It was then I confided in Aiden and we did whatever we needed to do to find out all about her. It didn’t take long to see that Shane did nothing outside going to class, going to work and studying. She had only one friend, and if she dated, no one could tell.
Granted, had she dated, it probably wouldn’t have gone well for her, and it sure as fuck wouldn’t have gone well for the poor bastard who dared ask her out.
She was mine whether she knew it or not.
Aiden had grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge and then leaned back against the door, looking at me. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to last until you graduate?” he asked.
I didn’t blame him for asking. That little visit to the bookstore wasn’t necessary. I could have pointed her out to the twins a million different ways, but for some reason, I had wanted to rattle her. “I’ve managed for three years, already. What’s a few more months?” I shrugged my shoulder.
He wasn’t buying it and, apparently, neither were the twins, as evident when they both walked into the kitchen to join in on our little heart-to-heart. “I think the girl is beautiful,” Michael chimed in. “It is possible Dad will overlook her pedigree and just be happy for…okay, forget I said anything.”
We all stood silent as Michael pretty much nailed it on the head. The only reason I’ve kept my distance for the past three years is because our father would lose his shit if he knew I was interested in a girl who didn’t come from money or influence.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t give two fucks if my dad liked Shane or not. But my problem lies in the fact that he still holds the purse strings to our future. If he knew where my mind was, I had no doubt he would threaten me any way he could to put me back onto the path he’s envisioned for me, and that would include the money he was paying for my education and Buchanan Industries.
The true issue at hand was that Shane had me so tied up in knots I’d give up Buchanan Industries to be with her. There were three other sons who could take the conglomerate just as far as I could, so I had no conscience about walking away from it. I couldn’t, however, walk away from my degree. I needed my degree from Blaineview to step into my father’s shoes at Buchanan Industries. And I’d definitely need it if I was forced to carve a different path for myself because of Shane…or, rather, because of my father, who was a stuck up, snobby, elitist with no conscience. And, while I loved my mother very much, she was weak and no help to any of us. She was a constant disappointment to us.
“Okay,” Gabriel said, breaking the silence. “What’s the plan, then?”
That was easy. “With you two fucks here now, you can help Aiden keep an eye on her,” I answered.
“So, what? Like we stalk her?”
I sighed. “No, Gabe, you don’t stalk her. You just pay attention if you see her around.”
“That sounds a little bit like stalking, Mase,” Michael countered.
I threw my hands up. “Then, fine. Stalk her,” I snapped.
Michael arched a brow at my shortness. “You realize that none of this is normal, right?”
I arched a brow back. “Do you think I give a fuck?”
He smirked. “No, but she might,” he replied.
“Meaning?”
Michael let out a small, condescending laugh, and I wanted to punch his face in for it. But I didn’t because I loved my brother. “Come on, Mason. It’s one thing for Aiden to keep a lookout and for you to go all stealthy ninja stalker on her, but do you really think that girl is not going to notice four fucking Buchanans suddenly everywhere she is?”
“He’s got a point,” Aiden agreed. “I mean, it’s easy to keep tabs on her because she’s been taking a lot of the same classes we have, but Mike and Gabe have no reason to be near her.” He snorted. “And let’s face it; they’re kind of hard to miss, Mase.”
I ran my hands through my hair knowing they were right. Shane would know something was up if she caught wind of being surrounded by Buchanans suddenly. A part of me wanted to pull her aside and tell her everything from the first moment I saw her, but I couldn’t bring myself to approach her with my nonsense and family drama.
When I make Shane mine, I want to do it while letting the entire world know she’s mine. I didn’t want to hide her like she’s something to be ashamed of. The thought of telling her I wanted to be with her, but we had to keep it a secret made my skin crawl.
She’s the only person who’s ever made me feel. She deserved to be treated like a goddess and not some dirty little secret.
And that included providing for her once I made her mine.
