Page 10

Chapter 10

A Mystery Kiss

Bex

“T hese are Heather and Angela,” Candace smiles, introducing me to two younger girls who must be freshmen or sophomores. “Heather’s dad is the town sheriff.”

Heather flicks her blonde hair off her shoulders. Her smile is friendly. “I think I wasn’t allowed to pledge because I’m a legacy. My sisters wanted to make sure our parties would never be interrupted by the cops.”

The girls laugh at Heather’s self-deprecating joke.

“This isn’t a super small party,” I observe. “I don’t have a lot of experience with sorority parties, but I expected more noise, more drinking, more… people? I don’t know. But everyone seems to be having fun in a very civilized way.”

Candace’s eyes shine with mischief. “Oh, we don’t throw ragers. That’s the Gammas’ specialty, we party by invitation only and select our guests. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. In fact, we have a few very interesting party games planned for tonight. You should join Bex. See if you’d fit in with us.”

Heather and Angela look at me with renewed interest. “Oh? Is Bex a transferring Zeta?”

The president explains a short version of my story. I appreciate that she doesn’t mention the broken engagement, protecting my privacy.

“It’s almost time for the first game.” Candace announces. “I’ll introduce you to more sisters as I gather the ones who should be in the first one. Heather, Angie, you’re in, right?”

The two girls look excited.

“Absolutely, Prez,” Heather beams at her president.

Candace narrows her eyes in the direction of a small cluster of people who are talking next to the long, rose wood dining table on the opposite side of the room. “I wish Fiona didn’t bring Victor to our parties.”

To my surprise, Luke seems to have an opinion about that too. “You’re right. First off, he’s old as fuck. And I think it’s in really poor taste, anyway. Is she trying to ruin Connor’s night? Cheating on him was bad enough. Does she have to parade her new man under his nose every chance she gets?”

Candace exhales, her eyes still on the people in question. “Connor is such a catch. I don’t understand what Fiona sees in that guy, believe me. Besides, if Connor sees them together, I don’t want any trouble.”

My brother agrees. “Yeah, and he might be a grad student but he’s technically faculty, since he’s a TA. I would feel better if he didn’t come to our parties.”

The Zeta president nods, her jaw set with determination. “I think I have a way to send him a clear message that he isn’t welcome here. Come with me, guys. Let’s introduce Bex, anyway. Follow my lead. Fiona,” she calls when we’re within earshot of Connor’s ex. “This party is a mixer. If you wanted to go on a date, you should have given it a miss.”

Connor’s ex-girlfriend is a tall, leggy redhead with big brown eyes and a smattering of freckles on her nose. “But the games haven’t started yet, I?—”

The friendly demeanor Candace has shown us so far is nowhere to be found when she pins her sister with a hard glare. “We’re about to start. And you’re playing every game tonight.”

The girl looks surprised. “But I didn’t think it was my turn. Or I wouldn’t have invited Victor.”

That does nothing to appease the Zeta president. “This is a mixer, since you don’t seem to have gotten the message when I reminded you a second ago. You’re supposed to socialize. You should have taken Victor to last night’s party if you wanted to hang out. Case in point, I was looking for you to introduce you to Luke’s sister, but I couldn’t find you. Bex, these are Fiona and Hillary. They’re going to play the next game with you and a few other sisters.”

It isn’t lost on me how she leaves Victor out of the introduction. I guess Candace wasn’t joking when she said she was going to make him feel unwelcome.

I’m glad that the Zeta president seems to love Luke and me by default. I wouldn’t want to find myself on her shit list.

Redness flushes Fiona’s pale complexion, but the Zeta sister forces on a smile, extending her hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you, Bex.”

As I shake her hand, I also check out the guy she left Connor for. While Connor is taller than average at over six three, her new man is definitely on the shorter side. The Cove Knights’ d-man also has also an enviable build, with muscles for days. Fiona’s new boyfriend is on the scrawny side, with narrow shoulders and skinny legs and arms. Where most guys look sexy with a five o’clock shadow, Victor’s mousy brown scruff makes him look unkempt, almost dirty.

I keep my perusal casual, but I mustn’t be the only one who’s curious.

Fiona and her friend Hillary are starting at me with an intensity that’s starting to make me uncomfortable.

