by E. C. Land
“You never know, dude. This could’ve worked out for the best. Hell, Boss is on really good terms with us at the Reapers Rejects, and I don’t know her well, but I’d put money on the fact that she’ll still find some way to have Stoney in Destiny’s life. You know? She’d never keep where she came from, not from her lil’ girl.”
“Yeah. Maybe. Look, can’t we shoot the shit about somethin’ else?”
I nod. “For sure. Let’s get some food. I have classes bright and early tomorrow morning, so I wanna get some food in me and then back to my dorm to hit the hay if you don’t mind.”
“Hit the hay,” Coyote cackles. “Man, the hick in you comes shooting out sometimes.”
“Fuck off, dude, actin’ like you aren’t a redneck son of a bitch.”
Coyote and I both break out into laughter for a few moments before I get up and go over to the bar to place an order of food. It’ll be nice to catch up with a good friend before my entire world as I know it changes tomorrow. After all, it’s the first day of classes.
Chapter Seven
Ember
Classes are finally starting and I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been before. Before I got accepted into Stonewall, I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do after college, but I thought I’d figure it out by now. I mulled things around in my mind and I might do something in the medical field. I just . . . I feel like there’s a different thing calling me now, social work.
For now, I’m taking a few random electives in addition to some science classes and one of the electives in Art History. I do have a thing for history and art, so to learn about how art moved and excelled throughout the years will be something cool to know. While I’m a fan of modern art, surrealism happens to be my favorite. In my opinion, Salvador Dali was one of the most impressionable artists of his era. To be honest, I can’t wait for discussions. It gets my blood pumping and everything.
Taking a seat near the back, I’m shocked when the seat next to me is immediately taken. Lifting my head, I smile the moment I see a set of pearly whites grinning back at me. Dex. It’s Dex.
Butterflies swarm throughout my stomach like I’m on the scariest roller coaster of all time. In fact, I’ve ridden it. Bethany’s boyfriend had me go on it when we went to an amusement park, and since then, I’ve had a fear of heights. A horrible fear. It didn’t help the roller coaster had a terrifyingly steep drop, loads of twists, turns, and loops. After that ride, I didn’t get on another one. I was way too shaken up. The rest of the day, I enjoyed the arcades and shows they had going on at the park. Overall, it was a great time, even though I did almost crap my pants.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, baffled by seeing him in this class. I didn’t think he’d be the type to take anything artistic.
“Seems we’re in the same class,” he chuckles as he pulls out a sheet of paper. It’s his class schedule. I glance down to look at it and see he’s right. This is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
“I guess so,” I murmur and lick my lips nervously. Why do I feel so anxious around Dex? I mean, I get he’s gorgeous and all, but I grew up around hot men all my life. But, hell, he looks like a movie star. He’s got that natural swagger and rugged look. Suddenly, my skin grows hot and I breathe in and out slowly through my nose, trying to push these feelings deep down.
“What’s your schedule like?” he quietly asks as the professor begins to speak.
I show him my schedule rather than answering him. I really want to hear what the professor’s talking about so I know what to expect this semester. Cara and I do end up having the same classes, but we couldn’t get them at the same times. At least we’ll still be able to study together and prepare for exams, but the downside is because of our schedule, we’ll only be able to a couple times a week. I’m really worried. I’m one of those people who need repetition for things to sink in, so studying helps me stay afloat in my classes.
“Huh, we have a couple classes together every day. Neat. Wanna be my study buddy?” He wiggles his eyebrows and his tone tells me he’s just being a smartass.
“I can tell you’re being funny, but if you ever decide to be serious, I do need a study partner. I don’t want to lose my scholarship, so my GPA needs to be as high as it can be,” I whisper, taking the paper back from Dex.
“I can understand that. I was fucking around with you, but I’ll take all the help I can get. I wanna prove my place here. My roommate Josh is a smart geek type, but he’s not in the same classes, so I doubt he’ll be able to help,” Dex says while the two of us are now half listening to the lecture taking place.
