The Bet That Broke Him

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I accidentally exposed my secret love letter to the most dangerous, untouchable guy on campus.

By dusk, he had me trapped in the dimly lit stairwell. His tall frame caged me against the cold concrete.

You like me, huh? he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated through the narrow space. "What about your boyfriend?"

Heat rushed up my neck and burned my cheeks. I swallowed hard, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to find my voice under his intense stare.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I whispered.

He crushed the remaining half of his cigarette against the wall. The faint, rough smell of tobacco wrapped around us. His fingers gripped my jaw, forcing my face up. A dark smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Well," he breathed out, the heat of his words grazing my skin. "Now you do."

His large hand gripped the back of my head, tangling deeply in my hair as he crashed his lips down onto mine.

Chapter 1

I had been secretly crushing on Colton for two years. We were in the same major, so I quietly registered for all the same electives. I always sat right behind him, resting my head on my desk, just watching him joke around with other girls. Watching him slowly fall for them.

On Christmas, I finally gathered enough courage to write him a love letter. But I lost it before I could even hand it over. Someone found it and posted a picture on the campus confession page. To make things a million times worse, I had accidentally signed off with the name of my guy best friend.

The entire campus lost its collective mind. Everyone was shipping the two of them into oblivion. Meanwhile, the two guys were about to kill each other.

Saturday afternoon. I sat in the corner of the basketball lounge, clutching a plastic water bottle so tight the plastic crinkled.

"Colton has been giving me a death glare all damn afternoon," Brody said, walking over and dropping onto the bench next to me.

"Huh?" Just hearing his name made a pulse hammer in my throat. Brody was my best friend. He had no idea I was in love with Colton.

How the hell was I supposed to look him in the eye and admit I wrote that letter? The mere thought made my stomach twist into a knot.

Speak of the devil. A group of tall guys shoved their way through the lounge doors. The guy dead center with the messy hair shot a dark glance in my direction. Colton.

I instantly shrank back, hiding behind Brody's shoulder.

Colton shifted his focus to Brody. He closed the distance with slow, predatory steps. He pulled a cigarette from a pack and shoved it toward Brody.

"I don't smoke. Thanks," Brody said, pushing the hand away.

Colton looked at Brody, then let his gaze slide over to me. A slow, mocking smile crept onto his face. It was the first time he had ever smiled at me. My palms started sweating.

"Your girlfriend keeping you on a tight leash?" Colton tilted his head, struck a lighter, and clamped the cigarette between his teeth.

Girlfriend? I opened my mouth to correct him, but he cut me off.

"You have a girlfriend, yet you pull that love letter stunt on me. Are you out of your damn mind?" He exhaled a cloud of gray smoke. He slammed the basketball into the floor.

A massive crack echoed through the room, and the violent vibration shot up through the hardwood straight into my ankles, making my heart hammer out of control.

"Yeah, are you messing with Colton?"

"Brody, you really screwed up. You ruined all his chances with the girls."

"Kept him up all night."

My scalp prickled with pure panic. His buddies were ruthlessly adding fuel to the fire.

"Shut the hell up." Colton shot them a single, lethal warning glare. The guys snapped their mouths shut instantly.

"Messing with you?" Brody threw his hands up. "I didn't write that letter. I have zero interest in you."

"I like girls."

"Right. So you're saying someone just wrote it for fun to screw with both of us?" Colton's expression darkened into a storm.

"Who the hell knows? If I find out who did it, I'll wring her neck." Brody rubbed his temples.

Me! My lungs forgot how to pull in air.

"Not my problem." Colton kicked a heavy metal chair out of his way. "Whoever started this mess better fix it. Keep me out of it."

The screech of metal on the floor made my whole body flinch. Brody bristled at the attitude.

"We don't even know who started it. I know I like girls. As for you who knows?"

Colton stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head slowly. "Excuse me?"

That low, dangerous tone sent a chill straight down my spine.

Even Brody paled, instantly dropping his defensive posture. "No, man, I mean just trust me. I only like girls."

Colton turned fully around, staring him down with dark amusement. "Right. I'm already going to be a walking joke for a month because of this. If I trust you, I'll be a laughingstock for a year."

"Come on, we can figure out a way to clear this up." Brody stepped forward, reaching out to reason with him.

"Do not touch me." Colton took a sharp step back, absolute disgust flashing in his eyes.

"Dude I wasn't going to touch you." Brody looked completely stressed out.

Colton let out a cold laugh. He ripped off his jersey with one hand and tossed it to the floor, exposing a chest packed with explosive muscle, and advanced on Brody step by step.

Chapter 2

I had not wanted to look, but terrified they were actually going to throw punches, I stepped closer. And I saw them. Eight-pack? Abs I swallowed hard.

Right then, someone shoved me from behind. I stumbled forward, crashing straight into his chest. My lips pressed firmly against his bare skin.

"Hm?" His deep, resonant voice vibrated directly above my head as he stared down at me.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, burning red-hot.

"Still staring? Haven't seen enough of your boy Brody's?" he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

"No, they" pushed me. God help me, I was so flustered I could barely string a sentence together.

He did not press the issue, just giving me a look that clearly said move aside. The gaze was not exactly harsh, but my heart was already hammering against my ribs. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Brody, thinking Colton was bullying me, pulled me behind him. With a frustrated sigh, he ripped off his own jersey. "Fine. Whoever loses deals with this mess."

Me I was now trapped between sixteen pack of abs, completely at a loss. Panic set in. Were two massive six-foot-two guys actually going to brawl right in front of me?

"Brody, do not do this" I panicked, stepping forward to grab his arm.

But the second I moved, someone grabbed the back of my collar. Thanks to my short stature, I was literally hoisted up and dumped to the side. A handsome face zoomed in close to mine.

"Big boys are fighting. Stay out of it and stand over there."

Colton!!! I froze instantly, standing obediently exactly where he had dropped me.

"Why are you putting your hands on her?" Brody snapped, clearly pissed off that Colton had manhandled me.

Colton tilted his head back, his expression dripping with disdain. "Moving her out of the way counts as putting my hands on her? Do you even know what it actually looks like when I put my hands on someone?"

Desperate to de-escalate, I muttered, "Brody, I am fine. Just talk it out."

But Brody ignored me entirely, shielding me behind his body. "Are you even a man, Colton? Bitching at me over some trivial crap."

"Why do you even care so much? Or are you hiding something?"

!!!

The moment those words left his mouth, the air pressure in the room visibly plummeted.

