Twenty
“ I still don’t think this was a good idea, Kailey,” I told my friend as she dragged me up the steps of the fraternity house that was currently packed to the brim with people.
“Oh come on, live a little, Perrie! Every young woman needs to experience a college party at least once in her life,” Kailey said as she blew a kiss to the frat pledge dressed in a Magic Mike -esque costume complete with a set of bunny ears. “Besides, we’re just going to go in and spend, like, an hour before sneaking back into my house and your knight-in-shining-armor will never realize we’ve left.”
Guilt at leaving Rhodes and the rest of my security team sitting outside of Kailey’s house filled me as we stepped into what could only be described as pure chaos. Not only that, they’d convinced me to put on one of Kailey’s too-short skirts and a halter top that was showing off far too much of my skin.
I was desperately missing the sweatshirt and jeans that I’d shown up in at Kailey’s house as we stepped inside and eyes turned to stare at us.
The large living room of the house was packed full of people dancing as a DJ, perched precariously on the massive stone hearth of the fireplace bumped music so loud that I swore the window panes were shaking.
The stairs leading up to what was assuredly some of the dirtiest college boy bedrooms were littered with couples making out with the occasional drunk girl trying to crawl her way up to one of the restrooms and needing to basically parkour over the lip locked pairs.
Then there was the scent of the place. Bodies crammed together, each with their own personal scents mixed in with the level of body odor that could only be achieved from so many people being hot and sweaty in one, confined space. The air was also hazy with the smoke of marijuana that was so potent that I was half-afraid I was going to get a contact high just from being inside.
It was so immediately overwhelming that I nearly tucked tail and ran out to try and retrace my steps a couple of streets over back to Kailey’s house.
“Yeah, princess, live a little,” Dahlia, one of Kailey’s friends who I’d met for the first time tonight, said as she gave me a not-so-gentle push into the midst of the crowd.
Out of the three girls that I’d met tonight, Dahlia was my least favorite. At least Jessica and Annie seemed to want to be friends with me, but Dahlia had made it clear that I didn’t fit in with them.
For one, they were all completely gorgeous, looking like they belonged in a sorority rather than the cute little house they shared. Each of them was taller than me by at least a few inches and their bodies were much more rounded than mine, their clothes clinging to them as if they were tailored specifically for them. And for two, they were all betas and my status as not only an omega, but a married one had instantly made me feel like an outsider yet again.
But the other two had tried to make me feel welcome while Dahlia had spent the night making sarcastic comments in response to anything I said.
Back at the house when the other three had been working to convince me to leave through the back door with them, Dahlia had snorted and called me a giant wimp who should run outside back to my security team to protect me.
“Like the princess you are,” she’d sneered and I’d gotten so angry that I’d slammed my cell phone down on the coffee table and stomped out of the backdoor, not thinking about the potential consequences of my actions.
“Don’t push her, Dahlia,” Kailey, who’d been done with her friend’s attitude all night, said as she glared at the other girl before holding a hand out to me. “Give her a second to acclimate.”
I shot Kailey a grateful glance and took her hand.
“Form a chain, ladies, no bitch left behind!” Kailey hollered over the music and I felt Jessica slide her hand into mine before taking Annie’s, leaving Dahlia at the rear as Kailey ducked in between the writhing mass of bodies.
Her hand tightened on mine every time people pushed in on us and I did the same until all five of us made it through to the kitchen which was, thankfully, a bit more empty and calm.
A group of guys was busy playing beer pong at an old cracked dining room table and there was a plethora of drinks on the kitchen island with a guy in a Hawaiian shirt serving them up.
“What can I get you fine ladies this evening?” he asked, his eyes sizing each of us up before landing on me. “Hello and where have you been all my life, gorgeous?”
“Easy there, Meyers,” Kailey chastised, her voice dry. “That’s Romey’s big sister you’re talking to.”
“No shit?” Meyers looked at me again, a slow grin filling his face. “Does big sister want a drink?”
I wondered, if I’d never been diagnosed with leukemia and if I’d have gone to school like a normal girl four years ago, whether I would have found someone like the man in front of me attractive.
At face value he seemed handsome, high cheekbones, sharp jaw, big blue eyes and a smile that said that he knew just how hot he was and he was going to use it to his advantage.
But as I stared at him, I could only think about the gold eyes that seemed to stare straight into my soul… or the dark brown ones that now seemed to be filled with a despondent longing that I knew had something to do with the former.
