He rolled his eyes before continuing. “I was worried about convincing you to do something slightly illegal, but after all those stories, I think we’re okay. Clearly, you’ve got a rap sheet.”
“Not on paper like yours, you felon.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Part two is breaking into a billion-story hotel downtown and riding up to the pool and patio on the top floor.”
I barked a laugh. “How do you plan on managing this?”
“It’s all about acting natural, baby. Looking like you own the place.”
“Let’s do it.”
We approached the hotel, but before walking in, he lifted me so my legs were around him. “Part of this plan is to act like we’re just crazy for each other and making out waiting for the elevator. It makes people uncomfortable, and they won’t bother us.”
“Make out with you? Not going to be a problem. Let’s start now.”
He kissed me hard and somewhat aggressively as he walked us toward the elevator. I opened my eyes to see a couple staring at us, but I deepened the kiss.
Aiden groaned into my mouth, scaring them off. I pulled back a little to whisper into his ear, “They ran off. Nice work.”
“Let’s hope the elevator’s clear.”
“Yeah, we can have fun on the ride up.” It pinged, and just our luck, it was empty.
His eyes turned charcoal and predatory. “Want to see what I can do to you on a one-minute elevator ride?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer before he stuck his hand in the front of my pants and rubbed my clit, getting me hot and ready within seconds. “Mmm, you’re already wet.”
He kissed me senseless and used his fingers to get me off right before the doors opened.
“Oh Jesus.” I moaned into his shoulder, biting him.
The doors pinged. We had two seconds to pull it together. He cleared his throat, tucked my shirt back in, and adjusted himself before motioning me out the door.
“Oh my God.” I could barely walk. He picked me up honeymoon style and carried me to a lounge chair overlooking the city.
“That was way more fun than I thought it would be. You were amazing.”
“Uh, so were you. I’m still coming down from my orgasm.”
We sat there watching the city lights without anyone questioning us. I’m not sure how long we sat together, but he finally turned to me and said, “You are without a doubt the most beautiful person I have ever met. And I’m not just talking about your body, which is smoking, by the way. You are amazing, Jenna. Thank you for making tonight in my top five.”
I blushed, and the words I love you were right on my tongue.
But the bright beam of a flashlight hit us in the face, and a security guard yelled, “Get out of here, guys. You don’t have the armbands. If you leave now, there will be no consequences. Get lost!”
“Now it’s definitely in my top five. Run-ins with the law are my favorite!”
Chapter 40
Bros Before Hos, Unless the Ho Is Your Girlfriend-Aiden
“I’LL stop by later, and we are totally getting the beer kit started.” I held on to Jenna’s ass the next morning as I left her apartment. I felt high on her. She was a drug, and I was a full-blown addict.
“I’m starting it as soon as I get off work. I mean, even though you said it’s yours, let’s be real. It’s mine now.” She bit her lip in a smile, and I swooped in to take it from her.
“You’re right. So bright.” I didn’t want to leave. Ever. “Fuck. I want to stay in bed with you all damn day.”
“I know, but even sex fiends need food and rest. I have to work tonight. Cyn and Gage are officially giving me the books. Plus, Joel would try and sneak in to take my job. I can’t let that cocky shit win.”
“True.” I frowned, knowing her relationship with Joel was just brotherly, but I still didn’t like how he got to touch her. “Smack him if he touches your ass. Okay?”
“Aw, you’re pretty cute when you’re jealous.” She pinched my ass and pulled back. “Now get out of here.”
“I’m protective.”
“It’s jealousy. But I don’t mind actually.” She shoved me out the door and quickly kissed me one last time.
“I’ll be by later, shorty.”
She shut the door, and I waited to hear the lock before walking back to the frat. I probably had a big-ass grin on my face, but I didn’t give a shit. I was happier than I’d been my entire life. Even seeing my dad’s name on my phone didn’t spoil my mood.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Aiden. Morning. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” He let the end of his question hang, as if he knew I was just with Jenna.
