“Excuse me. No. You don’t own him.” She squinted, letting out a nervous laugh. “Wait. Aren’t you his roommate?”

“Get up. I do own him. And take your hand off his leg.”

Alexandria looked at me for help. The best I could eke out was one of my trademark shrugs. My heart was freaking out. My mouth was dry as cotton. “She’s the boss,” I pushed out.

Sputtering, Alexandria stood and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Fine. He’s boring as shit anyway.”

I burst out laughing just to relieve the awkwardness; plus the idea of me being boring was ludicrous.

Remi took her seat, politely covering her ankles so no one could see up her dress.

“Don’t you think you’re a bit overdressed?” I said curtly.

She smiled, showing me the little space between her teeth. “You’re lucky I wore anything at all.”

I hissed.

“I wore it to piss you off.”

My lids lowered. “It’s working,” I growled.

Lulu took a seat on the other side of her, which had been vacated when Alexandria stormed off.

The conversation began to grow again, but I could feel people’s eyes on us.

I knew what they were thinking.

That chick is practically naked!

Wasn’t she engaged to Hartford?

She just claimed Dax Blay as hers. Is it the end of the world?

I laughed as warmth buzzed in my brain, and it wasn’t from the beer.

Someone handed the girls cups of beer, and we got back to playing the game. I tore my eyes off Remi and kept them focused straight ahead. Maybe if I didn’t stare at her, I’d get some sense, because right now, all I wanted to do was scoop her up and carry her off.

No one could remember whose turn it was, so Remi said she’d go.

I leaned back in my chair and watched her stand. She looked damn beautiful—even if I did want to grab a blanket and wrap it around her.

She raised her glass. “Never have I ever had a one-night stand.”

Everyone murmured or chuckled and most of us took a drink. She drank. I drank.

“May I go again?” she asked sweetly, and of course, all the brothers said “Sure, babe,” eyeballs all over her. My fists clenched.

“Never have I ever had a one-night stand that turned into a three-night stand because you’d fallen in love and couldn’t bear to leave that person. Ever.”

She tipped her glass up and took a swig. I didn’t see who else did, because my eyes were only on her.

I drank.

God, I loved her. Deeply. Intensely. Completely.

She smiled around at the circle and did a little curtsey. “Thank you for letting me hijack your game.”

“Anytime,” a male called suggestively, and I sent him a go to hell look.

I stood. “My turn,” I announced. Nerves hit me. My hands shook.

It’s now or never, Dax. Tell her how you feel. Own it. Embrace it.

“Never have I ever loved someone so much that I’d get down on my knees and beg her to forgive me for being too young to know that what we had was the most beautiful thing in the world, and all I had to do was let go of my fears and love her forever.”

I gulped down the rest of my beer, watching her.

She picked up her glass, saluted me, and took a drink.

The group grew quiet. Again. Eyes on us.

Hell, we were a soap opera. I’d just confessed my love for Remi in front of the entire frat and probably some random people I didn’t even know.

Something had fried my brain because I wasn’t done.

I gazed around at my brothers. “And just so you blokes know, this girl here”—I pointed at Remi—“is mine. I love her, so chill with the flirty comments.” I leaned down to her, my arms on either side of her chair, tipped her chin up, and kissed her. Nothing crazy, but my lips and tongue telling her she was going to pay for showing up in that dress.

I sat back down and made a show of it, stretching out my arms over my head, cracking my neck, and getting loose. Fuck. I felt incredible.

Her eyes glittered as she took in every movement, her top teeth digging into her bottom lip.

A few minutes went by and the game continued. My body was amped, ready to snap at the slightest thing. Waiting for what trouble came next. It came.

“I’m headed to the keg for another beer. You want one?” she asked Lulu.

“Nope,” Lulu answered. “Watching you and Dax is enough of a buzz for me.”

Remi shrugged and took off into the darkness for the keg area.

Go after her!

I let her get about fifty feet before I jerked up, blood pumping.

I jogged, and she must have heard my footfalls because she kicked off her heels and dashed for the tree line.

Like a streak of lightning, she dodged the parked cars, weaving in and out as she headed for the weeping willow trees. Jumping a tiny stream, she landed with a little grunt, her legs disappearing under the draped foliage.

At this rate, she’d kill herself before I reached her.

The light from the bonfire and lanterns didn’t quite go this far, so by the time I pushed aside the grass-length branches and got inside, I was greeted with darkness. The only thing visible was a faint outline of her as she pressed herself against the trunk. The sounds of laughter and music from the party drifted inside the tree’s sanctuary, but the only sound I homed in on was her breathing.

I stalked toward the trunk.

She whimpered when I put my hands on her collarbone and stroked down to her wrist, fingering her bracelet.