He takes a step toward me, the threat obvious in his stance. “What I’m embarrassed about is having a son who is flouting brotherhood tradition while he’s been masquerading as the head of house this semester.” He pauses, eyes flicking over my shoulder. “What do you think her father will do when he realizes his pretty little girl is offering favors to the brotherhood in exchange for entrance? And why would she do that, do you think?”
I swear if it were a real thing, my blood would boil and steam would pour from my ears. Rage fills me, and I bark, “She hasn’t offered favors to anyone, despite what you were told or assumed. And I know exactly why she’s here.” I do. And I don’t owe him a fucking explanation. My loyalty lies with Elliot, Cannon, and Archer. Period.
He gets in my face, growling, “Tell me what you know.”
“No.” I can’t think of a goddamn reason why I’d tell him that Elliot is looking for Will.
He shakes his head. “Sooner or later, you’ll figure out that pussy isn’t worth lighting your world on fire for. Speaking of, you’d better be prepared to feel some heat, because between the atrocious handling of a missing brother last year and this new debacle, you’re so close to having us right up your ass, it’s not funny. You let one more thing happen around here, we’ll start doing regular visits and searching the property to uncover all the BS you little fuckers are hiding.”
I press my lips together as my father, the mighty Jared Hawthorne, pushes past me, striding away. He’d lose his shit if he knew about Will’s phone being in my possession. He shouts over his shoulder at the remainder of the brotherhood as he leaves. “Be ready. My son is bound and determined to bring the full weight of the alumni down on your heads.”
TWENTY-FOUR
ARCHER
For as long asI’ve known Kingston, I’ve known Jared Hawthorne to be a piece of work, but holy fuck. How the hell does Kingston deal with that? The worst part is I do believe much of his superior attitude is simply a facade. I shake my head in dismay as we watch him walk away not only from his son but the entire brotherhood. In my mind, it’s a sign of weakness. He’s realized his son won’t bow to him, and now he doesn’t know what the fuck to do because we’re heading for certain disaster once the alumni catch wind of what has been allowed under Jared’s negligent watch. Namely, our girl, Elliot.
I immediately turn, pointing at the juniors, sophomores, and their initiates. “Take off. There are garbage bags and towels in the back of the SUVs. Initiates, make sure you fuckin’ strip down and put all the clothes in one bag, then figure out how to line the seats so you don’t completely destroy the interior.”
There’s a bit of grumbling, especially from the juniors, but everyone heads across the field in the same direction Kingston’s father just went, only glancing over their shoulders once or twice.
When I’m sure they’re on their way, I allow my eyes to drift over Elliot. She’s never been more beautiful to me. She showed grit and determination today, and a whole lot of smarts in the way she tackled some of those obstacles. It’d been damn impressive. Physically, her cheeks are still pink from exertion, and she’s a sweaty mess. Fucking hell, I dig it. She’d probably freak out if she knew I’d like nothing more than to strip her bare and get nasty with her right here. Something about the way her hair and face are covered with speckles of mud does it for me. And that’s part of the reason I thought it’d be good to get the rest of the brotherhood the hell out of here, because there’s always a chance someone’s going to do or say something stupid. With everyone else on their way back to the house, Elliot can put her muddy stuff into a bag without everyone watching. Just us.
I rest a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to get her attention. “Elliot, we’ll get you back to the house ASAP so you can get cleaned up, but I think maybe K needs a minute or two, if you’re okay to wait.” My eyes seek him out, where he continues to stand with his back to us, strong hands resting on slim hips.
Elliot bites down on her lip, worrying it as she watches him. Cannon reaches over and captures her chin in his fingers, using his thumb to get her to release her lip. I hadn’t noticed this nervous habit of hers until he brought it to our attention. Having been made aware of what she was doing, she wets the abraded skin and brings her mud-covered hand to her chest, where she claws at the spot over her heart. I doubt she’s even cognizant of it, she’s so busy concentrating on Kingston. “Is he okay?”
Cannon nods, stepping into her line of vision before he jerks his thumb in Kingston’s direction and makes a fake angry face, baring his teeth at her. It makes her smile, if only for a moment.
They might be for the benefit of our girl, but I’m still amused at Cannon’s antics. I chuckle before answering. “Yeah, Peaches, he’s pissed. But he’ll be okay. I caught some key points of their conversation, even though I know Jared didn’t intend for any of us to. Alec leaked the fact that you’re here to his dad. And Kingston pointed out that his father hasn’t been paying any fucking attention, anyway, which is totally true.” I shrug. “We didn’t even try to keep you a secret, that’s the funny part. We simply neglected to inform anyone of the arrival of the smartest initiate coming through this place since, well… me.” I shoot a wink in her direction.
She bats at my arm and wrinkles her nose in a way that makes me want to reach out and tweak it. I resist, but only just barely because her expression has morphed into something more serious. “Yeah, but do you think Kingston’s dadknowsabout me?”
I tilt my head to the side, giving her worry some real consideration. “About who you are, sure. No idea how quickly he’ll contact your father, which is a little nerve-racking. Something tells me his embarrassment lies in not knowing what’s going on within the fraternity he’s supposed to be watching over. But your connection to Will? Doubtful. Especially since he’s not looking for anything of the sort.” I loop my arm around her waist and tug her to my side. “Try not to worry about it.”
Cannon takes a deep breath. Finally, he shakes his head and rolls his eyes, pulling his phone from his pocket. It’s not more than twenty seconds later that my phone dings with a notification that I know will also reach Kingston.
His dad’s a douche.
I don’t know how K didn’t punch him in the face.
And if he talks about E like that again,
it’s not gonna fly.
Not with me.
I shake my head after reading. “No. It won’t with me either.”
“What?” Elliot drags her gaze from Kingston again to look up at me, an anxiety coating her pretty features.
My lips tighten into a line as I press my lips to her forehead, not caring if I come away with mud on my mouth. “Nothing, Peaches. Cannon just didn’t like how Jared spoke about you. None of us did.”
“Oh.” She pauses, swallowing hard. “What’s the plan?”
I jut my chin in Kingston’s direction, extending my arm to point a finger at the same time. “We can ask him. But a shower for you for sure.” I eye Kingston as he turns around and begins walking toward us. His entire frontside got caked with mud when he pulled Elliot against him earlier, but that’s not what’s got me paying attention. It’s the look in his eye as he focuses on Elliot. I release her and give a small nudge to her back so she’ll shuffle toward him.
He doesn’t stop until their bodies are pressed together and he’s got her face cupped between his hands. She clings to him, big dark eyes searching his pale green. Finally, he shakes his head with regret, like he already knows the shit running through her head. “Elle, I hope you didn’t listen to a word he said. He knows nothing about you. He made assumptions that never should have been voiced.” Ducking his head, he catches her lips with his, and a moment later, she visibly relaxes.