"Whatever. I am done." Colton suddenly seemed to lose interest. He scooped his jersey off the floor. He just stood there, his dark gaze pinning me down.

Then, he curled a single finger, motioning for me to come over.

Me???

"Me?" I pointed at myself, totally bewildered.

"Yeah, you." His tone was deceptively soft, masking any trace of anger.

Compelled by some invisible force, I took a step forward. As I reached his side, my pulse skyrocketed.

He bent down, resting his hands on his thighs to bring his face level with mine. He stared at me with a lazy smile. "What is your name, hm?"

From this close angle, I could see the tiny beads of sweat clinging to his long eyelashes. His lips were flushed red from the workout. The pounding in my chest was so violent it felt like my entire body was vibrating.

I opened my mouth, a bundle of nerves. "Cassidy."

He paused for a split second before his smile widened. "Cassie."

"Mhm," I hummed softly.

Good God. I never realized a simple nickname could sound so incredibly sexy coming from his mouth. I was spellbound, so much so that I unconsciously licked my lips.

His gaze instantly darkened into something predatory, like a beast locking onto its prey. His Adam's apple bobbed heavily. He straightened up with a smirk, running a hand through his messy hair. Then he shot a look at Brody.

"Your girlfriend is pretty cute."

"I" I am not Brody's girlfriend. I was just about to protest when a massive shadow suddenly engulfed me.

His face blurred as he lunged in. The clean, intoxicating scent of sunshine and pure male testosterone flooded my senses.

He roughly gripped my jaw, forcing my head up. His hot, unforgiving lips crashed down onto mine, aggressively devouring the air straight out of my lungs.

All the sound instantly vanished from my brain, leaving behind a deafening roar. After a few short, devastating seconds, he pulled away. He stood tall, leveling a cold stare at Brody.

"Are we clear now? Do I look like a guy who does not like girls?" He threw a final, downward glance at me. "By the way, your girlfriend tastes pretty damn good."

Chapter 3

"Colton!" Brody roared, lunging forward and throwing a vicious punch straight at Colton's face.

Colton did not even flinch. He stood perfectly still, taking the brutal hit to the jaw without a single step back.

My breath hitched in my throat. I stared in pure horror as a bright bead of blood trickled from Colton's nose. Against his pale skin, the crimson drop looked terrifyingly stark.

"What the hell man!" Colton's guys immediately surged forward. The air in the room instantly turned explosive.

My nails bit so hard into my palms they almost broke the skin.

Colton lifted his discarded jersey and casually wiped the blood from his mouth. He shot his friends a freezing look. "Back off. Do you not see the girl?"

His crew instantly froze, backing down.

"A kiss for a punch." Colton dragged his thumb across his lower lip, a dark smirk pulling at his features as he stared Brody down. "Worth it."

He was doing this on purpose.

"Are you really that desperate?" Brody was practically shaking with rage. "You will just put your hands on anyone?"

"I am desperate. Desperate for" Colton's gaze dropped to me, trailing over my face with predatory heat. "Such a sweet little toy."

"You son of a" Brody lunged again.

But Colton was not playing this time. In one lightning-fast move, he twisted Brody's arm behind his back and slammed him hard onto the floor.

"Do not fucking mess with me," Colton warned, his voice dropping to a lethal, gravelly low.

I stood frozen on the sidelines. Hot tears suddenly spilled over my lashes, burning my cheeks. My chest felt tight.

Was it the adrenaline? Or the crushing realization that the guy I had obsessed over for two years had just used my first kiss as a cheap weapon to piss off my best friend?

I had fantasized about kissing Colton a million times. Never once did I think it would feel like this. I made a massive mistake. I never should have written that damn letter.

The tears came faster now, blurring my vision. Brody instantly dropped his fight with Colton. He scrambled up and hovered awkwardly beside me, frantically trying to wipe my wet cheeks.

"Hey, hey, stop crying," Brody stammered, completely out of his depth.

I crashed into his chest, burying my face in his shirt and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please do not fight anymore," I choked out.

Brody wrapped his arms tightly around my shaking shoulders. "Okay, okay. I am done. No more fighting."

Colton eventually walked out. But right before he left, he tossed a crumpled pack of tissues at my feet. Brody kicked it straight into the trash.

Once my breathing finally leveled out, Brody walked me all the way back to my dorm.

My chest felt hollowed out. My brain kept replaying the aggressive heat of Colton's mouth and the mocking cruelty in his words. I pulled out my phone and loaded the campus confession page. Staring at that viral post, my fingers flew across the screen.

[Colton, I hate you.]

I hit send, needing some kind of physical release, then buried my face in my pillow and crashed.

When I woke up the next morning and checked my phone, I froze. My notification screen was exploding. My comment had been pinned to the absolute top because the man himself had replied.

[Colton: Gonna cry again?]

My jaw dropped. He absolutely did this on purpose. Out of tens of thousands of comments, he singled mine out. Now the entire campus had grabbed their popcorn.

The spotlight had officially shifted to me. Someone had even leaked photos of the locker room brawl. The headline screamed in massive letters:

[TWO CAMPUS GODS THROW HANDS OVER MYSTERY GIRL.]

The comments were a total warzone. Colton and Brody's hardcore shipper fans were flooding my direct messages.

[Ever heard of letting love win, you stage-five clinger?]

[Who the hell do you think you are, driving a wedge between them?]

[Total pick-me energy.]

Reading those messages made a vicious headache pound behind my temples. Colton was a complete jerk. If he did not like me, fine. But weaponizing the entire internet against me?

My blood boiled.

That afternoon, I had a massive general ed lecture. Brody had texted me saying he stayed up all night gaming and was bailing. He begged me to cover his attendance. I had no choice but to drag myself to the lecture hall with my roommates.

Thank God nobody had managed to snap a clear picture of my face yesterday. I was anonymous in the crowd, and my roommates had my back. I slid into my seat, finally catching a break.

Halfway through the lecture, the professor started calling roll. Brody was not going to magically appear.

[Cassie, be a lifesaver. Cover for me,]

I let out a harsh breath. When the professor called my name, I quickly shouted, "Here!" Then, I snatched my bag, scrambled to an empty seat a few rows back, yanked my oversized hoodie over my head, and shoved a pair of thick glasses onto my nose.

When Brody's name echoed through the hall, I dropped my voice an octave and grunted, "Here."

The second the word left my mouth, a heavy boot slammed viciously into the back of my chair. I flinched so hard I practically face-planted into my desk, my heart skyrocketing into my throat.