I tell myself that it’s all in my head; that I spent so much time secluded in Dad’s compound that I lost the ability to feel comfortable in a social environment where I don’t know everyone.

But then Hillary whispers something into Fiona’s ear, and Connor’s ex nods in response. They’re both staring at me, and I fight the urge to squirm under their probing gazes.

“Sorry,” I finally say, feeling uncomfortable to the point that I shudder with a prickle of embarrassment. “Is my mascara smudged? Or do I have something between my teeth?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with you, Bex.” Fiona says, her gaze boring into me with even more intensity than before. “You just look… familiar. Hillary was just telling me that you look a lot like Rebecca Shine, but it’s impossible. Her bio says that she’s an only child.”

Fuck. The reason why they aren’t sure if I’m the same person they saw dancing on social media is that usually I wear a ton more makeup. I also use colorful wigs to change my look each time and make my image more interesting and engaging.

Or to be exact, I used to do that. Despite being Rebecca Shine, that persona is a property of Dad’s talent agency.

“If you aren’t her,” Hillary insists. “You must be her twin sister. I’m very good with faces. And you might not be wearing fake eyelashes and a wig, but I’m one hundred percent sure you’re her.”

I swear to God, Hillary should work for airport security somewhere. No one would be able to evade her scrutiny.

“I…” the lie that I’m not who they think I am is on the tip of my tongue. But these two look pretty stubborn and if I’m hoping to stay in this house and work on campus, I don’t want to have to watch over my shoulder all the time. “Ok, you got me. It’s me. But I?—”

“Oh my God!” they squeal, their eyes as wide as saucers. “You have no idea how exciting this is! We are huge fans of your dance moves. We’re literally obsessed with you.”

Shit.

I’m not hiding, per se, but I’d prefer it if my dad didn’t know where I am. I don’t think he would guess I came to see Luke. Of course, he knows my twin brother is a Star Cove Knight. But after he made me cut all contact with him, he’s probably convinced Luke wouldn’t lift a finger to help me. Or so I hope.

The good news is that I’ve been here two whole days, and no one from Pure Shine showed up to take me back to Bridgeport. I don’t know if it’s because my assumption is correct that Dad doesn’t think I would come here, or because he doesn’t care about bringing me back into the fold of his cult.

“Thank you,” I say to Fiona and Hillary. “But I’m quitting Rebecca Shine.”

I didn’t realize how true that was until I said it out loud. This is a new beginning, not just in my personal life. Rebecca Shine was my dad’s perfectly packaged product and I want to do something that’s meaningful to me. I want to express myself.

“You are?” Fiona gasps. “But you just dropped a new video this morning.”

Right. “Yeah, the Rebecca brand belongs to a company. They have a few weeks’ worth of material I recorded before quitting and they can use it if they want. But I’m moving on, and I was hoping to start with a clean slate here. So I would be grateful if you girls didn’t spread the news that I’m here.”

Thankfully, the two Zeta sisters agree to respect my privacy.

“Of course,” Fiona’s face is a mask of sympathy. “I’m excited to see what you’re gonna do next. I’m a huge fan, and I can’t believe you’re right here, in front of me.”

Bex

Candace doesn’t miss that opportunity to begin getting the Zetas on board with our plan to get me into their new arts center and the Zeta house. She explains her plan to her sisters.

“Oh my God,” Fiona gushes. “It would be awesome if you lived here. Hillary and I are on Star Cove’s dance team. We could ask you for some pointers to improve our dancing. Would you help us?”

Of course, I’m not in a position to refuse right now, so I promise to get together with them soon in the Zeta house gym.

“Ok.” Candace raises her voice, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. “It’s time to play our first game of the night. We’re playing ‘Mystery Kiss’ with the help of our lovely Gamma Delta Tau friends. Heather, do you have the game cards I asked you to print?”

Once she collects some square cards from Heather, Candace gives me one and distributes the rest to the participating nine Zeta sisters.

“The rules are pretty simple,” she explains. “In a few moments, the lights will be dimmed. The participating Gamma brothers will enter the room. The men are wearing identical outfits and are masked. They’re going to line up and each girl will have to kiss the guy she’s standing in front of for an entire minute. Then the guys will change back into their own clothes and return to the party to mingle. Your task is to guess who you kissed and put a check mark near his name on the card you’ve been given.”

