There’s nothing better than a bad boy…

When feisty break dancer Andrea left for university, she thought she was ready to step into the real world. But she wasn’t prepared for meeting her new neighbour, Hunter. Arrogant, dangerous and a bit too sexy, Hunter’s everything Andrea knows she should resist…and can’t.

But when she gets swept up into Hunter’s dark, mysterious family, it seems that falling for a seductive rebel might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Is this good girl really ready to take on a bad boy?

The Good Girl’s Guide to Bad Boys

Katie Hart

www.CarinaUK.com

KATIE HART

has just left college and currently resides in Cornwall. Since a young girl, she has always had a passion for reading and writing, which led her to write and publish it to an online writing website. 27 million reads later, she has found herself at the very beginning of her writing journey, where she is extremely excited to embark on.

When she isn’t reading or writing, she is consuming the entire contents of her kitchen and compulsively organising her bookshelf into alphabetical order.

She hopes that the incredible support she received on the online writing platform follows through to her publishing venture.

Contents

Cover

Blurb

Title Page

Author Bio

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Endpages

Copyright

Chapter 1

Underwear – check!

New house key – check!

Clothes – check!

Dad’s credit card – check!

I was looking proudly at my organised bag when my mum opened my bedroom door and gave me a sad smile. Apparently, whisking your daughter off to university is one of the hardest jobs as a parent, that’s what she told me when I was packing a few days before. I would miss her, and her amazing skills in ironing, but the excitement of finally leaving home over-ruled every other emotion. The acceptance letter to university was like a one-way ticket to freedom.

‘Have you got everything, love?’ she asked and I nodded, patting my suitcase before putting the list down on my bed.

‘Yep, I’m ready to go.’ I tried to keep the bubbling excitement out of my voice, at least until I was in the car with Kenzi.

‘Good, have you got your underwear?’ she enquired. Typical mother. I smiled and nodded.

‘Yes, I have everything. Check this list,’ I replied as I handed it to her. I watched as her eyes skimmed over the page and a small smile appeared on her face.

‘Good girl.’ She stepped forward, taking my face in her hands and forcing me to look at her as she spoke. The skin on the sides of her eyes creased as she surveyed my features and looked down at my white jumper. ‘You promise to take care of yourself?’ she asked with a stern yet concerned expression.

‘Yes. I’ll eat every meal time, I won’t drink, I won’t take drugs, I won’t blow my money and I promise to do my studies,’ I recited and she grinned, placing a kiss on my forehead.

‘Good.’ There was a pause and I could see that the tears were on their way. ‘I’m going to miss you,’ she said in a hushed tone, looking at me with an expression that would make even the devil’s heart break. One more of her depressing looks and I’d crack.

‘I’ll miss you too.’ I walked over and gave her a hug, wrapping my arms around her fragile form. Guilt gripped my stomach as she tightened her arms and let out a wobbly breath. As soon as I walked out the door, she would be officially on her own. After dad walked out, I was the only thing she had left.

‘I’d better go, Kenzi’s outside,’ I murmured against the woollen fabric of her cardigan before I could lose my nerve.

‘Okay. Make sure that you text your dad when you get there and call me,’ she rambled.

I smiled, grabbing my suitcase. ‘Calm down, I’ll call,’ I replied, listening to the thump that my luggage made on the floor.

Saying goodbye to both my mum and my bedroom was harder than originally expected. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take my bed, or my mother, with me, so I turned off the light and stood in the passage.

I hadn’t lied about Kenzi being outside. When I glanced out of the window, I saw her red bug parked on the other side of the road with Kenzi inside, texting.

My suitcase grunted on each stair as I pulled it down and out of the front door. After another promise to behave and another hug and kiss, I strolled across the road towards Kenzi’s car.

‘At last! I thought she’d tie you up and never let you go!’ Kenzi exclaimed when I’d shoved my suitcase in the boot and slumped into the car.

‘I know, I think she was considering it at one point.’ I sighed inwardly, slipping my seatbelt on and looking at my best friend.

‘Did you tell her that we weren’t living together?’ she asked as she started the car.

I scoffed and shook my head. ‘Hell no, I value my life too much for that.’

Kenzi chuckled and drove out onto the open road with a grin on her face. She turned the radio up and started to sing along at the top of her lungs. I laughed and sat back in my seat, closing my eyes.

My mum was very... protective, and when I told her that I was going to the university in Sheffield, to keep her calm, I said that I was going to be staying in student accommodation flats with Kenzi. That wasn’t exactly the case. Even with the money that my dad sent me every month, I couldn’t afford the steep accommodation prices and neither could Kenzi, so we both decided to go our separate ways and live with other people. It was much cheaper renting out half of a random flat a couple of streets south of the university than it was renting in the student village or halls, where you’d end up living with five other people anyway. I didn’t know much about my roommate and I’d never met him, but I knew his name was Hunter and that he was asking very little for rent. When I asked Kenzi if she’d heard from Seb, her roommate, she shook her head.

‘Nope,’ she replied, popping the ‘p’.

‘Have you told your parents?’ She shook her head, chuckling.

‘They’d have a bigger fit than your mum! Especially since Seb is a guy.’ She winked and I laughed.

‘You have a point.’ Kenzi’s mother was worse than mine. As we were both breakdancers, our hobby was made difficult by the attitudes of our parents, but every weekend we’d sneak out and dance in the local clubs for some money and a bit of freedom. It was difficult, but worth it.

***

Just as I was about to ask Kenzi if I should ring Hunter to let him know I was on the way, she slowed the car down and smiled at me. ‘Right, I’ll drop you off first and then I’ll go and get some supplies,’ she said in a chirpy tone as she pulled up into a car park.

The apartments themselves didn’t look too bad, not for the price that Hunter was asking anyway. As I pushed myself out of the car, I felt the cold air blow against my cheeks and through my hair.

Kenzi got out after me, meeting me around the back. ‘I’ve just got to pop to the shop, I need some new toiletries,’ she told me and tapped my back. We hugged. ‘Make sure that you text me about your roommate!’ she called over her shoulder as she got back into the car.

‘Will do!’ I hollered, hauling my suitcase along the car park and towards the door.

The lobby didn’t seem too bad as I made my way to the lift in the corner. Up until then, I’d been quite happy with living with somebody that I didn’t know, but as soon as the lift arrived on the fourth floor, I felt my stomach churn with dread.

Apart from my dancing, the most rebellious thing I’d ever done was put salt in my mum’s tea as a joke. Living with a stranger and lying to my parents about it was a whole new experience, one that I really wasn’t looking forward to anymore.

My flat was at the end of the corridor. It looked quite daunting as I rolled my suitcase up to the door. Hunter had posted me a key so I could get in if he wasn’t there. My stomach jumped and my heart was hammering. I couldn’t help but panic and think I’d made the wrong decision as I put the key in the door.

The passage was a dark blue and once I was in the front room, it didn’t take me long to realise that it was near enough the same. Wooden flooring stretched out in front of me, holding a couch and an armchair. I had no idea why the rent was so low, but I was far from complaining. Maybe the roommate was a bit of a dud.

‘Wow,’ I mumbled, as I put my suitcase down and made myself at home on the sofa, my heart rate slowing and the worry subsiding.

I’d been sitting there for a while before I decided that I should give my dad a ring to get it over with. There was no way that my mum would call to tell him, which meant that the job fell on my shoulders. Since the divorce, they’d barely spoken.

