“Craig Parker. He’s not happy about having to cover for you after you hit him.”
I let out a derisive grunt. “Fuck that dude, seriously. He deserved exactly what I gave him,” I growled. The words that Craig said to me that night still made my blood boil. “All he had to do was keep his fucking mouth shut, so I shut it for him.”
Todd scratched at his armpit. “Come on, man, do you really have to be that way? Everyone is covering for you and your sis, and you should be on your knees counting your lucky stars. All you have to do is apologize to him and it will help smooth things over.”
“Never gonna happen.” I said, shaking my head.
Todd stared at me for a long time before seeming to give up. “We can talk about Craig later.” He scratched at his hair nervously. “There’s actually something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
I raised a questioning eyebrow.
Before Todd could answer, the door swung open and in walked Jace Randall with a cocky grin on his face that I immediately wanted to punch off. Since the night of the Sacrifice, he’d gone from being one of my biggest ass kissers to being so passive-aggressive that I wanted to kick his ass pretty frequently.
“’Sup, Livingston.” He nodded at me as he closed the door behind him. He walked over next to Todd and crossed his arms over his chest, still giving me that fucked-up grin.
I looked to Todd. “What the hell is this?”
Todd took a deep breath. “Everyone is going around saying you banged your sister and that we're running some kind of prostitution ring, offering the sorority sisters to our brothers.”
“And?” I asked. Judging by Todd’s nervous expression, I could tell I wasn’t going to like where he was going with this. “We already know what they’re saying. And those are just rumors until someone admits to it and can prove it.”
Todd looked to Jace, who just nodded at him, his annoying grin growing wider. “So, uh, yeah. Jace wants to pretend to be your sister’s boyfriend. He thinks if he’s seen around campus with Bella, it would quiet all the rumors about your sleeping with your stepsister and help our damaged image.”
“I ain’t gonna lie, Livingston,” Jace chimed in. “I’ve wanted to hit that ever since I saw her sexy ass picture in your billfold.”
My pulse pounded in my head and I instantly saw red. “You son of a bitch!” I rushed Jace with every intention of breaking every bone in his face, but Todd sprang in between us, holding me back and probably saving Jace’s life.
“Hey, man!” Todd cried in a hushed voice as he struggled to hold me back. “There are school officials out there, for fuck’s sake! If you guys start fighting in here and they hear it, that’s probably the end.”
“The hell with this frat,” I snapped, straining against Todd, who was using his entire body weight to keep me from murdering Jace.
Jace grinned from the safety of being behind Todd. “What’s the matter, Livingston? Why so mad? Are the rumors actually true that you're in love with your sister? Because I don’t see what it matters to you one way or the other if I go out with her to help save your ass.”
I didn't realize that, in my anger, I was probably giving the vibe that I cared about Bella in a far more intimate way than should be proper.
I took a deep breath to calm my anger and pushed Todd away from me, resigned to keeping my anger in check from there on out. “That’s because I don’t want her to go out with such a douchebag. She’s still my stepsister, you fucking jackass.”
Jace laughed. “Is that the real reason? Or is really because you just want to keep it all in the family?”
“Dude, Jace,” complained Todd. “Stop fucking instigating and trying to get Stefan all riled up. This is serious shit we are in, and we don’t need infighting tearing us down.” Todd turned to me and gave me an imploring look. “Come on, Stefan, you’re not thinking rationally. Your cooperation affects us all, and it ultimately benefits you and Bella. I mean, look at how politically correct the world is nowadays. Frats get shut down because of people making racist jokes. What the hell do you think is going to happen when people are going around saying Alpha promotes prostitution?”
I clenched my jaw angrily, my blood pressure rising. I had to admit, Todd’s words had merit. I just didn’t want to go along with the scheme for obvious reasons. But if I didn’t go along with it, it would definitely confirm to Jace and even Todd that there was something more going on between me and Bella than just an accidental one-night stand.
