Chapter 2

I apply the last of my red lipstick when Adrienne skips into my room. "You're not ready?" she sighs, plopping down on my bed. 

"Almost" I give her an apologetic smile. She knows better than anyone that I'm never ready when I'm supposed to be.

I met Adrienne my freshman year of college. We lived on the same floor and quickly became close friends. She's my rock here, and I hers.

Bored with waiting for me, Adrienne slides off the bed, searching through the mini fridge under my bed. "Got anything good to drink?" she turns to me, eyebrows raised.

I crawl across the floor to my closet, pulling back the curtain. I always keep something hidden away in the back corner.

"Here" I hand her a bottle of Absolut Citron. “There should be Sprite or something in the fridge.”

“My savior” she grins ear to ear, pouring herself a drink. “Want one?”

I should say no. I drank entirely too much yesterday and I want to remember tonight. One drink before we leave won’t hurt.

“Do you even have to ask?”

She laughs, pouring a second cup from me.

I run my fingers through my red hair, giving it a bit more volume. I glance myself over once in the mirror, happy with the way I look tonight.

I have on my favorite black skinny jeans, white sheer tank top that buttons up the front, leaving the first two undone to show off my favorite part of my body. At least I think my boobs are my best asset.

I step into a pair of knee high boots, bending over to zip them up. Adrienne takes the opportunity to smack my ass.

"Ouch" I squeal, rubbing away the pain where the palm of her hand landed.

"I'd fuck you" she winks and I thank her. “Now let’s go” she whines, explaining that the cab should be outside waiting for us.

The house is filled with people when we arrive. I make my way through the crowd, heading straight for the keg. I can handle beer much better than I can handle liquor.

As I’m pumping the keg, the beer spilling into my cup a very tall, very cute blond guy approaches me. “How you feeling?” he asks.

“Um, fine” I shrug, unsure of how to answer him. Who is he?

“Glad to hear” he smirks, raising his cup to his lips, taking a quick sip of his beer.

I tilt my head to the side, wondering I know him from somewhere. I don’t think I’ve ever seen know in my life. “Do I know you?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound rude.

He chuckles lightly. “Yes. Well, no. You kind of broke into our room last night. I’m Luke by the way.”

I bury my face in my hands out of humiliation. “I’m sorry” I shoot him an apologetic smile

Adrienne can’t help but burst into a fit of laughter next to me and continue to make fun of me for how many times I’ve done that. It’s a problem really. Well, not for me because I love meeting new people.

“It’s cool” Luke brushes it off. “The other guys are here somewhere.”

Two boys approach us. The one with the blue hair has his eyes fixated on Adrienne, wearing a charming smile that has Adrienne biting at her bottom lip.

“He’s cute” she leans to me, whispering in my ear.

“Very” I agree, cutting the conversation short before they can hear.

“This is Calum and Michael” he introduces us to his friends.

My cheeks must match my hair with how embarrassed I am. They are all really hot and I made a fool of myself in front of them.

Great first impression Shane, I think to myself. I just wish I knew what I said or did but I’m almost glad that I can’t remember.

“Sorry for ruining your night” I sigh, my eyes falling to the floor.

“You didn’t ruin it” Calum assures me, laughing. “If anything you made it better.”

“Ashton was the only one who was pissed about it” Luke nods his head in Ashton’s direction.

Ah, the douche from this morning in the cafeteria. I knew there had to be a reason why a stranger was so rude to me for something so little as bumping into him.

I glance in his direction, surprised to see his eyes fixated on me. There’s a spark on anger in his eyes that makes me nervous.

“What did I do?” I finally ask, fearing the answer already. The night was a blur after I left the bar and I can only imagine the embarrassing things I did.

“Nothing really” Michael speaks up, shrugging his shoulders. “Ashton had some girl in his room and you kind of jumped into bed with them.”

I slap my hand against my face, sighing loudly. No wonder he’s staring at me like he wants to kill me.

“And you may have insulted his…” Michael pauses, clearing his throat. “Manhood” he finishes his sentence.

“Oh, no” I groan, shaking my head.

Adrienne and Calum are hysterical as we collectively relive my night. I’ll admit I find it a bit funny too but I still feel completely mortified.