After the third ring, he picked up.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi, Dad,’ I replied, sitting back on the sofa and feeling it relax beneath me.

‘Hi, sweet, how is everything?’ he asked. I guessed that he’d moved somewhere else as the background noise of his office quietened.

‘Everything’s good; I was just ringing to tell you that I’m at my dorm and am settling in fine.’ Before hanging up, I was greeted with a similar speech to the one that my mum gave me before I left.

I twisted to my right, hearing a noise from the hallway. A guy strolled into the living room, looking extremely shocked to see me. He sighed and held his hands up defensively.

‘Look, I don’t remember your name, hell, I don’t even remember getting with you. So please, just get out,’ he replied, stepping to the side of the door and gesturing for me to leave. My eyebrows shot up into my hairline and I stared at him in shock.

His broad shoulders in his t-shirt were pretty much covering the doorway, but I wasn’t planning on leaving any time soon.

‘Um, I’m not some stalker ex-girlfriend or hook up or whatever, I’m your new roommate,’ I said as calmly as I could. He hadn’t made a good first impression and the fact that his dark eyes were searching my body head to toe wasn’t making it any better.

‘But you’re a girl,’ he choked out with a confused expression clouding his face.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, looking down at myself and then back at him. ‘It would appear so.’

He frowned. ‘But you said in the email that your name is Andy?’ I nodded in response.

‘Yeah, Andy, short for Andrea.’

He shook his head, running his hand down his face. ‘Look, Andy, I don’t live with girls,’ he explained, glaring.

‘Well, you’re going to have to because I paid rent and I’m not leaving,’ I retorted, my heart hammering. He smirked, moving closer until we were almost flush with each other. It took everything in me not take another step back; he wasn’t going to scare me off. His eyes travelled down the length of my body and then back up to my eyes.

‘Especially not girls like you.’

Chapter 2

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the attractive jackass in front of me. Who the hell did he think he was?

‘What do you mean, girls like me?’ I crossed my arms over my chest again in irritation.

He looked down at my oversized jumper, baggy jeans and ponytail before rolling his eyes. ‘Polite chicks. Daddy’s girls,’ he muttered and I raised my eyebrows.

‘Do you immediately think that you know everybody, or just me?’ I retorted, glaring into his calm eyes.

‘Don’t flatter yourself, love,’ he said through a chuckle, stepping back so that he could lean on the wall behind him.

Sticking up for myself was a bit of a rarity, but he had sparked my temper and his attitude was beyond irritating. ‘If it’s any consolation, I don’t live with obnoxious arseholes that have egos to match,’ I all but spat and turned on my heel to grab my suitcase.

‘The good girl always falls for the bad boy,’ he sneered and I smirked.

‘You’re in luck because I’m not a good girl,’ I hissed and a small smile appeared on his face.

‘Prove it.’

I narrowed my eyes and raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘How am I meant to prove something like that?’ I asked and he grinned, showing me straight, white teeth.

‘Show me just how bad you are,’ he purred and I shoved his chest, picking up my bag and storming down the hall in the apartment. Amongst all the annoyance and anger, I’d completely forgotten to ask him which room was mine, so was now faced with a dilemma. Should I guess, or should I suck it up and ask him?

He watched me with interest, not moving from his spot on the wall. ‘You hit like a girl,’ he informed me and I huffed.

‘This may come as a shock to you, but I am a girl!’

He chuckled softly, nodding to the right to gesture which door was mine. ‘I can clearly see that,’ he replied as I pushed the door open.

Deciding to ignore him, I went inside and slammed the door behind me. I was surprised that the whole apartment didn’t shake.

The room itself was quite nice, complete with cream walls, a single bed and laminate flooring. I shoved my bag on the bed and sighed, running my hands down my face. I could hear Hunter moving around in the front room, but I wasn’t going out there again for a while, at least not until I’d unpacked. That was when my phone went off and I saw Kenzi’s number on caller ID.

‘Hi,’ I answered, carefully balancing the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I started to put my underwear away.

‘Hey, how is everything?’ she asked and I could hear the TV in the background. She was probably in her room having the time of her life with her roommate. Kenzi was pretty much the opposite of me. She was blonde, whereas I was a brunette; she was confident and totally bonkers. Every weekend when we worked at the club, she’d find someone different to go home with and would have the time of her life bumping and grinding beforehand. Kenzi was the type of girl that Hunter would be interested in.

‘Crap. My roommate is a jerk,’ I muttered, shutting the drawer and laying back on my bed with my feet on the headboard. Unpacking was the easy part; facing Hunter later that evening wasn’t something that I was looking forward to doing. I explained what had happened with Hunter so far.

‘Ouch. Mine’s alright. He’s hot,’ she added and I rolled my eyes with a smile pulling at my lips.

‘I thought he might be.’ I could practically hear the grin in her voice when she explained that Seb had an uncanny resemblance to Alex Pettyfer. We were mid-way through conversation when the door burst open and Hunter stood in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at my position before I cut him off.

‘You can’t come in without knocking,’ I said, taking my legs down and moving to sit cross-legged.

‘It’s my flat, I can do what I like. I was going to say that I’m ordering pizza, want any?’ he asked and I sighed, letting my shoulders slump as Kenzi squawked at me down the phone.

‘Yes, please,’ I answered, holding the phone to my chest to stop Hunter from hearing my friend’s rambling.

‘Ham and pineapple. Also if you weren’t so sheltered, you wouldn’t be bothered about me barging in without knocking.’ He shrugged afterwards to exaggerate his point.

‘Stop acting like you know me,’ I stated, which only caused his grin to widen.

‘Don’t stay up too late, you wouldn’t want to miss church tomorrow,’ he cooed. I lobbed my pillow at his face, but his reflexes were quicker and he shut the door before I hit my target. I groaned into my hands and then put the phone back to my ear. Kenzi was still talking.

‘I need your help,’ I replied. This definitely got her attention and surprisingly enough, shut the girl up.

‘What with?’ she asked.

‘You know what I said about my roommate?’ I didn’t even bother waiting for her to answer me. I’d told her about Hunter and his annoying ways. I’d known the guy less than an hour and I already hated him. ‘Well, I want to throw his pathetic comments back in his face,’ I paused.

‘Sure, just flirt with him or something, make him eat his words.’ That was her grand idea.

‘Definitely not,’ I retorted and she sighed.

‘Tease him,’ she offered but I shook my head, flumping back on my bed.

‘I can’t! I don’t know how!’

‘You did it with Marco.’ Her voice had a mocking tone to it and I stifled my laugh.

‘Marco was different,’ I insisted, practically hearing her eyes roll.

‘Andy, get out there and make him want you, make him chase you and then let him see you dance. After that, dump his arse like last week’s socks.’

I rolled my eyes and stretched. That was her way of dealing with things, not mine. I was just going to have to tolerate him for the time being and work something out later. ‘Right, Kenzi, I’ve got to go, but I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’

‘Sure, meet me at the coffee shop around the corner tomorrow at three.’ There wasn’t a goodbye before I was left listening to the dial tone. I hauled my sorry backside to the door and out into the open with the lion.

Hunter was sitting on the couch with his long legs spread out. He tapped his lap teasingly but I shook my head and retreated to the arm chair.

‘Scared?’ he mocked and I narrowed my eyes at him, curling one of my legs underneath me.

‘No, I just like having my dignity,’ I grumbled as I took my phone out from my pocket and started to text Kenzi. It was something that I tended to do in awkward situations.

