Ruthless: A Dark College Romance (Somerset University Book 1) Read online

  Ruthless

  Somerset University

  Ruby Vincent

  Published by Ruby Vincent, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 by Ruby Vincent

  Cover Design: http://www.bluewaterbooks.com/

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Wicked

  Keep In Touch

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter One

  “Are you really okay with this? This isn’t what you planned.”

  Sofia didn’t pause in putting away her makeup. “I have no regrets, Val. This was the right choice.”

  I eyed her as she whirled around the room, packing up her things.

  She certainly looks happy.

  “But you turned down your acceptance to Princeton,” I said. “You and Zane broke up because you didn’t want to do long distance. Somerset is a great school, but it wasn’t your first choice.”

  She threw up her hands, smiling away. “What can you do? Life doesn’t follow the perfect plans we make. You learn to adjust and accept what is.”

  I cracked a smile. Sofia had been spouting a lot of positive sayings at me lately.

  “Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy,” I said.

  She stopped throwing things in her suitcase long enough to join me on the bed. “Is it weird that I am? I mean, Dad’s heart attack was awful. I was so angry with him for missing my graduation, I called his hotel intending to curse him out, only for the staff to tell us he was in the hospital.”

  I grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. That had been a hard day. It was the first time I’d ever seen Madeline cry.

  “I couldn’t leave while Daddy was recovering,” Sofia continued. “It wasn’t a hard choice for me. Actually, it wasn’t a choice at all. I needed to be here for him, and ever since he came home from the hospital, things have been so different.”

  “I know.” I laughed. “I caught you and Madeline dancing in the kitchen last week to old nineties songs. Your mom has some serious moves. She could give me a run for my money.”

  “She was hiding a few talents,” Sofia said with a chuckle. “We’ve been working on a scrapbook and it looks amazing because of her. But that’s what I’m talking about. Dad’s heart attack woke us all up. He got sick alone in a hotel room miles away from his family, and it had been four months since we'd seen each other.

  “Now that he’s taking it easy, he’s home every day. We watch movies in bed and play board games. And Mom and I cook and dance and talk—really talk about stuff. I may have lost Zane and Princeton, but I have my family.” She smiled at me. “And I have you. Honestly, I’m excited about starting at Somerset tomorrow. Aren’t you?”

  I flopped onto my back. “I’m feeling so many things that they bunched up into one twisty ball of emotions. I’m crazy excited about my first day of university. I’m bummed that Jaxson won’t be there with us. I’m nervous about Adam’s first day of preschool. And there’s the ever-constant worry about how I’ll manage being a mom, having four boyfriends, living together, and going to college.”

  Sofia patted my arm. “If anyone can handle all of those things, it’s you. Plus, one thing that makes it easier is that Somerset is nothing like Evergreen. If we can survive that place, we can survive anything.”

  Masquerades, midnight battles, secret societies, and twisted killers flashed through my mind.

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  “Good.” Sofia shot off the bed. “Now get up, you lazy bum, and help me pack.”

  She moved back to the vanity to finish clearing it up.

  I groaned. “Why are you moving into the dorms again? Somerset is like thirty minutes away.”

  She gave me a look. “At some point, I will start dating. Not in the near future, but there will come a day when the pieces of my smashed heart put themselves back together. When that happens, your girl will need some privacy to make up for this three-months-and-counting dry spell.”

  A smirk curled my lips. “I don’t have that problem. My longest spell was three days, and it was only that long because Mom and I went away for her birthday.”

  Sofia held up a finger. “One second.” She crossed to the bed, picked up a pillow, and promptly threw it in my face. I tipped off the bed, howling.

  “Rubbing your ridiculously hot sex life in my face is beneath you, Valentina Moon.”

  I peeked over the mattress, grinning. “Nothing is beneath me. Although I am beneath Ryder, Maverick, Ezra, or Jaxson almost every night.”

  “That’s it!” She jumped over the bed.

  I took off shrieking.

  I didn’t like the circumstances that caused Sofia to stay, but I couldn’t have been happier about having my best friend with me at Somerset University. A whole new chapter in our lives would begin the next day, and we’d do it together.

  EZRA

  “How many do you have, Adam?” I plucked his sudsy foot out of the water. “How many toes?”

  The toddler pointed at his big toe. “One, two, fwee, four, five!” he cried.

  “Only five?” I lifted his right leg. “What about these toes?”

  Adam gaped at his other foot like he’d never seen it before. I fell against the tub laughing.

  “You’re good at this.”

  I jerked.

  Ryder strode into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. “The whole dad thing,” he finished.

  “I don’t know about that,” I mumbled. I picked up Adam’s towel and held it up. He stood and presented his arms for me to lift him. “The kid is adorable. I like taking care of and playing with him, but it takes more than that to be a dad.”

  “Does it? What would you and I know about what makes a good dad?”