“Fine,” I grated finally. I glared at Jace menacingly. “But I want to make one thing clear—you’re not to lay a hand on Bella while this is going on, you understand?”
Jace snorted. “How the hell do you expect people to believe she’s my girl if I’m not banging her?”
I swallowed back the rage that rose in my stomach, not willing to be baited anymore. “Not one fucking hand,” I growled. “Or else you lose that hand.”
Todd stepped in between us again, as if anticipating me to lose control any moment, but he needn’t bother. I was done with the conversation. I turned to leave the room, but I paused when Jace called my name.
“Yo, Livingston.”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob, my back to my two frat brothers.
“What if she puts a hand on me? She’s kind of too hot to resist.” Jace was testing me, but I'd already had enough.
I walked out and closed the door behind me.
Bella
I had no idea what to do. Hanna and Veronica’s plan was absolutely idiotic, and I felt cheaper even thinking about the whole thing. I was still not sure if I should tell Stefan or not.
I also feared the stress that the whole situation was putting on my body. My mom had told me long ago that stress in her life had caused her a miscarriage. I wasn't going to let that happen to me. Not our baby.
I walked into my dorm room, exhausted after being hounded by Hanna and Veronica. The rumors appeared to be getting worse, and there was talk of Kappa being disbanded.
I didn’t care one way or the other what happened. I just wanted to be left alone because I had more important things to worry about.
The aroma of pastries greeted me as I closed the door. Sara, who had cut one of her classes, must have been cooking her cupcakes again.
Cooking was her favorite pastime, and I must admit, her cupcakes were damned good. She 'd been trying to get me to learn how to bake, explaining to me that it would help relieve some of the stress that I’d been going through.
Sure enough, I saw her behind the counter as I set my books down on the couch.
“Hey, Bella,” she greeted me cheerfully. Sara had her hair pulled back in a bun and was wearing a pink apron over her blue jeans and white t-shirt. “How was your day?”
“Do you have to even ask?” I muttered. “It was horrible.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“What is that you’re making?” I asked, changing the subject. “It smells absolutely wonderful.”
I wasn’t really a pastry eater—I usually ate like a bird to maintain my figure, but my stressful day had me absolutely ravenous.
And it must be the baby inside me, I thought.
“It had better smell wonderful,” joked Sara. “Otherwise, the cooking classes I’m taking would be an utter waste of time.” She looked at me closely. “Do you really want some? You're usually always complaining about how you want to keep your figure and hate eating bad food.”
“Yes,” I growled. “Like now.”
Sara grinned at me. “Those assholes must have really gotten to you. You sound like you’re ready to pig out. But, bad news—they won’t be done for another fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes? Damn woman, what was she trying to do to me? “Okay, I’ll go get washed up then, and when I come back, they’d better be ready.”
Sara chuckled. “Okay, Mistress Bella.”
I left the living room and went into my bedroom to get a change of outfit. I took a quick
shower, even managing not to fantasize about Stefan while in it. After, I was blow drying my hair when my cell rang. I walked over and grabbed it off the bed, swiping the touch screen.
My mother’s smiling mug popped up, underscored by a Call from Evelyn Livingston.
I stared at it while the cell continued to ring. I was tempted to answer—boy, was I tempted.
After an intense internal struggle, I let out a sigh and silenced the phone. Stefan and I were in this mess together, and I wanted to be on the same page with him, so that meant I was going to do whatever he told me to do, no questions asked.
Several minutes later, I was sitting at the living room table, stuffing my face with delicious chocolate cupcakes.
“Gosh, Bella,” Sara said, watching me eat. “I’ve never seen you so ravenous.”
“I’m stressed the hell out,” I said over a mouthful of creamy cupcake. I was going to have to get Sara to teach me how to make them. They were damned good. “And you’ve got skills. This is fucking delicious. What do you expect?”