‘Sure,’ he replied under his breath and the TV blared into life onto the music channel. As soon as I heard the tune, I missed my dance crew. I tapped my foot to the beat of the song and Hunter glanced over at me.

‘You look like you need the toilet,’ he said, earning him yet another scowl.

‘I’m tapping my foot to the rhythm,’ I corrected, but didn’t look over at him.

‘Can I ask you a question?’ I heard him shift on the sofa and when I looked over at him, he was sitting with his forearms resting on his knees and his dark eyes were trained on me.

‘Even if I say no, you’re going to ask me anyway, aren’t you?’ I asked, moving so that I was looking at him.

He grinned. ‘You got that right. I was just wondering why you’re so hostile.’

I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose. I wasn’t normally this hostile or unfriendly or whatever vibes I was giving off, he just knew exactly what buttons to press and was getting under my skin. ‘You didn’t exactly make a good first impression, did you?’

He shrugged, not denying it, but not accepting it either. ‘Guess not, but you’re still a bit unsociable.’

‘I’m not unsociable, I just don’t want to talk to you,’ I replied and he chuckled, sitting back against the sofa. He touched his chest in mock hurt.

‘So many rejections in so little time, you’re breaking my heart here,’ he teased.

It took everything in me not to smile and keep my mouth in a neutral line. ‘That’s a shame,’ I murmured, turning back to my phone. It didn’t work because he kept talking.

‘It is. Look, sorry for the introduction, but you were honestly a surprise,’ he said, turning the charm on again.

‘It’s fine,’ I answered in a bright tone and he smirked, leaning on his elbow.

‘So, does Daddy know you’re living with a boy?’ he asked and I narrowed my eyes.

‘Back to this again, are we?’ He nodded, lacing his fingers together and putting his hands behind his head. ‘Where do you even get that impression anyway?’ I asked.

‘You’re wearing white granny clothes, you hold yourself like you’re scared of everything that moves and you’re far too polite,’ he replied with a shrug. Before I could answer, the doorbell went. Hunter got up and strolled to the door to collect the pizza.

Living at home like the good little girl that my mum expected suddenly sounded like an amazing idea.

Chapter 3

The pizza was good, the chat with Hunter, not so much.

‘So, are you a virgin?’ he asked and I nearly choked on the piece of pizza that I’d been eating.

‘Excuse me?’ I coughed out and he smirked, resting his ankle on the opposite knee.

‘Please don’t tell me that you’re a sexphobe.’

I glanced over at him and put my piece of pizza on a plate. ‘Don’t you have any normal questions? Like, what’s your favourite colour?’ I asked and he chuckled softly.

‘Let me guess, princess pink?’ he retorted and I clenched my jaw.

‘Do you have a problem with me or something?’ I seethed and he shook his head.

‘Not at all, I just think that if we’re going to live together, then we should get to know each other.’ He shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

‘No, I’m not a sexphobe. I’m not a virgin and my favourite colour is lime green,’ I listed.

A grin broke out on his handsome face as he took another bite of his pizza. ‘Good to know.’

Instead of groaning in frustration, I finished off my pizza slice and made my way to the kitchen to clean up.

‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ he asked when I came back in.

I raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘You’re nosy, you know that?’ I sat down, with his eyes still trained on me.

He merely shrugged. ‘And you never answer my questions without some kind of smartass remark first,’ he pointed out. I sighed and stood up, brushing imaginary dirt from my jeans, drawing his attention to my legs. Although completely accidental, it made him forget about his question.

‘Goodnight,’ I mumbled, turning on my heels and making my way to my bedroom.

I had no idea how long he stayed up for because after I got changed, I brushed my teeth and pretty much fell straight to sleep.

***

‘Andrea!’ I felt someone shake my shoulders and I woke up with a start, staring straight at Hunter’s smirking face. He was in low-hanging jeans and no shirt. Trying not to gawp at his toned chest was difficult, but the urge was soon completely gone when I realised that he was in my room. In the morning. While I was in a tank top and boxers.

‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing in here?!’ I exclaimed, sitting up. I grabbed my duvet to cover myself in haste. He stood back and crossed his arms over his chest, bringing my attention to the small tattoo on his upper chest.

‘There’s a girl in my living room that claims to know you.’ His answer left me confused until I realised that it must’ve been Kenzi.

‘Thanks, bye,’ I grumbled, stretching. I wasn’t about to get up until he’d gone. ‘Um, can you get out, please?’ I asked as politely as I could and he chuckled to himself.

‘Happily, if you’re done checking me out,’ he said.

I glared up at him. ‘Your head is stuck firmly up your arse,’ I ground out and he chuckled, walking to the door.

‘A body part of mine that you will also be gawping at,’ he remarked over his shoulder as he left. I was going to say that I wasn’t, but I didn’t fancy eating my words as I glanced at his backside while he was leaving.

‘Andy!’ Kenzi shouted and I grimaced at the high-pitched tone of her voice. I answered with a ‘coming’ and quickly got dressed, tying my hair back behind my head.

I didn’t bother with any makeup as I strolled into the front room. Kenzi was sitting on the sofa and looking at Hunter with adoring eyes. He clearly loved it as he hadn’t bothered to put a top on, nor had he looked up at my entrance.

‘Do you even own any clothes?’ I asked as I sat down and Kenzi hit my thigh, causing me to wince and send her a glare.

‘Your friend didn’t seem to want to see them,’ he retorted with a shrug. I was left gaping at him while Kenzi chuckled.

‘Wear less if you like, see if I care,’ she drawled with a sly smile. Note to self: Don’t let the two of them converse, ever again.

‘I might do just that,’ he winked, sauntering into the kitchen. I glared at her. She snapped out of her Hunter-induced haze and raised her eyebrows at me.

‘What?’ she asked incredulously.

‘You know what! I told you last night, he’s an arse!’ I whisper-yelled and she shrugged.

‘But he’s good looking and charming,’ she tried to justify and I cut her off by holding my hand up.

‘I know that, but don’t fall for the charm,’ I hissed, just as he entered the room again, looking at us both as if we were crazy.

‘So, what’s your name?’ he asked Kenzi and she smiled immediately. I rolled my eyes, getting up to leave the new ‘lovebirds’ to it.

I made myself some toast and checked my phone, only to receive a message from my mum, already giving me a lecture on alcohol.

‘Andy!’ Kenzi hollered. I took a deep breath before leaving the comfort of the kitchen to enter the front room. Kenzi was pretty much positioned on Hunter’s lap and he was giving me a smug grin.

‘Yes?’ I asked, leaning on the doorframe to the kitchen.

‘You’ll never guess what!’ she exclaimed, getting up from Hunter. She didn’t normally get that excited so it didn’t take long for me to take the bait.

‘What?’ I asked.

‘Well, Hunter says that there’s a dance troop downtown looking for new recruits!’

I raised both of my eyebrows. That wasn’t what I’d been expecting. ‘Really? Breakers?’

She nodded quickly, grinning from ear to ear. ‘So go and get ready. Hunter has their number!’ she squealed and jumped on him in a hug, causing me to raise my eyebrows again.

‘Right, I’m going,’ I replied. I ended up speaking to myself because Hunter and Kenzi were talking between themselves.

I grabbed my vans and jogging bottoms, matching them with my tank top and mascara before reappearing in the front room. Despite expecting them to be sucking face with each other, Hunter was gone and Kenzi was smiling with a dreamy look on her face.

‘Hunter’s waiting outside for us,’ she informed me and I smirked.

