“What does that mean?”
“Guess you’re going to find out,” he says, smiling. “It’s that or pay.”
Butterflies take flight in my stomach. He’s right. I don’t exactly have a choice here. Melody didn’t tell me to take that vase, she told me to get proof. I took it because I thought that no one would notice. It’s on me, and I don’t have that kind of money. That’s money I could only ever dream of.
But I raise my chin anyway, defiant, even in the face of this impossible scenario.
“Okay,” I say, and I watch something like surprise flicker behind his gaze for a split second, before he smooths it away. “I’ll do it.”
3
Malcolm
The party downstairs is still in full swing like it’s not the morning before classes start. These idiots will do anything to get drunk. My room is on the third floor and the noise is still unbearably loud. If it goes on much longer, I’m going to have to kick everyone out for my own sanity.
Granite House has a reputation to maintain, after all. And I have a bigger problem to deal with at the moment. A gorgeous little freshman that’s currently pacing outside of my bedroom. I told her to wait, and that I had to take care of something, but really I just needed a second to think.
I honestly didn’t think that she would say yes. I was angry, and I pushed her hard. But I thought she would break down into tears and beg, after which I had planned to be magnanimous, forgive her, and talk her into my bed instead. Because I can’t stop getting distracted by her curves in that fucking dress.
Dear god, does she have any idea what she’s doing to me?
Doesn’t matter. I push the thought from my mind.
But that’s the farthest thing from what happened, and now she’s going to be living here. She agreed to be mine, whatever the hell I decide that means.
I meant what I said to her. I don’t cross boundaries that women set, no matter what. Even if the idea of having my own plaything for the year is appealing, there’s no way I’m going to force her to do anything.
Although, to be honest, I have every confidence that given the right opportunity, she will say yes. I’ll see to it. The way she melted when I kissed her has me distracted and hard nearly to the point of pain. She keeps stealing glances at me when she thinks I’m not looking, and I know she can feel the tension between us.
I need to jack myself off before I go mad, but that will take longer than I’m going to make her wait.
Because when I do get off, I want to take my time fantasizing about stripping her out of that dress and fucking her slowly. And make plans for exactly how it’s going to happen when it really does. Because it will.
She’s an enigma. As soon as she agreed, she switched into business mode, apparently accepting her face with far more ease than I expected from a freshman with little to know experience in parties, let alone frat boys or men like me.
“Where do I sleep?” she asked. “I have an early science lab.”
Unlike the assholes still doing keg stands downstairs, she actually remembers that we’re here to go to school. Which is honestly sort of refreshing. But I’m not sure what to do with her, because the meeting that I had her waiting around for was to tell all the hopefuls that we didn’t have any rooms and that we would collect their emails for a waitlist in case any spots opened up during the year.
I quickly send a text to Jack downstairs to tell all the people who came to pledge that they don’t have to wait. That we were full for now. He’ll probably be surprised, but I’ll deal with him in the morning. Right now I have Juno to deal with. It should be interesting, and I’m already looking forward to her reaction.
The only place that she can sleep right now is in my room, because of the party and the fact that I need to break it to all the guys and set some ground rules. Besides, while I trust my guys, I do not trust all the pledges and party-goers still lingering around here. As that blond asshole from earlier was clear proof of.
Pulling open the door, I find her staring at the shelf where the heirloom used to be. I don’t know what possessed her to take that thing. I’ll try to have it repaired as best I can and cross my fingers that my father doesn’t come to visit. It’s always been way more important to him than it ever was to me.
But still, it’s a part of my history and the fact that it’s in pieces right now stings.