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I ended up being late. Hunter’s little groping session had made me spend a lot more time in the kitchen than first intended so I had to do my makeup in the car with Kenzi.
‘You should’ve done that before you left the house,’ Kenzi helpfully commented on the way to the entrance of the university.
‘Thanks, I’ll do that next time,’ I grumbled sarcastically, pushing the glass door open.
The reception was exactly as I had expected. The pictures on the website had given me a good idea of the interior, but it was a lot better in person. Clean, professional and neat. It immediately put a smile on my face as I headed to the main desk to look for a map. The nerves started to slowly melt away when I found several posters showcasing projects and extracurricular clubs.
Our timetables had been emailed to us and mine was safely in my bag. I only had to find the English Department for a lecture and one seminar, so would be home in time to get ready for the party.
***
The lecture hall for English wasn’t very far from the reception. The door was open and everyone was filing in. The lecture hall was a lot bigger than I expected. There was a board and podium at the front of the room where the lecturer was standing, sorting out his papers.
I moved to the third row back where a guy on my left side had dumped his stuff and slumped in the seat. After putting my bag at my feet and making sure that my phone was on silent, I got my notepad out.
‘Right, everyone, listen up!’ the lecturer hollered from the front. And my first ever uni lecture began. The girl next to me was extremely dedicated and seemed to be writing down every single word that the man said, while I just jotted down the odd note.
‘I’m not going to force you all to read the chapter, but at your age, I will expect it from you,’ the lecturer rounded off before giving all of us an individual challenging look.
***
When I left the lecture and started to make my way to the seminar hall, I ran into Kyle.
‘Are you coming to the party tonight?’ Kyle asked, pushing his backpack further up his shoulder. I nodded as we turned the corner towards the reception.
‘Yep, are you?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s my party. Are you all right getting there?’
I nodded with a small smile.
‘I think so. Kenzi will probably give me a lift,’ I replied.
‘She’s going with a guy called Seb,’ Kyle said.
I sighed, running my hand down my face. ‘Damn.’
‘I’m driving to the off licence near your house if you want a ride. The party starts at five so shall I meet you at yours at half-four?’ he asked and I nodded gratefully.
‘Thank you. I live at number 40 in the Theresa Apartment Blocks,’ I listed off my address and his brow furrowed. He stopped walking and I turned to look back at his confused face.
‘But that’s where Hunter lives.’
It was my turn to frown. ‘Yeah?’
‘Well, isn’t he going to take you?’
I shook my head frantically. ‘Definitely not, I can’t stand the guy.’
He chuckled, continuing to walk beside me. ‘Good, I’ll be there at half-four.’
I said goodbye and stood by the doors, waiting for Kenzi. I still had a seminar to go to and she was in the same one as me, so we didn’t have to wait to meet up before going home to get ready.
Kenzi eventually joined me and we walked to the seminar together, talking about our classes. I filled her in about my ride to the party, and she told me about a girl called Zoe. Apparently, she was the girl that was in our new dance troop and she wasn’t exactly Kenzi’s biggest fan.
‘Honestly, she was a complete bitch,’ she complained as we walked through the doors to the seminar room. I noticed Zoe almost immediately for three reasons. One, she had bright red hair, which is really hard to miss. Two, she was glaring at both of us. Three, while she was glaring, she was eating Hunter’s face.
‘And a slag,’ I added, not even sparing Zoe and Hunter a glance as we walked to the front of the room to sit with Kyle.
***
It turned out Kyle was in the same seminar so I discussed dance times with him while Kenzi chatted animatedly to the girl next to her. We would be doing a few dance offs with other troops in the near future and gigs at some clubs. It reminded me of old times; when we used to dance at rough nightclubs to get some extra money.
The seminar went slowly. We just basically collected some textbooks and talked about expectations. After that, we all went home to prepare for the party.
‘I’m not dropping you off at the party.’ Hunter walked into my bedroom without a knock, catching me mid changing. I was about to grab my blanket and swear at him, but then I remembered my challenge. I put my hands on my hips and his eyes trailed down my body before meeting my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and fought the urge to grab the blanket again. The only person to have seen me like this was Marco - and Kenzi if we ever got ready at the dance gigs together.