I chuckled into the phone. “I’m good. If you called thirty minutes ago…”
“Too much info, son.” I could tell he smiled, though. I liked this new attempt at a relationship. “I wanted to call and let you know I’ll not interfere with whatever you want to do. It will be hard, but I’m going to try. Miles ripped into me when I told him about the internship in California.”
I stopped walking and sent a silent thanks to Miles. About damn time he stood up for his younger brother. “Thank you.”
“I apologize, again. I think I know what’s best, but you’re figuring out shit on your own. It will be fun and stressful, but I’ll only be your dad. Not your boss.”
“That’s all I want.”
“Great. Now I heard you’re going on a spring break trip in a couple weeks?”
“Yeah. Heading to San Diego with friends. Why?”
“Well, I’m going to be in San Diego on business that week, so I was hoping we could grab lunch or I could bring some dinner to you guys.”
“Hell yeah, Dad. That’d be cool.” I grinned. My life was changing, and I loved it.
“Great. Well, enjoy your Saturday. Talk to you later.”
I hung up and felt like the earth had shifted or something. It made me uneasy. I didn’t have conversations like that with him.
Karma chose to laugh at me. The first person I ran into in the house happened to be Kam. My blood boiled. It was time.
“Kam.”
His eyes widened, and he looked around, searching for…someone to save him?
“No. This is long overdue. It won’t take long.”
“Aiden, look, man.” He stumbled out of the chair, and I got a whiff of booze. Fuck, was he still drunk from the night before?
“No. I need to talk first.” I sat at the table with him and saw his eyes were red. His skin was flushed. He looked like shit. Some of my anger left. Something was going on, but it was too late for that. Concern would come later. “Why the fuck did you scare Jenna?”
“I scared her?” His eyebrows came together in concern, and he twisted his hands together. It made him appear like a young kid. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”
“Yeah. You fucking did. She was shaking.”
“Hell.” He hung his head, yet I felt no sympathy.
“Look, I get it. You were into her. You asked me if you could ask her out. I wasn’t involved with her then. It wasn’t a play against you. It just happened. I’m sorry if I broke some bro code, but, dude, she chose me.”
He didn’t look at me but anger seethed from him. “Why couldn’t you let me fucking have her? She saw through your bullshit, and we got along. You’re a huge player and sleep with anyone. Why did you have to pick her? She’s so much better than you. Fuck. I just needed more time. I would’ve gotten her.”
“What the fuck?” I slammed my fist on the table.
“What? Truth hurts, huh? You’re known for being a douche, Aiden. Sorry for pointing it out to you. You’re a frat guy who has slept with hundreds of girls.” He stood and puffed up his chest. I froze. Who was this guy? This wasn’t the Kam I’d known for three years.
“Kam.”
“No. You listen. You will fuck it up with her because that’s who you are. I know she thinks I’m hot. She dragged
her fingers down my body once, and I saw her perky nipples, and her lip tremble—”
I punched him in the face. I had no control over my body; it was like it was defending Jenna on its own accord.
Blood poured from Kam’s nose, but I just walked away.
“Fuck you, Aiden,” Kam said behind his hand. “You’re a pussy-whipped bitch.”
“What the fuck is going on here?” Nate came into the room, just waking up. He looked between me and Kam a couple times before he figured it out. “Walk it off, guys. Now.”
I obeyed and walked out of the house. Should I have hit him? No. Not at all. But he’d crossed so many lines, and I’d had it. He disrespected Jenna and me. I wasn’t a fuck-up, right?
“You good?” Nate joined me with a cup of coffee before I could get lost in my own thoughts.
“I guess. I know I messed up punching him, but, dude. He was saying bad shit.”
“Yeah. Something’s going on with him. He’s drunk as hell right now and may not remember this happened. I threw him in his room with water and locked the door.”
“Thanks for diffusing the situation.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I’m the calm one.” He grinned.