Chapter 4

The professor glanced in my direction. My spine went rigid, and I kept my head down, barely breathing. Luckily, he only paused for a few seconds before moving down the roster. I exhaled a shaky breath.

That nearly gave me a heart attack.

Once my heart rate settled, I twisted around to see exactly who kicked my chair. My gaze slammed straight into a pair of dark, sharp eyes. He was already staring at me. Seeing my face, he tilted his head slightly, as if to say, what are you gonna do about it?

I snapped my head back to the front. Colton. Why the hell was he in this class? If I couldn't afford to mess with him, I could at least hide.

I decided to ignore him completely.

Thud. He kicked my chair again.

"You" He was really pushing it. I whipped around and glared daggers at him. He just slouched back in his seat, totally unfazed.

"You are playing the devoted girlfriend pretty damn well," he drawled.

"None of your business." I wanted to sound fierce, but looking at him, my voice just cracked and sounded pathetic.

He scoffed, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Of course it is none of my business. After all, I have zero interest in finding myself an idiot mascot who acts like a thief just covering roll call."

"Are you seriously insulting me right now?" My blood boiled.

"I don't just insult people, I hit them too." He let out a heavy sigh. "Keep trailing after your precious Brody. I am too lazy to care, and I cannot be bothered anyway."

"You are a complete jerk." With that, I grabbed my bag and stormed right back to my original seat.

I spent the rest of the lecture with my brain buzzing with rage. I did not absorb a single word.

Back at the dorm, my roommates were completely up in arms on my behalf.

"Colton doesn't even know you. Why is he always targeting you?"

"Seriously. Who knew a guy that hot could have such a garbage personality."

"Honestly, he is giving major toxic Capricorn energy. You know, the type who bullies the girl they actually like."

"Wait, do you think he has a thing for you?"

Listening to them drag Colton through the mud, I swallowed the truth about the love letter. If I told them, they would absolutely roast my terrible taste in men.

A miserable week dragged by. The confession post mysteriously vanished, and Brody had pretty much forgotten the whole mess. He only brought it up occasionally to complain.

Brody was my absolute best friend. We went all the way back to high school, and since we ended up at the same college, he always looked out for me. We just weren't each other's type. He treated me well, but he was incredibly lazy, constantly skipped class, and guilt-tripped me into doing his assignments.

"Cassie, you are way too good to me. What if I get a girlfriend and I just can't stop thinking about you?" he would ask, flashing a shameless grin.

I always rolled my eyes and shut him down. "Stop talking nonsense."

"Cassie, I figured it out. If I hit twenty-two and I'm still single, and nobody wants you either, I will just marry you."

"Are you cursing me?" I practically tackled him, punching his shoulder. He completely wasted that pretty face of his. He never acted like a decent guy for a single day.

I never told him I had already been in love with someone else for a long time.

[Hitting the club tonight. Coming?]

[You know I don't really drink.]

[Just come to hang out. I won't make you drink.]

[If my Cassie doesn't come, who's going to drag me home when I get trashed?]

I stared at the screen. Fine. I had no idea what was wrong with Brody lately, always whining like a child.

Even though I had been to clubs plenty of times, I was still way too stiff to actually get on the dance floor and grind. Mostly, I just sat quietly in a booth, scrolling through my phone, waiting for Brody to get wasted so I could drag his heavy frame back to campus and shove a hangover cure down his throat.

Halfway through the night, a girl walked in carrying a massive cake. That was when I realized it was Brody's birthday.

"It's your birthday?" I stared at him, totally shocked.

"Uh yeah. I am so heartbroken. My Cassie didn't even know it was my birthday."

Here he goes again. I was numb to it.

"Hold on. Didn't you say you were older than me? You are literally younger than me, and you've been making me call you 'Big Brother' every single day?"

The air went dead silent for a split second.

Chapter 5

"He leaned in shamelessly. Older is better. It makes my Cassie feel safe."

"Enough already! You two might as well just get a room. We are choking on all this PDA," someone next to us jeered.

I did not even flinch. Our friends knew better than anyone that if Brody and I were ever going to happen, we would have been together years ago. The joke was just that, a joke.

But the laughter had barely died down when an uninvited guest crashed the vibe.

"Colton?" Someone pointed to the booth directly behind ours.

I whipped my head around and saw him lounging in the dimly lit corner. His dark eyes were locked dead onto me, gleaming with pure danger. A jolt shot straight down my spine. I instantly snapped my head back forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table.

"Colton's crew is here too. Should we invite them over?" someone asked.

"Sure." Brody shot me a quick look before standing up to wave them over.

A cold sweat broke out across the back of my neck. Why the hell was he inviting him?

And then, Colton and his guys actually walked over. I did not know why, but the second he slid into the booth, my pulse skyrocketed. Even when he was not looking at me, his sheer proximity made my stomach tie itself into knots.

The whole group started singing Happy Birthday and Brody blew out the candles. I kept my head glued to the table. But every single time I chanced a quick glance up, I crashed straight into Colton's suffocating stare.

"Brody, was that love letter thing real?" Half-drunk and rowdy, someone dragged the mess back out into the open.

Brody laughed and exhaled a heavy breath. "Hell no. I did not write it. I would pay money to know who actually did."

"Come off it. It was definitely you," a guy across the table said, sounding absolutely positive.

"No way, man. Why won't you believe me?"

"The handwriting is a dead match for the homework you handed in. Wanna see? I even took a picture just in case you tried to deny it."

Homework! I was dead. I was the one who did Brody's homework. If they compared the handwriting, my secret was completely blown.

All the oxygen instantly vanished from the room.

Brody scoffed. "Impossible. Cassie always does my homework. What kind of crap are you talking? Are you saying Cassie wrote that love letter?"

Talk about a death sentence. The air around the table instantly flatlined.

My immediate instinct was to check Colton's reaction. He was looking down with a faint, dangerous smirk, entirely entertained by the show. I could feel a dozen pairs of shocked eyes burning into me. I shrank down, burying my face as low as it would go, waiting for the executioner's axe to fall.

"Cassie, did you actually write that?" Brody turned to me, half-joking.

I clamped my lips shut, unable to force a single word out. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

"Where is the bathroom?" A low, gravelly voice abruptly sliced through the tension.

"Straight ahead, then take a left," someone answered, totally thrown off by the random question.

Colton's massive frame suddenly stood up, casting a heavy, suffocating shadow over me. He walked right to my side, staring down from his towering height, and dropped an absolute, non-negotiable command. "You. Take me."

"Me?" I snapped my head up, staring at him in pure shock.