‘I don’t want you to drop me off. I already have a ride,’ I stated. Hunter wasn’t wearing much either, just his jeans. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of checking him out so I kept my eyes trained on his smug grin.
‘Really, who?’ he asked, leaning on my doorframe.
I sighed, throwing my head back in exasperation. ‘Do you have to pry constantly?’ I asked. He merely shrugged. ‘If you don’t mind, I’m getting ready,’ I replied flatly as I gestured down my body which was only clad in my bra and jeans.
‘You seem to be lacking in clothing,’ he said, skimming over my chest with his sea green eyes, and I glared, storming towards him to slam the door in his face. Before I could get anywhere, he grabbed my wrists and pressed them against his bare chest. My breath hitched in my throat when I tried to yank my hands back, only for them to be kept against his muscled chest, rippling under my hands.
I scrunched my nose up, kicking his shin. To be honest, I reckoned that it hurt my toes more than it did his shin, but I shook my head and pulled my hands free, acutely aware of my bare torso.
‘You’re an arse,’ I accused before shutting the door and continuing to get ready.
***
Kyle came for me at exactly half-past four and I walked into the front room in my black dress and heels. Hunter was wearing a tighter black button down shirt with dark jeans. I gave him a once over before grabbing my bag.
‘Stay away from Seb,’ he said calmly, approaching me, but not getting close enough to touch me.
‘Stop telling me what to do. Hopefully, I won’t encounter you or your brother tonight,’ I growled before walking out.
‘Are you alright?’ Kyle asked when I hopped in his car. I smiled at him and nodded. He was wearing the same as Hunter, only white. Although he didn’t look quite as good, he still looked like he’d be getting attention from the girls.
‘Fine, thanks. Hunter’s being a prick,’ I added, slipping the seatbelt over my lap.
‘Nothing new there then.’ He smirked and didn’t ask for any more details; just put the car into drive.
The party was happening at a large house, the thumping sound of the music beat through my chest when Kyle first drove onto the street.
‘Is this your house?’ I asked and he nodded with a slight grin.
‘Yep,’ he muttered under his breath, pulling up outside the house and dragging me out of the car.
Kyle greeted a few guests as he walked inside, telling us to help ourselves to drinks and just to enjoy the night. I didn’t see Hunter for the first few hours and spent most of my time on the dance floor with Kenzi.
The music seemed to be getting louder as time went on so I went outside for some fresh air. Everyone’s sweaty bodies and the smell of alcohol was making me feel a bit dizzy.
The garden was even bigger than the house. A vast lawn was separated by a large outside pool and garden shed. Sitting down on the bench, I put my drink down and breathed in the evening air. Parties tended to go a bit overboard and you ended up with no breathing space or wiggle room, so the break was welcome.
‘So, you’re Andy.’ I glanced over to my left to see Zoe standing by the door. I inwardly groaned and rolled my eyes, dealing with her was the last thing that I wanted to do.
‘Yep,’ I answered, looking back towards the pool. I heard her heels click on the patio floor and she was soon sitting down on the bench next to me.
‘And you live with Hunter,’ she muttered.
‘Yep.’ She sighed, not saying a word as I tapped my fingers against my bare thigh, listening to the music thumping from inside the building.
‘Does he talk about me?’ she asked, looking at me.
I shrugged. ‘We don’t really talk, if I’m honest,’ I mumbled and she grunted.
‘Well, keep your hands off, okay?’
That set my temper off. ‘Look, I don’t like being told what to do and I’m not interested in Hunter.’ My answer couldn’t have pleased her too much as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and got up.
‘We have a history, okay? Don’t ruin it.’ I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to answer. When she realised that she couldn’t bait me into reacting, she sauntered back inside.
Grunting under my breath, I brought my drink to my lips before hearing someone else come outside.
‘Hello, gorgeous,’ a voice slurred. Suddenly, the idea of staying with Zoe didn’t seem so bad. I looked over to see a guy undressing me with his eyes. My brain screamed at me to get up and get out of this situation, so I swallowed my gulp and got to my feet. I could feel my heart skip a beat when he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from going inside.
‘Not so fast, baby,’ he cooed, pushing me back and away from the door. I stumbled over my heels and was about to call out loud but he put his hand over my mouth.
