Kinslee led us through the wide tiled hallway, past a large curving staircase, into a kitchen teeming with people that was easily twice the size of Kinslee’s entire apartment. “Drinks first?” She turned to me with a grin.
I nodded, returning her smile, and she made a beeline for the paddling pool in the corner of the room, effortlessly weaving through the clusters of people in her way.
“Paddling pool?” I murmured to myself. Stepping closer, I saw it had been filled to the brim with ice and bottles of beer, cider, and cans of premixed cocktails. Genius idea. Kinslee reached in and grabbed us two cans of premixed mojitos, and pushing through the crowds, she led me into a cavernous room, where the sound system was set up and playing thumping dance music. I let her pull me into the area where the dancing was concentrated, and I lost myself in the music.
Until I felt the weight of four sets of eyes, trained on me.
As I subtly turned my head to look, tingles of awareness spread through my entire body, and I gasped. Carefully, I leaned closer to Kinslee, knowing the answer before I even asked the question.
“Kins, don’t be obvious about it, but who the fuck are those guys? The four on the sofas?”
Kinslee peered around me, her eyes widening and her whole body stiffening.
“They’re the Four. They own this place. They pretty much run the campus.”
They own this place? “The Four?” I echoed. “What lame kind of name is that?”
Kinslee shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just what people call them. From left to right you have Cassius, Weston, Zayde, and Caiden. They’re all sexy as fuck, and they know it. Spoiled rich boys who think they’re above everyone else. Cassius, Zayde, and Caiden are all in the same year at uni as us—they’re either nineteen or twenty. And Weston is Caiden’s younger brother—he just turned eighteen, and this will be his first year at Alstone.”
Of course, I recognised two of them from their photos, but I needed to hear it confirmed aloud. “Caiden and Weston Cavendish?”
Kinslee stared at me suspiciously. “Yes. Why? Do you know them?”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “They’re…well, my stepbrothers, I guess?”
“What? You’ve been living with me for a week now, and you never once thought of mentioning that you were involved with the Cavendish family?”
“I’m not involved with them.” I thought for a moment, then added, “Yet.” Leaning closer, I lowered my voice. “You know how I told you one of the reasons I moved here was to reconnect with my mother? Well, she remarried a couple of years ago. Anyway, I haven’t met her new husband yet, or his sons. I…I didn’t attend the wedding. But I guess I’ll be getting my chance to meet them soon enough.”
“You didn’t attend your mother’s wedding? Girl, you need to give me all the details. Don’t hold out on me.”
Chewing my lip, I stared at her for a moment, then sighed. It wasn’t like I could keep my connection to the Cavendish family a secret, and as my housemate and new friend, she was owed an explanation. “I will. Let’s enjoy the party, and I’ll catch you up with everything tomorrow, yeah?”
Kinslee nodded, a sympathetic smile crossing her face as she noticed my hesitation. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t feel comfortable talking about.”
“Thanks, Kins.” I squeezed her hand gratefully. I wanted to talk to her, to share my fears and worries, but I wouldn’t be giving her all the details. Not by a long shot. I couldn’t.
I surreptitiously studied the Four, but when it became clear they knew I was watching them, I gave up trying to be subtle and stared at them openly, boldly. Kinslee was right. They were the sexiest men I’d ever seen in person. Cassius was all blond, boyish good looks. A girl sat on his lap, and I noticed his hand was inside her skirt. Classy. Even with the girl wriggling around on him, he was watching me intently, interest flickering in his eyes. Weston looked the friendliest of the group, his blue gaze open and warm, his lips tipped up at the corners as he glanced in my direction. Zayde looked…dangerous. That was really the only way I could describe him adequately. Thick, deep brown hair, a small sneer on his perfect, full lips, his eyes flickering over me disdainfully before he turned away, dismissing me.
And then there was him.
Caiden.
Angular jaw, eyes like stormy seas, rich, raven hair cut short around the sides and longer on the top. He was gorgeous.
The way he looked at me, though…
He looked like he hated me.
I reeled back, trying to suck air into my lungs, stunned by the contempt pouring off him in waves, thickening the surrounding air, suffocating me.
“What did you do to piss off Caiden Cavendish?” Kinslee’s urgent hiss sounded in my ear.
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen him in person before in my life.”
“Winter, this isn’t good. You do not want to get on his bad side, trust me.”
“Looks like it’s too late.”
Caiden Cavendish. Fucking rich, sexy asshole. I’d never felt such hostility from anyone before, and honestly? I was at a complete loss. It was obvious he was aware of who I was, recognition clear in his eyes. I had no idea why he would hate me on sight, though, unless he was pissed off that I hadn’t attended my mother and his father’s wedding—not that my mother had asked me to be there.
Unfortunately for me, his visible hatred didn’t stop my heart beating faster or my thighs clenching together, desperate for his touch. I’d never had such a visceral reaction to someone before and I. Did. Not. Like. It.
I needed to get laid.
And fast.
Caiden was off limits. That much was obvious. As I shot another covert glance in his direction, I groaned under my breath. How could one person look like a fucking Greek god?
Beside the point.
He was banished from my mind, as of now. For whatever reason, he’d decided he didn’t like me, so that was that.
I grabbed Kinslee’s arm and turned us so I couldn’t see the Four (still hated their stupid nickname), and I let the music carry me away, the beat filling me, flowing through my body. We danced provocatively, attracting the attention of a number of guys in our immediate radius, and the far more hostile attention of the girls clustered around the Four.
Ignoring the glares and disdainful looks, I lost myself in the music, until I caught the eye of a guy leaning against the wall, watching me. Every time I glanced up, he was still looking at me, and I danced closer to Kinslee to ask her if she knew who he was. She informed me that his name was James, and he was also a student at Alstone. He was cute—kind of preppy-looking, light brown hair falling into his blue eyes, lean but muscular build, and when he smiled, he had the most gorgeous dimples. The next time I looked at him, I held his gaze, making it clear that I was interested. He interpreted my signals correctly and a moment later was standing in front of me, leaning down to speak in my ear.
“Hey, there. I’m James Granville.” His hand rested lightly on my arm as he spoke to me, not invading my personal space, but close enough to make his intent clear.
Our eyes met and his pupils dilated as I took a deliberate step closer, placing my own hand on his arm and sliding it up over his bicep as I reached up to speak into his ear. “I’m Winter Huntington.”