Page 33 of Frat Around and Find Out (Peach State Fratbros #1)

Lance

A s I slip into the loincloth Zeta Tau sent over for tonight’s TaskFrat Challenge, all I can think is how fucked up it’d be if this was another ruse.

Fortunately, it’s too cold to head out in just these, so I throw on my regular clothes, psyching myself up for the night, when there’s a knock at my door.

As soon as I open it, Ty rushes in and takes my mouth, pushing me back against my desk.

“Mmmm…you taste like mint,” he says as he pulls away. “Must’ve gotten all brushed up because you expected to mess around a little before we leave.”

“Definitely wanted to mess around, but you’re not getting the main event until after.”

“Want me to claim victory at the challenge before claiming that hole again?”

“So cocky. You’re not claiming victory tonight, and this hole has been thoroughly claimed already.”

We share another kiss before he says, “Well, now we have your team without one of your star players, so we have the advantage.”

Fall break is next week, and Ash managed to get the okay to miss classes so he and Colin could head to Maui with their family.

But the show must go on .

“Speaking of Ash being gone,” I say, “how’s Frat Cat doing over at Sigma Alpha?”

This past week, Frat Cat came down with something, so he needs medicine every night.

Marty’s already agreed to watch him while Ash is on vacation, but Ash said Frat Cat’s been getting more annoyed with us making too much noise around his room, and since we’re hosting the afters later, Dax agreed to watch him tonight.

“He’s been loving it,” Ty says. “He’ll probably want to pledge Sigma Alpha next year.”

“Liar. Frat Cat would never do us dirty like that.”

“If I’d been smart, I would’ve gotten one of our pledges to knit him a little Sigma Alpha sweater.”

“I wish you had. Frat Cat hates clothes. Probably would have scratched the hell out of whoever tried to force that on him.”

“Well, he’s very happy right now. And he’s not the only Alpha Theta Mu who’s happier at Sigma Alpha.”

“Don’t start spreading lies. You’re just as happy over at Alpha Theta Mu.”

“But I love dicking you down in my bed.”

I can’t lie, I love it too.

“Stop being a tool and kiss me until I can’t feel my lips anymore,” I insist.

“With pleasure.” He leans close, and I feel his breath against my lips. He’s about to attack my mouth again, when there’s a knock at my door.

“The hell?” I ask.

“Is that how you greet your second favorite person in the frat?” Marty asks from the other side.

Ty grins before offering a lick up my lips and whispering, “We have unfinished business, mister.” He opens the door to let Marty in.

“Nice to walk in here without seeing you two all over each other.”

“Nice for whom?” I can’t disguise my frustration, but the interruption is probably for the best since we don’t have much time before we must get out of here. “And as far as being my second favorite in the frat, you keep me from getting dick, and you’re quickly gonna fall down that scale.”

For a guy who’d never had any before Ty, I’m greedy for it now. And Ty definitely doesn’t mind how hungry this hole is for him.

“Besides,” Payton says, coming in too, “we all know I’m Lance’s second favorite.”

“That’s true.”

“What?” Marty asks. “Stop being mean.”

“We’re already falling down the ranks here,” Payton says, settling on the bed beside Marty. “First we can’t compete with Ash. Then Lance starts hooking up with this guy.”

Marty’s jaw tenses.

“Relax,” I say. “You guys are still my best buds. Nothing we do is gonna change that.”

“Yeah, but you’ll still always place second to a Sigma Alpha,” Ty reminds them.

“Uh-uh,” I protest. “You don’t talk like this over here.”

Ty’s all smiles, raising his hands in surrender. “I can’t risk being cut off, so I’ll be nice.”

“This is gonna be like Ash and Colin 2.0.” Marty groans. “Just hearing about your sex lives all the time.”

“Last I heard, you did more than hear it recently,” Payton adds.

“Whoa. Lance led me into that!”

“Please, that’s the most action you’ve had in a long time. ”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t, but I just want to be clear, when I’m with a girl, I’m gonna flaunt it around like this as much as the rest of you.”