“Sure.” I sighed and pinched my nose. “Fuck. He’s been into Jenna. I never really saw it. I guess it makes sense.”
“I think this is more than her.” He sipped his coffee and looked off into the distance. He appeared wiser than his normal surfer dude persona. His eyes turned down at the sides as if he were in pain. “I think he has a drinking problem, man. A huge one. I don’t mean any offense, but you’ve been with Jenna so much you probably didn’t notice.”
“I’ll admit I haven’t been around as much as I should.” I bit back my anger with myself.
“No, you do your duties, but you don’t party with us as much. He’s…done some fucked-up shit this past month. One night he shoved a girl to the ground, and I had to pull him off her.”
“What the fuck?” I clenched my fists. I immediately thought of Jenna, and if he ever did that to her, I would kill him.
“Yeah. He came to me the next morning in tears. He said it would never happen again, and it was because he was too drunk or high. I didn’t think anything of it because, hell, it’s Kam. He’s our brother.” Nate ran his hand through his mop of hair and winced. “I think that was the last sign. I should’ve done something sooner.”
“Now we can.” I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Jenna, needing to make sure she was okay.
Aiden: What you up to?
Jenna: About to head out to meet up with Cyn before work. I’m a little tired, and my legs feel funny. Must be all the sex I had last night.
Aiden: Have you always had a one-track mind?
Jenna: It’s your influence.
Aiden: Good. See you later. Be safe.
Jenna: Fo sho.
I smiled at my phone and set it on the ledge next to me. I had to deal with Kam. Now. “All right, let’s get Zeke and Jon and meet in the office. We need to discuss the money issue along with this. Let’s meet in twenty.”
“Sounds good.”
I stretched before taking a quick shower, hoping to wash off the uneasy feeling I had. It did little to help, but I felt cleaner.
“Dude. What the hell is going on?” Zeke wiped the sleep from his eyes and had worry etched on his face.
Jon frowned and locked the door once we were all in. I started with the money issue first. That seemed so little in comparison to Kam. “Kevin Michael. He was the one who took the three hundred dollars. Nate, you know he was on your team, so how would you like to handle this?”
“Shit.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’d like to confront him first. He was one of my recruits, so I feel responsible. Damn. What do you think, Aiden?”
“Don’t feel bad. It was his decision, not yours. I’m just glad the guys at the top are letting us handle it. I’m hoping to put him on probation for this semester. One wrong move, he’s out. I would double his philanthropy hours, too.”
“I like that. Plus, he’d have to pay it back.”
“Make him double it,” I said.
“I don’t think he can. He doesn’t have a lot. What if I made him come up with a fundraiser for this semester, and he has to raise a grand?” Nate suggested.
“Perfect. Anyone agree or disagree?”
Everyone nodded, and it was case was settled. “Okay, guys. Kam.”
Jon’s eyes turned downward, Zeke winced, and I knew they’d all noticed little signs here and there. I felt like I’d let them down as a leader. I didn’t notice it earlier or take care of it.
“It came to blows this morning, literally. I lost my temper when he brought up Jenna. I’ll admit I lost control, and I will apologize to him, but I had no idea who I was even talking to.”
“I think he’s an alcoholic. Severely,” Jon said in a low voice. “I can’t be sure, but I also think he’s been scoring blow, too. No evidence, just a feeling.”
“I second that.” Nate wiped his hands on his pants. “I feel awful, man. How? What happened?”
“We need to figure it out. I have to step back from this. It became too personal. Did I tell you guys he approached Jenna twice and freaked her out?”
“Shit.” Jon looked at the floor. “I knew he had a crush on her, but not anything to worry about.”
“Yeah. And then hearing about him attacking a girl…” I let the sentence hang, and I wanted to punch the desk. “Fuck. See, I can’t talk to him. I’ll hit him again.”
“I’ll do it,” Nate said in a firm voice. “I’ll try talking to him first. But what if he doesn’t admit he has a problem or accept it?”