Ever since our first time together in his study, Edison had been, in a word, boundless in his affection for me.
He slept in my nest every night and it now smelled almost exactly how I thought it should.
And the sex just kept getting better and better. This morning, before he’d left for business in the next city over, I’d awoken to his face in between my legs and…
“Perrie?” Kailey’s voice brought me out of my naughty reverie and I realized they were waiting for me to answer.
“No thank you,” I hurried to say, my cheeks filling with warmth. “I don’t drink.”
“Oh, so you’re no fun then,” Meyers teased.
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Dahlia hurried to cut in, her eyes intent on the frat boy. “We had to practically drag her out of the house kicking and screaming. But if you’re making it, I’ll take a drink.”
Kailey and the other girls frowned at her. I didn’t know much about female friendships, but I did know that putting someone down to make yourself look better was a no-no in most people’s books.
“Come on,” Kailey said with a roll of her eyes. “I want to show you the backyard. Dahlia, are you coming?”
Dahlia, who’d sidled right up next to Meyers, shook her head. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”
“Seriously?” I heard Jessica say as we headed out onto the back patio just in time to see a group of people jump into the pool with a large splash.
“Don’t take what Dahlia says to heart,” Kailey told me as we avoided the splash zone by mere inches and skirted around the wetzone to find a seat on the loungers that had been placed haphazardly around the lawn.
“Because she’s not as much of a bitch as she seems?” The words felt harsh coming out of my mouth, but the other girl had been picking at me all evening so it also felt like they were justified.
Kailey snorted and shook her head. “No, she’s definitely that bitchy, but she’s also relatively harmless.”
We settled in to watch what looked like a diving competition happening at the pool and slowly I found myself starting to enjoy myself as we cheered for the people doing flips and twists into the pool.
It was odd, but even two months into school, this was the first time I truly felt my age and not like an impostor constantly roaming the campus looking for friends.
Annie and Jessica seemed nice and they were already chattering about the Halloween parties next month, discussing what a good group costume would be.
“We’re not doing Charlie’s Angels this year—there’s not enough angels to go around with Perrie here,” Kailey cut in. “What if we did something like the Spice Girls?”
I shook my head with a dry grin as we watched another shirtless guy do a double flip into the pool. “Uh, guys, I don’t think I’m going to be able to do any Halloween parties. It was hard enough getting out to do this tonight.”
And I still wasn’t sure if we’d actually pulled it off or not. While college parties seemed fun, I didn’t think they were going to be something I frequented. Especially if Rhodes caught me.
“Oh come on, it’ll be so fun! We can do the same girl’s night ruse and I think you’d make an adorable Ginger Spice,” Annie insisted and that got her and Jessica chattering again as they got to work assigning us our roles.
“Kailey…” I turned to my friend with a frown. “You said this would be a one-time thing.”
Kailey nibbled on her bottom lip before giving my shoulders a little shake. “I know, but aren’t you having so much fun ? You act so old half of the time that I wanted you to let loose without Mr. Scary following behind you. I know you didn’t really want to get married and have to deal with him and your husband.”
Her words filled me with confusion. I hadn’t told her much about my marriage, but what I had told her was all positive.
“What do you mean—” I began, but then someone’s frame blocked out the large flood light that was illuminating the backyard. I looked away from Kailey only to find Romey standing over us.
“Perrie,” he greeted me, his face grim. The last time I’d spoken to him had been that day during the first week of classes, but over the past month and a half my little brother looked as if he’d lost weight. Dark smudges were present underneath his gray eyes and his face was pale as he stared down at me.
“Romey? What are you doing here?”
“I’m a member of this fraternity.”
I turned to Kailey, only to find her expression apologetic as she slipped off of the lounger. “Sorry, Per, he really wanted to talk to you tonight.”
“Was this the only reason you invited me out?” I asked, hurt filling me as I looked between her and Romey. I’d noticed it a little bit before, but the way they seemed to gravitate towards each other was very telling, Kailey giving Romey’s hand a squeeze even as she continued to speak to me.
“No! Of course not, I love hanging out with you. But… you just need to listen to what he has to say and then I’ll take you right back to my house. I promise.”
With that, she silently gestured for Annie and Jessica to follow her back inside, leaving me alone with my little brother.
“What do you want?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Romey’s lips pulled down into a grimace. “So it’s going to be like that?”