My mind is fuzzy with thoughts I should not be having.
Why?
I’m not sure.
I shake my head and while I’m trying to pay as much attention as I can to the professor, thoughts of Dex continue to filter through my mind. Before I know it, the class is coming to an end and the professor makes an announcement about an essay paper that needs to be done. He gives each row an artist we need to write the paper on. When he gets to mine and Dex’s row, he gives us the name Annie Leibovitz. Before dismissing the class, he suggests we do our research, but also check out the Smithsonian in D.C. since she has a permanent exhibition there. He even went on to state it would be good for us to take a visit and truly admire the pieces. Unlike the rest of the class, we were given an artist’s name with a current exhibition.
Crap. Going away with Dex? D.C. isn’t just around the corner. It’s hours away by train. I guess I could see if Cara wants to do a trip with me after she finds out who she has to do her paper on. Maybe if we’re lucky, she’ll have a museum she can visit in D.C. too.
Class is dismissed and Dex grabs his stuff, slings his laptop bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Ember,” he says, grinning like the cat who caught the canary.
“Yeah,” I mutter with a nod.
I put the rest of my stuff in my bookbag and stand. Dex’s already started walking away, and I need to head to my math class. I should’ve found out what other classes we have together, but I forgot to ask. He said we have a few, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing him again.
Damn. Why didn’t I think to ask him? At least if I did, I would’ve been able to figure out which classes I can relax in. Hopefully, I don’t clam up in front of him, though. God, I hate math.
My math class wasn’t too bad and before I knew it, the school day was almost over. I’m finishing up my chemistry class now and while it’s been an interesting day to say the least, I was a bit unprepared for what the day would bring. For example, Dex and I sharing all but two of my classes together.
He sat next to me in every single one of them.
Heading back to the dorms, I’m stopped by two girls. One I recognize instantly because she’s the girl I saw Dex talking to at the frat party. A sense of jealousy starts to rise, but I knock it back down quickly. No way am I going to let someone let the green-eyed monster come out of me.
“Hey, I saw you the other night. I’m Harper,” she says sweetly, holding her hand out for me to shake.
“Um, hi. I’m Ember,” I murmur, taking her hand in greeting. I don’t want to, but it’s the polite thing to do, so I deal with it.
“I’m Sarah,” the girl standing beside Harper says.
“So, anyway, Sarah’s a part of Delta Nu Zeta’s sorority and she’s looking for recruits to join. I obviously can’t attend yet, considering I’m still in high school and all, but when I saw you at the party I told Sarah I thought you’d be a perfect fit,” Harper states, getting to the reason for her approach.
Harper goes on to explain about the sorority and what they do there. Which is crazy, considering she isn’t a Stonewall University student yet. She must really want to join the sorority whenever she starts school here. It might sound stupid, but I always loved the sorority movies like House Bunny and Legally Blonde. I just never thought I’d ever get the chance to join one.
We talk for a while and Sarah invites me to the sorority hou
se to meet their house mother.
I agree and tell them I’ll meet them there after I put my stuff down in my room. I want to check in with Cara and see how her day’s gone as well.
Walking away from Harper and Sarah, I can’t help but think about how my first day of Stonewall has gone. Not only am I being invited to join a sorority, but I’m in most of my classes with a drop-dead gorgeous guy.
Chapter Eight
Dex
I have about an hour before my English class starts, so I grabbed a black iced coffee from the coffee kiosk on the far corner of the park and now I’m walking through. It’s odd, the sense of serenity I feel here. It’s certainly not like home. I’m not used to people my age walking around hand in hand or holding books while talking to people. My usual Tuesday night started with Grim showing Conrad around the clubhouse, wanting everyone to see how fast his little boy was growing. The night usually ended with his brother getting plastered. Axel always has been the resident partier, and by the time he was drunk, some of the Vixens would end up coming over, dancing.