And that meant getting my fucking degree even if it meant making me wait four fucking years to claim her.
And truth be told, I wasn’t completely opposed to chucking it all and going to work for Home Depot or somewhere as long as she was with me. But I knew she was a scholarship student, and I spent the last three years watching her work her ass off for her degree and I would not be the reason she didn’t accomplish all her goals.
I would not be the reason she didn’t achieve all her dreams.
“Even if she does notice an increase of Buchanan sightings, it’s not like she will do anything about it,” I reasoned. “She’s quiet and keeps to herself. She’s not going to start a war with us.”
Gabriel huffed out a laugh. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, big brother. It’s always the quiet ones who end up with bodies buried in their backyard.”
“True story,” Michael encouraged.
“You know whose bodies will be buried in the backyard if you two don’t shut the fuck up?” I growled.
Gabriel let out a low whistle. “Damn, Mase. Sounds like someone needs to get laid,” he teased.
I didn’t appreciate it, so I growled back at him again.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Aiden jumped in, hands up. “We have all weekend to work out the details on what’s the best way to stalk Shane…”
“Mmmm, mm, mm…even her name’s sexy,” Michael quipped, dreamily.
“I will fucking kill you, Michael, if-”
“Hey!” Aiden interrupted. “Enough!” Michael and Gabriel snickered, while I tried reign in the madness in my mind. “Can we all just chill the fuck out and relax a little?” He scanned all our faces before adding, “If my memory serves me correctly, we have a party to get ready for tonight. Do you guys think we can just concentrate on that for right now? You know, having a good time and all that.”
I ran a hand through my hair again. “Yeah,” I conceded. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“You know we’re just giving you shit, right?” Gabriel asked me. “That girl-your girl. Shane. We got her, Mase. I don’t care if I don’t understand what she does to you at a level that turns you into a lunatic. If you say she’s it-she’s yours-that’s all I need to know.”
I clapped my hand on his shoulder. “I know, Gabe. I do.”
“So, this party,” Michael jumped in, putting a stop to all the hearts and flowers, “we’re going just to make an appearance, right?”
Aiden speared him with his mirrored green gaze. “Same rules apply, as always.”
Gabriel groaned. “So, no losing my college virginity tonight?” he joked. Again, I wasn’t sure if he was still seeing Justice now that they were living so far apart, but if they were, Gabriel’s loyalty was solid. No girl here could turn his head no matter what. The twins might joke, tease or flirt, but they weren’t wishy-washy. If Gabriel was still with Justice Hillman, then that was that. If Michael was still saving himself for the right girl, then that was that.
“If the rest of us have to keep it in our pants, so do you, little brother,” Aiden teased back.
“You guys sure know how to suck the sunlight out of my day,” he grumbled, then headed to his room muttering about not needing college pussy, anyway.
Chapter 5
Shane~
“I cannot believe I let you talk me into coming to this party,” I said, yet again, still feeling entirely uncomfortable and
out of my element.
Viola shoved her shoulder into mine. “Awe, come on, Shane.”
“And I really can’t believe I let you talk me into wearing this ridiculous outfit!” I hissed.
Her eye widened. “Are you freakin’ kidding me? You look hot as hell.”
I looked down at my outfit again and I wondered how Viola even put this look together. I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl and Viola had me gussied up in a white tank top that was too form fitting for my liking, but…damn, did it make the girls look good. They might only be B cups, but the tank top made them look full, perky and in your face.
She paired the top with a dark blue skirt that hugged my hips but flared out around my thighs. It stopped at the middle of my thighs leaving my legs bare for anyone to ogle. I put my foot down at her demand to wear heels. I negotiated her into a pair of simple, white, flat sandals.
Vivi’s idea of a compromise was to give up the fight on the heels if I allowed her to do my hair and makeup. It hadn’t felt like much of a compromise, but I reluctantly agreed.