“Then we could hold an intervention?” Zeke added. It was worth a shot.
“I’m just afraid he’s going to fuck up so bad he’s going to get kicked out,” Jon said, staring right at me. “Aiden. You can’t let him fuck up his life even though he pissed you off.”
“I know. I know.” I paced behind the desk. “I need some time, though.”
“Understandable. We’ll try getting him sober and talking to him today. I think you should leave the house or stay in your room.”
“Okay. Not a problem.” I had no issues with getting out of there. I would rather get out of the place anyway. “I’ll head out now, and one of you guys let me know how it goes.”
“Will do. Keep your head in this, Aiden. I know it involves Jenna, but this is a big fucking deal with the frat. You need to do your part as the president, not a jealous boy toy.” Jon had a serious look on his face, worry and concern.
My mouth quirked at his use of the term boy toy, but I nodded. “I understand. I’ll do my part when the time comes.”
They left the office.
Within just a minute, I heard one of them come running down the hall. “Kam’s not in his room. Stay in here, man. I don’t want a fight.”
“Sure.” I shut the door and sighed.
Why the fuck was I hiding in my house? He was the crazy one, not me. What the fuck ever. I didn’t want to piss off Jon, and I knew he would rip me a new asshole if I hit Kam again. I watched some dumbass YouTube videos for an hour and felt restless. I needed to get out. I would just go hang out at the bar. I reached for my phone but couldn’t find it in my pocket. Fucking hell.
I unlocked the door and didn’t see anything crazy happening, so I walked around the living room and kitchen, hoping it was just on the counter. I used it last outside, so maybe it would be there.
Jon found me looking on the ground and raised his eyebrows. “What you doing, man?”
“I lost my phone. Can you call it?”
“Sure.”
We heard nothing, and I sighed. Fuck. I didn’t want to buy another damn phone. “Shit.”
“I’m sure it will turn up.”
“So. Kam?” I probed.
“Yeah. He’s gone. I’m not sure where he went, but we’ll
figure it out when he gets back. All his shit is still here.”
“Thanks for taking the lead on this. I owe you, man.”
“No, you don’t. Just worry about him and not Jenna. She’s all yours, man. He’s struggling, and we need to help him.”
I sighed. “I haven’t told her how I feel yet.”
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” Jon slapped me on the arm and laughed. “Seriously, as smart as you are, you’re a dumbass.”
“Thanks, bro.”
Chapter 41
A Picture Is Only Worth a Thousand Words-Jenna
“AY, girl. Pass me the vodka.”
“Sure thing.” I tossed it up into the air. Joel caught it, spun around, and bowed. The girls at the bar cheered. Only Joel could put on a show like that. He poured drinks for them and probably got a twenty-dollar tip. Thank God we shared tips.
“J, come on back for a minute.” Gage poked his head out of the office. I finished up the glasses I was cleaning before heading back there.
“What’s up, Gage?” He sat at the desk with papers all over the surface and stress all over his face. “You look concerned.”
“The books are fucked. We need to redo the finances. I don’t know if I can do it. I know you’re super-busy. We may have to hire someone to come in to do it.”
“Shit. Okay.” I sat across from him and looked at the paper closest to me. “I wish I knew more about finances.”
“We were barely caught up when Ainsley was born, and we became parents first. Fuck.”
“I don’t blame you guys.” I looked at her picture on the desk. “She’s worth all the mess.”
“I agree, but with you officially owning half the bar now, we need to vote between the three of us.”
“Makes sense. What’s the problem?”
“Well, if we hire someone, you’d have to train them to make sure they do their job. We’re thinking about being silent partners. I want to get back into my dream of opening a tattoo shop, and Cyn wants to float between home and here.”
“You would be great. I know you wanted to do that a while ago.” I thought back to the first year when he and Cyn danced around each other. “Good for you. Chase your dreams.”
Let Life Happen Page 30