Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Charles
I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. Not to drift away on these floating feelings that being around Zeke inspires.
From waking up beside him the other morning to our meeting with the dean, where we kept throwing words like school unity and philanthropic ventures at him until he caved and agreed that our idea was a good one.
Mentioning my fathers coming to visit the school may have been underhanded, but it worked. Most people don’t realize that Father doesn’t have access to the family fortunes and that if they want to get to Grampy, he definitely isn’t the way to do it.
We all have trusts, but those pale in comparison to the Levine funds.
It’s warm enough today that Zeke and I walk back from campus. I’m buzzing being around him, even though we can’t touch, and I try not to look at him when I can help it because when I’m with Zeke, the need inside me settles.
“I never knew you were so sneaky,” he says in that slow, deep voice. There’s a tinge of humor there that has pride swell in my chest.
“Sneaky? Actually, I think I was very forthcoming.”
“‘My fathers thought it was a good idea and were hoping to meet you when they’re here next,’” he says in a voice I think is supposed to be mine.
I groan and let my eyes fall closed. “Friends don’t remind other friends of their douchebag moments.”
“Good friends.” Zeke pumps his eyebrows.
Urg. All that does is remind me how long it’s been since we’ve been able to show what good friends we actually are. Instead of pouting about it, I suck it up. Between tutoring, studying and coursework, Zeke’s swimming, and us planning this stupid executive sleepover, I’m exhausted.
“You think this plan is going to work?” I ask as we get back to Kappa house.
“Nope.” Zeke has way too much conviction behind that answer.
“But we literally have nothing else, so might as well give it a try. The cameras are set up, the livestream is advertis—” Zeke cuts off as four guys dressed head to toe in black jump out from the bushes and pelt us with water balloons.
I flinch at the cold spray, but more follow, and each hit explodes and makes my whole body seize up.
Laughter rings in my ears as I bolt for the front deck, and by the time I shoulder the front door open, I’m completely drenched. Zeke catches me by surprise when he tumbles in after me and hurries to slam the door.
He’s laughing, chest jolting up and down, wet T-shirt clinging to his pecs and tempting me to lean forward and nuzzle them. It takes all my self-control to turn away and lean into the door beside him. My forehead connects with the wood, and before I can think it through, I start to laugh too.
“Charles?”
Shit. I spring away from Zeke at the voice, but thankfully, it’s only Bailey. “We just got water bombed,” I rush to say.
Bailey moves to look out the window. “Ah. So that’s the stuff my idiot boyfriend had on.” The affection in his tone is unmissable. He turns back to us, purposely looking from me to Zeke and back again. Then he points down.
“You’re dripping on the floor.”
I snigger and grab Zeke’s hand. “Guess we should go get changed, then.” Zeke follows all the way to my room before he jerks his hand from mine.
“What was that?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“In front of Bailey.”
I eye the way his body looks tense. “You mean … your hand?”
“Duh.”
I swallow, figuring now is as good of a time as any to tell him. “Bailey knows.”
“What?”
“I didn’t tell him,” I rush to clarify. “He figured it out and swears he won’t tell anyone. Even Chad. Take a breath.”
“A breath—are you fucking serious?”
“Don’t get pissed with me. You were the one who dragged me into that storage room.”
His jaw clenches, that muscle flexing in his cheek. “That was … a lapse in judgment.”
“And what do you call fucking me in the locker room, and touching me in the parking lot, and taking me back to your room to sleep where we only just managed to sneak me out without anyone seeing? And what do you call it when you look at me like … like …”
His eyes widen encouragingly. “Like …”
I swallow.
“Charlie …”
“Don’t make me say it.”
His stare holds mine, and I fold.
“Like … I’m important.”
Something shifts in Zeke’s face, and he steps forward, fingertips trailing down my cheek in the way that I love. “I call it the truth.”
A ripple of something heavy passes between us, and I step forward, hand sliding over his damp shoulder. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Says who?”
“Me.” I lift my head. “It’s not fair.”
His face falls, but he nods. “Okay. Yeah, I get it.”
“So do I.” I smile and drag my fingers through his hair. “I get why you don’t want to say anything. Trust me, I do. So stop thinking so hard.”
His boyish grin slips out. “Okay, no thinking.”
Then before I can ask what he means by that, his lips collide with mine.
Big hands hold me close as he kisses me once, twice, before his tongue swipes my bottom lip, and I part for him to enter.
I’m hungry for him, want to take every second of this and hold it close, because if the last week has taught me anything, it’s that I have no idea when this could happen again.
My stomach is in knots at the sudden contact. His kiss feels claiming, possessive, everything I want to twist into reality. I moan against his mouth, fingers curling into the wet fabric at his chest, pulling myself closer, tighter, wanting to melt in his arms.