  Ryder couldn’t have said that to anyone else without pissing them off. But we were brothers—no, we were closer than brothers. We understood each other.

  “Nothing,” I replied. “We’d better ask Maverick and Jaxson.”

  “Ask me what?” Jaxson poked his head into the bathroom. “If you need to do something about those clothes, hair, and shoes? I’ve only been telling you that every day since I met you, Ezra.”

  “Fudge off.”

  Adam giggled. “Fudge off, Jaxson!”

  Jaxson shook his head. “Our lady isn’t going to be happy that you taught him that.”

  I tensed. Shit, he’s right.

  “Adam,” I began, “don’t—”

  “Hello? Where’s my baby?”

  Adam bounced in my hold. Just hearing her voice had that effect on him. It had that effect on all of us. “Mommy!”

  Valentina slipped past Jaxson and held her hands out for Adam. He tumbled into them happily.

  “There he is.” Val snuggled him to h
er chest and a sweet smile lit her face.

  My breath caught. I thought after two years together that the day would come when I’d see this girl and her beauty wouldn’t knock me on my back. Thankfully, I was wrong. I’d never get used to Valentina, like I would never get used to staring directly at the sun. I’d love her until it burned me away.

  “I hope he wasn’t any trouble,” she said to us. “And you didn’t have to give him his bath. I would’ve done it.”

  “Stop saying stuff like that,” Ryder replied. “We’re not babysitters or roommates. Adam is just as much our responsibility as he is yours.”

  Ryder’s gift for that comment was a soft, lingering kiss from Val.

  Now to get me one of those.

  Jaxson, Ryder, and I followed her out of the bath and into Adam’s room. It still struck me how different this space was. Ryder’s old, bland, colorless bedroom had been transformed into Adam’s playland. He had everything a kid could want and more: an oversized toy chest, a drawing corner, colorful furniture, and a huge racecar bed big enough to fit him and Val.

  The guys and I had argued about who would share a bedroom with Val for weeks until we decided she wouldn’t get her own room at all. Between Jaxson’s, Ryder’s, Maverick’s, Adam’s, and my bed, she wasn’t hurting for a place to sleep. She loved our idea.

  Val placed Adam on his bed and began toweling him off.

  “How is Sofia?” I asked. “And her dad?”

  “She’s great. Super excited about orientation tomorrow. It helps that her dad is doing much better, although he won’t be jetting out of the country anytime soon. He’s semi-retired and sticking close to home.”

  “That’s good,” I said. “What about you? Excited for orientation?”

  “Excitement is one of the things I’m feeling.” Val held up Adam’s shirt. “Arms up.”

  Adam pouted. “I don’t like that one, Mommy.”

  “We’re going to lunch with Grandma Caroline. You have to wear your nice shirt.”

  “Fudge off!”

  “Wha—” Val spun on us, eyes bugged. “What did he just say to me?”

  “It was Ezra!”

  “Ezra did it!”

  Ryder and Jaxson beat it out of the room, ditching me in the line of fire. So much for brothers.

  VALENTINA

  “You’re lucky I forgive you.”

  “I’m lucky in more ways than one,” Ezra returned, slightly out of breath.

  I hid my smirk in his neck. I got no small amount of pleasure out of wearing him out. Tonight, I was in Ezra’s bed and we'd given the mattress a workout. We didn’t have a schedule or anything in terms of whose bed I shared on what night, but if I was with anyone the most, it was Adam. He was at that stage where he wouldn’t fall asleep without me, and if he woke up and I wasn’t there, he’d call for me.

  I didn’t mind. Boarding at Evergreen took so many nights away from us, I was happy to fall asleep snuggling with my son. But it did mean I had to work harder to get times like this with my guys.

  “What were you saying before you ripped me a new asshole?” Ezra asked. “About excitement being one of the things you’re feeling?”

  I told him what I talked about with Sofia.

  “You don’t have to worry, Val,” he said. “Caroline, Olivia, and all four of us are here for Adam. We won’t let you get overwhelmed juggling school and being a mom.”

  “I know you won’t. You’ve all been amazing.” I shifted and propped my chin on his chest. “I’m mostly excited, though. I’m majoring in psych and minoring in dance. You’ll do journalism. Ryder’s getting his MBA. Maverick is majoring in computer science. We’ll get to learn what we love at a normal school with normal people. The first day of the rest of our lives starts tomorrow.”

  He chuckled. “Glad you’re not putting too much pressure on it.”

  I poked him in the side. “Did your dad call today?”

  “Yeah. He said good luck and congratulations on getting into Somerset. He also said my gift is in the mail and I should get it this week.”

  I glanced away.

  Ezra cupped my cheek and turned me back. “It’s written all over your face, so you might as well say it.”

  “It’s been nineteen years and you two haven’t met in person,” I blurted. “I don’t get why he doesn’t quit sending gifts and just put himself on a plane instead.”

  “You’d have to ask him.”