‘Shut up,’ he ordered. There was no hesitation in him shoving me back against the wall. My heart started to hammer and every hair on my skin stood on edge. I tried to squirm and attack him but he pressed the length of his body against me. When I attempted to bring my knee up, he harshly gripped my leg, shoving it back down. Scratching at his arms, I tried to yell against his hand but barely any sound escaped. He just chuckled, taking his hand away to kiss me with his wet sloppy lips. His breath was vile and his tongue was pushing at me lips. I refused to open my mouth and thrashed my head to the side. I swore when he groped my chest, and a single tear fell down my cheek.
‘Get off,’ I cried, trying to push his weight away from me. He narrowed his eyes and swore at me, running his hand down my body and unzipping his jeans. Panic flooded through my veins, I had to get out. More tears started to fall when I heard the zip pull down. My hands rushed to hit his chest but he just laughed, pushing the bottom of my dress up. My feeble attempts at pushing it back down soon failed when he slammed his pelvis against mine, keeping me against the wall.
‘Please, don’t,’ I whispered, not being able to speak through my panicked gasps of breath. My eyes darted around behind him, trying to find some way of getting out and my legs felt like they were about to cave.
‘This isn’t going to hurt, baby, just enjoy the ride,’ he slurred. The alcohol from his breath surrounded me as I tried to bat him away. When he started to push the top of his jeans down, I thrashed, desperate to get out of his grip.
Suddenly, the heaviness of his body was gone and a sense of relief washed over me,
‘Touch her again and you won’t live to see tomorrow.’
Chapter 7
Kyle hadn’t left my side since the incident, neither had Kenzi. Hunter, on the other hand, had beaten the guy to a pulp and I hadn’t seen him since. I put the frozen pack of peas that were wrapped in a tea towel to my side, wincing as I did so.
‘You know, I think that I’d have preferred it if he roofied me,’ I said under my breath and Kyle smiled, leaning against the kitchen counter.
‘He’d have actually gotten away with it then,’ he pointed out. I decided against commenting and leaned back against the wall. The panic had subsided a while after the attack but my hands were still shaky.
Kyle had cleared out the kitchen and allowed me to sort myself out in there. Everyone had gathered to help me out, even Zoe, although I was sure that she was just there to see Hunter.
‘This uni experience isn’t exactly going as planned,’ I murmured and Kenzi offered me a small smile.
‘You said your lecture was good and we’ve got a dance troop again?’ she offered and I sighed.
‘True, but I live with a psycho and I’ve been attacked on my first day,’ I replied.
A scuffling sound came from the door, followed by Hunter’s wry chuckle.
‘I’m hurt, I really am,’ he drawled and put his hand to his chest in mock hurt. ‘But you’re welcome,’ he said. I nodded in thanks and he gave me a small, one-sided smile in response.
‘You could’ve sorted it without getting blood all over my patio,’ Kyle intervened, giving my roommate an uneven look.
Hunter shrugged. ‘Sorted him out, didn’t it?’ he asked, his voice just as neutral.
Before Kyle could say anything else, Zoe stepped forward and grabbed his arm. ‘Let’s go, babe,’ she said, loud enough for us all to hear. Hunter didn’t look down at her; he kept his eyes on me, staying put.
‘I’ll see you out there in a few minutes,’ he replied, leaning down and gently kissing her cheek. His eyes didn’t move from mine so I grunted and breathed out deeply. Zoe let out a satisfied sound before leaving the room, not sparing any of us a glance.
‘She can be a bit... full on,’ Kyle said with a sigh and I rolled my eyes.
‘You’re telling me,’ I mumbled and Kenzi smirked, leaning on the counter next to me.
‘Who was the guy?’ Hunter asked, speaking to us all for the first time since the incident.
‘I don’t know, you tell me. You knocked all his teeth out,’ Kyle responded hotly. I frowned, gently placing my hand on his forearm to calm him down.
‘You’re welcome for saving your little girlfriend’s ass,’ Hunter growled and I cleared my throat, jumping down from the counter. My legs were still jelly-like but I held myself up and managed to keep my feet from slipping in my heels.
‘Thank you, all of you. And I’m not his girlfriend,’ I replied, looking straight at Hunter. As much as I hated the guy, he did me a huge favour. Scoffing at my thoughts, I shoved them to the back of my head in time to see Hunter offer me a smile. A real smile. Before disappearing back through the door for his nightly entertainment.