"Yeah. You aren't drinking. You are taking me." He said it with terrifying casualness, flashing a dark smile down at me. "Keep drinking. I will catch up when I get back."

I whipped my head around to look at Brody.

"Go by yourself," Brody snapped, reaching out to grab my arm. "Do not go with him."

"Just borrowing her." Colton let out a low, rough chuckle. "I will bring her right back. What are you so nervous about?"

The two alphas locked into a silent, deadly standoff.

My stomach churned. I did not want to go anywhere near him, but the secret was out. I had to deal with this.

"I will be right back. Just stop drinking so much," I told Brody.

"Fine." Brody shot Colton a lethal glare. "Call me if anything happens."

"I will."

I stood up and led Colton toward the back hallway. I walked agonizingly slow, my brain desperately scrambling for an excuse. He trailed right behind me, his heavy footsteps unhurried. He did not say a single word, which only cranked up the terrifying pressure in my chest.

The moment we reached the restroom doors, I slammed on the brakes and pointed. "It is right there."

He just stared down at me in silence for a few suffocating seconds. Then, he let out a heavy breath. "Change of plans."

"What?"

Before I could even process the words, his large hand gripped my arm, hauling me straight into the pitch-black stairwell.

Chapter 6

He reached out and shut the heavy door behind us. The stairwell was suffocatingly dim, and a cold shiver crawled up my spine.

"Talk," he commanded. He pulled out a cigarette, struck a lighter, and locked his dark eyes on me.

"Talk about what?" I played dumb.

A low scoff vibrated in his chest. He looked at me with a lazy, knowing smirk, taking a slow drag. "It only takes five minutes to finish a cigarette."

"Huh?" Why the hell were we talking about cigarettes? "I don't smoke."

"Want to try?" He raised a single brow. In the low light, the sharp angles of his jawline looked dangerously perfect. That subtle lift of his brow made my chest tight, and a nervous sweat broke out across my palms.

"A little." The words tumbled out of my mouth before my brain could process them.

"You really are a mix of reckless and terrified." He chuckled, cutting straight to the chase. "Did you write the letter?"

My stomach dropped to the floor. I ducked my head. "Yes."

He paused for a few seconds. He pulled his phone from his pocket, his thumb swiping across the screen before he murmured aloud. "If I were just a little prettier, maybe my eyes wouldn't dart away when I sneak a glance at you?"

My blood ran ice cold. That was the exact text from my letter. He was reading it right now.

Pure, unfiltered humiliation wiped my brain completely blank. The air grew unbearably thick, and he just kept reading.

"It feels like I can only stand on the sidelines and watch you love someone else?" His eyebrows pulled together in a tight frown. "What is this garbage?"

I bit down hard on my lower lip, desperately praying he would stop reading.

"You like me?" He took another drag, tilting his head to study my burning face.

Just like that, his casual question ripped the lid off the suffocating crush I had carried for two long years. My chest felt dangerously tight. All the fight drained out of my body, leaving me utterly defenseless.

"Yes," I forced the word out.

"Then why did you sign his name?" He was relentless.

My heart was pounding so violently against my ribs I thought it would crack them. I realized then that when you like someone this much, finally confessing makes your throat burn and your eyes sting. And yet, he was still interrogating me like a suspect.

"If I told you I am so used to doing his homework that my hand just automatically wrote his name down, would you believe me?"

The heavy silence stretched for a full second. Then, a dark laugh erupted from his chest. He clamped the cigarette between his teeth, his broad shoulders shaking with amusement.

"I believe it. You could do the dumbest shit imaginable, and I would absolutely believe it."

"You" My voice cracked. Between having my deepest secret exposed and his mocking tone, a harsh burn stung the back of my eyes, and hot tears threatened to spill over.

He leveled a stare at me, freezing instantly when he saw the tears pooling in my eyes. After a heavy, drawn-out beat, he let out a rough sigh. He closed the distance in two long strides, slamming one hand flat against the concrete wall, completely caging me in the corner.

The physical distance vanished. I was suffocating under his intense heat. I tilted my head up, my lips parting, but no sound came out.

He leaned down, his dark gaze pinning me in place. "You chased away every single girl around me. What are you going to do about it now, you little menace?"

Me that nickname sent a scorch of heat straight to my cheeks, but his intense stare refused to let me look away.

"Why do you always have to be so mean?" I shrank back against the rough wall, desperately trying to put some space between us, but he just pressed closer.

"So what if I am? Want to bite back?"

"What does that mean?"

"What does it mean?" He suddenly obliterated the remaining space between us, crushing my body flush against the cold corner. His pure, aggressive scent completely swallowed me whole.

He lowered his head, his hot breath grazing my ear as he whispered, "It means when I kiss you, you will have plenty of chances to make me bleed."

Before the absolute shock could even register in my brain, his large hand gripped the back of my head, and his mouth crashed down on mine. Deep in the heated chaos of the kiss, his lips brushed against my ear, his voice a low, intoxicating purr. "You are beautiful."

A deafening roar filled my ears. I stood completely paralyzed, my brain short-circuiting as I struggled to catch my breath. After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away.

"You really are part feral." He swiped a thumb over his bottom lip, smearing a faint drop of blood. "Sharp little teeth."

He leaned his back casually against the handrail, resting his arms over the metal, and watched me with a deeply amused smirk.

I could not form a single coherent word. My mind was completely blown to pieces.

Chapter 7

This was my first kiss. His overwhelming masculine scent and ruthless invasion turned my legs to absolute jelly. My brain short-circuited, starved of oxygen.

"Do not look at me like that." His voice dropped to a rough, warning growl. "I cannot handle it when you look at me like that."

"Oh." I instantly dropped my gaze to the floor. He was terrifying.

"Oh my ass. Go back inside." He stepped closer, his large hand roughly ruffling the top of my head twice before he pulled out a cigarette and struck his lighter.

My heart was still slamming painfully against my ribs. I did not dare ask why he had just kissed me, let alone ask what the hell this made us.

Even after I slid back into the booth, Brody's voice sounded completely muffled. I did not process a single word he said. It finally hit me. My first kiss was actually gone.

"What is wrong?" Brody leaned in, his brow furrowed with concern. "Did he hit you?"

"No." I absolutely refused to meet Brody's eyes, terrified he would see right through me. Thank God the club lighting was so dim, hiding the violently hot flush burning across my cheeks.

"Do not be scared of him. If he tries to mess with you, I will end him." He leaned down, trying to read my expression, genuine worry lacing his tone.

