Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Charles
Zeke’s sweaty and catching his breath on top of me when his phone starts to ring.
I wrap my arms around him. “Don’t answer it.”
“Might be important,” he says, lips brushing my neck.
And even though I’ve just come, my skin prickles with awareness. “Then they’ll call back later.”
Zeke snorts and rolls off me, fishing his phone from the floor. “It’s Jenny.”
“Urg. Fine. Answer it, then.”
He tweaks my nipple, which makes me hiss, before hitting the green button. “’Sup?”
I can’t hear Jenny enough to follow the conversation, but Zeke’s eyebrows almost jump to his hairline. “How many?”
More muffled murmuring.
“Put it on speaker,” I whine.
Zeke cuts into Jenny’s monologue. “Just switching you over so Charles can hear this too.”
She must agree because he hits the button and sets the phone between us.
“Okay. So. Like I was telling Zeke, we’ve managed to find close to one hundred and fifty people whose names were signed on this petition and are happy to come forward and say they had no idea what they were signing—if they even signed it at all.”
“Wow, that’s a great number.”
“It is,” she agrees. “But what do we do with this information now?”
A slow smile spreads across Zeke’s face. “I think I know.”
“You going to share with the class?” I ask.
“In a minute.” He raises his voice. “Jenny, see if you can organize everyone to meet in the dean’s courtyard at five today.”
“Will do. See you.”
We hang up, and I eye Zeke. “What are you planning?”
His lips twitch. “The dean wanted a very urgent meeting with me the other day. I figure it’s only fair I return the favor—and bring over a hundred of my closest friends with me.”
I snort as Zeke calls through to Pamela and arranges a time for a very important meeting that the dean will learn the details of once the meeting begins. Fucking smart-ass. I love it.
“You’re not afraid of pissing him off?” I ask.
Zeke rakes his large hand back through his hair, exhaling loudly. “Well, yeah. A wrong move and it’s all over. But I’m not going to bend over and take a beating. If there’s a way to get my frat back, I’m going to do it.”
I lean in and press a kiss to his temple. “You’re an amazing president.”
“That’s mister president to you, Chuck.”
I chuckle and tilt my lips to his ear. “Think you can go again … mister president?”
He cracks up laughing. “As much as it kills me to turn you down, we have a meeting to organize. Also … I wanted to give you this. Grab the hoodie I gave you.”
Our weekly trade. I grab mine from where it’s folded on my nightstand as Zeke leans over to grab his swim bag.
He rifles through it for a moment, and where I’m expecting him to pull out the green-and-white hoodie, he holds up a sweatshirt instead.
A red one.
With gold Sigma Beta Psi lettering across the front.
“W-what …”
He gives me that gorgeous boyish smile that makes me all fluttery inside. “This one’s for keeps. If you want it.”
“B-but …” I’m still low-key in shock. Some frat brothers will give their letters to long-term partners, but mostly, the letters belong to the house. It’s a huge deal for Zeke to not only be offering this but to actually want me to wear it. “Chad hasn’t even given his to Bailey …”
Zeke shrugs. “I’m not on their timeline. Besides, Bailey doesn’t seem like the type of guy to want that; he’s already struggling to stay a Kappa. Whereas you are Rho Kappa Tau. I’m just hoping you could be a little bit Sigma too.”
I hug the sweater to my chest, then change my mind and pull it on. It’s warm, and when I hold it to my nose, it’s all Zeke.
“You look good in that.” And like he always does when I’m in something of his, he gets this possessive glint in his eyes. “I like you in my clothes.”
“I know.” I lie back and let my legs fall open. “Imagine how many of your things I’ll be able to borrow when we’re living together.”
He groans and climbs over the top of me. “Why do we have to have a meeting again? And classes? And exams to study for?”
“Something about our future.”
“Sounds false to me.” His lips work their way along my neck. “Just think, in a few months, we’ll be able to stay in bed all day together.”
I pout. “And now you’re teasing me.”
“It’s about time I got my own back.”
His lips brush over mine before Zeke reluctantly pushes up again. “Okay. Meeting. I’ll see you at five, yes?”
“I’ll come straight there from class.”
Disappointingly, he pulls on his clothes, blows me a kiss, and leaves again. It’s an hour before I’ll see him again when I pick him up for school, but the more time we spend together, the more I crave him.
I’m trying not to get my hopes up over California, because I’m struggling to see it actually being a possibility.
To move with him, live with him, and have Zeke all to myself. We’ll still be on the down low, but we’ll be able to hang out, and at home, we won’t have to hide. We’ll be able to do what we like. It’s nearly impossible to wrap my head around.
I let my fingers trail over the Sigma lettering on the sweatshirt.
Nearly impossible.
And while the chance might be small, I’m going to do anything to make it happen.