“Yeah. The last time you spoke to me you basically tried to convince me to leave my husband.”
“I did that for a good reason, Perrie, you don’t understand. There is shit going on behind the scenes and Edison-fucking-Keane is smack in the middle of it all,” Romey said, letting out a frustrated growl.
I was taken aback by his words. Before I got married Romey couldn’t have cared less about what our father was up to and he cared even less about the five families.
They were a far-off concept for my little brother who was busy enjoying his life as a very rich college student.
But now he seemed not only familiar with it all, but like he was in the thick of it. I looked him up and down again, noting the way his clothing hung off of his slender frame and how he looked at me with the crazed eyes of someone on their last leg.
Then I remembered how he’d brought up Elio Ricci and the rest of his pack and how he’d alluded to being the one to let them onto the Keane estate the day I got married.
“Romey,” I stood and grabbed his arm, forcing him to bend over slightly so I could look him square in the eyes. “Tell me you aren’t getting involved in all of this. Tell me you’re staying out of it.”
Romey didn’t say anything.
“ Romey ,” I repeated, squeezing him hard enough to make the alpha hiss before he finally gave in.
“They promised that you could live with me if I got you to come back. That you would just be married in name until Alessandro Amante dies.”
“What the fuck?” I let go of Romey’s arm as if it had burned me. “And you were expecting me to agree to that?”
“It’s better than being in an actual marriage with Keane. Perrie, he kills people for a living.” It was Romey’s turn to grab me now and his fingers were like a vise grip on my bare arms.
I tried to shrug him off, bringing my hands up to push on his now boney chest. “And you think Elio Ricci and his pack don’t? I always thought you were naive but I didn’t realize you were also stupid.”
“He’s better than Keane is,” Romey insisted.
“Edison is not who you think he is. He’s a good man and I—”
Romey scoffed, cutting me off. “You what? You love him? Grow the fuck up, Perrie. You’re basically breeding chattel for a guy like that.”
Romey shook me so hard my head snapped back and forth, causing me to accidentally bite down on my own lips.
Blood filled my mouth as I yelped with pain, surprising Romey so much that he released me and I crumpled to the ground in a heap pressing my hand to my lips as I tried to hold back tears.
“Perrie, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…” Romey began, reaching for me again, but he never got the chance to touch me because he was being yanked back and punched by Rhodes hard enough to send him careening into the grass.
Romey lay on the ground holding his face and groaning, but I could barely pay attention to him as Rhodes was already cupping my face in his hands, his dark eyes taking in my expression and the blood leaking out of the corner of my mouth.
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Warm hands slid along my face as he cupped it, bringing his own face closer than it had ever been as he tilted my chin back and forth to see where I was injured.
The scent of chocolate washed over me as my mouth dried and I forced myself not to press my cheek into his warm palm.
The alpha almost always kept me at an arm’s length and now he was right here in front of me and all of Edison’s scenarios that he would whisper in my ear as he thrust into me came rushing to the surface.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head, nearly forgetting where we were as I reached up to put my hand over his. “I just accidentally bit my lip.”
Rhodes’ jaw clenched as he looked around me at the party which had since come to a complete stand still, everyone now watching the altercation happening on the lawn.
“A fucking party, Perrie? Really?” he growled before scooping me up into his arms. “I thought you’d been kidnapped.”
The same guilt from earlier filled me again as Rhodes strode past the quiet partygoers and through the house. “How did you find me?”
“Tracked Kailey’s cell phone,” he told me gruffly as we passed by the girl in question. She was standing around the island with Dahlia, Jessica, Annie, and a gawking Meyers. She looked guilty as our eyes met. I broke eye contact first, tucking my face into Edison’s neck and inhaling another drag of his scent.
“You can do that?”
Rhodes’ grip tightened on my legs as he split the crowd of still-dancing college students with a single glare. “You’d be surprised what we can do, kid.”
A black SUV was idling on the curb, one of the many in the Keane fleet, and one of the security guys was already jumping out of the driver’s seat to open the back door.
As soon as Rhodes settled me into the seat, I finally looked him in the eyes. “What are the chances you’ll keep this from Edison?”
Rhodes’ lips thinned before he shook his head. “I’ve already called him and he’s on the way back to the estate.”
Then he shut the door to the SUV and I slumped back into my seat.
“Great,” I muttered, putting my hands over my face. “Just great.”