I gave Aaron a hard stare, pissed that he’d almost made Kayla fall. Enraged that he thought he had any right to touch her.
He held up his hands. “Whoa, okay. She’s yours. Got it.”
“She’s not mine.” The words were a little bitter on my tongue, but it was the truth at the moment. “She belongs to herself, and that includes her hair.”
“Party pooper. Ezra poops at parties.” He laughed at his own joke before staggering back to the keg.
I glanced down at Kayla, fully aware of every square inch where our bodies were touching.
Her head was tilted back and she was looking at me in a way I’d never seen before. Shocked and impressed. Like I was her hero.
“What?” I asked, blushing.
“That was… hot.” She turned in my arms to face me. “Thanks. He was creeping me out.”
Satisfaction ignited in my chest. This was the first of many times that I’d have her back—literally and figuratively. “Aaron is one of the more enthusiastic pledges. Enthusiastic, meaning rude as fuck.”
Laughing, she nodded her head in agreement. “Enthusiasm seems to be common around here.” She pointed at three guys lining up a dozen shot glasses on the dining room table. “I didn’t expect there to be so many people. Even the lawn out front is packed.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy,” I said loudly. “Max wasn’t kidding when he said their parties are popular.”
We were practically yelling at each other over the noise of people and music. I guess having a meaningful conversation was out of the question, which sucked.
I had so many things I wanted to say to her, but any words I could’ve formed got stuck in my throat as I studied her outfit.
The light green satin of her sleeveless top hugged her breasts and fell loosely to where it was tucked into her white skinny jeans. Fuck, those jeans killed me.
Her makeup was heavier than earlier today, and the light shimmery eyeshadow brought out the mossy-green of her eyes. A simple silver heart necklace almost dipped into her cleavage and I imagined palming those soft tits. Wondered what her nipples would feel like under the pads of my thumbs.
Her breasts suddenly jiggled, and I realized it was because she was talking and animatedly moving her hands. I hadn’t heard a damn thing she’d said.
“I’m sorry, what?” Cupping my ear, I leaned closer, trying to play it off like my lack of hearing had to do with the noise, not because I was distracted from leering at her tits.
The knowing smirk on her face let me know she wasn’t fooled. “So, are you gonna show me around the place?”
Feeling sheepish about getting caught, all I could manage was an affirmative grunt.
I motioned for her to follow me into the living room where most of the action was. The place was so crowded we had to weave through the groups of people.
I was about to reach behind me to grab her hand so we didn’t get separated, when I felt her fingers slip into the back pocket of my jeans, grasping the fabric. It was an intimate move, sexy and innocent at the same time.
I liked having her hand there, and it wasn’t just because she was practically groping my ass. The gesture spoke of familiarity and ease—Kayla felt comfortable with me. And she wanted to touch my butt, so that was a major win.
Unfortunately, her hand fell away from the spot when we stopped at a small group of guys, and I immediately missed the contact.
“This is Jeff. He’s a freshman, too.” I pointed to the sandy-haired guy wearing a blue T-shirt similar to mine, and Kayla introduced herself.
Jeff was one of the cooler dudes pledging with me. Unlike Aaron, he didn’t seem interested in guzzling as much alcohol as possible. There was a recognizable eagerness in his eyes—he wanted a place to belong. We’d only met about an hour ago, but I liked him right away because we were here for the same reasons: to make friends and impress the ladies.
Or, in my case, one lady.
“I haven’t seen the upstairs yet,” I told Kayla as Jeff got pulled away by a brunette begging him to be her beer pong partner. “I think it’s where all the guys’ rooms are. This is where the meetings and parties happen.” I swept my arm out, indicating the entire downstairs, complete with a formal dining room and a large kitchen.
“This is a nice house,” she said, gracefully stepping to the side to make way for a drunk girl staggering on high heels. “Oh, and they give out free raffle tickets at the door!” Smiling, she pulled the little pink rectangle from her back pocket. “Look, it’s my lucky number.”