He chuckles, then kisses me again, and when he tries to pull back, I cling to him like a goddamn barnacle.
It’s official; I’ve reached the pinnacle of my patheticness.
Instead of fighting me though, he bundles me up in his arms and kisses me hard again.
The front door slams, and I jump.
“Fucking Sigmas,” someone says. “What happened to the truce?”
Raised, indistinguishable voices answer, and I hear more people talking about being water bombed.
I pull away from Zeke. “I don’t think we’ll be alone for much longer.”
He shifts forward so his hard cock is pressed against my hip. “This is becoming a real problem.”
“I know what you mean.” I hesitate and ask a question I really don’t want the answer to. “Have you, umm, thought about fixing it with someone you can actually be seen with?”
I can feel Zeke’s gaze on my face, but I purposely look everywhere but at him.
“Sure, that’d be easy.”
A flash of Zeke with someone else hits me, and I feel physically sick. “Uh-huh.”
“There’s a problem with that theory though.”
“Which is?”
“I hardly have time for the person I want to get naked with. Why the hell would I try to fit in anyone else?”
I meet his eyes, lips twitching. “And that person … he’s me, right?”
“Matt Bomer, actually.”
I thump his shoulder. “Mean.”
“You make it so easy, Chuck.”
“Fuck, they got me too.”
I cringe and glance toward where the voice came from. “Guess I should get changed and deal with that.”
“Or …” Zeke crosses to my window and slides it open. “We could get them back.”
“What do you mean?”
“That tap attachment back on round the back?”
“It … is.”
He grins. “Then let’s grab the hose and give them a taste of their own medicine.”
“Really?” Zeke would go against his own brothers like that?
Zeke shrugs. “We’re in a truce, and technically, they got me first.”
“They did.”
“So, fair game as far as I’m concerned.”
My smile unfurls as I cross the room to where Zeke waves me ahead of him.
I climb out of the window and make the short drop to the ground.
Zeke follows a second later, and then we hurry to the backyard, unroll the hose, and crank the tap all the way on.
My heartbeat is thumping in my ears because while we’ve always participated in the pranks, Kappas have never reached the levels of Sigma house when it comes to shenanigans, and every time I do something like this, it still feels new and exciting.
“Ready?” Zeke asks, handing me the hose.
“Hell yeah.”
We round the house, and I immediately spot where the Sigmas are hiding out with their water balloons. Zeke lets out that piercing whistle of his, the guys turn, and I immediately squeeze the nozzle hard.
Water sprays out, hitting the first guy hard in the chest, before I move on to the others. One of them falls over, another one tries to duck onto the other side of the bushes, and a third ducks my assault, grabs two balloons, and hauls them in our direction.
Everything moves quickly.
Balloons flying, water exploding everywhere. People slipping in the slushy, muddy front lawn. I run, ducking the spray and trying to shoot them in return, and from the corner of my eye, I see Zeke go for the water balloons and collect a bunch of his own.
There’s loud laughter and swearing, and I realize too late that some of it is coming from me. By the time the balloons are gone and huge puddles have formed, it’s cold and we’re all panting hard.
Robbie pulls off his balaclava and flops back into the mud, a large squelch cutting through his labored laughs. Brandon kicks mud at his legs while Chad braces his hands on his knees, catching his breath. Larken is the final one to push up his balaclava.
“Sorry, Charles,” he says sheepishly.
I wave him away when Zeke swings to me with a suspicious look.
“I’m not,” he says.
“What are you—”
He throws himself at me, catching me around the middle, and I go flying back into the mud. It splatters up around us, spraying the others, and I let out a measly oww, even as my body rejoices at having Zeke pressed against it.
The others cheer for their president, and even I crack a smile.
“Get off me, you idiot.”
Instead of listening, he grabs a handful of mud and rubs it into my hair.
“Urg.”
Robbie’s loud laugh drowns out almost everything until Brandon says, “I know this breaks the truce, but we were bored.”
“It’s all good,” Zeke says, rolling off me. “Truce is still intact. Because you’re going to make it up to them. First, by picking up every busted balloon out here”—they try to argue—“and second, by spending your Saturday returfing this lawn.”
“Fuck that,” Chad says.
“Presidential orders.” Zeke springs to his feet and holds out his hand to help me up. “Otherwise, the four of you will be back in pledge hall. With the pledges.”
“You can’t do that,” Robbie gasps, scandalized.
“Can and did.”
I smirk, unbelievably happy to have Zeke on my side for once. “Thanks for the fun, guys,” I add, and then I’m hit with a stroke of inspiration. “And don’t worry about getting your clothes dirty on Saturday. I’ll have something for you.”