The Vixens aren’t clubwhores by any means, considering they have their own house on the property and whatnot, but I know for a fact they’ll sleep with the single members of the club. Hell, I lost my virginity to one of them the day after I turned eighteen.
I sit down by a tree and lean back against it as memories begin to resurface.
Her light vanilla hair comes down in loose waves framing her face, and with these ice blue eyes of hers, I’m mesmerized. There’s no way she can be serious. I’m eighteen, and she’s in her early twenties. I don’t even know how old she is. I never asked.
“Honey, I . . . I don’t know what to say to this,” I tell her exactly what I’m thinking. There’s no way a woman like her would come up to a guy like me.
“C’mon, Dex. You’re eighteen, and you’re leaving for college shortly. Life always moves so fast out here, so I wanna see what it’s like to, you know.” Honey rakes her eyes up and down my body, and I’m sure it’s the same way many men have done to her in her life.
She’s one of those blondes who have the most innocent eyes. For a second, I think she’s screwing around and I shake my head. “Nah, I’m good. Whoever put you up to this, paid you or whatever, I’m good.” I wouldn’t be surprised if one of my uncles thought this was a great graduation gift. It is in a few days.
I turn and start to walk away, but I only take two steps before she speaks up. “Dex, look at me.”
Doing as she requests, I turn and face her, seeing the way she’s unbuttoning her lace top. It left little to the imagination before, but now I see every crevasse and curve, even spot the way her nipples harden as I watch her. “No one put me up to this. I’m a year older than you and I’ve . . . I’ve had an eye on you for a while. I just want to do this before you leave, okay? I could get any dick I want and I want yours, so will you just let me fuck you?”
She has no idea I’m a fuckin’ virgin. I doubt anyone here does. We had a bonfire tonight and while a good portion of us are out here, some are at the clubhouse, but Honey and I, we’re a good ways off, away from the fire. I tend to walk off whenever we have them, to just think and settle my mind. Only, I didn’t know she was following me.
Honey drops to her knees and grabs onto my hand, then sticks my thumb in her mouth and sucks hard. My balls tighten up and I realize what she’s planning. Fuck. With both her hands, she unzips my jeans and pulls out my cock. Honey wraps her hand around it at the base and begins pumping me, sucking on my thumb harder until she leaves my thumb coated with her saliva and she’s wrapping her lips around my cock.
She bounces her mouth up and down on me and every nerve ending in my cock is shooting off, lovin’ the way she’s doin’ this. Honey slides her hands around my hips until she’s gripping my ass, and for fuck’s sake, I don’t know if all women give head like this, but damn I hope they do.
I wrap my hand in her hair and get a good grip, holding onto her tightly. After a few moments, she releases a satisfied moan, then slips her lips off my cock with a satisfying popping sound. Through her thick lashes, she looks up at me, stands, and hikes up her ruby red skirt. “I’m on the pill, so you can pull out or not. Your decision.” She turns and looks back at me, giving me an ample view of her wet pussy. It glistens in the bit of light we have left and I’m fuckin’ shocked this chick doesn’t have any underwear on. Damn.
“What’re you waiting for, Dex? I’ve thought about the way you’d feel inside me for ages, so don’t make me wait any longer, please.” With that, I line my cock up at her entrance and shove my member deep inside her.
It was damn good sex, and fuck, I wish I tried her out a few more times before I left Billings. One thing I’m realizing, though, is how I have a type. Blondes with innocent faces . . . but I’m not the only one in my family who likes ‘em, so does my dad. God, that’s fuckin’ weird as shit. Honey looks like Ashley, and sometimes I think she looks like Ember.
Fuck, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since class earlier this week. Doesn’t help we’re in the same classes, so I’m using every moment I can to flirt with her.
“Dex.” A familiar voice causes me to look up and I see a familiar redhead.
Shit, it’s Harper.