‘In a shirt, I hope,’ I muttered. She glanced over her shoulder at me, allowing me to lock the door.

‘I don’t,’ she scoffed and I laughed, patting her back.

‘Stop being so perverted and get down those stairs.’

‘I can’t believe he’s doing this for us!’ she exclaimed when we reached the lobby.

‘He wants to get in your pants,’ I answered bluntly, causing her to gasp, faking shock.

‘To hell if he does, he’s hot.’ She shrugged.

‘Kenzi, he’s a walking STD,’ I muttered. Kenzi laughed.

Hunter was nowhere in sight by the time we’d left the block of flats.

‘Where is he?’ Kenzi’s voice was soon drowned out by the roar of an engine, and a black jeep pulled up with a very hot guy in a leather jacket behind the wheel gesturing towards the door.

‘Climb aboard,’ he invited, patting the passenger seat. As my friend clambered inside, I narrowed my eyes. If getting with Kenzi was his idea of playing games, he was not going to win.

Chapter 4

It was safe to say that I’d found two more things that I hated about Hunter. His car and his music.

‘So, you guys are full on dancers?’ he asked, glancing over at Kenzi. One of his hands was on her knee and the other was on the wheel, driving along lazily. I didn’t exactly trust his driving skills, either, making me all the more nervous.

‘Yeah, breakdancers,’ she chimed, looking over at him adoringly with a smile.

‘Can you guys tone it down? I feel like a spare part,’ I said, leaning back on the hard leather seat.

Hunter looked at me in the rearview mirror with one side of his mouth quirked. ‘Is there a problem, princess?’ he mocked, only causing me to narrow my eyes so much that I couldn’t see his face properly. I didn’t need to see his mouth to know that it was already contorted into that irritating smirk.

‘Yeah, you are the problem. Stop flirting with my best friend and drive,’ I said, folding my arms over my chest. I could feel my heart hammering against my bare forearm.

We didn’t know this new crew, nor did we know how well they danced, so this could’ve been a load of crap. Not to mention that they were friends of Hunter’s.

‘I’m not flirting. I’m enquiring,’ he retorted, feigning innocence. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the window.

The area that I had moved to really wasn’t that bad. Despite what my flat looked like from the outside, it was amazing on the inside. The brown and cream colouring of the buildings gave them a vintage look, mixed in with modern office buildings as we weaved through the main streets. The backstreets were a completely different story. The people there frightened me, but I wasn’t about to tell Hunter that.

‘We’re here,’ Hunter cooed when he’d pulled up outside what looked like an old factory warehouse. It didn’t look all that bad and I could hear the beat of the music pumping from the inside, but I still wasn’t convinced. Kenzi, however, was a completely different story and was bouncing with excitement in her seat.

‘Are you sure that you didn’t just bring us out here to rape and kill us?’ I asked. ‘Because I have pepper spray with me,’ I finished lamely, leaving him smirking. His shoulders shook with his laughter and it didn’t take me long to realise that I liked his laugh. It was friendly and welcoming. Everything that Hunter wasn’t.

‘Andy, if I was going to rape and kill you both, do you really think that it was a good idea telling me that you have pepper spray on you?’ He raised a quizzical eyebrow when I huffed. ‘Thought not. Now c’mon, you two,’ he drawled, slipping his keys into his back pocket.

‘You know, maybe we should wait until we can find a troop at uni, I have some reading to do anyway...’ I trailed off, keeping my distance behind them.

Hunter looked over his shoulder at me. ‘Live a little,’ he hollered and I frowned, shoving my bag over my shoulder as we walked to the door. The beat began to get louder, going straight through my chest and matching my heartbeat.

‘Hunt!’ I heard a guy call and when I had stopped looking around at the surprisingly homey interior, I noticed a dark-haired guy strolling over to us. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and he had a dancer’s body: toned chest but not bulky and a slim waist where his jeans were hanging. There was another girl in the troop; she was standing in the corner, doing some simple break moves to the music.

‘Kyle, man,’ Hunter answered. Kenzi joined my side and nudged me with her elbow, gesturing to Kyle, who had made his way over. He looked at us, skimming over our bodies with his piercing blue eyes.

‘So, you guys can dance, then?’ Kyle asked, side-stepping Hunter to speak to us.

‘Yep,’ Kenzi answered, confidence wound through her voice. She altered her posture so that she was standing straight. I rubbed my arm nervously, doing a quick spot check for the exits in case something went wrong.

Kyle smiled and stood aside, gesturing for us to walk in front of him.

‘Right, we’ll shove some music on and we’ll give you both a dance off,’ he replied, glancing over at the girl by the CD player, who was coming over to meet us.

‘Hey,’ the girl said cautiously. She scrutinised me and then glanced at Kyle as he introduced us. I’d already dumped my bag on the floor so was quickly stretching my muscles before starting.

Now that I was sure I was safe, I wasn’t nervous. Both Kenzi and I were confident in our dancing abilities and knew we would be able to match them. I just wasn’t keen on Hunter and how he seemed to be lingering, watching my every move. The longer Kyle spoke, the easier it was to ignore him.

It wasn’t long before Kenzi and I were set by the music player and Kyle’s crew were standing opposite. I closed my eyes and took in the beat of the song, letting it guide my mind to the dance moves. I gave Kenzi a quick look and got an idea.

‘Haze routine,’ I whispered and her eyes widened before she nodded at me with a grin.

At Haze, a nightclub at home, we managed to do a huge routine, the one that made us known among the troops and clubs. It was our first official gig and one of our best ever routines. It was also the start of our dancing career and included a few hip moves that would probably make my mother cry if she saw them.

Kyle’s crew started the dance first. They both moved well and I had to admit, I was beginning to get nervous about facing them. The standard that they set was that of our old crew, if not better.

Kenzi and I completed a series of body rolls, side steps and twists before the other team took their go. We must’ve danced for about half an hour before both teams ran out of moves and everyone was breathing heavily. Kyle smiled and wiped his forehead with a towel before holding his hand out to me.

‘You girls are good, you’re welcome to dance with us,’ he said inbetween pants and I smiled. Before I could answer, Kenzi cut in, leaving me listening to my racing heart and deep breathing.

‘Thanks, can I take your number?’ she asked. I tuned out of the rest of their conversation and pulled the bottom of my top up, allowing the cool air to soothe my skin.

I left Kenzi to talk to the others as I went outside with my bag to clean myself up. The breeze hit my forehead, blowing my fringe out of the way. I decided to cool down, stretching the toned muscles in my stomach and back.

‘I didn’t expect that.’ Hunter’s voice came from behind me and I sighed.

‘Why are you still here?’ I asked, still stretching. It wasn’t until I saw his eyes move down my back that I realised I was pushing my backside out in front of him. Instantly, I straightened.

‘You guys need a lift home,’ he replied easily, leaning against the cool stone wall behind me.

‘Can you do me a favour?’ I asked, glancing over at his handsome face and he smirked.

‘For a price.’

‘You’re impossible,’ I huffed. I reached down to grab my bag but felt a large hand on my forearm. Before I could register what was happening, I was flush with Hunter’s muscled chest, his warm hand still tight on arm. My eyes searched his face quickly, my blood racing through my veins.

‘You keep walking away from me,’ he said, still wearing that stupid smirk. If I could have, I’d have smacked it right from his face.

‘That’s because you’re irritating,’ I ground out, trying to pull myself away, but failing.