I lower my eyes to the card, and I see a list of ten names.

“We encourage you to strike a conversation with each guy on that list, and be on the lookout for hints. Of course, the guys have been instructed not to give you any hints. The guy you’re about to kiss and yours truly are the only people who know the identity behind the number pinned on the guys’ chests. Obviously, the names on the list aren’t numbered and in no particular order.”

The other girls who received a card are all buzzing with excitement. I’m not so sure this game is fair.

“The others know the guys,” I whisper in Luke’s ear. “I’m at a disadvantage. These are names and nothing else to me.”

My brother wraps his arm around my shoulder, hugging me briefly into his side. “Most of the girls who are playing are pledges, so they’re almost all freshmen. They’ve barely met the guys on that list.”

“But I?—”

Luke lowers his voice, a mischievous smile on his face. “Besides, remember what we talked about yesterday? You’re officially rebounding and looking for Mr. Right. This is a perfect opportunity to get to know some awesome guys. Who knows? Maybe the guy you kiss tonight has all the minimum sixes we’re looking for in your next boyfriend.”

Butterflies make their presence known in the pit of my stomach. I’ve only ever kissed two guys in my life. One was Matthew, the guy I dated in high school for almost two years. The other was Kurt, two nights ago.

I used to love kissing Matthew. As far as Kurt is concerned, all I want is to forget that horrible night; and maybe this is just what I need.

My eyes drop down to the card in my hands and I skim the names on the list.

Most of these names are familiar in a way. While I haven’t met Luke’s brothers and teammates in person, I did pay attention to the hockey news when we weren’t speaking. I couldn’t follow his team like I would have wanted to because our online activity was closely monitored in the house; especially after we received those new phones a couple of years ago.

However, I still kept tabs the best I could whenever Bridgeport would play the Star Cove Knights. In that case, Dad would allow us to follow the game online since Kurt and a couple more of his clients are hockey players.

I recognize Tucker Prescott as the team’s goalie. Corey Collins, who plays center for the Star Cove Knights. There are three familiar names that cause those butterflies to flutter their wings so frantically that I feel a little dizzy.

Jamie Hart, Connor Demchuk, and Keene McKendrick.

I take a deep breath, willing the dread mixed with excitement to subside. There is one thing I shouldn’t forget whenever I think about how hot Luke’s roommates are.

Jamie and Connor might have been friendly on the night we met, but they didn’t want me to stay in their dorm. Even if that meant I had nowhere to go. Keene has been nothing but rude to me, but I guess at least he has been true to himself.

Luke explained why his roommates voted no to his request to let me stay in his room. I guess I can’t completely blame them for not wanting to potentially get in trouble for a total stranger. But I can’t help the hurt feelings that surface every time I think about them.

“Oh, and another thing,” Candace announces, pulling me out of my revery. “Just to make things a little harder, the guys have agreed to all use the same cologne tonight and to shave their faces. So there’s going to be nothing to help you identify who you kiss using outside factors.”

Holy shit. These sorority girls take their party games very seriously.

“One final thing as we dim the lights. The winner is the girl who guesses correctly in the shortest amount of time. The game cards are to be given to me once you think you know who you kissed, so I’ll record the time on your card. The winner will enjoy a romantic dinner at Star Cove’s Country Club with the lucky guy she kissed tonight. I’ll announce the winner at the Zeta Theta Beta President Gala night in four weeks. Now dim the lights, please. And may our dashing Gamma Delta Tau enter the room.”

The room plunges in near darkness. It’s possible to move without walking into furniture or someone else, but it’s hard to see much more than shapes around the room.

I’m instructed to stand in a lineup with nine other Zeta sisters. That’s when the men begin filing into the living room.

This is going to be even harder than I thought, I realize when I notice that every guy is wearing a Gamma Delta Tau dark gray hoodie and sweatpants with the hood pulled up to cover their heads. That eliminates every chance to tell the men apart by haircuts or hair colors.

Their faces are covered by hockey masks that have been cut to remove the bottom half to expose the guys’ mouths.