I swallow hard and rise, trying to think of a way to get out of this. I could be a dick and just walk away, but fuck, I don’t want to know her. I don’t wanna know anyone raised by my mother. “Look, Harper, I don’t want to be a dick, but I don’t wanna know you. Okay? I don’t want anything to do with you or my mother.”
Harper blinks her eyes rapidly, almost perplexed by what I’ve just said. “And you think I do? I was adopted, Dex. I don’t have any sort of relationship with her. Yeah, she’s my biological mom, but I’m not . . . I want nothing to do with her unless I have to, and sadly here everything is run by our biological family. So, I don’t really have much of a choice but to be around her. Trust me when I say it’s not because I want to.”
Immediately, comfort settles within me and I look over her, gauging to see if she’s lying. “Are you fucking with me?”
“Do you really think I am? You’d be the only one who knows how fucked up she really is, besides me,” Harper huffs, crossing her arms.
“I don’t understand this. How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen. I just turned seventeen a few days ago.”
I turned eighteen a couple months ago, which only means she was fucking around with someone else while I was being raised by my dad. If that’s not the worst part, I know they didn’t get the divorce finalized until I was a kid, so she was married to him too. “Seems we’re only a couple months apart then,” I murmur, wishing I was shocked by all this, but I’m not. Nothing my mother’s done is surprising to me, not anymore.
“Will you give me a chance then? A chance to have some sort of relationship with you? You’re my only blood sibling and I’d like to—”
I want to scoff, to scream up into the clouds, but it won’t help a damn thing. My mother has always been a selfish person. She never should’ve been a mother in the first place. “You were better off with your new family, trust me. Now, I’m not trying to be rude, but all this is a lot to absorb. I’ll talk to you at some point, Harper, but today can’t be that day.” I walk past her in the hopes she doesn’t hate me for bouncing on her like this. Hopefully, she can look at everything from my perspective and know I’m not trying to be hurtful.
I don’t bother looking back and walk straight through the park until I see a familiar face chatting with a group of ladies. I bet he’s being charming as fuck. While Josh is a geek, I’m noticing he’s the type who’ll convince someone to study with him just to get laid. I might’ve picked up that trick from him to pull on Ember, but I really wanna dive under the sheets with her. Josh just looks for one-night stands for the most part.
“Hey, man,” I say to him as the group of girls ogle me. It’s nothing new, but fuck, coming to campus has really made m
e realize I got some appeal with the ladies.
“Hey. Ladies, this here is my friend, Dex.”
“Dex, huh? Sounds dangerous,” the brunette girl murmurs while twirling a strand of her hair. While she’s pretty with big, brown eyes and has a nice rack, she isn’t the one I want flirting with me. Nah, I see a sweet blonde in my head when I think about what I want.
“My friend here is a dangerous guy. He’s in a biker club.” Josh hypes me up, making me seem more important to these chicks.
“Like, what, Sons of Anarchy?” the brunette’s friend scoffs, acting unamused and, in fact, completely disrespecting my club in the process.
Instead of sticking around to listen to her say something else rude, I look at Josh. “I’m gonna head out, but I’ll catch you back at the dorm later, yeah?”
“Actually, I’m headed there now.” He looks back to the ladies. “Pleasure chatting with you girls.” And the two of us begin walking off, heading as far as we can away from them.
“Are you really headed back to the dorm?” I ask him once we’re out of their earshot.
He cackles. “No. I could tell you were annoyed, so I dipped. You good?”
“Mhm, I just don’t take too kindly to chicks like that. Ones who think they know shit when they don’t have the slightest idea. Fuck, I would love to sic my mom on her. She’d beat her ass for bein’ disrespectful like that.” She hasn’t gotten into many fights, but Ashley has fucked up a few people from what my dad’s told me in the past.
“Speaking of beating asses, I got us tickets to an underground fight club tonight. You game to go?”
“Am I game to go?” I crack up laughing. “Fuck yes, I am.”
“Cool. I invited Cara and said her friend should tag along since you dig her.” Josh smirks, knowing all too well what I think about Ember.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you havin’ my back like this.”