‘You know, you’re one of the first girls to ever reject me,’ he whispered.

I narrowed my eyes and scoffed. ‘Wow. Just when I thought that your head couldn’t get any bigger.’

He didn’t answer me, just brushed his thumb along the bare skin of my arms, causing tingles to break out. ‘I’m not big headed, just... confident.’ He shrugged, letting my arm go.

I yanked it back and took two steps away from him, distancing us. He didn’t need to know that he’d just made my heart race. ‘Kenzi’s confident, you cross the line,’ I corrected, bending down to pick up my bag and went to meet Kenzi back inside. I was strongly considering asking her to switch roommates.

Hunter was by my side in minutes, grinning at me. ‘You’ve got a really short temper, you know,’ he noted and I bit my lip to prevent myself letting another sarcastic comment out, stalking back over to Kenzi and Kyle.

‘Only with you,’ I shot back over my shoulder, earning me a mock salute from my roommate. I was going to have to try to get along with him, I had another twelve months living in the same house as him and we weren’t going to be having any fun at all the way we were at the moment. Plus, if I didn’t get along with him, I didn’t know where I’d go or what I’d do, all the student flats would be full.

‘Andy!’ Kenzi called and I smiled, meeting her over by Kyle. He told us that they practised at the same warehouse every Wednesday, Saturday and Monday.

‘Right, ladies, we’ve got to go,’ Hunter called from the door.

I slowly made my way over to him and Kenzi held her hand up to signal that she’d be a couple of minutes. Kyle was handing her some leaflets and was talking to her about where we’d be dancing and what type of clothes we’d need.

Just as Hunter was about to get in the car, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat and he stiffened. I was positioned behind him but I could see every single muscle in his back go taut.

‘Well, if it isn’t my dear brother,’ cooed an unfamiliar voice. I was about to peer over Hunter’s shoulder to look at the guy addressing us but his arm shot back. He gave me one quick glance over his shoulder and then looked back in front of him, a sneer painted on his face.

‘Hello Seb.’

Chapter 5

By the looks of things, we were in a fair bit of trouble. I tried to slip past Hunter again but he put his arm out and gave me a warning look.

‘Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around all day?’ Hunter asked, giving Seb an exasperated look.

‘Don’t flatter yourself. I’m here to pick Kenzi up.’ He shrugged and I noticed frown lines appear on Hunter’s face. ‘I thought that you might want to spend time with your newest whore,’ Seb added, leaving me blushing and beyond offended.

‘Um, no, thank you. Take him with you if you like.’ I gave a one shoulder shrug, earning an eyebrow raise from Hunter and a smirk from Seb.

‘I’ll leave him with you, love. Sorry about that,’ he countered until Hunter cleared his throat.

‘If you two are finished,’ Hunter hissed and I smiled, masking my discomfort.

I heard the car doors unlock and Hunter put his hand on the handle in preparation.

‘Seb!’ Kenzi exclaimed, greeting him from behind us. I widened my eyes but Hunter didn’t look in the least surprised.

‘Come on, we’re going,’ he whispered to me. I didn’t realise how close Hunter was until his voice and his breath were dancing on my neck, below my ear. His hand on my forearm caused heat to go searing through my skin.

‘I’ll see you later, Kenz!’ I called over Hunter’s shoulder and she nodded with a smile. Seb gave me a wink and a small salute before leading her away.

I got into the car sulkily, shutting the door a little too loudly. Hunter’s knuckles were white on the wheel and he started the car with more force on the pedal than necessary.

‘What was all that about?’ I asked.

Hunter grunted, not taking his eyes off the road. ‘None of your business,’ he responded. Rolling my eyes, I decided not to push the subject. His snappy attitude was enough to make me not want to engage in conversation with him.

‘Will you chill out?’ I said after about five minutes of watching him ram buttons on the car and screech round corners, cursing under his breath. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and sighed, turning the music up to block me out.

‘You’re a jerk, you know that?!’ I yelled over the music. He just smirked and pulled up outside of the flats. He didn’t even wait for me; he got out and started walking to the door.

Too irritated to care, I left my bag in the boot and jogged in after him.

‘No wonder your brother gets all the girls, have you met you?’ I asked, after catching him up in the lift, and he turned to face me with an annoyed expression.

‘Just be quiet,’ he grumbled, leaning back against the wall of the lift.

‘No. You can’t order me around like you do everyone else,’ I retorted. I was about to go on with my lecture when he leaned over and placed his lips on mine. It took me a moment to register what was going on. His lips were soft and he gently pressed his tongue against my lips, asking for permission. I granted it before bringing my teeth down on his tongue. He pulled back and swore, licking his lip.

‘Did you just bite me?’ He stared at me in disbelief. I nodded smugly, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t know what I was more annoyed about, the fact that he’d kissed me, or the fact that I’d slightly enjoyed it. Apart from Hunter just then, the only person I’d ever kissed was my ex-boyfriend, Marco.

‘Yes, I did. You cannot just go around kissing people.’ Without giving him a backwards glance, I walked out of the lift and towards our flat.

‘You know, I’m beginning to believe that you really are that good little church girl,’ he chimed behind me and I spun around to face him. I hated his assumptions and more than anything, I hated that he was right.

‘No, I am not.’ I was lying and we both knew it. Hunter stepped forward and stood so close that I could feel the tickle of air from his lips on mine. His hands held my hips still and he glanced at me, making me near enough lose myself in his dark green eyes. He had me exactly where he wanted me.

‘Then prove it,’ he repeated and pressed his lips to mine. I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do. Making a quick decision to prove him wrong, I moved my lips with his and my hand made its way up to the nape of his neck.

After a small battle of dominance, he won out and pushed me back so that I was against the wall outside our flat. I finally found my senses and pulled back, still trapped in his embrace. He smirked down at my lips. I grinned, twisted and pushed him back against the wall, pressing my mouth to his. He was more than happy to oblige and let his hands wander down to my arse.

Grinning against his lips, I pulled back and ran my hands down his chest to his belt loops, pulling him against my lower half. Keeping my lips close enough to feel his breath, I looked up into his eyes, which were glazed over with lust.

‘I just did,’ I whispered and he grinned, looking down at our bodies which were pressed tight against each other. I moved forward and pressed my lips against the soft skin of his neck, feeling his raging pulse under his skin.

‘God, you’re good at this,’ he groaned when I moved my pelvis against his crotch area.

I smiled. ‘I know, and soon you’ll be begging to sleep with me.’ I stepped back and looked at his shocked expression. ‘But you don’t do girls like me, do you?’ I asked nonchalantly and his brows furrowed. Before he could get a word in, I sauntered away, adding an extra sway to my hips as I opened the door and let myself inside.

Once in my room, I allowed my jelly legs to give out. I couldn’t believe that I had just done that. I didn’t do that type of thing. Ever. My virginity had gone to the guy I loved and I didn’t go around acting like that, certainly not with people I barely knew. But there was something about Hunter that wound me up.

I spent about an hour going over the books I’d need for uni before going into the front room. Hunter was in there and he was completely calm, considering what had just happened between us.

‘Uni starts tomorrow, do you need a ride?’ he asked and I glanced over in his direction.

I shook my head. ‘Nope, Kenzi is taking me.’

He nodded and looked back at the television screen. ‘I will never beg you for anything, you know,’ he informed me. I snapped my head over to look at him but his eyes didn’t leave the TV screen. I chose to ignore him.

‘My brother isn’t good for Kenzi, by the way,’ he added and I sighed.