She had straightened my brown hair, so it was parted down the middle and hung down my back and she did my eye makeup to ‘make my eyes pop out’, she claimed. But I was grateful that her makeup job turned out subtle, and I wasn’t geared up for circus auditions.
I can admit I looked decent, but I still felt like I was crawling out of my skin with uncertainty and self-doubt. This look was so not me.
I scanned Viola from head to toe and told her honestly, “Not standing next to you, I don’t.” I nudged her shoulder back. “You look super sexy.”
“I suppose it depends on who you ask,” she replied, but in my opinion, if you asked anyone, they would agree that Viola was an ‘It Girl’.
She didn’t shy away from her natural curls and they hung in perfect, dark ringlets around her flawless face. Perfectly arched eyebrows and large, brown eyes along with a button nose and high cheekbones made up her face. Her lips were plump and soft, but it was her complexion that brought it all together. Her skin was the shade of an immaculate hue of chocolate silk and her body was rocking like only a girl with her heritage can.
Vivi was sporting a noticeable rack, and combined with her wide hips and round ass, it gave her an hourglass figure worth envying, for sure.
I lifted a brow. “I bet if I asked Micah, he’d agree,” I challenged.
Her eyes sparkled at the mention of Micah’s name. He wasn’t exactly her boyfriend, but he was the guy she went to if she was ever in need of male companionship. She gave me a sly smile. “He should be here tonight,” she divulged. “You won’t be mad if I leave with him, will you?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Just as long as you let me know when you’re leaving, so I can leave too,” I told her.
Her brows crunched together above her pretty eyes. “Now, you know I would never do that to you, Shane. What do I look like, pulling some shit like that?”
I smiled back at her. “I know, Vi. I’m just feeling very uncomfortable.”
Her expression changed from offended to sympathetic. “I know, Shane, but…I just thought since this is our last year, we could do one silly thing together. You’re entirely too serious, and even though I understand why, I really just wanted to do something fun with you.”
She had begged and pleaded with me to come to this party, eventually blackmailing me by telling me that if I didn’t go to this one, she would hound me for the rest of the year to go to every party there was. But if I agreed to go to this one and try to have a good time, she’d leave me alone about any more parties.
I finally caved and gave into her big, puppy dog eyes.
The truth was, once I got the idea in my head to attend this party, I got to thinking about that dreaded v-card I was carrying around. Once school started on Monday, my extra time would be nonexistent. So, maybe, I could meet someone tonight, and if I found him decent enough, I could get the deed done and over with. If I didn’t do it now, then it’d be another year before I graduated and then another year or so until I was established in my career.
I mean, a 22-year-old virgin was understandable, but a 25-year-old virgin was just pathetic.
“I know, Vi, and I’m sorry if I’m already being a downer, I just…”
She grabbed onto my arm. “Don’t be sorry, Shane. Just try to have fun.” Her face lit up. “Let’s go get something to drink. It won’t hurt to loosen up a bit,” she suggested.
I didn’t drink.
Ever.
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to start dropping drinks back, but then I thought back to my idea to rid myself of my chastity and figured I probably should be at least buzzed to go through with my ridiculous plan. “Sure, why not?” She squealed and wrapped her hand around my arm, dragging me along in search of the alcohol.
We found ground zero, and the place was starting to be everything I thought a college party would be, but the music and laughter was infectious. I found myself having a good time.
That was until we ran into some of Viola’s friends.
It could have just been paranoia, but I was pretty sure they weren’t happy I was in attendance.
“Hey, ladies,” Viola said, approaching them. “You guys know, Shane, right?” I smile at the group of those who belonged, but they met my smile with haughty stares and looks of incredulousness.
The blonde finally spoke up. “Uh, yeah, you’re one of the scholarship students, right?”
I looked her right in her bright, blue eyes and answered, “Yes, I am.”
She looked me up and down before making the introductions. “Well, I’m Amber and that’s Camille and Beverly.”