This isn’t going to be easy. All the guys are pretty tall, which makes sense since most of the Gammas play hockey or football.

“Girls,” Candace orders. “Shift two spots to your right, just to mix things up a little more. Now take a few steps forward toward your man. You’re allowed to kiss and touch your man’s chest or shoulders. Removing the hood or the mask will obviously result in your elimination. Now that you’re in position, wait for your man to initiate the kiss in three, two, one… you may begin kissing.”

My heart is beating savagely against my ribcage. So fast and loud that I almost don’t realize it when the man in front of me pulls me to him with a confident grip on my waist and lowers his head to kiss me.

Kissing a total stranger is a confusing experience.

Especially someone whose looks and identity are completely concealed. Without any visual clue, the kiss is all about sensation.

The first thing I notice is that his lips are warm and really soft.

A wave of tingles starts from where our lips touch and travels down my spine; it stops between my legs, where my core muscles tighten.

Whoever this guy is, he’s a great kisser.

He doesn’t go in tongue first, he doesn’t invade my mouth to force his way in.

He presses his lips to mine with a gentle confidence I immediately like. Then he coaxes my lips open with a teasing brush of his tongue over the seam of my mouth.

I open without even thinking about it and then…

Warmth is the first feeling that invades my body when he slips his tongue into my mouth.

He strokes me once, twice, the contact firm but not overpowering.

Our chests are touching and I’m not surprised by how solid and ripped he is against me.

I kiss him back, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke.

He groans, cupping my jaw and tilting my head to deepen the kiss.

I always thought I liked kissing my ex high school boyfriend. Matthew didn’t use too much tongue, but his kisses showed his inexperience. I’m pretty sure this guy, whoever he is, has kissed his fair share of women to get this good.

My body responds to the surprisingly sweet assault of his lips with an eagerness that’s almost scary.

I nip at his bottom lip, causing him to retaliate with a nip of his own. But then he sucks my lip into his mouth to soothe the sting he just caused.

My clit is pulsing, throbbing with a need so wild that it surprises me.

I’m thankful for the way his strong hands are keeping me steady because I doubt my knees would support my weight if he wasn’t.

“And… time!” Candace calls out.

He pulls away, but not completely. I realize why when his fingers close over my hands that are holding tight fistfuls of his hoodie.

I release him reluctantly, looking into the slits of the hockey mask. If I was hoping to see regret in his gaze, I’m disappointed. I can’t really see his eyes behind the mask. It’s impossible to even guess their color because of how dark the room is.

“Our men will now walk out and return in a few moments after they ditch their disguise.” The Zeta president informs us.

Luke is by my side the second the lights come back on flanked by Shane. “How was it?” he asks.

I bite on my bottom lip, the minty taste of that kiss still mixed with the lingering citrusy flavor of the cocktail I had before. “It was…”

The word that comes to mind is great. If I have to be honest, this kiss with a total stranger was the best kiss I’ve ever had. The fact that I have no idea who was hiding behind that mask is irrelevant.

“Interesting.” Is the word that comes out of my mouth instead.

That kiss caused such a physical response in me that I want to keep the turmoil of emotions that’s still taking my breath away to myself just for a little while.

Luke’s next question is completely predictable. “Do you have any idea who that could have been?”

I answer truthfully. “How could I? He was totally covered and I’m at a disadvantage here. It could be any of the guys on this card.” I say, noticing that some of the other girls are already giving the card back to Candace.

“Don’t worry, sis,” Luke winks. “Most of those girls are going with who they’re crushing on. Knowing Candace, she didn’t make the game that easy. This is a great opportunity to get to know some of my single teammates and see if any of them catch your attention and fit into our dating rule.”

I can’t help but laugh at my brother’s comment. “It was just a kiss, Luke. It’s easy to say that your teammates are all around, or taller than six feet. But I certainly don’t feel comfortable asking questions about their bank accounts or… you know.” I lower my voice, rolling my eyes when my brother chuckles.

“What don’t you feel comfortable asking about?” Shane’s curiosity is peaked. He’s looking at me and Luke arching one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows.

I glare at my brother. “I think you should explain to your boyfriend what kind of qualities you think the ideal man should have.”

Luke has the decency to blush. “It’s nothing important, babe.”

