She nodded, but had yet to grab her phone.
“Do you want to stay?”
A few seconds passed and she took in a slow deep breath before she met my gaze. “Yes.” I felt the tension leave me immediately. For a second I thought she’d tell me no.
“Then stay here with me.” I cupped her jaw and brought my lips to hers. Slowly, teasingly, I kiss her, only skimming over her lips with the tip of my tongue. I wanted to deepen the kiss, damn, I wanted to climb over her and drive her crazy. But instead I pulled back.
Her eyes looked hazy, like she’d been momentarily drained of all logical thinking and I fought the urge to puff out my chest.
While she texted her father I grabbed the comforter and covered us up. When she placed her phone on my nightstand and turned back to me, the worried look from earlier had faded. “He’s been a little more lenient since he started dating his assistant.”
“That’s good, right?”
“If you consider him dating a money-hungry slut that isn’t much older than me a good thing, then yeah, I guess so.” She focused on my chest and in that very moment I understood that Ruby too had demons she fought. They may not be the same as my own but they were things that held her back. Things that made her feel as though she didn’t deserve the things I wanted to give her.
It made me hate her father almost as much as I hated my own.
***
Pop pop! Something hard hit my chin and a pained moan filled the silence between pops.
I blinked away the fog and looked around the room, realizing that it’s not just from sleep. My room was filled with smoke, and Ruby was standing at the side of my bed rubbing a spot on the side of her head. Her were eyes wide with shock and then I smelt it.
“Fuck.” Climbing from the bed I went to the door and jerked it open. Corbin and Clayton stood outside, with Blake, of all people, standing only a few feet behind them. Clayton was laughing so hard he had tears rolling over his cheeks.
Corbin smiled, with his hand buried in a bag of Doritos. “’Sup,” he offered, and I wanted to deck him.
“How’s your date?” Blake asked, looking smug as she attempted to look over my shoulder.
“You’re a menace.” This only made her shrug her shoulders as if she already knew it and did nothing to wipe the satisfied grin from her face. “Warped as the rest of them.”
Ignoring them, I turned around and slammed the door, coming face to face with a horrified Ruby. Her mouth was covered by her hand, her cheeks blown out like she was about to puke. She was right, it was putrid. My room smelled like our living room after Frankie made her hot chili and we’d washed it down with beer.
That shit got bad, pun intended.
I tried not to laugh at the tiny girl before me that was now turning a light shade of green.
“Let me open the windows and turn on the fans.”
I hurried past her, opening the two windows I had and flipping on the ceiling fan as well as the rotating fan tucked in the corner. I faced it in the opposite direction so it would blow the smell out.
“I guess we forgot to lock the door.” Like that was excuse enough to explain what had just taken place.
“What was that?” Still wide-eyed and breathing through her mouth trying not to smell the shit bomb we’d just been gifted, she looked between me and the door.
“Happens often here.”
“What? Firecrackers and stink bombs?” Confusion etched her face, her nose crinkled, her brows scrunched. “That happens?”
“Among other things.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing when her eyes grew wide once more and she sat down on the side of the bed looking exasperated. I joined her and rubbed her lower back. “The guys are always pulling pranks, trying to outdo each other. I’m usually prepared, but I forgot to do the chain and put the chair under the handle last night before falling asleep.”
“You have to do that?” Her shocked expression returned.
“Yes.” I chuckled. It was unstoppable at this point. Poor Ruby looked like she’d been bombarded by a flock of ostriches in the middle of a snowstorm. She had no idea how to accept the intrusive event that woke us both. “Babe.” Placing my hand on her thigh, I gave her a little shake. “You good?”
She nodded, though I wasn’t so sure she realized she was.
I watched and waited, and little by little she began to relax a little more. The tension in her shoulders gave way when she finally looked at me. “That was insane.” I’d never in my life seen anything more adorable. Unable to stop myself, I gripped her face, one palm against each of her cheeks, and I kissed her, only adding to her confused state. She had no idea what she was in for, but I was damn sure gonna enjoy watching her be initiated to the Fraternity life.
Chapter Thirty
Ruby
“You spent the night with him and nothing happened?” Darcy looked at me in disbelief, almost like she thought I was lying.
“I never said nothing happened.” She cocked a brow. “It was exciting and…” I paused, trying to find the words only there really wasn’t one to explain how it went. So I gave it a shot. “Perfect.” Ugh, even that felt like a poor description.
Darcy continued to stare at me, a hollow look in her eyes, one I’d never seen before in my spunky wild friend. I wondered where that
