Selena Kitt - Baumgartner Generations - Henry

“You’re not sick.” Dean sighed. “What’s wrong? You can tell me.”

Normally, Henry would have spilled his guts. Dean had a way of making him confess things he wouldn’t tell anyone else. But he couldn’t tell him about this. Not this.

“Is it Libby?” Dean asked.

Henry perked up at the sound of her name. He’d considered calling her, taking her up on the tutoring offer. But she couldn’t help him. No one could help him. He felt broken. It was too late to fix him. “I talked to her. She still wants to go out tonight.”

“With you.” He couldn’t let Dean forget how he had usurped Libby’s attention. Was today Friday already? Had the whole week disappeared?

“Her roommate is hot,” Dean reminded him. “And she’s on the rebound. That’s practically a sure thing.”

“Is that all you ever think about?” Henry’s current concerns seemed huge and even the thought of Libby seemed far away in light of them.

“Come on, Henry.” Dean sounded pissed. He’d tried a few times this week to drag Henry out of bed, but they’d been half-hearted attempts. This time he sounded serious. And mad.

“No.” Henry rolled toward the wall.

“But we’re supposed to meet the girls in, like, an hour!”

Henry’s voice was muffled in his pillow. “You go.”

“Well I can’t exactly date both of them, can I?” Dean snapped.

“Take Bel.” He smiled at the thought. Bel could barely say his own name in front of a girl.

“Henry, don’t be a dick.”

He rolled back over, crossing his arms and glaring at his roommate. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to take a shower.” Dean leaned over and thwapped him on the arm. Henry winced. “You stink.”

“You just want to get into Libby’s pants.”

Dean grinned. “Can you blame me?”

“Just leave me alone.” Henry rolled back toward the wall, sinking under the covers. He couldn’t. There was no way.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to call Libby and tell her you don’t want to go.” Dean had changed tactics. “Maybe I should tell her you’ve been in bed all week. Val must’ve really worn you out…”

Henry stiffened, turning back toward his roommate, a sinking feeling in his belly. “You’re not supposed to talk about that.”

“Right.” Dean shrugged, reaching into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone and flipping it open. He glanced up when Henry pushed by him. “Where are you going?”

“To take a shower.”

“Now that was everything a vampire movie is supposed to be,” Libby crowed happily as they walked out of the theater. “Not even a hint of glitter.”

Henry stole a glance over at her, walking next to Dean. He’d resented the fact that she wasn’t sitting next to him during the scary parts. She’d practically climbed into Dean’s lap a few times.

Instead, he’d had Elaine screaming in his ear and hiding her face against his jacket. Okay, so she was nice enough, and definitely a hottie-Dean hadn’t lied about that-a pretty, petite blonde with an angelic face and big blue eyes. But she wasn’t Libby. And she kept proving that every time she opened her mouth.

Elaine fell into step next to Henry, taking his hand and swinging it. “Hey, now, no dissing Twilight.”

Of course she was a Twilight fan. He tried to be magnanimous. “Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?”

Libby interrupted Elaine’s response, rolling her eyes and saying, “Real men don’t sparkle.”

“Wait. Twilight? Isn’t that the movie about the girl who can’t choose between necrophilia and bestiality?” Dean howled when Elaine punched him in the arm as he pushed the unlock button on his keys. Freshmen weren’t supposed to have cars on campus, but Dean had a black 2008 Mustang he parked at the frat house.

“Meanie.” Elaine stuck her tongue out at Dean as Henry ushered her into the backseat. It was close quarters and cramped back there, but it meant Libby was close, even in the passenger seat, and she half-turned so she could talk to them as Dean drove through campus back to the frat house. The whole way, Elaine’s hand kept finding its way into Henry’s lap, squeezing and petting his thigh. She’d been flirty all night and had made it pretty clear she liked him. By the time Dean parked, Elaine’s hand was practically in his crotch.

“Hey, come on in. I want to show you guys something.” Dean took Libby’s hand as they got out of the car, leading her toward the frat house.

“No,” Libby protested, looking for support from her roommate, but Elaine grabbed Henry’s hand, following. “Dean, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Oh come on,” Dean said, literally pulling Libby up the stairs. “What do you have to be afraid of?”

“I think Elaine and I should go home.” Libby’s eyes flashed and she glared at Dean as he opened the door.

“But the night’s just starting,” Dean protested. “And I really want to show you guys something.”

“Come on, Libby,” Elaine said, nudging her friend into the doorway. “He wants to show us something!”

Libby relented as Elaine and Henry crowded in behind her.

The house was big enough to hold thirty-five fraternity members, and they didn’t have an empty room in the place. Dean kept trying to talk Henry into living in the frat house with him the following year, but Henry wasn’t even sure he was going to be in school next year at this rate.

There were rules about bringing girls in-but no one said anything to Dean as he led them down a hallway, past the laundry room and through the common area. There were two pool tables at one end and a huge wall-mounted television, but no one was in there tonight.

“Check it out.” Dean opened a set of double French doors and Elaine squealed.

“A hot tub!”

Henry had been on the frat house tour, but somehow had missed this room. “I didn’t know this was here.”

“They just built it over the summer.” Dean flipped a switch on the wall and the hot tub hummed to life, the bubbling water glowing, lit from underneath. “It’s not even officially open. They have to have it inspected or something.”

“So we can’t go in it?” Elaine pouted. “What a tease!”

“Oh hell.” Dean shrugged, then winked at her. “Want to do it anyway?”

“Elaine!” Libby protested as her friend shed her jacket and then her sweater. Henry gaped as she unzipped her jeans and wiggled them down her slim hips. She was in her underwear so fast-a very sweet, white bra and panties with pink polka dots-that no one had a chance to say a word before she was getting into the hot tub. Henry did have just a moment to wonder if she wore a matching set in anticipation of their date.

“Come on, Libby!” Elaine called, and Henry admired the way her panties hugged her behind, the water frothing around her thighs as she waded in.

“If you can’t beat ’em…” Dean stripped down to his boxers and followed Elaine into the hot tub.

Libby stood there, undecided, until Henry started peeling off his coat.

“Really?” She kept her voice low. Dean and Elaine were splashing, laughing, and couldn’t hear them anyway over the noise of the water, he was sure.

“You only live once, right?” He took off his shirt and saw her blink at the sight of him without one. “What are you-chicken?”

She smiled at him. “Is that a challenge?”

His breath caught as she pulled her hoodie over her head. She was wearing a t-shirt underneath. He raised his eyebrows as she pulled her t-shirt off. Her bra was black, and he had a moment to lament the fact that the material wouldn’t be see-through in the water before he felt the first stirrings of arousal when she reached down to unsnap her jeans, wondering if her panties matched.