Palm South University Season 1 Omnibus (21 page)

“Fuck,” Skyler groans. “I can’t take this anymore. Take your shorts off.”

“Wait,” I demand, still teasing her. Her eyes pop open and she glares at me.

“Don’t make me ask you again.” She smirks, but the undertone of her voice lets me know she’s serious. Her delicate fingers shove my shorts down over my ass and she grips me tight, pumping as she maneuvers out of her underwear. When I finally rip open a condom and slide inside her, I know my theory about time is correct.

“Oh God,” she moans after just a few thrusts. “I can’t hold out, Adam.”

“Don’t,” is all I manage before we both come, our bodies trembling together at the release we’ve been working toward for hours. When we’re finally spent, I roll over to lie beside her, panting. She giggles and curls into my chest and I tuck my arm under her shoulder, pulling her closer.

“Seriously though, best way to spend Friday night.”

“No arguments here,” I say, kissing her hair. Gently, I run my fingertips up and down her arm, lulling her into a post-orgasm trance. As the music from the movie credits fills the room along with our steady breathing, I pull Skyler in closer and nuzzle my nose into her neck. She sighs contently and holds me in response.

Ever since Halloween, Skyler and I have been pretty much inseparable. Whenever I’m not tied up with fraternity events and she’s not playing poker, we’re together. She turns me on no matter what she’s doing, and apparently she feels the same about me because we hardly spend time outside of the bedroom. I’m not complaining about it, either – not even a little bit. I haven’t had a steady hookup in over a year. It’s kind of nice to know I can call her at pretty much anytime and she’ll be here.

“Hey,” I say softly, still trailing my fingertips across her skin. “How’s the other half of the slip-n-slide sisters doing?”

“Mmm?” Skyler asks, still dazed.

“Your Little?”

“She’s good,” Skyler responds sleepily. “Her roommate is a bitch, but nothing new there.”

“They’re still having problems?”

Skyler nods against my chest. “Yeah. Cassie has been pretty down about it lately. Apparently Paris said some hurtful things to her last weekend.” Skyler leans up, kissing me quickly. “I hate to say this, but I have to go.”

“You should stay,” I try, pulling her back down to the bed. She giggles, but evades my grip and hops out of bed, jumping into her tight jeans. The view is quite nice.

“I don’t sex and stay, Adam Brooks.”

I frown. “Ouch. I figured we were a little different than your… usual.”

At that, she smiles and leans in for another long kiss. “We are. I think. But I can’t be sure yet.”

“Fair enough.” God knows I can’t expect her to commit when I know I’m not ready for that, either. “Text me tomorrow.”

“You got it, stud.” Skyler throws me a wink before climbing out of my bedroom window. She could have gone through the house to the front door, but odds are there are still guys partying in the living room, and I’m betting Skyler doesn’t want to answer to all that.

When I hear Clay’s annoying ass laugh filter back through the hallway, I roll my eyes, but then my thoughts instantly land on Cassie. Snagging my phone off the bedside table, I type out a quick text.

- You busy tomorrow? -

It’s the first thing I’ve said to Cassie since our confrontation on Halloween, if that’s even what that was. I’m not sure. I feel like maybe I should be apologizing to her, but I can’t really figure out what for. I meant what I said when I told her Clay was bad news. From what I’ve heard, she’s still been hanging out with him. As much as I want to support whatever choice she makes in regards to who she hooks up with, I can’t co-sign anything that has to do with Clay.

I’m a little surprised when she answers a minute later.

- Going shopping with the girls for semi-formal. -

- Breakfast with me first? -

A few minutes pass before she responds.

- Sure. Café? -

- See you at 10. -

I set an alarm on my phone and fall back against my bed, stretching out and working my muscles still sore from the tension of tonight’s festivities. When I roll over on my stomach and shove my arm under the pillow, I feel a piece of paper crumble beneath the weight of my hand. Retrieving it, I smile at the note from Skyler with a silly face and an inside joke.

Skyler Thorne is not a one-guy kind of gal. I didn’t know that when I met her, but I’ve figured it out along the way. I’m not saying I’m ready to be in a relationship, either – but at the same time, I really like Skyler. She’s fun, feisty, and different. We spend all of our free time together and, to my knowledge at least, she’s not hooking up with anyone else and neither am I.

Deciding not to think too much into it tonight, I tuck the note into my bedside table drawer and close my eyes, letting sleep pull me under.

THE CAFÉ AT PALM SOUTH IS SMALL, but it’s a chill place to eat. Usually, it’s crawling with freshmen because their parents get sucked into buying the meal plan at orientation. By the time students get to their second year, they realize they’d rather get that two grand in an allowance from their parents so they can use three-hundred dollars of it to eat and the other seventeen-hundred to get shit-faced at Ralph’s.

Filling my plate with an omelet, four pieces of toast, two pancakes, four slices of bacon and a tall glass of orange juice, I find the back corner booth and slide in. I used to sit here when I was a freshman and I chuckle thinking of the food fights I started from this spot, not to mention the girls I picked up.

“Thanks for slumming it,” Cassie says as she slides into the booth across from me. Her bright hair is pulled into a low braid over her right shoulder and she plays with it absentmindedly as she organizes her tray. “My parents insisted on getting this stupid meal plan and now that I eat at the sorority house most of the time, I don’t even use it.”

“Hey, feel free to get me free food whenever you feel like it. I won’t argue.”

She blanches at the pile of food on my plate. “Yeah, I see that. Is someone else joining us or is that all for you?”