"I am not seriously." I guiltily snatched my phone off the table, pretending to scroll through my texts.

"Where is Colton? He has been gone forever."

"What do you think? Probably got cornered by some stage-five clinger and cannot shake her off," someone across the table joked.

My pulse hitched violently. A suffocating wave of paranoia washed over me.

"That art major came looking for him this afternoon. By now, they are definitely at a hotel. Why would he waste his night with us single losers?"

"True. The guy runs through girls every single day and never misses a beat. Unbelievable."

Every word they said felt like shattered glass slicing open my chest. Every breath I pulled in physically burned.

"Is your phone really that interesting?" Annoyed that I was ignoring him, Brody leaned heavily over my shoulder to peek at my screen.

Pure panic flared. I blindly grabbed the glass in front of me and tipped it back, chugging it to hide the tremble in my hands. The second the liquid hit the back of my throat, I realized it was straight liquor.

Liquid fire scorched its way down my esophagus. I started violently coughing, hot tears springing to my eyes, but I forced them back.

Brody dropped the subject. He downed a few more shots with his guys before abruptly turning his attention back to me. "Did you only write that fake love letter to mess with me because you actually have a crush on your big brother?"

He slumped heavily against my side, flashing a sloppy grin. I instantly knew he was completely wasted. "My sweet Cassie"

Me???

"Brody, you have absolutely zero shame."

"Unbelievable."

"I am showing you this when you sober up. You will literally want to die."

Our friends groaned from around the table.

Half the table was completely blacked out, and the rest were acting like maniacs. But surrounded by all that deafening laughter, a hot, silent tear spilled over my lashes, completely out of my control.

"Why are you crying?" Brody stopped laughing, staring at me in confusion.

"I I accidentally drank that liquor. It burned." I pointed a shaking finger at the empty glass.

It was a total lie. I refused to let Brody know the truth, terrified he would just laugh at my stupidity.

He stared at the glass, then roughly ruffled my hair. "You absolute idiot," he grumbled. He pushed himself up, stumbling his way toward the bar just to ask for a cup of hot water.

"It is fine. Build up your tolerance, and eventually, you can keep up with me." He shoved the hot water into my hands, flashing that annoying grin again.

I slowly shifted my gaze to Colton's empty seat. Yeah. I really was an absolute idiot.

Colton never came back to the booth, not even when the group finally stumbled out of the club.

I had a pretty clear idea of exactly where he went, thanks to his friends. The thought made my chest physically ache, but I had zero right to ask. I did not even have his number.

Why did Colton kiss me? What the hell did he see me as? Why didn't I push him away? The questions played on a relentless loop, keeping me wide awake and staring at the ceiling the entire night.

Day two, day three Only three days had passed without seeing Colton, but every single second felt like agonizing torture. Today, my roommate shared an elective class with him.

Chapter 8

I scoffed at my own pathetic desperation. You have to be truly obsessed with a guy to have his entire class schedule memorized. I physically could not wait until next week to see him, so I stood in front of my dorm mirror, swiped on some lip gloss, and dragged my roommate to her lecture.

The second I walked into the lecture hall, my eyes locked onto Colton.

He was slumped over his desk, fast asleep. My roommate and I slid into the seats directly behind him.

As I set my notebook down, my gaze snagged on the girl sitting next to him. She was wearing his oversized jacket. A sharp, physical ache pierced my chest. Regret instantly flooded my veins.

Why the hell did I even come here?

Halfway through the lecture, the professor started calling roll.

When Brody's name echoed through the room, I realized that idiot was supposed to be in this class too, and he had ditched again. With no other choice, I dropped my voice and mumbled, "Here."

The absolute second the word left my mouth, the guy slumped over the desk in front of me shifted. He lifted his head, turning slowly. Our eyes collided mid-air.

My breath hitched. How the hell did he recognize my voice?

He stared at me in silence for a long, heavy beat. Then, he turned back to the front. He did not go back to sleep, just leaned his broad shoulders against the back of his chair.

"Take the jacket off." His voice was low and flat, but the absolute command in it was undeniable.

"But I am cold," the girl next to him whined, pouting.

"If you are cold, get the hell out. Do not stay hereyou are an eyesore." I could perfectly picture the dark, mocking smirk on his face as he delivered the ruthless dismissal.

Humiliated, the girl slammed the jacket onto the desk, grabbed her bag, and stormed out of the lecture hall.

He was absolutely ruthless.

I ducked my head, staring blindly at my desk. I figured my fake voice had woken him up and pissed him off, so I kept my mouth shut, terrified to provoke him.

Suddenly, a massive shadow completely blocked out the overhead lights. "Move up," his gravelly voice demanded.

I jerked my head up. He had turned around, his expression dark and impatient, his eyes pointedly shifting to the empty seat beside him.

I clamped my mouth shut, pretending I had not heard a word. One second he was letting another girl wear his clothes, and the next Why the hell should I listen to him?

"Do you need a formal invitation? Or do you want me to drag you over here myself?" His voice dropped an octave, dripping with cold warning. "I do not care about making a scene if you don't."

"You" I bit down on my lower lip so hard I tasted copper. "Colton, stop bullying me."

He froze for a split second. Then, completely ignoring me, he shifted his dark stare to my roommate. "Switch seats with me."

"What is your problem? We are in the middle of class. What do you want with Cassie? Do not think we can't take you!" My roommate's voice was physically shaking. She was terrified.

"Take me" He started, his jaw ticking before he forcefully swallowed the words. He dragged a heavy breath through his teeth, barely suppressing his frustration. "I am trying to make it up to her."

My roommate and I both stared at him in utter shock.

Without another word, my roommate grabbed her textbook and bolted to his old seat, and his massive frame dropped into the chair right beside me.

His long fingers tapped a slow, rhythmic beat against the desk. He caught me in his peripheral vision. "What have you been doing these past two days?"

Just the question alone made the back of my throat burn. What had I been doing? My brain flashed back, and I was dangerously close to blurting out, missing you.

"Eating, going to class, sleeping. What else would I be doing?" I snapped back, loaded with attitude.

"Right. Such a good student," he drawled, casting a mocking glance at my desk. "Do good students usually bring an English lit textbook to an Industrial Design lecture?"

Huh? I had just grabbed a random book on my way out. I was not even enrolled in this course; I did not own the right textbook.

"What, is the professor speaking a foreign language? You here to translate?"

He effortlessly ripped through my pathetic cover story. My face instantly burned red-hot with absolute humiliation.

"None of your business." I turned my head, completely shutting him out.

