Palm South University Season 1 Omnibus (23 page)

To say I’m a little worked up would be an understatement.

“God, it’s freezing,” Cassie says, crossing her arms tightly and shivering. “Leave it to Florida to give us our first cold night when we’re all in dresses.”

Skyler laughs. “I don’t know, I’m actually kind of warm after that bus ride.” She winks at me with that last line and I shake my head. The girl has no shame.

And it’s so hot.

Skyler’s soft brown hair cascades down past her shoulders, curling just a bit at the ends. Her makeup is dark and intense, making her icy blue eyes stand out even more than usual. She’s wearing a skin tight crimson dress that matches the lipstick she was smearing all over my skin on the bus and her heels make her almost as tall as me. I don’t give a shit, though, because her legs look fucking incredible.

Cassie, on the other hand, has her hair tied up into a soft up-do with tiny tendrils framing her face. She’s dressed in a floor-length white dress that accents her slender frame along with the innocence she seems to wear like an accessory everywhere she goes. Where Skyler’s makeup is fierce and sexy, Cassie’s is minimal and simplistic.

One is in red, one is in white.

The devil and the angel.

When Clay doesn’t offer Cassie his coat, I roll my eyes and fight back the words I’d like to say to him, shrugging off my own jacket instead. “Here,” I say, hanging it over her shoulders. “Better?”

Cassie pulls the front of my coat tight around her and visibly sighs at the warmth. “Much.” She turns to me, a curious look in her green eyes. “Thank you.”

It doesn’t take long for us to reach the front of the hotel and as soon as we’re inside the large glass doors, we’re immediately shielded from the brisk air. The hotel is lavish with gold and navy accents, giving the atmosphere a regal feel. We’re ushered into the main ballroom and one of the waiters shows us where the bathrooms are as well as the bars. I follow Skyler and some of her sisters to claim a table before we head for the closest one.

No time to waste.

“I kind of want to skip all of this and fast forward to the part where we’re in your bed. Is that bad of me?” Skyler asks, her voice just above a whisper as she kisses right behind my ear. I grip her small waist firmly in my hands and meet her lips with mine.

“Kind of. But I like you better when you’re bad.”

She smiles against my lips before kissing me swiftly and turning just as the bartender asks her order. “Vodka tonic, please.”

“Captain and Coke for me,” I chime in, propping my elbows up and leaning back on the edge of the bar. Scanning the room and taking in the scenery, I spot Clay and Cassie at our table. He peels my jacket off her shoulders and tosses it over a chair haphazardly, smirking when her cleavage is more visible. She’s barely showing any skin at all, but it’s enough to drive a guy crazy, that’s for sure. I can tell she’s still shivering slightly, but she doesn’t reach for my coat again. She just links her arm through his and follows him to the back of the line at the small bar across from where ours is.

I shake my head. I shouldn’t be watching Cassie so closely, but I fucking hate Clay and I know there’s only one thing he could want from her. The thought that he might actually get it literally makes me sick. She’s too good for him. How does she not see that?

“Let’s dance,” Skyler yells over the music the DJ just started, throwing back a shot before handing another to me. I follow her lead, swallowing what I’m pretty sure is vodka and letting it burn the entire way down before following her back to our table. We take a couple of pulls from our mixed drinks before leaving them on the table and moving to the dance floor.

Skyler places her hand in mine and I twirl her out and back into me before wrapping my arms around her waist. Slowly, she winds her body, turning to face away from me and pressing her ass into me. My hands roam her body before gripping her hips and I move in time with the music and the tempo she’s setting.

Damn. Now I kind of want to skip this shit, too.

After a few songs, we’re already working up a sweat and I’m ready to finish my rum. Just as we leave the dance floor and make our way back to the table, Clay leads Cassie past us and out onto the space we just left open. My eyes find hers just as Clay grips her ass hard, pulling her close and grinding against her. I clench my jaw and quickly look away, reaching for my drink and draining the rest of it in one pull.

“Round two?” Skyler asks, eying my now empty glass. She chugs the rest of her drink and I do my damndest to keep my eyes on her and off the situation on the dance floor.

“Let’s do another shot.”

Skyler thrusts her hands into the air. “That’s what I’m talking about!” Laughing, she grabs my hand and leads me through the crowd and back to the bar. I don’t let myself look at Clay and Cassie again. I’m here with Skyler. Cassie and I are just friends. She can do whatever the hell she wants with whoever the hell she wants. It’s none of my business.

But then why does it feel like it is?

“THIS BLOWS,” I say, sucking down the last of my rum punch. I signal to the bartender for another and Erin laughs.

“It’s not that bad, Jess. At least you have Matt here.”

I cringe and immediately drink half of my new drink. “Don’t remind me. He’s been pawing at my chest like a middle schooler all damn night.”

“Hey, you’re getting action tonight. Be thankful. Some of us came with friends,” she reminds me, nodding her head toward where Clinton is chatting with a few of his brothers. He looks absolutely delicious in the simple black and white tuxedo he’s donning and I shake my head.

“How you’re sticking to that friends-only rule with him looking like that is beyond me.”

“Jess!” Erin squeals, her blonde curls bouncing. “It’s
Bear
, for God’s sake.”

“And? Bear’s hot!”

“He’s practically like Skyler’s brother.”

“Again, and? That doesn’t mean he’s your brother.”

