Hulya Kara Yuksel's Reviews > Top Secret

Top Secret - Bonus Epilogue
(view spoiler)[THE EPILOGUE
KEATON
“She’s cute…” Licking his bottom lip, Luke nods toward the other side of the crowded room. Tonight, Alpha Delta is wall-to-wall bodies, more than a hundred people crammed together as loud music pumps through the frat house. “What do you think?”

The sensual note in his voice makes me narrow my eyes. Is he suggesting what I think he’s suggesting? Because in the almost-year we’ve been together, he hasn’t once hinted there was anything missing in the bedroom. Hell, I watched him delete the Kink app from his phone.

And now he’s telling me he wants to invite some random chick into our bed? Is this what he’s been trying to pull me away to discuss for the last hour?

My confusion dies when I lay eyes on the gorgeous blonde at whom Luke is grinning. It’s Annika.

“Oh fuck off,” I grumble at him, but we’re both laughing. My ex-girlfriend catches us staring, and responds with an enthusiastic wave. Then she turns back to the tall, Polo-shirt-wearing guy she’s been flirting with all night.

“What?” Luke says innocently. “She’s got a great ass.”

I roll my eyes. “Not happening.”

He brings his mouth close to my ear. A hot shiver rolls up my spine. “Don’t worry, the only ass I’ll be pounding tonight is yours, Hayworth.”

Oh hell yes. Arousal builds in my groin, and my dick goes semi hard.

Bailey clearly knows what his sinful promise has done to my nether region, because he winks and says, “Down, boy. First we’ve got to talk.”

“About this party?” I can’t see what there is to talk about.

“Well, sure. We have to smile and nod and pretend Anthony’s dance-off isn’t the lamest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen.”

I swallow a laugh. I mean, he’s not wrong. Anthony Triboli, one of the two Alpha Delt presidential candidates, planned a run-of-the-mill house party. No decorations, no theme, just some kegs and Doritos.

But I guess they can’t all be backyard beaches and strippers.

“Nobody will ever top our dance-offs,” I whisper in Luke’s ear. Then I bite his ear lobe, just because it’s right there.

I can’t hear his answering groan over the thumping bass line, but I feel it shudder through his muscular body. I’m tempted to slide a hand down his sinewy back and squeeze his ass, but I refrain. You’d think after a year of dating, we’d be past the honeymoon stage, that frantic period where all you want to do is tear each other’s clothes off. But we’re not.

Not that I’m complaining.

“What do you think Gregg has in store for us tomorrow night? Beer Pong? An exciting game of darts?” Luke mocks.

“Hmmm, no, I think he’s got something crazy up his sleeve.” I nudge my boyfriend’s arm. “Look at his face.”

We both focus on Gregg Merkowitz, who’s standing in the kitchen doorway, sporting a smug expression as he surveys his competitor’s handiwork. Yup, Gregg thinks he’s got this in the bag. To be honest, I don’t care which one of them wins. They’re both solid, intelligent guys, and either one will make a good prez. So I’ll probably use a coin toss for my vote.

Luke shifts his gaze back to me, a contemplative glimmer in his eyes. “Do you think we’ll miss this place next year?” We’re both graduating in May, and we’ll be moving out of Alpha Delt shortly after that.

“Honestly? I won’t miss it,” I admit.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss a lot of the guys, but I’m looking forward to having some real privacy. Luke and I are planning on finding an apartment together. We’re hoping to, anyway. It depends on which graduate program I end up in. And Luke will be working for my dad’s company.

“I won’t miss it either,” he agrees. “But I will miss you come June.”

“Likewise.” A couple weeks after graduation, I’m shipping out on another orca expedition with Doc VanBoerk. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? The Big Willy Remix?” That was Luke’s name for the expedition, and the silly name stuck. Even the professor’s emails have “BWR” in the subject line these days.

“No, c’mere a second, okay? I want to show you something.”

