Sweet Deceit (Privilege 4)

Palmer and a few of the other guys laughed, but they stopped short at a stern look from Lexa. She turned around and walked over to the first dusty bookcase, gripping the shelf in front of her with both hands, clearly deep in thought. Ariana held her breath. Would Lexa really kick all of them out? Could the Atherton-Pryce Hall chapter of Stone and Grave really justify having no pledge class at all?

Finally, Lexa lifted her head and turned to face the membership, her back to the taps. A bolt of apprehension sizzled through Ariana’s heart.

“Brothers and sisters, tonight our tap class has proven that we have been wise in our selections this semester,” she said loudly. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Adam. “And, perhaps, too hasty in some of our decisions.”

Adam grinned from ear to ear.

“ To our taps!” Lexa shouted, raising one arm in the air.

“ To our taps!” the membership shouted back.

Ariana’s heart inflated with happiness as the entire room dissolved into applause and cheers and congratulations. A couple of the guys clapped Adam on the back and pulled him into the group. Maria and Soomie, meanwhile, raced forward to hug her, which made it all the easier to hug Palmer as well without looking suspicious. As he grabbed her up in his arms and lifted her off her feet, Ariana had never felt so free, so accomplished, and so proud.

She’d done it. She’d gotten the headstones back to Stone and Grave and, thanks to Kaitlynn, she’d gotten most of the credit for it. There was no way they were going to hold her to her task now. She and Palmer were going to remain a secret until they were ready to come out as a couple, and she was going to go down in history as the Stone and Grave tap who’d saved their headstones.

Everything was working out even better than planned.

DRESSING UP

Ariana couldn’t stop smiling. And since she couldn’t remember the last time she couldn’t stop smiling, she decid

ed to relish it. As she, Palmer, Kaitlynn, and Jasper walked into Privilege House together, shaking off the chill of the night air, she caught a glimpse of her grinning reflection in the window and it only made her smile wider.

“You guys have no idea what this has done for your stock,” Palmer said as they walked into the elevator alcove. Jasper hit the up buttons for both the girls’ and boys’ elevators. “We’re talking through the roof.”

“Deservedly so, I think,” Jasper said as Kaitlynn and Ariana laughed happily.

“I just can’t believe we solved the riddle before April did,” Ariana said.

“I can,” Palmer said, eyeing her with pride. “And nice job with the execution, man,” he said, turning to Jasper. “I just wish you guys had thought to take some video. I’d give anything to see those guys flailing around covered in feathers.”

“Video!” Kaitlynn said. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

Possibly because I never want to think about video-recording anything ever again, Ariana thought.

“Next time,” Jasper promised.

“There’s going to be a next time?” Palmer said with a laugh.

“Never say never,” Jasper replied mischievously.

The elevators pinged at the same time and Kaitlynn and Jasper moved to get in. Ariana started to follow her roommate, but Palmer grazed her arm with his fingers.

“Ana. Hang back for a sec,” he said.

Ariana glanced at Kaitlynn in her elevator, and Kaitlynn smirked knowingly. Then she looked at Jasper just as the doors closed on him. His sour look wasn’t lost on her, but she chose not to think about what it might mean.

“What’s up?” she asked Palmer once the others were being whisked off to their floors. “The next group will be along any minute.”

The members of Stone and Grave had decided to leave the library in shifts since it was well past midnight, and four people at a time would be able to move a bit more stealthily than a group of thirty-plus.

“I know. C’mere,” Palmer said, smiling adorably and tilting his head toward the lobby’s common room.

Her heart skipping, Ariana followed him inside and let him tug her into a private corner. He slipped his arms around her waist, leaned down, and kissed her. It was a nice, long, deep, familiar kiss. The kind of perfect kiss a boyfriend gives to his girlfriend. When he pulled away, Ariana leaned into his chest and grinned up at him.

“So, I was just wondering . . . do you have a costume for the Halloween party yet?” Palmer asked, resting the back of his head against the wall behind him.

“No. Not really,” Ariana said with a sigh. “Lily and I were thinking about doing something together, but we haven’t come up with anything good yet.”