“Twelve is your lucky number?”
She shrugged. “I was twelve days old when I was placed with John and Rob.”
“I didn’t know that about you.”
A group of fraternity members started loudly chanting a Pi Kappa Epsilon mantra about loyalty and brotherhood. Their enthusiasm was contagious, getting everyone in the room excited and worked up. More joined in, holding up their red cups and high-fiving each other.
Kayla winced at the noise, but gave a small smile and a shrug at the guys’ antics.
As nice as their dedication was, the outburst was an unwelcome interruption to our conversation. I was so greedy for more information about Kayla. I wanted to know everything about her.
But, more importantly, I needed to apologize for earlier today.
Just as I opened my mouth to say the words, the president who’d invited me—Max—began hushing the obnoxious guys. He let out a loud whistle to gain everyone’s attention to where he stood next to the large stone fireplace on an elevated wooden platform that looked like a small stage. Behind him on the wall, there was a maroon banner with the frat’s Greek letters on it.
“Okay,” he started. “We’re all excited because it’s a new year, which means new members, new girls—” He waggled his eyebrows. “—And even better parties than last year. As some of you know, we pride ourselves on being the best house on campus…”
As he droned on—something about success and tradition—I couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying. I was too aware of Kayla’s nearness.
We were standing side by side, so close I could feel the heat from her body.
The room was crowded, and someone bumped into my shoulder as they pushed to the front, causing me to sway toward Kayla.
The backs of our fingers brushed. Once. Twice.
I turned my palm around and lightly grazed the back of her hand with my fingertips.
Out of my peripheral vision, I could see the quick intake of her breath. She didn’t turn to look my way, but her soft touch slid over the inside of my wrist before her fingers linked with mine, and our palms pressed together.
My pulse skyrocketed, and blood rushed to my cock.
Fuck. Was I seriously going to have an uncontrollable boner from handholding? I was such a pathetic virgin.
As I tried to control myself, my eyes darted to the front door. I could just drag Kayla out of here right now. Go somewhere private.
Her thumbnail lightly scraped against my finger as she tightened her hold on me. My thumb stroked over her knuckles before tracing a line on her palm. Her skin was unbelievably soft.
I was so focused on every sensation, I missed the rest of Max’s speech.
Kayla’s other hand wrapped around my forearm and she gave me a gentle yank to get my attention. “I think you’re supposed to go up there.”
“Huh?”
She pointed at the low stage where the other new guys were standing. “Some kind of special welcoming ceremony.”
Ah, shit. I hated being the center of attention.
Reluctantly, I untangled myself from her touch and tried not to be self-conscious as I made my way up there. Heat began creeping up my neck, filling my cheeks with that embarrassing blush I couldn’t control.
Everyone was watching me, and I had to remind myself I wasn’t the chubby loser I used to be. Now, when people looked at me it was different. Guys respected me. Girls were interested in me.
Not that I cared about any of that. The only person who mattered was Kayla, and she was beaming at me as I got in line with the other hopefuls.
“Give a warm welcome to our top picks on campus!” Max began clapping for us, and everyone else followed suit. Whistles and cheers rang out, and my cheeks flushed for a new reason—pride.
I hadn’t been anyone’s first choice for anything in a long time.
This was the answer. My final step to becoming the kind of guy Kayla deserved.
I looked at the line of guys standing with me. Aaron. Jeff. A quiet red-headed dude named Patrick. Seemed that the fifth guy decided not to show up, and I mentally shook my head. How could anyone pass up this opportunity? His loss.
“It’s not rush week yet, but we’ve chosen these awesome dudes to be the first to join Pi Kappa Epsilon,” Max continued. “Tonight is about showing them what it means to be in the best fraternity on campus. You four are lucky to be here tonight. There are also four lucky ladies out there somewhere.”