‘Jealous?’

He scoffed, shaking his head. ‘She’s not worth my jealousy,’ he muttered and I scowled.

‘Watch your mouth.’

He shrugged and finished what he was going to say. ‘He’s trouble, worse than me.’

I matched his smirk with my own coy smile. ‘I’m glad that I don’t know him well, then.’

‘You will get to know him, he goes to the same university.’

We were having an actual conversation, one without insults. Well, few insults. I wouldn’t admit it to his face, but talking to him kept my mind off my first day and how nervous I was about starting university.

When I went back to my room, I found an email on my phone. It was from my dad, letting me know the official date of his wedding and the time I should be there. Excitement erupted in my stomach and I grinned at the screen. When my parents got their divorce, Dad was already half in love with someone else and as much as I hated him at the time for what he did to my mother, he was happy.

***

‘Rise and shine!’ Hunter called the next morning, hammering on my door. I groaned, rolling over and pressing my face into the pillow. Next thing I knew, the bed beside me went down with someone’s weight. An arm snaked around my waist and pulled me away from the pillows. I swore and turned around to hit my attacker but my wrist was caught in a firm hand.

‘I don’t think so,’ Hunter chided, letting his eyes wander freely over me in my boxers and t-shirt. I would’ve hit him if I could use my hand.

Instead, I yanked my arm back from his grasp and got up, taking my clothes and underwear to the bathroom. When I returned, Hunter was gone and my phone was ringing.

‘Hey!’ Kenzi yelled through the phone when I answered it.

‘Hey, are you all ready?’ I asked as I put my English text books into my bag.

‘Yeah, pretty much. I was calling to make sure that I am actually picking you up at ten.’

‘Yep.’ I heard some papers rustling in the background until I heard her voice again.

‘Oh, there’s this party tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to come,’ she trailed off and I sighed. Parties weren’t exactly my thing, but as it was freshers’ week, there wasn’t really much of a choice. I wanted to get to know some people.

‘Sure, why not.’

She squealed and once again, I held the receiver away from my ear. ‘Great! See you in an hour.’

I hung up shortly after her outburst and made my way into the front room.

‘Looking good.’ I looked over at the sofa to see Hunter lying across it, assessing my body in tight white jeans and dark blue top. I’d borrowed the outfit from Kenzi and was glad to be able to wear something tighter, rather than the loose clothing my mother used to force upon me.

‘Uh, thanks,’ I mumbled, letting my own eyes wander over his muscled torso in his black shirt and dark-wash jeans.

I walked into the kitchen to make my breakfast when I felt a presence behind me. Warm hands settled on my hips and Hunter’s mouth was on my neck. Had he not learned anything from yesterday?

I leaned back slightly, annoyed when a soft moan escaped my throat. Hunter chuckled and ran his hand down the top of my thigh before pulling away.

‘On the contrary, you’ll be the one doing the begging,’ he whispered, giving my jaw line one more kiss.

‘That sounds like a challenge,’ I responded, wanting to kick myself when my voice came out husky.

‘That’s because it is,’ he confirmed, before backing away and heading out of the kitchen.

Chapter 6

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.

My breaths came thicker as I got to the bottom of the stairs. A warm hand enclosed my arm and pulled me forward. Expecting to see Hunter, I was surprised when I found myself face to chest, Seb. He placed a finger to his lips as I heard the guy jog past into the beat of the music.

I pulled my arm back and then remembered that I was meant to be getting close to him. ‘Um, thanks,’ I said and he smiled.

It wasn’t friendly, more patronising. ‘How much have you had to drink?’ he asked and I frowned, trying to smell my breath with my hand.

‘Don’t know, a fair bit.’ I shrugged and then cocked my head to the side, taking in his features. ‘Why?’ He smirked, annoyingly alike his brother, and then glanced behind me.

‘You seemed a bit wobbly on the stairs there,’ he said, smiling.

It was then that I noticed we were in the dark, surrounded by the walls and the hollow beat of the music.

‘Come on, let’s get you some water.’

I shrugged, following behind him as he walked us to the kitchen. He was a bit shorter than Hunter and his shoulders were wider, so much wider that I couldn’t see past him.

‘Juice?’ he asked when I got there.

‘Just water, please.’ He nodded, passing me a glass with clear liquid.

‘How do I know that you haven’t drugged this?’ I asked with a raised eyebrow and he smirked.

‘Unless Kyle’s tap pours out date rape, then I think you’re safe.’

I chuckled, taking a sip and sighing, leaning against the counter.

‘So, Hunter, eh?’ he asked and I nodded, putting the glass down on the counter.

‘Yep.’

‘What’s it like living with the tosser?’ he asked, trying to conceal the fact that his eyes were trained on my lips.

‘So much fun,’ I replied in a sarcastic tone. One side of his mouth quirked and he started walking in my direction. Not missing a beat, he placed his hands on either side of me on the counter.

I glanced at him, trying to think clearly rather than in my alcohol-induced haze. I would say beer goggles, but this guy was good looking without those.

He leaned down and pressed a single kiss to my lips, not sloppy but gentle. I looked up at his dark eyes and he smirked, not moving away from me. There was a strong scent of alcohol on his breath when he breathed out and met my gaze.

‘You know, you guys do actually have something in common,’ I admitted. He leaned back and looked at me with interest, crossing his arms.

‘And what’s that?’

‘Neither of you keep your hands, or your lips, to yourselves,’ I stated and he chuckled.

‘Must run in the family.’

Chapter 9

‘No,’ I countered for the umpteenth time.

‘Are you sure?’ Hunter asked and I groaned, running my hands down my face.

‘No, you know, I’m not. Maybe he slipped it in when I wasn’t looking!’ I exclaimed, causing Hunter to smirk and stop making the omelette.

‘No need to be snarky about it,’ he teased, gently prodding our food with the spatula. One thing that I hadn’t guessed about him was that he could cook.

‘Well stop telling me that I slept with your brother then,’ I said. Hunter only chuckled, shaking his head. What he didn’t know was that I’d spent the night before in the same room with Kenzi, Kyle and Seb. No funny business would’ve been able to happen unless I was happy to get at it like rabbits in front of my two friends. Which, just to clarify, I wasn’t. Plus, after the police had taken our statements and dispersed the party, nobody was in a chatty mood.

‘I wasn’t telling, I was asking.’ Hunter turned and tipped the omelette out of the pan and onto a plate, letting the juice run onto the white china, turning it slowly yellow. Picking up the fork, I cut a bit off the end and took a bite. The flavour erupted onto my tongue, tingling my every taste bud.

Hunter was giving me such a smug smile that I couldn’t bear to tell him how good the omelette actually was. I shrugged nonchalantly. ‘It’s all right.’

He laughed, taking his own bite. ‘It’s amazing, you know it,’ he taunted, leaning against the counter and waving his fork in front of my face.

I grunted, rolling my eyes and taking another big bite, popping it in my mouth. ‘It’s okay,’ I corrected, jumping down from the counter. I brushed my hands on my jeans and was about to turn to go out when Hunter grabbed my arm, pulling me back against his chest. I felt the warmth radiate from his body and onto mine.

I shook my head. ‘Ah, ah, ah. I don’t think so,’ I said, yanking my arm back and stepping away towards the door.

He frowned but continued to watch me with an amused expression. ‘Don’t like my kisses anymore?’ he asked, taking another step towards me.