A low, rough scoff vibrated in his chest. "If I don't make it my business, someone is going to start crying again."

"Who is crying? Get away from me." My blood boiled. How did he always manage to dissect my every thought and keep my pulse completely under his control?

"Alright, alright." He watched me with a lazy, satisfied smile. "You are lethal when you cry, and you are lethal when you are mad. High maintenance."

I shoved my gaze down to my phone screen, absolutely refusing to engage with him.

Right before the lecture ended, the professor completely blindsided the room with an in-class assignment. While I was internally panicking over whether I should even try to fake it, a completed worksheet slapped onto my desk.

Chapter 9

I stared at the completed worksheet in front of me. The handwriting was sharp and precise. Honestly, it looked way better than his actual personality.

"I am not taking this class. I don't need it." I slid the paper right back to him.

"The professor is checking rows. When he gets to you, are you going to panic and freeze again? Take it." He shoved it back.

I froze. He was right.

"But when he collects it, whose name do I write? I can't write my own." My stomach tied into knots.

"Write your boyfriend's name." He leaned back in his chair, watching me with absolute amusement.

I went completely blank. What boyfriend? A second later, it hit me. He meant Brody.

A sharp ache throbbed in my temples. If I frantically tried to clear the air right now, I would look pathetic, like I was desperately begging for his attention. I bit the bullet, picked up my pen, and moved to write Brody's name.

"Don't you dare write his name."

I stared at him. He literally just told me to write it. What kind of sick game was this?

"This makes zero sense," I muttered.

"It has been three days. We hugged, we kissed, and you still haven't figured out who your boyfriend is?" His expression turned to solid ice.

I what did he want from me?

"Write Colton. Hurry up." He snapped, completely out of patience.

My pulse jumped. I was totally trapped. "He ditched class. If he doesn't hand this in, he'll get marked absent. I should just"

"You are unbelievable," he cursed under his breath. He aggressively ripped a blank sheet from his notebook, kept his head down, and flawlessly duplicated the answers in seconds. He scribbled Brody's name at the top and slammed it onto my desk. "Take it and get lost."

After I handed the paper in, a lethal silence rolled off him. He just sat there, radiating pure, dark energy. I had no idea why he was suddenly so pissed off. The guy was dangerously unpredictable.

The second the dismissal bell rang, he tossed my textbook straight to my roommate. "Hold this for her."

He clamped his large hand around my wrist and dragged me out of the lecture hall.

"Colton, what are doing? You are hurting me." Panic spiked in my veins. When he got like this, he looked capable of absolutely anything.

He shoved open the door to an empty classroom, pushed me inside, and slammed the heavy door shut. A terrifying click echoed. He locked it.

"What are you doing?" My voice shook.

"What am I doing? It is time we settle things between us."

He stalked toward me. My heart hammered so violently against my ribs I thought I might pass out.

"Settle what?" I stammered, completely terrified by his unhinged energy. Pure survival instinct kicked in. I fumbled for my phone, desperate to call Brody.

The second I pulled it out, he snatched the phone from my grip and tossed it across the room. He slammed me against the back wall, his tall frame entirely trapping me in the corner. "Settle the fact that you are stringing along your precious big brother while completely messing with me."

"I am not! We are just friends." I forced the truth out.

A cold, vicious laugh tore from his throat. "Friends? What kind of friend is secretly trying to get with you?"

"What are you talking about?" A surge of defensiveness flared hot in my chest. "I have known him for six years. I know exactly who he is.

"I just like you. I am not some shameless player."

Hot tears blurred my vision. Admitting the words 'I like you' out loud physically burned.

"Six damn years. If he didn't want you, who the hell hangs around a girl for six straight years? Are you actually this stupid, or are you just playing dumb?"

His words hit me like a physical blow to the chest, completely shattering everything I thought I knew. I froze, paralyzed against the cold wall.

"Not talking? Playing dumb again?" He stared me down, his gaze so lethal and predatory it felt like he was going to devour me alive.

"I have never been a damn backup plan in my entire life. You really have guts!"

I didn't even process him lowering his head, didn't even register the exact second his mouth crashed into mine. By the time my brain finally rebooted, he was kissing me senseless, completely obliterating my defenses.

"Give me something back," he growled against my lips, completely dissatisfied with my shock.

A deafening roar filled my ears.

Chapter 10

He kept his arms wrapped tight around me. "Did you miss me these past three days?" he murmured, his voice dropping low.

Heat flooded my cheeks. "Can you not"

"Not what?"

"Just kiss me whenever you feel like it." I pushed weakly against his chest, overwhelmed by the suffocating mix of embarrassment and frustration. "It makes me think it makes me think you treat me differently than the other girls. Do you even have a heart? You cannot just do this with anyone."

The words tumbled out in a panicked rush, and I completely lost track of what I was even saying.

He just stood there, completely unbothered, practically radiating arrogant confidence. "What? Do I need to submit a formal application to kiss my own girlfriend?" He lowered his head, struck a lighter, and clamped a cigarette between his teeth, never once breaking eye contact.

"Who is your girlfriend?!" He was unbelievably full of himself.

"A little crybaby named Cassidy. That is who." He stated it like an absolute, undeniable fact.

I felt exactly like a cornered animal, frantically scrambling but completely trapped in his palm. My face burned hotter than ever before.

"You are delusional," I muttered under my breath, reaching past him to grab my discarded phone off the floor.

He leaned his hip against the edge of a desk. He did not even bother arguing, just watched me with that lazy, knowing smirk.

When I flipped the screen over, a string of missed calls from Brody lit up the display.

"Not even a minute in, and you are already cheating on me." Colton shot me a dark, annoyed glare. He stepped directly into my space, using his broad chest to block my path.

"I am not. I just need to see why he is calling."

"Oh? So you admit I am your girlfriend?"

"You" I walked straight into his trap.

His dark mood vanished instantly. "I do not know the girl from lecture. I was asleep. She put my jacket on without asking."

"Why are you explaining this to me? It is none of my business." I stubbornly played dumb.

He did not get mad. He just kept talking, laying it all out. "I have had girlfriends before. I am definitely a walking red flag, and if that bothers you, there is nothing I can do about it. But right now, I am single."

"Oh." The fog was finally starting to clear, and a frantic, electric pulse kick-started in the very bottom of my chest.

"Here is the deal. I have a terrible temper, and I am highly territorial. I do not care about most things, but you playing games with other guys? That is a hard no."

I kept my mouth shut, staring at the floor.

"Can I kiss you now? Girlfriend?" He deliberately lowered his head, his rough voice scraping across my senses.

