Chad starts to laugh. “No judgment,” he chokes out. “But fuck no.”
I scowl and turn to Bailey. “What about you? A couple of pumps and I’ll know.”
Before Bailey can reply, Chad flops onto his back and tucks his hands behind his head again. “No judgment, brother, but you touch him and you won’t need to know your ass from your face because I’ll rearrange them both.”
Bailey pats Chad’s exposed thigh, and my gaze returns to the beefy strip of skin. “Uh-huh. You’re the tough one.”
“Come on,” I whine. “I’m not fussy who. A dick’s a dick.”
“New rule,” Chad says. “One bro does not ask another bro’s ho to see his dick. It’s so not frat.”
I snigger.
“Call me a ho again,” Bailey challenges until Chad gives him a sheepish smile, and then Bailey turns to me. “Why don’t you find someone who’s actually available?”
“Because the only guys I know are straight, and I don’t want to be going up to random gay guys and asking to fondle their junk.”
“Why?” Bailey asks. “They’d love it.”
I scowl. “Because I don’t want to look like an idiot if I chicken out.”
“Well, you’re shit out of luck here,” Chad says. “We know a great gay club down in New York if you ever want to go though.”
“You’re missing the point,” I grumble as I stand and push the chair back under his desk. I go to leave when Chad calls me back.
“I just want to say that even though I don’t want a piece of all that”—he waves his hand toward me—“I’m happy for you to be figuring yourself out. And I’m always here to talk.”
“Naked?” I grin.
“Get the fuck out.”