Turning to us, he held out a glass bowl in front of Aaron. Swaying a bit—because the guy was beyond wasted—Aaron pulled out a slip of paper.
Not just any paper. A raffle ticket.
An unpleasant feeling unfurled in my stomach as the bowl made it to me and I pulled out one of the pink rectangles.
“This is a big house, and we happen to have four roomy closets and some sexy tunes to set the mood.” Max snickered. “We call it Musical Monday. Dudes, if your lucky lady doesn’t want some fun time with you, you have to drink this concoction we call The Mindfuck.” He held up a clear glass filled with brown liquid. “Guys, same thing—if you choose not to spend time with the lady you’ve been paired with, then you drink.”
I could see the moment it clicked for Kayla what the “raffle” was. Her smile faded and her eyes got wide. She looked down at her ticket; my eyes dropped to mine.
Twenty-six. We didn’t have the same number. Looked like I’d be downing that drink.
I stole a glance at Patrick’s on my left. Twenty-one.
Then to Jeff’s at my right. Twelve.
Jeff had Kayla’s number.
Oh, hell no. No fucking way was I letting someone else have some fratted-up version of seven minutes in heaven with my girl.
I nudged him. “Switch me.”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes at me like I was crazy.
“Switch me. You’ve got my girlfriend’s number.”
“Oh, my bad.” Chuckling, he handed it over. “That would’ve been awkward.”
Knew that dude was cool. “Thanks, man.”
I glanced back at where Kayla was before, but she was no longer there. It wasn’t difficult to find her a few feet away from where she’d been standing. Her eyes were darting around as she shuffled backward, trying to discreetly escape.
I caught her gaze and gave her a quick shake of my head while confidently holding up my ticket.
A slow smile pulled at her lips and her shoulders slumped with relief.
One by one we called out our numbers and the girls, surprisingly eager, stepped forward to claim their prize—us.
I met Kayla halfway, grinning like a kid on Christmas. Shyly biting her lip, she slipped her hand back into mine.
“Twenty-one,” Patrick called out from the stage for the third time.
He was the only one left up there now, a miserable expression on his face as he realized he was getting rejected. I truly felt for the dude. How embarrassing.
“That’s tough luck, my friend.” Max feigned sympathy as he patted him on the shoulder and passed him The Mindfuck. “Your girl has left, or she’s chosen not to step forward. Either way, this belongs to you and you’ll forget all about it soon.”
Several fraternity members howled with laughter as Patrick sniffed the drink. From the screwed-up expression on his face, I could assume it was some pretty nasty shit.
A guy in a black polo shirt—I’d met him but forgot his name—motioned for us to follow him. He took us through the kitchen and led us down a hallway. The laundry room was at the end, and for a second I thought that was where we were headed, but he stopped short at a coat closet.
He opened it and I frowned.
It wasn’t as “roomy” as Max had described it. The floor was littered with dirty sneakers and jackets hung along the walls on both sides.
“Have fun, you two.” The guy gave a mock salute before ushering us inside.
Then the door shut, and it was just silence and darkness. Kayla’s fingers still gripped mine and her other hand came up to my chest.
“It smells like a jockstrap in here,” she announced, and I could imagine her nose wrinkling up in that adorable way whenever she had distaste for something.
I laughed and groaned at the same time. “There’s probably a reason for that. Not exactly the most romantic place in the world.”
“I don’t think it’s meant to be romantic.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I can’t believe you got my number,” Kayla said with a laugh. “What are the odds?”
“Actually, I didn’t get your number at first. Jeff did, but I made him switch.”
“Oh, that’s good.” It sounded like she was smiling. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be in here with anyone else.”
“Me neither,” I told her honestly. “Now that we have a second alone, I need to apologize for earlier today. When I left you on the quad, I thought playing it cool was the right thing, but I didn’t like doing it.”
“Is that what you were doing? Playing it cool?” She let out a frustrated huff. “Please don’t do that. I didn’t like it either. I thought maybe you didn’t like me anymore.”