While Amber was the epitome of a lovely blonde with blue eyes and a slim figure, Camille was the picture perfect of an exotic Asian with distinct features that made her absolutely stunning. And Beverly was your typical fiery redhead, all tall and statuesque.
And have them stand next to Viola in all her gorgeous African-American beauty…well, it wasn’t hard to see which kid didn’t belong in this playground.
I wanted to slink away to the safety of my small apartment and bury my face and mind in a book. I wanted to be far, far away from this place and these girls.
Well, except for Vivi.
But before Viola could say anything about Amber’s direct mention of my scholarship, or before I could make my excuses to escape, Beverly started word vomiting. “Oh, my god! Did you guys hear that all four Buchanan brothers are supposed to be here tonight?”
Camille’s eyes widened and joined in the fandoming of the Buchanans. “I know and can you imagine? I’ve heard the twins are just as hot as Aiden and Mason,” she gushed.
Amber huffed as she added her two cents. “Oh, please. Everyone knows Mason Buchanan is the one at the top of the food chain,” she countered. “I mean, Aiden is drop dead gorgeous and all, and I’m sure the younger brothers are striking as well, but they can’t compare to Mason.” She looked down her nose at all of us. “No one on this entire campus can compare to Mason Buchanan.”
Camille placed a hand on her dainty hip. “Well, no girl has gotten Mason in their bed since he started here, so why not go for one of the twins?”
“Or both,” Beverly salaciously added.
“Are you girls serious?” Viola asked, sounding just as surprised as I actually was.
Camille’s sneer had completely transformed her face. “What?”
Viola’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head. “Those boys are only 18 years old, Camille,” she pointed out.
“And the law says that’s plenty old enough to fuck, Viola,” she snapped back, shocking the shit out of me. I mean, yeah, they were legal, but they were barely out of high school for Christ’s sake!
“Well, it isn’t going to matter if they’re anything like their older brothers. I imagine Mason and Aiden will take them to wherever it is they’re getting their pussy,” Beverly said upset by the possibility.
I couldn’t take it
anymore. “Maybe they have girlfriends who go to other schools,” I suggested. “Maybe that’s why-”
Amber rolled her eyes at me. “Even if that were the case, do you think I care if Mason Buchanan has a girlfriend or not?”
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t spend one more second in the company of these horrible people. I turned to Viola and asked, “Do you think there’s tequila here?”
Her brows shot up and her eyes rounded. “I’m sure there is,” she answered.
“I need tequila, Vi. Please take me to the tequila.” She hooked her arm in mine and off we went.
Chapter 6
Mason~
The cab dropped us off on the corner at the end of the block where the party was being thrown. We never drank and drove no matter what the occasion.
Ever.
We also didn’t accept rides with other people who were drinking or accept rides from females.
I knew the choices we made seemed extreme, but we were raised with a deep belief in choices and the circumstances regarding those choices.
My father wasn’t a big believer is blaming the other guy.
I didn’t look at the twins when I said, “Okay, you guys know the rules right?”
The assholes chorused their answer together. “No drinks, unless we snap the cap off ourselves. No drugs of any kind. No touching, kissing or fucking on our first night out.”
“And no fighting, unless you’re defending yourselves,” Aiden added.
Gabriel huffed. “Well, hell, if we can’t fuck or fight, why are we going to this goddamn party in the first place?” I almost laughed. I knew they were more disappointed in not fighting.
I heard Michael clap him on the back as we walked closer to the house. “We’re going to make new friends.”
Gabe laughed. “I don’t need any friends. I got you fuckers.” I shook my head at the sounds of their obvious rough housing behind me.
Aiden fell in step next to me. “You okay?”
He knew I was feeling off since our visit to the bookstore. It was the first time I’ve ever sort of spoken to her. It was the first time I pushed my presence up in her face. I didn’t blame him for wondering if I was losing it. “I’m fine, Aid,” I said, trying to reassure him.
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