“In this house, I wouldn’t assume it’s gonna be a girl,” Payton jokes.

“I know, right? Just waiting for my turn to tumble out of the closet. Gonna happen any day now. At this point, the idea of anyone showing me attention is better than nothing.”

Payton scoots away from Marty.

“Shut the hell up!” Marty grabs one of my pillows and swats at our friend.

“Okay, okay, guys,” Ty says. “We should go now. Whether you like it or not, you must let your fate play out—having your asses handed to you by Sigma Alpha, placing us in the lead for the school year.”

“We would have to place third tonight for that to happen,” I remind him.

“I’m counting on you being distracted by me.”

We greet the other TaskFrat Alpha Theta Mus downstairs before heading over to the rec center with Ty. Since it’s too cold to have the challenge outside, I lobbied for us to hold it at Peach State’s basketball court.

Tonight’s challenge, designed by Zeta Tau, is revealed to be a cross between strip poker and basketball, but instead of using balls, we have balloons, which is a challenge to get into the net.

Eventually, all my guys are down to the loincloths, except for Payton, who still has on his shirt and athletic shorts, so we’re counting on him as we help get the balloon to our goal, our teammates hollering from the sidelines.

While Ryan’s chasing Payton to the net, Ryan’s cloth slips down, revealing how fortunate we all already know he is, and he keeps going until the cloth slips even farther down, preventing him from moving easily, and the moment gives Payton the advantage, allowing him just enough time to sink the balloon in.

The TaskFrat ref blows the whistle, signaling the end of the game and Alpha Theta Mu’s victory.

This puts us two points ahead of Sigma Alpha for the year, which will be a great lead to start the spring with.

I crowd around with my guys to celebrate our victory.

Ryan swoops in and starts pulling down our loincloths, and Marty and Payton wind up ganging up on him and chasing him into the men’s locker room while the rest of us recover.

Then I catch up with Angie some before Ty finally gets away from his crew and comes over.

“Hey there,” she greets Ty. “Making sure I don’t try to seduce your guy?”

Even hearing her call me his guy feels incredible.

“I’ve done a good job marking my territory,” he says, hooking his arm around me and planting a kiss on my cheek. Even though he’s slightly joking, I can’t help feeling there’s still some part of him that feels the need to make it clear I’m his because of the time he believed I hooked up with Angie.

And I kind of love that.

She gets pulled away by one of her friends, and just as I’m about to flaunt my victory, Ty says, “Don’t even—”

“What? Remind you that Alpha Theta Mu kicked your ass?”

He grinds his teeth, which sends a rush of excitement pulsing through me.

“The happier you are, Lance, the gentler I’m gonna fuck you because I know you’ll hate that.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried,” I say.

“Maybe so. We’ll see.”

“Hey, guys,” Dax says, approaching. “I’m supposed to get back to Sigma Alpha to give Frat Cat his medicine before afters, but I’ve been talking to this guy, and he seems kind of curious.”

“No further explanation needed,” Ty says. “We can take care of Frat Cat for you. I wanted to get changed anyway before the party.”

“Don’t leave the loincloth behind.”

“We’re gonna need to put our jackets on to get home,” Ty says.

“But after you have some fun, right?” Dax teases. “Get back to Frat Cat, and we’ll see you at the after-party. But don’t wait for me. I plan on having a good time.” He gives that signature Dax wink before slipping back into the crowd.

Ty and I say our goodbyes to the guys, then hop in the car, and I drive us back to his frat. As I pull up to fraternity row, I notice bright blue lights flashing from inside Sigma Alpha. Tension rises in me as we get closer and hear the alarm blaring inside.

“What the hell is this?” I ask.

“The fire alarm. Jaxon stayed in to study.” I can hear the worry in Ty’s voice. “But he’s not out here.”

“You think someone from one of the other frats might’ve pulled it?”