‘Are you coming?’ Kyle asked Kenzi, gesturing towards the door. I frowned and Kenzi chewed on her lip, shaking her head.
‘Coming where?’ I asked Kyle, was leaning on the doorframe, watching Kenzi hold my elbow, keeping me balanced on the slippery tiles. He glanced out of the door.
‘Well, the troop and a couple others are going to be playing a game of spin the bottle upstairs,’ he explained, heading towards the door. I frowned and looked at Kenzi who shook her head at Kyle again.
‘After what’s happened, I don’t think that’s the best idea,’ she replied and Kyle looked at me, his eyes widening.
‘Shit, sorry,’ he paused, scratching his head with a pained expression. ‘I didn’t think,” he added. I offered him a small smile.
‘Don’t worry about it, I just really don’t think I’m up for playing. You guys can go, though,’ I said, moving my arm from Kenzi’s sweaty palm to rest against the kitchen counter.
‘I’ll stay here, we need to get hold of the police and we should probably get you home,’ Kenzi said. Someone cleared their throat to our right and Hunter raised an eyebrow.
‘Kyle, you going?’ he asked, watching Kenzi and I the whole time. Kyle glanced at us one more time before nodding and patting Hunter’s back on his way through into the crowd.
***
‘
Kenzi was sitting outside with me, her jacket draped over my shoulders as she got in touch with the police. I was shaking against the cold and sipping at a glass of water.
‘You okay now?’ Hunter asked. I looked at him and frowned. I was unsure as to why he’d stuck around with Kenzi and I rather than going upstairs and playing with the rest of the troop.
‘Yeah and I don’t think I thanked you for what you did,’ I said, gingerly looking up through my eyelashes at him. He smiled.
‘No problem, more than happy to help a damsel in distress,’ he said, a sarcastic edge to his voice. I rolled my eyes and listened in to the conversation Kenzi was having.
‘Yes, we have a witness,” she was saying, offering me a supportive look. ‘Of course, yes,’ she continued. Her phone call lasted another five or so minutes before she excused herself to go and tell Kyle that the police were going to need to question him about the party.
Hunter moved to take Kenzi’s place on the bench and he stretched his arms out.
‘I guess I’m your witness,” he replied and raised his eyebrow. I winced as I turned to look at him.
‘As long as you’re OK to. Apart from me, you’re the only one apart from me that saw him.” He nodded at my words.
‘Can you write my statement down? I don’t like the police,” he remarked. My eyebrows knotted together.
‘Why?’ I asked and he smiled, tapping his nose.
‘That’s my business,’ he said, looking up as Kenzi pushed the patio door open and perched on the arm of the bench. ‘I’ll catch you later,” he replied, getting up and disappearing back into the kitchen.
Kenzi sat down next to me and assured me that the police would be there within an hour to talk to me, Kyle and Hunter about the incident. She filled me in on what they’d want to know and what else they’d said. After both of us going over my statement a couple times to calm me down, I decided to go inside and get out of the cold.
I pushed the door open and strolled out into the passage, only getting a few doors down before I felt a warm hand on my arm, pulling me back. I went slap bang into a hard chest and when I looked up, I found myself staring at Hunter.
He pressed his lips gently on mine but the kiss lasted less than a second and was so light, it was almost as if it didn’t happen.
‘I need to ask you a favour,’ he breathed out, pressing his body against mine.
‘All favours come at a price.’ I smirked and he rolled his eyes.
‘I’ll pay whatever price that is, but I need your help,’ he whispered, backing us into one of the rooms.
Chapter 8
‘I’m not being your girlfriend,’ I replied hastily and then immediately regretted it when I saw the look on his face. Deciding to blame it on the alcohol in my system, I held my chin up defiantly.
‘Seriously, princess, get your nose out of the romance books.’ He rolled his eyes, making small circles on my hips with his thumbs.
‘Are you going to continue mocking me? Because that’s really not a way to get on my good side,’ I snapped, letting out a deep breath. I had no idea what room we were in, but it was so dark that I could only just make out Hunter’s large form and deep green eyes. His breath was dancing along the skin of my forehead, brushing my hair away when he leaned closer, gently placing a kiss on the curve of my neck.