I saw sympathy flash in Sara eyes, and she slowly reached out and placed a hand on top of my hand that wasn’t holding the cupcake. “You know what, Bella? I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through, but I know a good person when I see one . . . and I honestly believe you about the . . . mistake you made.”
I nearly choked on my cupcake, not because of Sara’s empathy, but because she was absolutely wrong about me and Stefan. Even had I known that Stefan was behind the gladiator costume—and I was not yet convinced that I hadn’t known on some subconscious level—I would still have screwed him willingly, eagerly letting him ravage my body for everything it was worth.
Before I could finish chowing down the cupcake and reply, there was a loud knock at the door.
Sara rose to her feet, looking at the door. “I wonder who it is?”
I quickly swallowed down the rest of the cupcake. “Don’t answer that,” I gasped breathlessly, almost choking on crumbs. “It’s probably one of those stupid school officials, here to ask more questions.”
Sara bit her lower lip and stared at the door. “They’re going to know we’re here, Bella.”
“So?” I whispered. “We don’t have to answer if we don’t want to.”
I was wasting my time trying to tell Sara not to answer. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes.
“I’m going to answer it,” she said finally. “If it winds up being one of those investigators, I’ll tell them that we don’t want to talk.”
“Whatever,” I said.
“Don’t worry, Bella. I’ve got your back.”
Sara walked over to the door, peeked through the peephole, and then cracked it open so whoever was outside could not look in.
I started with surprise when she said, “Hey, Stefan, what a surprise to see you here.”
“Hey, Sara, is Bella here?” I heard Stefan ask, my heart quickening a few beats.
“Um . . . she’s . . .” Sara sounded flustered, and I took pity on her.
I jumped up from the table and ran to the door, pushing Sara out of the way.
“What are you doing here, Stefan?” I demanded. My heart fluttered at seeing him. He was so sexy, dressed casually in jeans and a black shirt that fit his cut torso like a glove. His hair was slicked to the side, but what really got me is that he looked extra pissed off. “I thought we agreed to . . .” I glanced at Sara quickly and bit my lower lip.
“I came to talk to you,” he replied, his voice urgent. “And it couldn’t wait.”
He pushed past me without asking to come inside, and I closed the door, my pulse racing.
Stefan looked over at Sara, who was staring at Stefan like he was a piece of meat. It made me jealous, and I wanted to tell Sara to back off and find her own man. Stefan read my expression, though, and turned to my roommate. “Sara, can you give us a moment alone, please?” Stefan could be the absolute gentleman when he wanted to.
“Sure,” Sara said after a short pause. She lingered for a moment before walking out of the room.
Stefan gestured at the couch. “Have a seat.”
Back at home, I would have told Stefan to kiss my ass for ordering me about, but now that I was his, I felt an odd sense of acquiescence in his presence. I walked over to the couch and sat down, and almost immediately, Stefan began pacing.
Then he stopped and centered his gaze on me. The look of anger in his eyes made me shiver. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.”
“What is it?” I asked. I wondered if I should tell him about Jace’s offer.
“My frat bros have been pressuring me. They think it’s in our best interests if you are seen around campus with another guy until this investigation thing blows over.” He snorted. “And they couldn’t have chosen a worse guy to set you up with. They want you to go out with Jace Randall.”
I almost told Stefan about Hanna and Veronica approaching me, but for some reason, I held it back. Something told me if I told Stefan about it, he would go berserk.
“I don’t want to do that, Stefan,” I said truthfully. “I mean, what’s the point? When you really look at it, what’s so bad about what we did? We’re not even related!”
“Yeah, I know that, but look what's already going around campus. You don't need all this stress right now.” Stefan sighed. “Look, I almost beat the fuck out of Jace for even proposing such a deal, and I don’t want this thing happening any more than you do, but I made sure that if you agreed to it, he’s not to lay a finger on you. Alpha and Kappa are determined to do damage control, and if we don’t help them, we’ll both pay for it.”