I turn to follow him, but Owen stops us. “Caught you!” he says with a smirk. Then he checks the time on his phone. “Yo! Jako! I win. Everybody owes me twenty bucks!”

“For what?” I’m so confused right now. The weak beer must be going to my head.

“You’re sneaking off to your love nest with Bailey at ten o’clock. We have a pool.”

“We aren’t sneaking anywhere,” I insist. “Bailey says he needs to show me something.”

“Yeah, his dick.” Owen cackles.

“Wait, there’s a pool?” I ask, suddenly grumpy. “Who bet on midnight?” In truth, I would love to sneak upstairs right now. But now I have something to prove, dammit.

“Nobody has midnight,” Jako says. “We’re not that stupid. When the third floor is rockin,’ don’t come a knockin.’”

“If you play ‘Love Shack’ again, I will cut you,” I grumble. Luke and I get a fair amount of teasing. I’m only grumpy because it’s well deserved.

“Go easy on these guys,” Tanner says, coming up to put an arm around both me and Bailey at the same time. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have a big announcement to make.”

“Wait, what?” I ask. I’m not aware of any big changes in his life. He already got into the law school of his choice. He’s moving to California this summer.

“Cassidy is coming with me in the fall. To Stanford.” He grins.

“No fucking way!” I shout. “It’s that serious?”

“She’s the one.” He lets out a happy sigh. “My parents are not amused. They keep saying I’m too young to move cross-country with somebody. What they really mean is that they don’t want me shacking up with a stripper. But that’s too damn bad. Cassidy is the best there is.”

“Oh please,” I argue. “Until you’ve told your parents you’re gay and heading for academia, you haven’t really tested their love.”

Luke clears his throat. “This is a fun chat, kids, but I really need to show Keaton something.”

“It’s still your dick!” Owen says with chuckle. Because you can’t take him anywhere.

Luke is unfazed. “He’s seen it already. Go have some more Doritos. My guy and I have to talk.”

“Talk all you want,” Jako says. “I got ten-thirty in the pool.”

Shaking his head, Luke tows me into the front hall, where the mail slots are. “Finally. I’m dying. Here.” He grabs an envelope out of my own mail slot and thrusts it at me.

“Wait, is it…?” I gape at the return address, which says Columbia University. This is my first choice school. If I get into Columbia’s PhD program, we can live in Manhattan together starting in the fall. I weigh the envelope in my hand. “Would you say this is thin or thick?”

“Are you guys feeling each other up?” yells Owen from the living room. “If you’re making out right now, we’ll need a ruling about whether that settles the pool.”

We both ignore him. We’re staring at each other.

“That envelope has a lot of girth, babe,” Luke says quietly. “There’s more than one sheet of paper in there. Nobody would say fuck off on three or more pages. Open it.”

But I don’t. Not yet. “There’s always Rutgers if I don’t get into Columbia. It might not be Miami or LA.”

“Open it,” he urges. Then he smiles at me. “It’s going to work out.”

“Are you trying to jinx me?” I yelp.

Bailey grabs the envelope, puts the corner between his teeth and actually bites it. It’s playful and ridiculous. Luke is funnier than he used to be, now that he feels more comfortable with his life. I burst out laughing as he shakes the scrap of paper like a dog and then drops it from his teeth.

For one long moment I still don’t take the letter from him. But then I grab it and tear off the end, tugging the pages out. It unfolds in my hands.

Welcome to the graduate program in Arts and Sciences…

“YEAH BABY!” Luke yells. “Guess who’s apartment hunting on the Upper West Side this spring?”

And I don’t know who moves first. But a moment later I’ve pushed him up against the mail slots, and his hand is rubbing my ass as we kiss.

“Who’s got ten fifteen in the pool?” someone yells.

“Ignore ’em,” Luke whispers against my mouth.

And I do. Because the person who matters most is right here in my arms.

THE END (hide spoiler)]

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Mmmm this book was so good! I LOVED it. :D