Her voice wobbled at the end, and it was the first time she’d ever been upset with me over something I did.
I hated it.
“Hey, I’m sorry, okay?” Rubbing my hands up and down her arms, I tried my best to soothe her. “Never again. Let’s just promise to be upfront with each other from now on.”
“Agreed.”
“And not like you anymore?” I asked incredulously. “That’s so far from the truth it’s ridiculous. You’re—” I paused, mustering up the courage to continue. “You’re everything to me.”
“I feel the same way. And it would be so lonely without you here. You’re the one link I still have to Heyworth. To me, you’re home. You’re my past and…” I heard her swallow. “I want you to be my future.”
Her words caused an indescribable feeling to fill every inch of my body. The euphoria was so strong, it made me dizzy. It was more than just happiness. More than a sense of rightness.
I didn’t know if it was my request to be upfront that made her so forward, or if it was just easier to say the words in complete darkness. But right now, I was grateful to be stuck in this shitty closet with her.
Mingling with the stench of dirty shoes was Kayla’s sweet scent, and I wanted more of it. I stepped closer, and her soft breasts brushed against my stomach.
“Ezra?” Her hands went to the waist of my jeans where her fingers found my front pockets and slipped inside. She was going to kill me with that. She was just inches from my half-mast cock.
I gulped. “Yeah?”
Long pause. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” I huffed, loving the feel of her smooth shoulders under my thumbs. “Who would I have kissed?”
“I don’t know.” I felt her shrug, my hands lifting with the movement of her arms. “Maybe you met someone at the retreat.”
“The only girl I thought about while I was there was you.”
“Oh. Well, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve never kissed anyone either.”
“What?” I asked, shocked. “But what about Gavin?”
“Gavin’s gay, remember? He had absolutely zero interest in my body parts, and that included my lips.”
I’d assumed she and Gavin had at least experimented with each other a little. Or that at some point in her life, some guy had found her irresistible enough to go in for a kiss. I was beyond happy that her lips had never been pressed to another guy’s mouth.
Kayla was going to be my first kiss, and I would be hers.
But before we took this leap together, I needed to take back what I said earlier when I told that guy she wasn’t mine. She said she wanted me to be her future, but I needed her to know I didn’t take that lightly.
“I don’t want casual. This isn’t a one-time deal,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m not gonna kiss you if this is the last time it’ll ever happen. If we do this… If I kiss you, you’re mine.”
“I’m already yours,” she replied softly, and my heart gave a hard thump.
Music suddenly blared through the house, officially kicking off the beginning of our private time together. As Naill Horan’s “Slow Hands” played, Kayla’s fingers moved from my pockets.
Up. Up. Up. Until they skimmed over my shirt. To my chest. My shoulders.
Standing completely still, I let her discover me with her touch.
Nails lightly trailed down my arms, causing goose bumps to pebble my skin. Palms slid to my chest, then landed low on my stomach. Thumbs flicked underneath the fabric of my shirt, tracing the waist of my jeans.
My breathing was heavy and fast, just like it’d been when I finished running that quarter mile at the retreat.
I’d wanted to be patient with Kayla, but I couldn’t wait another second. Perfect location or not, I had to kiss her. Now.
I found her neck with my fingers and tipped her jaw up. Ran my thumb over her lips so I knew exactly where my target was.
Leaning down, I stopped just an inch away. I hesitated, waiting for her to make the next move. I felt her rise on her tiptoes and our parted lips barely brushed.
As our breaths mingled, I fit our mouths together, my top lip resting just above hers.
Then I gently nipped at her mouth with mine. Quick and innocent, and her small gasp was my reward. I kept my eyes wide open, wishing for light, wondering if hers were open, too.
Kayla’s hands clutched my shirt, pulling at me like she wanted me closer. Like she wanted more. I was willing to give her that.
I kissed her again. Slower and longer.