  “You should ask him,” I replied, softening my tone. “He’s your dad. It’s not wrong to expect more from him.”

  “I don’t need more from him. I’ve got you, Adam, those three assholes, and Mom. What else do I need?”

  I ran my fingers through his hair, saying nothing. Ezra’s dad was a difficult topic. I had to know when to push and when to back away.

  I backed off. “I know what you need.” I rose up and straddled him. “To make love to me one more time.”

  A wolfish grin spread across his face. “Not one.”

  “EZRA, PUT THAT IN THE bathroom. Jaxson, that goes in the kitchen.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sofia laughed. “I appreciate you guys helping me move into my dorm.”

  “They call this a dorm room?” I spoke up.

  Sofia skipped freshman housing and requested a single room in Klein Hall. The space boasted a bedroom, living room, full kitchen, and a walk-in closet. Maverick, Ezra, Ryder, Jaxson, and I came early to help her move in. Her parents were around, but Sofia didn’t want her dad to even think of lifting a box.

  “Where are the cinderblock walls, dungeon bed, smelly carpet, and furniture they found on the side of the road?” I raised my brows at her. “Are you sure about this, Sof? This isn’t the full college experience.”

  She swatted my arm. “Like you’d know. We are having the full college experience. I’ll just be sleeping on silk sheets at night.”

  “We?”

  “Yep. Clubs, parties, and late-night study sessions. We’re doing it all.” Sofia reached into her purse and pulled out a checklist. An actual checklist. “First, we’ll do the meet and greet. Then, register for classes.” Her head snapped up. “We’re taking the same classes, right?”

  “Not the same math or science classes, Miss Chemistry Major, but we could snag English Lit and history together.”

  She squealed. “This is going to be great—oh, hold on. Put that in the bathroom, Maverick.”

  Sofia went off after my boyfriend. I dropped my smile. Her checklist filled up the page and I bet there was more on the back. Sofia was throwing herself into activities to take her mind off the breakup and if she needed me to take World History with her or tailgate some game I didn’t care about, I’d do it.

  We finished putting away her things, said goodbye to Jaxson, and then headed over to the meet and greet. We had a full two days of presentations, touring, and handling little details like getting our pictures taken and setting up our email accounts.

  Day one, we mingled with the other incoming freshmen and registered for classes, and after lunch we would check out what the school’s clubs and organizations had to offer.

  I hooked my arm through Maverick’s as we crossed the quad. Somerset’s campus was even more gorgeous than I remembered. Red brick buildings surrounded the quad. The green space dipped in the middle and we strode up a gentle incline to get to class. It made the spot feel tucked away amongst the hundreds of students streaming about.

  Signs easily led the way to the student union. We walked inside and a girl seated at a table just before the entrance jumped to her feet.

  “Freshmen,” she called. She waved us over, beaming. “I can always tell. You have that wide-eyed hopeful look.”

  “I’ve never had that look in my fucking life,” Ryder said under his breath.

  Giggling, I shoved his shoulder. He caught my hand and pulled me away from Maverick. I burrowed into his side. The only thing that would have made this better was Jaxson being here too. But higher education wasn’
t in the cards for my goofball.

  “My name is Dior.”

  Dior was as pretty and unique as her name. She had five studs in each ear and the ends of her brown hair looked like they had been dipped in bright blue ink. It paired well with her blue-framed glasses. “You sign in here, grab your orientation bags, and then head on over to the mixer. We’ve got plenty of treats for those who were too hyped up on first-day jitters to eat.”

  If she smiles any wider, I’ll see her wisdom teeth.

  We signed in and accepted our bags. Sofia tugged me away from Ryder and linked our arms. The student union was the perfect setup. I could see myself dropping in between classes, grabbing a bite from the restaurants, and enjoying it at one of the tables throughout.

  We walked into the meet and greet and took in the buffet, high-top tables, and people dressed in blazers and slacks—instead of tanks and move-in jeans.

  Sofia tugged on her shorts. “I didn’t know we were supposed to dress up,” she hissed.

  “The email didn’t say we had to.”

  “Don’t stress about it. You look cute in that tank top.” Maverick kissed my forehead. “Some of the guys from our old football team are here. I’ve been meaning to hit them up about weekend pickup games.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m going to grab some food,” Ryder and Ezra said at the same time. They loped off, leaving me and Sofia alone.

  “Look.” Sofia pointed at the other side of the room. “Evergreen girls. Want to go over and say hi?”

  “Depends. Did they torture me for four years?”

  She cringed. “Everyone tortured you, so... yes.”

  “Pass.”

  “That’s okay,” she replied, rebounding fast. “We’re here to start over and make new friends. How about those girls over there? They look friendly.”

  Sofia pointed out a table with three girls dressed in t-shirts and shorts. We made a beeline for them.

  “I guess we’re not the only ones who didn’t get the memo,” I said.

  The girls glanced up, took one look at us, and burst out laughing.