“Kind of a dumb prank if no one’s around to suffer.”

Good point.

He pulls out his phone and calls Jaxon, but it goes to voice mail. He grunts. “Fuck.”

“Okay. We should grab Frat Cat and his meds and check on Jaxon.” Ty nods, but I can read the concern all over his face, so I rest my hand on his thigh. “Hey, we got this. Everything will be okay.”

“Yeah, you’re right. ”

We get out of the car and jog to the house.

“Maybe we shouldn’t split up,” he says.

“We need to check for Jaxon, get Frat Cat, and get the fuck out of here as fast as we can.”

“Just be quick, and don’t be a hero,” Ty says, taking a kiss before we start up the stairs.

Dax’s room is one floor above Jaxon’s, so I head up, noticing a funny smell—chemical almost, and maybe a bit like rubber. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and when I reach the top of the stairs, I see gray smoke at the end of the hall, creeping toward Dax’s room.

Holy fuck.

There’s a voice in my head telling me to get the fuck out of here, followed by Ty’s, “Don’t be a hero.

” But I imagine Frat Cat in Dax’s room, frightened as the smoke creeps around him.

If we leave, the fire department won’t be able to get to him in time.

If there’s something I can do, I need to do it.

“Ty! Ty!” I call out as I dash for the room, scanning Dax’s key card. I doubt Ty heard me, though, and besides, he needs to get Jaxon the hell out of here.

As soon as I open the door, I see smoke everywhere. Must’ve seeped in through a vent. I fear I might already be too late as I hurry in, barely thinking straight, just in a panic, searching for our sick cat.

“Frat Cat,” I call. “Come on. Uncle Lance is here.”

There’s not as much smoke in the room as in the hall, but it’s enough to make me cough as I search around frantically, squatting down and searching under the bed before discovering him tucked in the corner. Poor guy.

“Come on. I got you, little fella.” My coughing intensifies. “We gotta get out of here. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to do this.” He doesn’t budge, so I crawl under and pull him to me .

As soon as I’m out from under the bed, I notice the room’s now filled with smoke, stinging my eyes. I blink, intending to open them again, but my eyes are too irritated. Fuck. This was a really shitty idea, but I can’t regret coming in to save Frat Cat.

“Holy shit!” I hear Ty say in the hallway as I tuck Frat Cat under my shirt, hoping it’ll provide a barrier between him and the smoke.

I hear a cough, and then Ty’s, “Lance? Lance!”

“I’m here!” I call back. “I can’t see.”

It’s not long before we’re both coughing, and I push to my feet, moving toward where I think the door is, trying to keep my shirt over my nose so I won’t breathe in too much of the smoke. But I can tell there’s still plenty getting in.

“I’ve got you! I’ve got you, Lance. Follow my voice.”

It’s hard to tell where his voice is coming from, though, even as he keeps calling my name. And as the smoke gets thicker, fear grips me.

What if I led us both into danger?

What if something terrible happens?

What if I never get to tell him how amazing the past few months with him have been?

That it’s all been so much more than fucking around and hanging.

It feels like a lesson I already learned with Kacey, and I should have said something sooner, told him how I really felt.

These thoughts flash by as I hear Ty beckoning me. “My voice…just follow my voice…”

I listen carefully, navigating until I hear it growing closer, and then I feel a hand, and Ty pulls me into what I assume must be the hall. Not sure, since I still can’t open my eyes.

I hold his hand as he escorts me through the house, and despite being aware that there isn’t as much smoke around, it’s still too much. My lungs feel overwhelmed, my body trembling.

“I still can’t see,” I warn him.

“We’re getting close to the stairs. I’m gonna pick you up. Just be ready.”

I halt in place, and he practically scoops me right off the floor.

I feel the jerkiness as he takes me down the stairs, still trying in vain to get the smoke to clear out of my lungs as I endure a fit that reminds me of the first time I had COVID.

I can’t get a breath in…starting to feel lightheaded… and then everything goes black.