Shane doesn’t take any crap from his boyfriend. I like him already.

“Nah-uh, sweetheart. Now I want to know the qualities your perfect man has. And if you think I have everything you’re looking for,”

Oh, boy.

“Looks like you have some explaining to do.” I giggle at Luke.

He’s about to say something, but a big, muscular arm lands around his shoulders.

“Luke and Shane, who the hell is this beauty? Did you decide to become a throuple? And if not, how about you introduce me?”

Luke and Shane roll their eyes in unison.

“No, we’re still very much monogamous, Tucker. And the beauty you’re referring to is my twin sister. So I would think about my next words very carefully, if I were you.”

I can see from the way Luke’s lips twitch that he’s ribbing his teammate. And Tucker knows too, because he doesn’t seem to take offense.

“A twin sister, you say? Where have you kept her hidden all these years? We’ve been playing hockey together since I was a freshman, and you’ve never even mentioned a sibling. Especially one this hot. You’ve obviously inherited all the beauty genes in your family.” He says to me with a huge impenitent grin on his face. “My name is Tucker, and you are?”

I accept the big, slightly rough hand he’s offering me. “I’m Bex.” I introduce myself, our gazes locked as he lifts my knuckles to his lips.

Two thoughts come to mind immediately.

The first is do those lips feel anything like the ones I just kissed? Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell without actually kissing the Cove Knights goalie.

The second thought is even more embarrassing. I wonder if that old wives’ tale about the size of someone’s manhood being directly related to the size of their hands and feet is true.

As if knowing that my mind has gone straight to the gutter, Tucker’s smile widens. “Nice to meet you, Bex. Would you like to get a drink with me and get to know each other better? I just wish I was the one who got to kiss you a minute ago, but we can definitely fix that.”

It’s very hard not to find Tucker’s smile contagious, and his flirting comes across as cute and a little goofy as opposed to sleazy.

I’m so amused by the goalie’s antics and so taken by his rugged good looks that I don’t notice the important clue he just gave me.

The others, however, do.

“TUCKER!” Candace and Luke chastise him.

“What?” He uses the hand that isn’t busy holding mine to rub the back of his neck.

If a look could kill, the Cove Knights would need a new goalie, stat.

“The point of the game we just played,” Candace says, with a glare so hot that could incinerate Tucker on the spot. “Was for the girls to guess who they kissed. You just gave Bex a clue.”

Tucker doesn’t look intimidated by the Zeta president’s fury. “Relax, Candace, baby. She still has nine guys to choose from. And if it’s up to me, she’s going to get to kiss me too tonight.”

Candace’s voice drops a couple of octaves. “Shut the fuck up, Tucker. It’s bad enough that you told Bex. Do you want anyone else to hear? I swear to fucking God, if the girl you kissed wins, you’re paying for that dinner. Actually, scratch that. You’re paying for Bex to go on a dinner date to the Country Club with the guy she kissed, regardless of her winning this game. If you don’t, you’re banned from any party games for as long as I’m Zeta president.”

Tucker isn’t deterred by the punishment. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Candace. You’ve got it. But if I’m paying, Bex is going on that date with me.”

Candace’s eyes are narrowed into two furious slits. “You are not going out on a date with Bex. Stop hogging her time and let her mingle with the rest of your teammates, so she has the chance to take an educated guess about who just kissed her.”

Tucker’s smirk is naughty, but adorable at the same time. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re jealous.”

“Of you?” the Zeta president snorts. “Not even if Hell iced over.”

Tucker must have a death wish, because he doesn’t relent. “I call it like I see it. You’re quite obvious, really. Come on, Bex. Let me introduce you to my teammates. I promise you aren’t going to get any more clues from me. Let’s go talk to Corey and Dave over there.”

I follow Tucker, curious to get to meet the guys who stood in that lineup. That kiss is going to be hard to forget, and I really want to know who it was.

A part of me is disappointed that it wasn’t Tucker. He’s handsome, and he seems like a lot of fun.

The only thing I know for sure is that there are three Cove Knights I hope weren’t my mystery kiss.

The three guys who refused to help me and who are now staring at me and Tucker’s every move with stony expressions on their ridiculously handsome faces.