‘Maybe I don’t want to be on your good side,’ he replied in a husky tone and I rolled my eyes, shoving on his chest. One, because I couldn’t concentrate on a word that he was saying and two, because I was done being a play thing. I had more self respect than that.
‘What do you want?’ My voice came out a lot firmer and thankfully, not as husky.
‘I need you to get close to my brother,’ he said, not moving his face from the curve of my neck. I frowned.
‘Are you bipolar?’
Feeling the smile against my neck, I groaned, shoving at his chest again. He went with the movement and kept his arms on the wall behind me, his face close to mine. Ducking, I moved out from his arms and stood behind him.
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Then why the sudden change of heart? I don’t like him anyway so you have no chance,’ I answered.
He smirked, leaning back against the wall. ‘I could make it worth your while,’ he winked. I hated that my blood started to rush through my veins in excitement.
‘I don’t really care to be honest. I’m not getting involved with your brother,’ I argued, looking him straight in the eye.
He cocked his head and sighed, running his hand down his face. ‘Can’t you just help me out?’ he asked and I shook my head, pushing myself away from the wall to the door. Hunter put his arm out, blocking the doorway. I considered ducking under it, but torturing him was a lot more fun.
‘No. Give me one good reason why I should.’
He gently placed a hand on my cheek, cupping it to make me look at him. ‘Because if you don’t, I’m a dead man walking,’ he admitted, brushing his thumb across my cheek bone. I gulped, realising the honesty that was behind his eyes. More than that, there was fear.
‘I’m not doing anything for you without some kind of explanation or reason. I came to university to learn, not fraternize. ?’ I said but he smiled softly, shaking his head.
‘If I told you why, it would be dangerous.’ I huffed, stepping back from his hand. He let it drop to his side.
‘And I thought that you were the ‘bad boy’,’ I teased and he chuckled.
‘Sweetheart, I may be bad, but he’s worse.’
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. ‘I don’t do danger, Hunter,’ I countered.
‘I’ll pay you,’ he added with a shrug.
I shook my head indignantly. ‘No, that would make me feel like a hooker.’ I shuddered to exaggerate my point and he laughed.
‘Suit yourself. I need this done, Andy, please. It doesn’t have to be for long, a week, max.’ I raised an eyebrow and he hastily shook his head at my cynical expression. ‘I got you into a new dance troop,’ he tried
‘Tell me why and I’ll do it, but I’m not doing it for more than a week,’ I warned.
‘Do it for the week and I’ll tell you what’s going on,’ he said, sounding more and more desperate by the second.
‘Why can’t you get Kenzi to do it?’ I asked.
‘Kenzi doesn’t scream trustworthy,’ he replied carefully and gave me a final look. ‘Please.’
I was an absolute sucker for people in need and despite the fact that I really didn’t want to. He’d helped me downstairs and he had also helped me with my troop. I exhaled deeply through my nose.
‘I’m doing this because of what you did for me earlier. I refuse to kiss him or do anything intimate, just become his friend and it’s only for a week,’ I outlined. If anything seemed like it was going to be too much trouble or something illegal, I would go no further with it, I’d made that silent promise to myself. He grinned and reached down, taking my face in his hands.
‘Thanks, Andy. You’re really helping me out here,’ he said, sounding somewhat sincere as he planted a kiss on my forehead.
‘
And with that, he walked away before I could get another word in. Knowing that I had to go back to Seb, I groaned.
I went to the toilet and applied a fresh layer of makeup, only to find that everyone had evacuated the bedroom. One thing that hadn’t crossed my mind was Kenzi. She had a major crush on Seb and I didn’t think that she would take well to me trying to get close to the guy that she wanted. She could have Hunter. I supposed that would make up for it.
On my way downstairs, I heard shouting coming from a nearby room. Normally, that was the point in a horror film where I would be screaming at the stupid girl in the film to ignore it, but being that stupid girl in the horror film, I opened the door.
I was greeted by someone that I didn’t recognise and the guy that had forced himself on me, both of them glaring. I gulped, backing out of the door as the guy made his way towards me.
I ran towards the stairs. The guy was shouting at me to stop. He hadn’t listened to me earlier, so I wasn’t about to listen to him as I grabbed the banister and jogged down the steps. My ankles were wobbly in my heels, but it didn’t slow me down.