“Hey! A guy’s gotta eat if he wants to make gains in the gym, Red.”

Cassie freezes, her eyes snapping to mine. “Do
not
call me Red. Ever.”

“Whoa. Did I hit a nerve?”

“It’s just stupid. I have red hair, we all get it, no need to point it out with a nickname.” She shoves a big bite of pancake into her mouth and licks the syrup off her bottom lip, wiping whatever smartass remark I planned on saying from my mind.

“I heard your roommate is being especially bitchy lately,” I comment, changing the subject.

“How’d you hear about that?”

“Skyler told me.”

She stills for a moment, her fork hovering over her plate, but almost quick enough for me not to notice before she takes another bite. “Oh. Yeah. I don’t know, I guess I shouldn’t really care anymore.”

“Of course you should care,” I interject. “She was your best friend. No one’s faulting you for caring about what happens to your friendship, Cassie.”

Her pained eyes find mine. “I feel stupid for caring about her when she clearly couldn’t care less about me.”

“Hey.” I reach across the table and grab her hand in mine. “It’s her loss. She’s a fucking moron if she doesn’t see what a good friend you are. She’ll regret burning this bridge when she’s standing alone on that Zeta island, I can tell you that much.”

Cassie chuckles, which makes me smile. That’s the way I like to see her.

“You’re silly.”

“I’m also serious.” I rub my thumb against hers and she glances up at me through her lashes. Realizing I’m probably holding on to the point of making it awkward, I pull back, cutting another bite off my pancake with my fork. “Just keep trying to make it work with her. If she doesn’t try on her end by the time the semester is up, let her go and move into the KKB house. At that point, you know you did all you could to save the friendship and it was her decision to end it.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good plan.” She smiles. “Thanks, Adam.”

“Anytime, Red.” Cassie purses her lips and I bark out a loud laugh. “Kidding. So anyway, you going to semi-formal?”

“Of course I’m going. Why would I miss my own semi-formal?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I know some girls are weird about the whole going stag thing.” Cassie shifts uncomfortably and I pause mid-bite. “Or do you have a date?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m going with someone.”

“Who?” When she doesn’t answer and her eyes skirt mine, I drop my fork completely and shove my plate forward. “Cassie. Please tell me you’re not taking Clay.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because,” I say exasperated, but can’t figure out what to say next. “I told you. He’s a dick.”

“Well, he’s really nice to me. And I assume you’re going with Skyler, so why do you care?”

I scoff. “Yeah, I am going with Skyler. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Nothing.” She sighs, gathering her leftover food items and piling them on her tray. “I have to go meet the girls. Thanks for breakfast.”

I don’t get the chance to say anything further before she’s across the cafeteria and out the door.

“THIS IS BULLSHIT!” Josh yells and a few brothers join in with his assessment. I just cross my arms harder over my chest and kick back in my chair, shaking my head. This cannot be happening.

“No,” Alec, the fuckhead alum who’s ruining our lives interjects. “What’s bullshit is that you asshats can’t pull your own dick out of your ass long enough to realize worse will happen if you don’t reign it in.”

“We’re in college,” Josh argues. “Partying is part of that package.”

“Maybe, but getting multiple sound violations, police calls, and write ups from the council aren’t. If you want to still have letters to wear next year, you’ll heed this warning and play ball our way for a while.” The rest of the alumni brothers behind Alec all nod in unison, agreeing with this stupidity.

“Whatever. No parties for the rest of the semester. Got it. Are we through here?” I know I sound like an ungrateful dick, but on the inside I’m just as pissed off as my brothers. I get where the alumni brothers are coming from. Hell, I’ve been warning my Little all semester to get his shit together, but at the same time I’m not ready to give up parties completely. The fact that we’re doing so without even being on suspension or probation is absolutely idiotic. The alumni want to teach us a lesson and also get our names off the radar. Whatever their reason, it sucks.

“If we’re all at an understanding, then yes,” Alec concedes. “Chapter is over.”

“Great.”

I stand before everyone else and jet out the door, shoving it a little harder than necessary when I exit. It bounces off the brick of our house before I slam it closed again and start off across campus toward the gym.

This is total, complete, utter bullshit. Horse shit. Fucking cow manure. I understand that we have to be careful and not do anything crazy enough to get our asses in the news, but throwing a few ragers and having too much fun shouldn’t be a fucking crime. And Alec seems all too pleased to tell us we were on temporary probation. It’s already November, so not throwing any parties for the next month doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for us it’s like asking us to cut our dicks off. Partying is what Omega Chi Beta does. It’s who we are.

Fuck!

I punch a tall plastic sign advertising an event on campus and someone laughs. Spinning on my heels with a glare I know is murderous, I find Erin Xander sitting on one of the benches that line the main sidewalk leading to the gym.

“Whoa,” she says, wide eyed. “Sorry. I’ve just never seen you so pissed.” She puts her hands up in mock surrender. “Everything okay?”

Exhaling, I toss my gym bag to the ground and fall onto the bench next to her. “We just got put on temporary probation. No parties for the rest of the semester.”

“Are you serious?” Erin runs her delicate hand through her dark blonde hair. “Wow. What are you guys going to do with yourselves? Isn’t that like… all you do?”

“Exactly.”

Erin Xander and I are nowhere near close. Really, I never talked to her much before I met Skyler. She’s a cool chick, but she’s way too spunky and involved for me. I’ve always been freaked out by women who like to juggle a thousand activities on top of school. Any girl who has to have control over that many things in life doesn’t sound like a good time to me.