Deeper and better.
Her tongue slipped out, tasting the seam of my lips. I groaned into her mouth, opening mine for her. When our tongues slid together, we both gasped.
Giving into the overwhelming sensations, my eyelids fluttered shut.
She gave my bottom lip a gentle suck.
And then it was like a dam burst. Four years of pent-up desire came to the surface.
Slanting my mouth over hers, I moaned as our kisses became frantic. She tasted sweet and fruity, like the gum that was so popular at our high school.
Palming her ass, I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist.
Hangers clanked and the coat rod creaked as I braced her back against it.
While she clung to me, my hands were everywhere—squeezing her thigh, palming her soft breast through her shirt, cupping her small face. I couldn’t figure out where I wanted to touch her the most.
Panting, Kayla broke the kiss. “Ezra?”
I tried to respond with, “hmm?”, but had trouble with my tongue sweeping over her bottom lip. “You taste so fucking good. I bet you’d taste good in other places, too.”
I sucked the plump flesh between my teeth and released it with a pop. Dragging my mouth down her jaw, I licked at her neck. Yeah, she was sweet there.
“Ezra,” she repeated, sounding more insistent. Pulling back, I was about to ask her if I was coming on too strong when she surprised me. “This is our song.”
I hadn’t even been listening, but now I realized Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” was playing.
“We have a song?” Grinning, I rested my forehead against hers.
She nodded before diving back in for a kiss, and our teeth clacked together.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t ever apologize for kissing me,” I murmured against her lips.
We only had a few minutes left, and I wanted to make good use of the time. Apparently Kayla had the same idea.
Gripping my neck, she opened her mouth and the kissing became slower. Less clumsy and more practiced. I met her tongue stroke for stroke.
One of her arms left my neck and her smooth fingers drifted underneath my T-shirt, gliding over my abdomen. My legs almost buckled, but not from pain. Her touch literally made me weak in the knees.
I set her down so she’d have better access. And also, I needed both of my hands to be free for what I wanted to do.
Mirroring her actions, I slipped a hand under her silky shirt and didn’t stop my ascent until I reached the underwire of her bra. Brushing my thumb back and forth over the soft cup, I could feel how hard her nipple was behind the thin padding.
If I thought my hard-on was bad before, that was nothing compared to now.
I was literally seconds away from coming in my pants from my first experience with a girl. Apparently handholding, kissing, and almost making it to second base was enough to bring me to the edge.
In a bold move, Kayla grabbed my ass and pressed our bodies together even tighter. Her hip rubbed against my erection, and my balls drew up tight to my body.
Swallowing hard, I paused, still cupping her bra-covered breast.
Control. I needed to get control of myself, because I was about to come. I could feel the urge building, tingling, tightening.
I slowly drew in a breath and screwed my eyes shut, while trying to think about anything except squeezing Kayla’s perky tit.
I wondered what color her nipples were. Would they be pink like her lips? Or darker like her skin?
Shit. That was only making things worse.
Three loud thuds startled us apart, and a shout came through the other side of the door. “Time’s up! Better get decent in there.”
The music stopped, and our harsh breathing was the only sound filling the dark space.
I’d never been more relieved, yet so disappointed in my life. I didn’t want this to end, but I’d just been saved from what could’ve been a humiliating event.
“Can you hear my heart?” Kayla whispered, picking up my hand and putting it over the middle of her chest.
I could feel it thundering under my palm, and the erratic rhythm matched my own racing pulse.
“It sounds like mine.” I pressed her hand to my sternum, allowing her to feel it, too.
Suddenly, the door swung open, throwing light into the small space, causing both of us to squint.
Completely absorbed in the moment, neither of us paid attention to the irritating guy insisting our time was up.
Hands on each other’s hearts, swollen lips, eyes locked.
This wasn’t meant to be romantic. The setting was far from perfect.
But there in that dingy coat closet, I experienced the most romantic, most perfect night of my life.