The second that word left his mouth, my heart hammered wildly against my ribs. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, the corners of my lips helplessly curved up.

He closed the distance, his large fingers gently gripping my jaw, and crashed his mouth down onto mine. Unlike the aggressive, consuming heat from before, this time he was incredibly gentle, holding himself tightly in check. The rough pads of his fingers slowly traced the line of my cheek. A massive jolt of electricity shot straight down my spine, making my entire body tremble uncontrollably under his touch.

Right at that exact second, a violent pounding erupted against the heavy classroom door.

"Cassie, are you in there?" It was Brody.

Panic instantly hijacked my nervous system. I had no idea why, but the thought of Brody catching me locked in a room with Colton made a sickening wave of guilt wash over me. I knew it would completely crush him.

I shoved hard against Colton's chest, breaking the kiss.

Colton's eyebrows snapped together into a deep, lethal scowl. His jaw locked tight at the interruption, but he eventually turned and stalked over to unlock the door.

Brody burst into the room, his fists clenched tight and ready for a brawl. But the second his eyes landed on my burning red face, he froze. Shock flashed across his features for a fraction of a second before the light in his eyes completely died out.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" All the fight instantly drained out of him. His voice cracked, heavy with exhaustion and raw disappointment, but entirely empty of blame.

"My phone was on silent for class." I stared at the floor, totally unable to meet his gaze.

He looked at me, then shifted his dead stare to Colton. He just stood there for a long, agonizing minute. A suffocating silence swallowed the entire room. He dropped his head, letting his hair hide his eyes.

By the time he finally looked back up, a tight, forced smile was plastered on his face. "Your roommate said you disappeared. I was just helping her look for you."

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," I whispered.

"You are a walking disaster, you know that?" He let out a harsh breath. "Next time, do not just vanish without saying a word."

"Okay."

He locked eyes with Colton for a few heavy seconds. Colton just stared back, radiating that same dark, arrogant energy, acting like he did not give a damn about anyone in the room.

Chapter 11

Brody's energy dropped drastically below Colton's, and the crushing reality was that I was the one who caused it.

A sharp ache twisted in my chest.

"Come on, let's go grab something to eat," Brody said, reaching out to grab my hand.

I looked at Colton, completely paralyzed, having no idea how to turn Brody down without shattering him completely.

"Hmm?" Colton tossed his cigarette aside, a dark, dangerous scowl instantly taking over his face.

"What, you want to tag along?" Brody challenged Colton.

"Your taste is garbage. I will pass," Colton shot back. He locked his intense stare on me, issuing a silent, absolute demand for me to make my choice right then and there.

I stood frozen, completely torn in two.

If I walked out with Brody, Colton would absolutely explode.

But if I didn't go with Brody? I ate lunch with him literally every single day. Ditching him now made me feel like an absolute monster.

Reading the crippling hesitation on my face, Colton let out a cold scoff, turned his back, and started walking toward the door.

He was furious.

He took two long strides before stopping dead. He turned his head just enough to look at me over his broad shoulder. "Are you coming or what?"

In that exact moment, pure shock slammed into Brody's face, quickly morphing into raw, crushing disappointment. The forced smile completely shattered.

"Um Brody, I actually have some things to sort out with Colton, so maybe"

"Yeah, sure. I just remembered I promised my roommates we'd hit the PC cafe anyway. If you are busy, I will not drag you along today."

He cut me off fast, his face completely pale. He refused to look at me anymore.

When Colton stalked back over and possessively locked his fingers through mine, I saw Brody's expression freeze completely. He could not even pretend to smile anymore.

A sharp, physical pang of guilt hit me hard. He forcefully turned his head away, refusing to watch Colton pull me out of the room. I didn't know if my mind was just playing tricks on me, but I swore I saw the rim of his eyes shining with unshed tears.

Colton dragged me away.

That lunch was the most bitter, agonizing meal of my entire life.

I did not understand myself at all. I had desperately craved to be Colton's girlfriend for two whole years. Now that it was actually happening, I felt none of the massive rush of dopamine I had expected.

Instead, Brody's shattered expression played on a relentless, agonizing loop in my brain. Was I just incredibly dense? Had I really been that blind to the fact that he looked at me differently? If I had realized it sooner and set clear boundaries like Colton said, would it have kept him from getting hurt?

After lunch, Colton dragged me along to hang out with his crew.

His friends were nothing like Brody's. They threw around heavy slang and joked about things that went completely over my head. I could not jump into the conversation if I tried.

I sat rigidly on the couch, feeling like an absolute idiot taking up space.

It was fine, honestly. It gave me a second to figure out what the hell I was going to text Brody. I needed to explain that Colton and I were together now. I owed him that much. But I stared blankly at the screen for an hour, my brain completely short-circuiting every time I tried to type a word.

Later, Colton's crew moved to a pool hall. I was still completely checked out.

I kept obsessively checking my phone, but the screen stayed completely dark. Zero messages from Brody.

It was the very first time in years that we had gone an entire day in dead silence.

I opened our chat history. Only then did it physically hit me just how aggressively we texted every single day.

[Grab your big brother some breakfast.]

[Bring me a Gatorade. I am on the court.]

[My meal card is empty. Come save my life at the dining hall.]

[My mom sent oranges. Get over here and get them.]

[You still awake? Stop staying up late, you are going to get ugly and no one will want you. Then I will be stuck with you.]

It was a relentless stream of absolute nonsense, easily hitting hundreds of messages a day.

He was the only person pinned to the top of my messages. Because if I ever replied too slow or missed a text, he would relentlessly blow up my phone like a maniac.

[Who is keeping my Cassie's mouth busy?]

[What jerk is holding Cassie's hands down?]

[If you don't reply, your big brother is going to become a male escort.]

[Do I need to call you 'baby' to get you to text me back?]

What the hell??? I literally just went to take a shower! Was he insane?

I had been so incredibly numb to his chaos.

"Brody, if I do not reply instantly, it just means I am busy. Stop sending me unhinged texts. My mom actually looks at my phone sometimes." I had been so blind.

Chapter 12

There was this one time back home, Brody was acting like an absolute menace, and my mom caught him. I spent half the day trying to explain, but she wouldn't let it go and demanded I bring my boyfriend home for dinner.

Where the hell was I supposed to find a boyfriend?

When I complained to him about it, he just flashed his shameless grin. "Whoever causes the problem, fixes the problem, right? Just take me home. I guarantee your mom will love me."

