My eyes rake over her and land on her icy-blue eyes. Her chinis high, but her eyes are wary. The rise and fall of her chest suggests her nervousness. Good. She should be nervous. Because at this moment, I could ruin her. “Aren’t you afraid to be seen withOmega Chi trash?”
Her eyes narrow. “Anyone who truly believes that the men of Omega Chi Kappa are irrelevant clearly have no idea how the Syndicate actually functions.”
I shake my head. The Syndicate. The backbone of elite society. The ones who hold all the strings to this goddamn puppet show. The only reason why we’re here, trying to get Mara’s father elected president. He’s been groomed his entire life for this prospect.
“Why don’t you just go back inside. Let Harrington rub your shoulders while he brags to donors about your GPA and his latest trust fund accomplishments.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“Don’t I?” I close the distance between us. “I think you spend so much time being everything for everyone. I think you’re starving for something but you have no idea what because you haven’t been exposed to it.”
She shakes her head, but I just grin at her disbelief.
“I think you play innocent, and act as if you crave control, when the only thing you truly want to do is let go.” I reach for her wrist, my fingers ghosting over her skin.
She sucks in sharp breath and snatches her wrist back.
“And you think I’m going to let you control me?”
I chuckle. “No, Princess, I know you won’t. That’s what makes it fun.”
Her eyes flash, but instead of recoiling, she takes a breath. “Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“An arrangement,” she clarifies. “You and me. Publicly.”
I blink. “You’re going to have to talk in more simple terms. I am but OCK trash, after all.”
She laughs. “A fake relationship. You hate PTO, my father, and Chase. I need to do something…”
“Freakishly stupid?”
She ignores the jab. “I just need you to walk me to a few classes—get the campus gossiping. That’s it. No strings.”
That makes me snort. “You know it’s tradition for the officers to share a girl.”
Her nose wrinkles in disgust. “Absolutely not. This is just between you and me”
The thought of her bent over our kitchen counter with Dre and Jas behind me makes my cock stir, but I keep it to myself, letting the corner of my mouth curl instead.
“Funny, though.” I lean in close enough that she stiffens. “If all you wanted was protection, you’d go to Dredyn—man’s obsessed. He’d slaughter half the campus if you asked. So, why me?”
“Because I don’t want Dredyn. I want to control this. With him, there’s none. With you, at least there’s… negotiation.”
That stops me. And fuck if it doesn’t make me laugh. “So, I’m the lesser evil. The devil you think you can leash.” I shake my head slowly, savoring her defiance. “Careful, Princess. I don’t wear leashes; I wrap them around pretty little necks.”
Her breath hitches, but she holds my gaze.
I let the silence stretch, already imagining Dre’s face when he sees her clinging to my arm. The rage. The betrayal. The storm it’ll cause.
“All right. You want to play pretend? Let’s play.”
Her shoulders lift with a shaky inhale. She thinks she’s won something.
My gaze drops to her mouth as she drags her tongue across her bottom lip. My pulse spikes, and I lift my hand, dragging my knuckles up her arm slowly, savoring the goosebumps that ripple in my wake.
“Well then.” I smirk, eyes locked on hers. “We seal the deal, my way.”