Erin seems to chew on that along with her straw as she sips on her drink, still staring across the room at Clinton and his brothers. Suddenly, Matt slides up and wraps his arms around my waist. Even though he’s a decent lay, I still inwardly groan and roll my eyes.

Because all I can think about is how he’s
not
Jarrett.

Bastard.

“Let’s dance.”

“I’d rather not,” I say bluntly.

Erin chuckles and I subtly flick her the bird.

“Wanna sneak off and find a closet somewhere then?” Matt smirks and bites his lip but the second the word
closet
leaves his lips my ovaries react. I’d like to find one, alright, but only if Jarrett is inside it.

Fuck!

“Sorry, I need to go…” I consider telling him I need to fix my hair or powder my nose but decide against it. “Piss.”

At that, he grimaces and I offer a sweet smile, pulling away from his grasp and making my way across the room. I drain the rest of my drink and leave the empty glass on a table as I pass.

When I reach the bathroom, I splash my face with cold water and lean against the counter, shaking my head.
This is impossible.
As much as I try to deny it, Jarrett has invaded my every thought. He’s right – none of these little boys can fuck me the way he does. God, just thinking about it makes me squirm. If there weren’t several other stalls occupied in here I’d probably just rub one out and be done with it.

The uncomfortable ache that I usually have no issue handling is building even more as I exit the bathroom. I notice Skyler and Bear talking outside the tall glass doors in front of the hotel and I smile. It’s about time they worked out whatever the hell has been going on between them. I can’t decide if they act like an old married couple or siblings or both.

I’m just rounding the corner to the hallway that leads back to the main room when I hear a breathy giggle. Halting, I back up a few steps to peer down the opposite hall that leads away from the bathrooms. I smile, happy at least someone is getting their kicks tonight.

Slowly, and as quietly as I can, I tiptoe a little further down the hall and peek around the corner where I heard the noise. I’m still hidden behind the wall, but I just barely make out the hem of Ashlei’s long, glittery coral dress.
Damn, Lei! Get it!
I fight back laughter as I spy more, leaning my head out further so I can get a glimpse of whoever’s date she stole. I know she came here stag, so who’s the mystery man?

I bite my lips between my teeth and cringe as the beads of my dress just barely scrape against the wall, making a soft scratching noise. Ashlei and her man friend don’t even blanch, though, so I lean out even further.

And then I gasp.

Slamming my hand hard over my mouth, I tuck myself back around the corner and press my back against the wall.

“What was that?” Ashlei asks and I slowly skirt the wall down the hall, desperately trying to keep my cool. When I reach the end of the hall I give up trying to be quiet and quickly cut across the lobby, flying out the door where Bear and Skyler are still talking.

“J-Love?” Skyler asks but I don’t turn. “Where are you going?”

I don’t answer, I just jump in one of the waiting cabs in the car-pool area and tell him to drive. I spout off the name of the beach bar before I even realize what I’m doing, but I don’t take it back. My breath is labored, my heart beating rapidly out of my chest. No way did I just see that. No fucking way did I just see Ashlei making out with… with…

Oh, God, what’s the point?!

I know exactly what I saw. Ashlei was getting action, alright. She had her tongue down someone’s throat and she had her hands on their body.

But it wasn’t any guy I know.

It wasn’t any guy at all.

It was my Little.

I’M GLAD I LET ERIN coax me into going to semi-formal with her. More than half of my brothers are here and my theory about the girls looking hot as fuck turned out to be extremely accurate. I’m not a fan of putting on a tuxedo by any means, but for a non-Omega Chi party, this shit’s not bad.

Matt excuses himself from our group, murmuring something about bagging Jess as he cuts toward the bar just as my phone pings. Frowning at the all-caps text from my mom, I quickly call her.

“I’m outside.”

“What?” I yell against the noise, plugging the ear opposite my phone.

“I’m outside, Clinton.”

Scanning the room, I find the opening that leads out into the lobby and across to the large glass doors at the front of the hotel. Sure as shit, my mom is standing just beyond them. Her slight frame looks even smaller under the grand doors with gold trim, her over-sized t-shirt hanging nearly down to her knees.

Ending the call, I shove my phone back in my pocket and briskly cross the room. I’m trying to calm down, but I’m pissed. Why the fuck is my mom showing up to the KKB semi-formal? Why is she in Florida, period?

The chilly air immediately hits me as I push through the outer doors, cooling my hot skin. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s the first thing you have to say to me?” she asks, her face falling a little. She looks strung out, her skin ashen and her hair a mess. I have no doubt she’s been using and the first thing I think of is my little brother.

“Where’s Clayton?”

She sighs, shaking her head. “Your brother is fine. Well, your younger one, anyway. He’s staying with some friends in Pittsburgh.”

“Which brings me back to my first question.”

My mom waits for sympathy to show on my face, but it’s nowhere in sight. I can’t feel sorry for her anymore. That passed after I turned sixteen.

“Clinton, I need some money. Carleton is in the car.” She turns, pointing back to an idling, beat up piece of shit Cadillac. “We’re in some trouble and we need a way out. Now I know what you’re thinking,” she says before I have the chance to cut her off. “And I’m telling you, we’re getting clean after this. Carleton wants his baby boys to have a father they can look up to and I’m tired of this shit ruining my life. But we aren’t going to have the chance to get clean if you don’t help us, you understand?” Her eyes hit me hard with that last line and I understand all too well.

“What the fuck, Mom?!” I run my hands over my head, frustrated. “What the hell did you do?!”