I shook my head again. ‘Nope. You want me to get closer to your brother, so that is exactly what I am going do.’ Hunter just raised a quizzical eyebrow as I backed out of the flat with my coat, walking downstairs to meet my friends outside.

Little did I know, Hunter had followed me to the lift. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him with a small scowl on his face. I almost laughed but his serious expression stopped any sound coming out apart from a squeak.

‘Andy, promise me that you’ll be careful around him.’ His words had such a sharp edge to them that I nearly flinched.

‘If I’m in so much danger, I’m not sure I should be doing this. Why do you want me to do this?’ I asked and he immediately closed off.

‘It’s not dangerous for you, I just want you to watch your back. You’re not ready to know that yet.’ He started to stroll back to the flat.

‘I’ll see you later,’ I shouted at his back, running my hands down my face. I was just hoping that an afternoon of dance practice would be able to calm me down. I was a little wary and quite scared, so wasn’t sure how well I’d actually do. I could always pretend that I didn’t manage to get close to him and that he was too interested in Kenzi. That seemed like the safer option.

Seb was over by the car having a cigarette (total turn off) and Kenzi was sitting on the bonnet, staring at him adorably (another turn off). Seb acknowledged me with a nod. Kenzi grinned and slipped into the back, barrelling into me when she clipped her seatbelt in.

‘Apparently, Zoe and Kyle did the dirty deed,’ Kenzi whispered when Seb had lowered himself into the car. I was about to ask why Seb was tagging along when he wasn’t a dancer, but that wasn’t exactly the best way to start our ‘budding friendship’.

‘You don’t need to whisper, it isn’t exactly a secret,’ Seb replied, looking at us both through the wing mirror. ‘Who do you think walked in on them in the morning?’ he asked. I shuddered, reaching down and doing my seatbelt up.

‘That’s disgusting.’ Kenzi scrunched her nose up and thwacked the back of Seb’s seat.

All the way to the warehouse, I had to listen to Kenzi and Seb’s god awful singing.

‘I think my ears are bleeding,’ I murmured as I got out.

The music was already pumping in the warehouse by the time that I had dumped my bags by the door. There wasn’t any sign of Kyle or Zoe but I brushed that thought away as Seb dropped his bags next to mine.

***

Finally, Kyle emerged from a cupboard and walked over to meet us. I decided against asking where Zoe was, mainly because I really didn’t care and because if she wasn’t there, I would have one less problem to deal with.

It turned out, Kyle wasn’t one for hanging about; we got straight down to the dancing. Most of the time, I was next to Kyle, mirroring his moves and body rolling, which apparently was what Zoe’s job consisted of most of the time. Being the only girl before Kenzi and I showed up, she was the ‘sex magnet’ or as Seb called her, the ‘STI magnet’. Their crew used to consist of five people, but Kyle told us they walked out when their courses at university got tougher.

Seb didn’t do much, just observed, keeping his eyes on both Kenzi and I as we tried to pick up the moves. It wasn’t exactly hard, the music matched my rhythm, I was moving my limbs with the beat and taking me out of present time.

When we stopped for a breather, I noticed Seb get up to answer his phone. He was pacing outside, running his hands down his face with an exasperated expression. His body language made it clear that he was having an argument. I felt my heart jump when he caught me watching him.

He turned his back on me after shooting me a glare and moved out of sight. He didn’t come back until practice ended to take Kenzi back to the flat.

‘Need a ride?’ I heard a voice when I had made my way about half-way down the road. I glanced over my shoulder to see Hunter in his car, leaning out of the window and shooting me a smirk.

Instead of answering him, I carried on walking with an annoyed expression. ‘Nope! God gave me legs to walk, not just to look good,’ I shot back and I heard him chuckle before the engine roared again, this time coming level with my walking speed.

‘And they do both very well. Get in the car.’ I glanced over to see that one long, muscled arm was hanging out of the window and the other was lying lazily over the wheel. He wasn’t wearing his usual leather jacket, which only exaggerated the muscles on his arms.

‘I’d rather not. For all I know you could kidnap and torture me. I’d never be seen again,’ I replied snottily, deliberately trying to annoy him. He sighed and pulled the car onto the pavement in front of me. ‘I’m pretty sure that the cars are meant to stay over there. This is pedestrian turf,’ I said, gesturing towards the road and crossing my arms over my chest. Hunter raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused. Either I wasn’t as irritating as I thought, or he just had a soft spot for loons.

‘Andy, if I was going to kill you and torture you, I’d do that in your sleep. You also have pepper spray apparently. I’d rather that stayed in the bottle and not in my eye sockets.’ He paused to trail his eyes over my body in my dance gear. ‘The quicker you get in the car, the quicker you can get home.’ I shook my head, making a move to walk around the car but the engine roared in protest. ‘I’ll give you three options, okay?’ Hunter said, holding three of his fingers out. ‘One, you can get in the car. Two, you can avoid getting in the car and I’ll drive home quickly before locking you out or three, I’ll just run over your legs so that you have no choice in the matter.’

I groaned, clambering into the car. Hunter’s eyes never left me as I slammed the door shut and put the seatbelt on.

‘After a short time of living with you, I’ve come to the conclusion that you don’t do anything gently,’ he mocked, pushing the gear stick forward and backing off the pavement and back onto the road.

‘That’s because I like it rough,’ I purred, tapping his thigh.

His large hand latched around my wrist, pulling it up from his leg. His eyes were trained on the road ahead. ‘Don’t even bother. I’ve had enough cold showers thanks to you; I don’t want to go through another.’

I sniggered and took my hand back, resting it on my own thigh and tapping out the rhythm of the dance song.

‘Did you find anything out about Seb?’ Hunter tried to ask casually but the tension in his voice was a bit of a giveaway.

‘Yep, I found out that he has a top secret lair below the warehouse and there are all sorts down there, nuclear missiles, guns, hell, I even saw human test tube babies.’ I noticed that Hunter was attempting to glare at me but his lips were slowly curving into a smile.

‘Seriously, Andy, did he say anything?’ Hunter pushed and I rolled my eyes, looking out of the window.

‘I’ll tell you what he did if you tell me why you want to know,’ I countered and he shook his head with a smirk.

‘Keeping you in the dark is best.’

‘You’re making this sound like something out of the Godfather,’ I mumbled, earning a small chuckle from the driver’s seat.

The rest of the drive went by in silence, so did the walk back up to the apartment. I left Hunter to lock up his car and grab his bag while I jogged up the stairs – avoiding the death trap of a lift – and unlocked the door.

Dumping my bag on the armchair, I slumped down onto the sofa, feeling something sharp dig into the back of my leg. Hunter’s feet were making an echoing noise through the passage and when I shifted to see if I could see him, the sharp object pinched my leg.

I grunted, picking up the sofa cushion. I found myself staring at an object that I’d only ever seen in films. The metal was cold against my fingertips and my stomach dropped to my feet. I felt Hunter’s presence by the door and I turned to face him, holding it between my fingers carefully, making sure not to touch it properly.

‘Hunter, why the hell do you have a gun?!’

Chapter 10

Hunter didn’t say anything; he just rubbed the nape of his neck nervously, causing me to narrow my eyes on his speechless form. The gun was heavy and I suddenly realised I was holding A GUN!

I carefully shoved my hand in his direction, holding the butt of the gun between my fingertips. There was no way that my hand was going near the trigger, I didn’t want to go to jail for manslaughter, even if the guy was an absolute arse. I doubted that excuse would hold up in court.

