Page 39 of Frat House Fling

A full-body snowsuit. It covers me from head to toe.

Sounds hot.There was a pause, and I could see he was still typing.Actually, it really does sound hot. Don’t overheat in there.

He’d said ‘in there.’ Did that mean he was also on the second floor? If it were Grant or Bennett, wouldn’t they have said ‘down there?’ Not that I thought it was either of them.Are you ever going to tell me who you are?

I’m the Night Owl. I’m like a superhero whose mission is to keep young ladies from staying up too late.

I giggled.I’d be asleep right now if it wasn’t for you.

What can I say, I’m not a very good superhero.

Keep trying, and soon you’ll be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

I hope so.

It felt strange, typing to a stranger from my bed. In the dark. Except no, that wasn’t it. It felt strange to be chatting with aman. That hadn’t been something I’d had much time for before I moved in here. In high school, I worked nights and some weekends. The rest of my time was spent studying my ass off so I could go to college. And in my freshman year, between classes and my grandfather’s decline, I’d been insanely busy and stressed. A few guys in my class had asked me out, but I didn’t have the time or interest. I’d been barely keeping my head above water.

And now I was lying in bed chatting easily with a man I didn’t know.

Well… I did know him, presumably, unless there was a secret seventh frat bro living here that I hadn’t met yet.Where are you?I texted.You know where I am, so tell me where you are. Are you hidden in the basement, only coming out at night? Like the phantom of the opera?

Course not. I’m not a basement dweller. I climb up the tower and ring the bells every day and I have the hots for that chick… what’s her name?

I giggled again.Esmeralda, Mr. Hunchback.

That makes me sound like a whale.

That’s a humpback.

Why did I keep smiling? If I had any brains, I’d go to sleep. But this was fun, so I decided to allow myself twenty more minutes to chat with him. Whoever this guy was, he was easy to talk to.

When was the last time I’d done anything just for fun? It had been a while, unless you counted the time I spent with the pets I watched. That was enjoyable, but it was also work, and I was always rushing from one place to another. Grant had asked me that when he’d caught me in the ritual room. He asked if I ever did anything for fun. Truthfully, the answer was not really.

We texted for a while longer, about nothing of importance, but it was a nice way to wind down at the end of a long day. When we finally said goodnight, I didn’t fall asleep right away. Chatting with him while snuggling under the covers made it almost feel like he’d been here. I’d never had a man in my bed, but now, for pretty much the first time, I wondered what that might be like.

I woke up in a good mood, either from the late-night chat or because having a private bathroom was so much nicer than sharing. Yes, I had to take the stairs to get to it, but I didn’t have to worry about anyone knocking on the door. I was able to leave my shampoo, conditioner, and soap up here. And there were never any stray beard trimmings in the sink.

I took a quick shower, since I had less than an hour before class, and I had to go check on an old and ornery cat first. ButI took a minute to enjoy the way the warm water felt against my skin. It was so cold in this house that the warmth was a real luxury. The shower stall was average-sized, unlike the one in Bennett’s suite, but it was really nice. The frosted glass blocked my view of the rest of the bathroom, and for a few minutes, I imagined I was back home. Back in Janson Falls with my grandpa.

Though it was steamy in the bathroom, I’d brought my clothes since I didn’t feel comfortable wandering the halls in just my robe. I’d already learned that most of the guys had no problem walking around in robes—or less.

Once, I’d seen Ian striding down the hall with only a white towel wrapped around his waist. Though I’d quickly ducked my head, it had been a spectacular sight. I thought about it as I finished drying off and put on a pink blouse and white shorts. Ian was a funny guy. It seemed like all he did was study in his room, but after seeing his bare chest and sculpted biceps, I knew he worked out.

Of course, he was going to be a doctor, so he was probably very interested in maintaining his health. I grinned as I fixed my hair in the mirror and put on a little makeup. I could just imagine his future female patients making appointments just for a chance to see him. He was so quiet and studious that he might not have the best bedside manner, but I doubted that they’d care.

I made my way downstairs and went into my room. For some reason, I felt good this morning, and I couldn’t help smiling.

And then my smile faded.

Something was different, and when I spotted what it was, my heart sank.

The hook on the wall behind the door was where I always kept my robe. Always.

Except it wasn’t there.

A mix of emotions washed over me as I stared at the horrible little French maid costume. Anger. Alarm that someone had been in my room. Panic that the robe wasn’t there. But most of all, fury at the sight of that stupid little dress. Were Bennett and Grant ever going to give up on that?

There were some long, gauzy black things on the hook too, slung over the top. Moving closer, I saw that they were thigh high stockings. And the little black belt with clips on it must’ve been a garter belt. I’d never seen one before, but it seemed like just the kind of thing a frat boy might think was hot.