Boarding with the Bad Boy [COMPLETE + BONUS published edition]

Lip Ring

I slam into the room after my shopping trip, my bags loaded down with anti Sam and Brandon supplies. I'm feeling damn pleased with myself for the revenge I have planned for my dear roommate.

"Jesus, Grey. Watch it," Sam snaps as I nearly open the door into him.

"Jesus, Evans. Maybe put a little space between your nose and the mirror next time," I snap back. "What are you even doing?"

Sam gestures at his reflection in the mirror hung on the back of the door. "I'm checking myself out, trying to see what you find so irresistible."

"You're going to be there a long time." I open the door to my wardrobe and drop my bags into it, closing my supplies away from Sam's curious gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's going to be tough to figure out what I find irresistible about you when I actually find you quite easy to resist."

Sam snorts and doesn't respond. I move to my desk to grab the headphones and novel I'm planning to bring to the school's gardens this afternoon. When I turn to stuff them into my backpack, I notice Sam is still watching himself in the mirror, focused on the piercing in his bottom lip. He runs his tongue over it, considering something. My mouth goes a little dry, and I have to force my voice to stay casual when I say, "You look beautiful, Princess. Just need to get you into your gown and to the ball you go."

Sam's eyes light and shift to mine in the mirror. He heard the tightness in my voice.

"You like this, don't you?" Sam grins, running his tongue over his lip ring again. I can't look away. "You're turned on by it."

I force an eye roll. "Please," I wave my hand in dismissal.

"You are," he accuses, his voice light. He does it again. I force my eyes to the ceiling.

"Stop."

"Why should I? Little Miss 'I hate everyone at Ryder' really does find me irresistible. Who am I to deny her?" Sam's voice has something of an edge to it and my eyes snap to his.

"'Little miss 'I hate everyone at Ryder', huh?" I ignore the second part of his jab.

"That's right."

I lean against my wardrobe, crossing my arms over my chest. "There's only a few people at Ryder I really can't stand, and you're at the top of my list, Sam. I think you know that."

Sam's eyes narrow on me. "Is that so?" He turns from the mirror and takes a step in my direction. I refuse to back down, tilting my chin up to keep his gaze as he crowds into my space. His eyes hold mine until he's close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath and his focus shifts to my mouth. He runs his tongue over the lip ring again, and I feel my own lips part slightly as he does it, my breath coming a little faster. My stomach is pulsing with a mix of nervousness and something I'm not totally ready to admit to myself.

Sam's eyes darken as he watches me, his gaze moving slowly—as if involuntarily—over my face and down my body. I'm hyper-aware of my loose-fitting top and shorts, the way my chest is rising and falling faster than normal.

My whole body is tense when Sam's eyes finally land on mine again. He tilts his lips into a smirk. "You don't seem to find me so easy to resist right now," he says.

I heave a deep breath. "Trust me. This is child's play." I'm lying and we both know it.

"Oh yeah?" Sam's eyes narrow as he lifts a hand to brush across my jawline, into the hair that falls over my neck and shoulders. Without any permission from my brain, a deep thrumming sets in my stomach at the feel of his long fingers tangled in the hair at the back of my neck. "You don't look like you're playing."

"Back off, Sam." It comes out a little weaker than I would have liked.

"That doesn't sound like very much fun at all." Sam dips his head toward mine, his lips parting just slightly.

"What are you trying to prove?" I groan, resigned to the fact that my body wants him and my brain is not fighting hard enough against it.

Sam lets his lips drift toward my neck, his eyes teasing mine. But I can see the desire written all over his face. He wants me too. 

His lips don't touch me, but the ring does. He runs the cold metal over my sensitive skin and a jolt of electricity sparks between my legs. I let out an involuntarily yelp at the feel of it.

Sam chuckles, lifting his head so that our eyes meet again. "Yeah, sorry, Grey. I just can't see any resistance here at all." His voice is tight with need. His hand's still in my hair, and from the way he's holding me and standing so rigid, I can tell he's having a hard time stopping.

"No," I say, leaning up and bringing my lips a millimeter from his. "Neither do I."

Sam's gaze is intense and I know he's about to close the gap between us, when someone bangs on our door.

"Evans! Let's go. I'm fucking starving!" It's Spencer, who turns the knob as he's shouting it. Sam and I leap away from each other, but the evidence of what's happened is all over our faces. Sam lifts a hand to the back of his neck, scrubbing at it awkwardly. He won't look my way. I'm flushed, still pressed up against my wardrobe.

Spencer's eyes course over the room before a sly smile begins on his face. "Damn, you two don't waste any time," he says.

I shake myself out of it, turning to my desk and bending over my chair to reach my computer. Maybe I can send Jill an email while I'm in the garden. I clearly need help.

"Dunno what you're on about, Spencer," I say lightly. When I turn around, Sam's eyes are locked on my ass and Spencer's eyes are locked on Sam, the gleeful smile still on his face.

"Oh, I think you do." Spencer gives me a wink. "Come on, Evans."

Sam snaps his head around, mutters a deep "yeah, okay," and grabs a hat from his desk, pushing hair off his face and shoving the hat over it.

They're about to close the door behind them, when Spencer peeks around it, looking between Sam and me. "For what it's worth," he says, "I fully support it."

"Oh shut up," I mutter at the same time Sam cuffs the back of Spencer's head. I can hear the latter laughing as the door closes and they move down the hall.