That’s the thing that not everyone knows about Granite House. In fact, no one knows except for the people that live here. If grades aren’t above a three-point-zero, there are no parties. And that includes every person, every assignment, and every test.
You better believe that every person here works their ass off to keep the legacy alive and party hard. Everyone knows Granite House for the parties, but I think they would be surprised if they actually looked at the people who graduated and lived here. A lot of them are really successful.
When the fraternity status got revoked two years ago—my freshman year—I don’t think I’d ever seen my father so angry. He cares about the legacy he’s leaving behind, and this house is a huge piece of it. Basically he made me swear to turn it around. Hence the reason that I have the rules about grades and parties and only let the best of the best into the house.
“You guys busy?” I ask them.
“Nah,” George says. “Just taking a break, actually.”
“I need a favor from you guys. I’ll owe you one.”
Both of them jump to their feet at the same time. “Sure,” Casey says.
Having me owe them one isn’t nothing. “Take my truck, and go to Collins 301. Grab all the boxes, and anything belonging to Juno Dennard and bring it back. It’s all going in Jack’s room.”
The look surprised, but George takes the keys from me. “Okay. Does Jack know?”
I smile. “He will shortly.”
They wisely don’t ask questions and head out the door. It’ll be good to have all her stuff here in one place.
I’m playing with fire with Juno, honestly. My dad is going to be pissed about the vase. Frankly, more than he has any right to be. It’s worth a lot of money, and it means a lot, but it’s just a piece of pottery, and legacy is about more than that. But having that break, and then choosing to move Juno in would all be things that he wouldn’t approve of. Especially if he had any kind of idea about the kind of relationship that she and I have.
I think about her questions from before. Are we strange? Maybe. I’m working on instinct here. Desires that I’ve always had and never had someone to perform them with. It was like when I saw Juno something knew that she would respond to this, and to me.
It’s true that I was pissed about the vase, and I was going to make her pay. But I’m not that cruel. Not really. I’d rather have her on her knees because she wants to be there. Telling Juno what to do feels good. Having her obey feels good too. But not because I want to crush her or beat her down, but because it feels like it’s meant to be that way.
Fuck.
Even in my head that barely makes sense.
All I know is that what’s between Juno and me seems right, and it’s becoming more important to me than I had anticipated after only a week. If she had said no to moving in, I would have been devastated. I want her here with me for the time being so we can explore what this is.
Honestly, I like having her close by, but she needs her own space. And I know the exact space that she needs to have.
I knock on the door across from my room, hearing loud music from behind it. Jack answers after a second. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Need to talk to you for a second,” I say, stepping into the threshold.
“Sure.” He cuts the music.
I don’t beat around the bush. “I need you to move downstairs with Evan.”
The room on the second floor that Evan occupies is the biggest in the whole house, and can easily fit two people in it. Right now, he’s in there by himself. There’s already an extra bed in there that’s not being used.
Jack looks at me. “I’m sorry?”
I laugh. “Do you need me to say it again?”
“Why, exactly?” He looks pissed.
“Because Juno is moving in,” I tell him. “And she can’t room with someone else because of how that would look. You can, so move downstairs. Even sharing you’ll have more room.”
Jack’s face goes red and he sneers. “That little slut from the party that you’ve been banging in your room for the last week? How’s that for ‘how it would look’?”
I level a look at him, and he has the intelligence to look embarrassed. “Juno asked publicly to declare Granite House. She’s an impeccable student, adds to our diverse profile, and has agreed to do things around the house for us. Some cooking and cleaning. So relax.”
He’s still clearly not relaxed. “At least she’ll be eye candy,” he says. “Can’t deny that she was hot in that dress, and from what I’ve heard coming from your room, she’s a good fuck.”
I stare at him. He’s smiling, and I’m not. There’s a deep satisfaction as I see that smile wither away under my gaze. “Move your shit, Jack. Now.”
Turning on my heel, I don’t let him say another thing. Hopefully he gets the message. I’m going to keep the peace, but if he says anything else about Juno, I probably won’t be able to keep my fist out of his face. And that won’t be good for anyone. Jack has been in the house as long as I have, and has a certain level of seniority. I can understand why he’s not happy, but he’ll have to fucking deal with it.
I knock on Evan’s door this time, and it takes him longer to answer. But Evan is one of the most laid-back people I’ve met. It’s clear that he was taking a nap