‘Self-defence,’ Hunter said at last, taking the gun from my trembling hand and shoving it in the waistband of his jeans. I stared at the area he’d placed it and I could still see it protruding from the top of his jeans.

Opening and closing my mouth a couple of times, I attempted to formulate words. ‘Self-defence from what, exactly?! Those girls that you can’t remember hooking up with?’ I exclaimed, standing up from the sofa to try to intimidate him. What I didn’t account for, was his height. If anything, his gaze intimidated me. I suddenly didn’t feel so safe around him.

‘You’d be surprised at how strange they get,’ he replied and my eyes widened. His hands immediately shot up defensively and he grinned. ‘Relax, I was kidding.’

On instinct, I slapped his arm. He didn’t even flinch so I rolled my eyes and took a few steps back, trying to stay still. The sight of it and the feel of it was going around and around in my head. It was then that I realised I definitely couldn’t stay there with him.

‘So, why do you have a gun?’ I tried again.

Hunter sighed, perching on the arm of the sofa. ‘Like I said, self-defence.’ I huffed, shifting to face him. His green eyes shot me a warning to shut up, so I decided to take it. Getting up, Hunter cleared his throat and I took a few steps back instinctively. ‘You don’t have to be scared of me,’ he said softly and I almost found myself sinking down onto the seat next to time. Almost. Instead, I shrugged as if it was nothing and continued on my route to the kitchen.

It was when I got there that I began to freak out. There was no way that my mum or dad could find out about this, but I’d have to tell them if I decided to move and then I’d have to explain why I was moving. Moving wasn’t an option. Getting rid of the gun seemed too Mission Impossible for me and even then, where would I take it? Just arrive at the police station and tell them that I randomly found a gun? I didn’t think so. Confiding in either Seb or Kyle didn’t seem like a good idea either. What if the gun was defence against Seb? The guy could be a maniac and I had a horrible feeling that I’d walked into something way over my head and the only option would be to leave as quickly as possible.

In the end, to calm myself down, I attempted to cook and nervously gnawed on my lip.

‘Is something burning?’ Hunter asked, sauntering into the kitchen in his jogger bottoms and vest top. I groaned, opening the oven and swatting away the smoke that erupted from the gap. I coughed, opening the oven fully to take out my burnt attempt at chicken burgers. Hunter skilfully reached up and blocked any smoke from attacking the smoke detector and setting it off.

‘Well, there goes my dinner,’ I grumbled, tipping the plate into the bin and watching the burger flop into all of the rubbish.

‘Pizza?’ Hunter asked and I nodded, sighing as I walked towards the phone and ordered the food.

***

When I returned to the front room, I found Hunter sitting on the sofa with a bottle of vodka. I kept my distance from him and he sighed, running his hands through his hair.

‘Nothing has changed, you know, I’m not going to hurt you,’ he said and the tone of his voice was so serious, it was strange coming from his mouth. I nodded and folded my arms over my chest nervously.

‘Fancy playing a game?’ Hunter asked wearing a mischievous grin.

‘You sound like that guy out of Saw,’ I replied, dropping into the plush arm chair. He chuckled, shifting down from the sofa to the floor. I followed and Hunter placed the bottle between us. I hoped something like that could relieve some of the tension. As soon as I’d slept on the whole thing and wasn’t as panicked, I would be able to think more clearly.

‘Never have I ever?’ He asked and I shrugged, crossing one of my legs over the other and stretching.

‘Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.’ Hunter kicked it off and I grabbed the vodka, taking my first small swig. I tried not to wince as the liquid burnt down my entire throat, setting it on fire. Hunter raised his eyebrows quizzically and I smirked.

‘It was Kenzi and it was a game of spin the bottle.’ I shrugged. ‘Never have I ever fired a gun,’ I retorted. Hunter’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t hesitate in picking up the bottle and taking a drink.

‘It was self-defence,’ he informed me and I scrunched up my nose.

‘That’s getting old.’

He shrugged, preparing himself for his next remark. ‘Never have I ever mooned someone,’ he replied and I stayed well away from the bottle. He didn’t seem surprised, he just watched me with his mystifying eyes, waiting for me to speak.

‘Never have I ever been arrested.’ Unsurprisingly, Hunter reached forwards and took a long swig of the drink, shooting me a smug grin. When he didn’t speak, I raised an eyebrow. swallowing the lump of bile in my throat.

‘I was done for beating someone up, no big deal,’ he said with a shrug. I sensed that there was more than that but I didn’t push it.

‘Never have I ever been to church,’ Hunter remarked with a smirk and I sighed, annoyed that I was living up to his assumptions. I took a drink and moved to sit back against the armchair.

When I was younger and my parents had just divorced, my dad used to make me go with him every week. It had to be the dullest day of the week, especially when I wasn’t religious.

Just as I was about to open my mouth for a snide remark, the doorbell went and I got up, leaving him hanging. I walked to the door and took the money that Hunter had left on the table to pay the pizza guy.

I put the pizza box down on the sofa just as Hunter reached up and grabbed my hips, pulling me down onto his lap. His lips grazed the sensitive spot between my neck and my collar bone.

‘Church girls just so happen to be very sexy,’ he whispered into my skin, gently pressing a kiss there before working his way up my neck. My blood started to power through my veins and any resistance that I had towards him melted. His fingers were tracing circles on my hips and I let out a small noise from the back of my throat, moving my head down to kiss him. He smiled against my mouth and deepened the kiss, taking over and moving us back against the floor. Hunter gently ran his hands down my sides under my shirt, pressing his lips to my neck. He ground his lower half against me and I breathed out through my lips, feeling the weight of him above me. Whenever he got this close, all thoughts of his arrogance disappeared and I couldn’t think of anything but how he made my heart race. I ran my hand through his soft hair and then down the warm, firm skin of his back, feeling it against my fingertips. Just as I felt the hard fabric of his jeans, I remembered what he’d put in the waistband a mere few hours before. I pushed back gently and Hunter immediately went with the push, backing up a bit. He opened his mouth to ask me something, but I cut in first.

‘I can’t live here,’ I said and he pushed himself back, rolling his lower lip into his mouth.

‘I told you that when you first got here,’ he said and I huffed, wiggling out from beneath him to distance us.

‘I know you did but I didn’t know quite how dangerous you were,’ I countered.

Hunter’s eyebrow rose and he sighed. ‘Is this still about the gun?’ he asked and I nodded, folding my arms tight against my chest.

‘You have a gun, Hunter, that’s illegal and all this shit that is going on between you and your brother is dodgy. I don’t feel safe,’ I said and he sighed.

‘If I tell you something, you promise not to freak out?’ he asked. I gave him a single nod and watched with interest.

‘The gun was given to me by my father,’ he said and I frowned.

‘Why?’

‘That’s not important,’ he said.

‘What type of dad gives his son a gun?’ I asked incredulously.

Hunter’s eyes shot to mine and behind them was a mixture of emotions. More prominent than any other was fear. ‘I have never fired it and I don’t plan on firing it. It’s unloaded and I keep it there to keep it safe, okay?’ he clarified.

I nodded again and rubbed my eyes. ‘I don’t know if I believe you, but okay,’ I said and he sighed.

‘I wouldn’t hurt you,’ he added and I nodded for the third time. I got up and evacuated the room, running my hands down my face with a sigh. I had no idea what to do or how to handle this. University was meant to be simple, studying and a bit of fun on the side. It was beginning to turn out to be more trouble than it was worth.

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