"Can you be serious for five seconds?" I was completely defenseless against his relentless joking.

"If I get serious, it will scare you."

"Whatever. I am ignoring you."

Sitting in the dimly lit pool hall, my mind was entirely somewhere else.

Suddenly, a heavy arm wrapped tightly around my waist. My spine went completely rigid.

"Thinking about some other guy again?" Colton murmured, pressing a hot kiss against the top of my hair.

"Ah no." I pulled forward slightly, my guilty conscience making me flinch.

He paused for a fraction of a second. He tossed his pool cue onto the green felt. "I am done playing."

"What is wrong?" Panic spiked; I was terrified of setting off his temper.

"Let's go for a walk." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

I had no choice but to follow him out toward the riverwalk.

The wind off the water was biting. A group of kids ran past us, chasing each other with ice cream cones in their hands.

"Want one?" he asked.

"No, it is not a good time of the month for me," I muttered, my voice barely audible.

His dark gaze swept over me, immediately catching on.

He raised his hands, casually unbuttoning his heavy overcoat and pulling it open. "Come here."

I stared at the open coat. I knew exactly what he wanted to do, but heat flooded my cheeks. "Ah people are looking."

He grabbed my arm and hauled me flush against his chest, letting out a rough, amused huff. "We aren't having an affair. What the hell are you scared of?"

Before my brain could even process it, he wrapped the thick coat completely around me, trapping me against his body heat.

Because he was so tall, my ear pressed directly against his solid chest. I could hear the steady, heavy thud of his heartbeat. The suffocating proximity cranked the sexual tension through the roof.

Hidden like this, I felt like if he just buttoned the coat up, I would completely disappear from the world. My brain instantly flashed to a ridiculous viral video I saw the other day, where a college guy smuggled his girlfriend into his dorm by wrapping her entirely in his winter jacket, and the RA completely missed it

The second I realized where my thoughts were going, pure, burning humiliation flooded my system.

"Warmer?" A rare flicker of awkwardness crossed his sharp features. "I heard you aren't supposed to get cold when you know."

"Yeah," I hummed quietly.

My pulse was hammering so violently against my ribs I was terrified he could feel it.

"Why are you so skinny?" His large hand squeezed my shoulder, a heavy frown pulling at his brows.

"Clothes do not look good if I gain weight," I blurted out.

Honestly, I had never really been skinny. But after spending two years watching all the impossibly gorgeous, long-legged girls who constantly swarmed around him, I started skipping dinner entirely. It was useless, though. I had naturally soft cheeks that always made me look heavier than I actually was, trapping me in a vicious cycle of insecurities.

"Right. If clothes don't look good, then just don't" He intentionally dropped the last word, but the wicked, restrained smirk playing on his lips made his meaning perfectly clear.

My brain completely flatlined.

"I am messing with you. You take everything so seriously." He let out a low laugh, reaching up to ruffle my hair.

"Oh." Still unaccustomed to the sudden affection, I flinched away purely out of reflex.

"Do not move," he growled, freezing in his tracks. A dark, dangerous heat flared in his eyes.

"Ah" I locked my knees, absolutely terrified to shift an inch.

He dragged in a heavy breath, his large hand gripping the back of my neck to keep me steady. "Never had a boyfriend before?"

"No. You are my first."

I stared back at him, completely honest.

In high school, romance wasn't even on my radar. I just hung out with Brody every single day like a total tomboy. It wasn't until college, the first time I tagged along to one of Brody's pickup games and saw Colton, that I actually felt the physical rush of a crush.

He had been wearing a crisp white jersey. The way he moved across the courtthe aggressive sprints, the explosive jumps, the flawless, lethal precision of his shots. Every basketball he slammed through the hoop hit like a bolt of electricity straight into my chest. From that day on, my pulse had never really settled down.

Chapter 13

It was like he had some kind of telepathic radar. The second he finished the dunk, his eyes swept the bleachers and instantly locked onto me.

I thought hiding in the middle of the crowded stands meant I could stare at him as much as I wanted. I never expected him to flash a sudden, devastating smirk right at me.

He definitely saw me. And he looked like he knew exactly how obsessed I was with him.

That blurry, adrenaline-fueled crush kept me hooked for two entire years.

After that day, I followed Brody to his pickup games almost every single week. I sat in the bleachers, shrinking into the crowd, guarding my little secret. The second I stepped onto the court, my eyes acted like homing missiles, automatically tracking his tall frame. Every single time I spotted him, my whole world physically lit up.

I was completely ruined for anyone else.

"Never?" A brilliant, unrestrained smile broke across his face, relaxing his usually sharp features and revealing two faint dimples near his mouth. "Thank God," he murmured.

"Thank God for what?" I asked, completely confused.

"Thank God you haven't dated. Looking as pitiful and innocent as you do, what guy wouldn't lose his damn mind over you?" He stared down at me, his dark eyes swirling with a heavy, unspoken intensity.

"You stop swearing all the time." Heat flooded my face. I felt like we existed in two completely different universes.

The swearing, for instanceI had never been around a guy like him. My entire life, I had been strictly taught to be polite, elegant, and perfectly well-behaved. But Colton radiated pure, untamed rebellion. He was utterly fearless, doing whatever the hell he wanted, whenever he wanted.

"What did I do? I am innocent." He let out a low, amused huff. "What? You think I am vulgar? I can get a hell of a lot more vulgar. Want to hear it?" He watched me with a wicked, teasing smirk.

"No." I was dangerously close to losing my mind.

"Even if you begged, I wouldn't tell you. Not yet." He lowered his head, his hot breath grazing my ear as he whispered, "I will wait until my sweet little toy grows up a bit more. There is no rush"

"Colton!" My face burned scarlet red.

"Yeah? What is it, baby?"

Baby?

My brain short-circuited entirely. How how was he this incredibly shameless?

That was it. I completely surrendered. I accepted my fate: I was destined to be relentlessly teased by this guy.

He finally stopped messing with me, keeping me wrapped securely in his heavy coat as we walked slowly down the path.

"When is your birthday?" I asked, desperate to break the quiet before it got awkward.

"Halloween," he drawled casually.

"???" I repeated myself. "I mean, when is your actual birthday?"

"Halloween," he repeated flatly. "What, is that so hard to believe?"

"A a little." Isn't Halloween about ghosts and dead people

"Exactly. That is why I never celebrate my birthday. There is nothing to celebrate."

"Wait you have never celebrated it your entire life?" I felt a sudden pang in my chest. You can't control the exact day you are born. Even if it was Halloween he still deserved to celebrate it