I let out a disgusted sound. He agreed to this? Why? What’s so wrong with this, anyway? “I can’t stand this,” I whined, tears coming to my eyes.
Stefan rushed over to the couch and sat down beside me, wrapping a powerful arm around my shoulder. “Don’t cry, baby. I can’t stand it any more than you can. But let’s just go along with this for a little while until we figure out what we’re going to do about our situation, okay? And if Jace harasses you in any way, let me know. Though that shouldn’t be an issue since you guys are only supposed to hang out in public, where other people can see you.”
“Okay,” I agreed weakly after a drawn-out silence. I didn’t like it, but to save our reps, to help Stefan . . . Thinking about him, I became even more aware of his touch on my arm. The heat from Stefan’s body felt like it would set me on fire. “Fine. I’ll do whatever to help us get out of this mess.”
“Thanks, baby.” Stefan kissed me gently on the cheek. Sitting so close to him, I could smell his scent, a masculine fragrance that had my ovaries heating up. I began to feel a warm glow in my stomach and I couldn’t help myself. I returned his kiss. Next thing I knew, his tongue was in my mouth, swirling around like an eel. Eagerly, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he sucked on my tongue. Our kissing quickly became extremely passionate, and we began to roll all over the couch, groping one another all over. Stefan’s hands were all over my body, causing sparks of electricity wherever they went.
“God, you make me so crazy,” Stefan whispered in my ear, his hot breath burning my throat.
He rolled over on top of me, kissing me like a madman, and I could feel his big, hard cock pressing against my stomach. I wanted it so badly and would have grabbed it if he didn’t have me in a submissive position. But when his hands went down to the button on my pants, I suddenly realized where we were and what we were doing, and I pushed him back with a gasp. “We can’t do this, Stefan,” I panted. “Sara is in the next room.”
Disappointment showed in Stefan’s beautiful eyes, which had been filled with lust moments earlier, as he pulled back off my body. “You’re right.”
“I also think we shouldn’t . . . you know . . . until we’re gone from here.”
Stefan bit his lower lip. “That’s going to be a hard rule to follow.”
“But it’s for the best . . . for both of us.”
My
heart nearly broke at the look of hunger in Stefan’s eyes. He wanted me, and I could tell it took everything he had to resist. “I know.”
“But as soon as we're gone and away from here . . .” I said mischievously, trying to cheer him up.
“I’m going to fucking knock the bottom out,” Stefan growled lustfully.
Laughing, I gave him a quick peck on the lips. “You sure about that?”
Stefan’s eyes were filled with a certainty that was almost palpable. “I’d bet my aching left nut.”
Bella
I spent the next two weeks of hell pretending to be Jace’s girlfriend. I made sure that we were always in a very public place when we were seen together, because I was afraid to be alone with him.
Still, Jace repeatedly tried to make out with me and get me to go back to his frat room, and I would have to remind him that our relationship was just for show.
Unfortunately, that only made him try harder.
He'd argue that our relationship would seem fake if we were never even seen kissing once. I knew he would never stop there, and I told him to keep dreaming.
To get back at me, Jace began parading me in front of all of his fraternity brothers, who, not surprisingly, were almost as obnoxious as him.
Luckily for me, the school was supposedly bringing the investigation to a close, so my faux relationship with Jace was fast coming to an end. Jace also realized that I would be ditching him soon, so his attempts at getting me in the sack became a bit more desperate.
Every day when classes were over, Jace would invite me back to the Alpha frat house for a drink and to just ‘hang out’, and every day, I would decline.
The main reason he wanted to sleep with me was for bragging rights and to get back at Stefan in some weird, sick way. Of course, if I went back to the Alpha frat house with him, Stefan would surely see us both together, which is what Jace probably wanted. He wanted to retake his position as alpha in the house, and triggering a fight with Stefan would be the easiest way to do it. I didn’t want to give him that chance.
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