Page 24 of Off Limits

“Alright,” comes Autumn’s easy agreement in a low and sultry voice.

Seeing no other real choice besides abandoning my friend—which we made a pact not to do—I follow her and our escort inside, hoping that he doesn’t think we’re on our way in for a threesome. I’m not entirely sure how Autumn feels about that, but I’m definitely not up for sex with my roommate and a random dude.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Simon

Trying to scrunch myself down as small as possible to squeeze through the people blocking the way to the back patio, I turn sideways, drink in hand, trying to get out to find my friends again. As I’m slipping out the open door, I bump into a girl, and when I stop to apologize, my attention snags on the familiar face staring up at me.

“Ellie?” I can’t help the questioning lilt to my voice, because I’ve never seen her look like this. She’s usually rocking a girl-next-door vibe in jeans or leggings and T-shirts. Tonight her eyes seem larger than normal thanks to her makeup job. I don’t know much about makeup, but I know enough to appreciate it when it’s well done. And the shirt that looks like it might fall off her tits at any moment combined with the flashing red gem dangling between them? “Holy shit, you look amazing,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

She flashes me a sick-looking smile, and now that I’m paying attention, her eyes are worried and guarded as they glance behind me before resettling on my face. “Hey, Simon. Don’t tell Cal I’m here, okay?”

I blink at that. It hadn’t even occurred to me to tell her brother she’s here. My only thought wasdamnaccompanied by a feeling of swooping elation that she’s here.

“Hey, Shrek, can we get through?” someone yells, and I realize I’m completely blocking the doorway.

Grunting, I place a hand on Ellie’s shoulder to guide her into the house so I can follow, reveling in the contact with her smooth skin. She’s touched me a couple of times now, but this is the first time I’ve initiated contact, and I’d love nothing more than to put more of our bodies in contact. But Ellie’s clearly not on the same wavelength. Her face has gone from sick at the sight of me—which I’m assuming has more to do with her concern about Cal than my actual presence—to angry as she looks for the person who called me Shrek. “What the fuck?” she says, though I read her lips more than hear her.

“Hey.” I bend so my voice is close enough to her ear that I don’t have to shout as we move deeper into the crowd in the kitchen. “How’s it going?” I ask.

She finds my eyes again, the anger and the sick, guarded look gone now, replaced by something I’d like to call pleasure, her brown eyes lighting up as she takes me in, a smile tipping the corners of her pale pink lips. “Good. Good.” She scans the room behind me, the guardedness coming back. “Um, so, you’re obviously here with Cal and your teammates, and, uh, I’m here with Autumn.” She gestures over her shoulder at a pretty girl who I’m just now noticing. She vaguely resembles one of the fairies in the picture books my sisters liked when they were younger with her pink hair falling in waves around her shoulders. Like Ellie, she has on short shorts and a semiprecious stone dangling between her breasts, but hers is blue. She gives me a smile and a wave, her eyes lit up as they bounce between Ellie and me and my hand on Ellie’s shoulder.

One of the frat brothers—Granger, I think is his name—stands looking on, his face impassive, though he’s close enough to Ellie’s friend that it’s clear he’s claimed them. He’s one of the officers of the frat, though not the President. I think he’s a junior. Did they know him already? Is he the one who invited them? Or is he just hoping to score with one or both of them?

My blood rushes in my ears at the thought of some asshole cornering Ellie in his room upstairs. Though I guess if she decided to go with him, he wouldn’t be cornering her. But still, the thought of anyone else with her makes me unreasonably angry.

“Anyway,” Ellie continues nervously. “You know how Cal is about me being anywhere he is, so I’m just going to hang with Autumn and um …” She turns and stares blankly at Granger in a way that makes it clear she has no idea what his name is.

“Brad,” he supplies with a smile I want to slap off his face.

She smiles back at him. “Right, so I’m just going to hang with Autumn and Brad, we’ll stay out of your way, and Cal doesn’t have to know I’m here. Right?” She puts an edge on the last word, and it’s cute the way she thinks that alone is enough to get me to do what she wants.

I mean, of course I’m not going to tell Cal she’s here, but I have my own reasons for that, namely the fact that I have no intention of leaving her to the tender attentions of Brad Granger, roommate in the mix or no. “Sure. I won’t say a word to Cal. Mind if I tag along with you guys?”

While the question is for her, I spare a glance at Granger to see if he’ll object. But he’s apparently happy to take his cue from Ellie, waiting for her response. She never takes her eyes from mine as her face goes from stern to confused to—is that hope? Then she shuts it down, gives me a small smile and a half shrug. “Sure. That’s fine with me.” Her brows crinkle together again. “But wouldn’t you rather hang out with your friends?”

I shrug too. “I can hang out with them anytime.”

Granger gives me a knowing smirk. Yeah, he probably does get it all too well. With his hand on Autumn’s waist, he guides her in front of him, taking us through the maze of the frat house, down a hall, and into a smaller, quieter room occupied by a couch in the corner and a few overstuffed chairs. He guides Autumn to the couch, sits, and pats the cushion next to him. I claim one of the chairs while Ellie looks between the two other chairs and the other end of the couch, clearly conflicted about the best place to sit. She eventually opts for the chair closest to me, though she’s still over a foot away.

“This is where we have board meetings,” Granger informs us as Autumn settles next to him, near enough to touch but not as close as I’m sure he’d prefer. “It’s generally closed during parties, but since we’re trying to stay out of the public eye and I’m with you, I thought it would be a good spot to hang out until you’re ready to go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else?” Ellie asks, and I can’t help biting back a grin at the distinctly sarcastic edge to her voice. “Like where? Your room, perhaps?”

Go, Ellie. You tell him how it is.Her words from the other day about not needing her brother to look out for her flit through my mind. Maybe she doesn’t need me here to protect her, but let’s be honest, that’s not the real reason I’m here either. I’m taking advantage of any opportunity to spend time with her.

Granger grins at her and sips his drink. “That’s a possibility, of course, if you’re interested. Why? Are you interested?”

Ellie snorts, but none of us miss the way she looks him over and doesn’t actually say no.

“No,” I put in flatly, the ridiculous jealousy I’ve been feeling any time I’ve seen another guy express interest in her rearing up. “She’s not.” I have no right to it, and I know it, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling this way regardless.

She rounds on me now, and Granger unsuccessfully hides a smile behind his cup. “I’m sorry,” she says in a tone that makes it clear she’s not sorry at all, “and why exactly do you get a say? Did anyone ask for your opinion? And who invited you here anyway?”

If she thinks that attitude is going to send me running, she clearly doesn’t know me that well. I’ve seen her give her brother far worse, for one thing, and for another, bringing out this spitfire side of her is a huge turn on. I like her feisty and bossy and not putting up with anyone’s shit.

Fighting back my own grin, I settle deeper into my chair, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee and taking up as much room as I want, drawing everyone’s attention to my size. Including hers, judging by the way her eyes flicker over my body.

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