“And you fell off the bed” Luke adds.

Well that explains the throbbing and bump on the back of my head.

“Please tell me I left after that.”

“Soon after,” Calum answers, still giggling with Adrienne. “You made him bring you back to your room.”

“That explains Amy’s bitchy attitude this morning” I huff. “He must have slammed the door.”

Bit and pieces of last night are slowly coming back to me. I pissed him off. That still doesn’t give him the right to speak to me the way he did.

“He wasn’t too happy with you” Luke says.

I shrug it off, finishing the last of my first cup of beer. I can’t change what happened. All I can do it move on and forget it ever happened.

“No one, and I mean no one has ever spoken to him like you did, especially a girl” Michael explains with a smile, almost proud that I told Ashton off last night. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk back to him.”

“Why not?” Ashton’s just a regular guy, a bit intimidating.

“Just ignore him” Luke leans down to me, muttering quietly. “He’s an asshole.”

Yeah, he’s got that right.

I refill my cup to the brim. “Let’s dance!” I announce, pulling them all to the dance floor with me.

Calum and Michael dance like no one is watching while Luke is a little shyer, his body bouncing awkwardly to the music.

I grip Adrienne’s hips, pulling her to me. The entire time I’m dancing I can feel Ashton’s eyes on me, making my hair stand on end.

What bothers me about him is that he’s made it obvious that he doesn’t like me yet he’s staring at me like a predator hunting his prey.

It gets under my skin that he doesn’t like me, as a person that is. Everyone loves me and my bubbly personality, except him of course.

I can’t change that so I keep dancing and drinking, keeping my distance from him even though his eyes are still burning into me.

He finds a girl, focusing his attention on her and I feel a weight lift off my shoulders at first. It’s like I can breathe again and I have to fight back this crazy feeling coming over me – jealousy.

I can’t explain why I feel jealous. I only just learned his name and the only other thing I know about him is that he hates me.

It might not be his intention to make me jealous but it’s working. I find myself wishing I were her, to have him grinning at me like that instead of scowling at me.

“I’ll be right back” I shout to Adrienne over the music. I need another drink and some fresh air. After refilling my cup, I step out onto the back porch.

I take a few deep breaths, chugging my beer. I let the cup fall from hands and watch it as it falls to the grass. I spin around, knocking right into a hard body.

“Sorry” I mumble, not looking up.

“Should be” he retorts. I drag my eyes up to his body, finding that angry scowl written across his face. I swear his face is permanently stuck like that.

“Can I help you?” I snap when he won’t step out of my way, his body towering over mine.

I hate that I find him attractive. His hazel eyes draw me, especially with the moonlight reflecting off them. But there’s still this tension between us that I have to get to the bottom of.

“What did I do to you? Or do you generally just hate everyone?” My lip curls up into a half-smile as I await his answer.

His clenched jaw loosens slightly and a smile almost appears on his lips. I might have even heard a light chuckle from him. “No” he shakes his head. “Only you.”

“Then why are you out here?” I ask angrily.

He shrugs. “It was hot in there” he says flatly.

“There’s a front porch too, you know? Why hang out here with someone you can’t stand to be around?” I ask harshly

He doesn’t answer, just finishes his cup of beer, staring out into the backyard. There’s an awkward silence between us that’s driving me crazy.

“Why do you hate me again?” I turn to him, wanting a real answer.

I stumbled into the wrong room, that much I know. I went to what would have been my bedroom and climbed into bed. There were two people in it- him and a girl. Shit, the girl. I giggle to myself remembering what I thought last night.

“What’s so funny?” he furrows his brows, looking down at me.

“Nothing” I grin.

“Tell me” he demands. His tone isn’t flirtatious at all anymore.

“Did you, uh…” I pause, contemplating whether I should ask or not. “Did you have sex last night?”

“Yeah” he openly admits, confused to why I’m asking.

“When I walked in?” I specify.

“No. You woke me up. I was sleeping when you came in.”

“Oh good” I sigh, laughing to myself. “Because I was thinking how awful that sex probably was. There was no moaning or anything.”

“Trust me. There was.”

I tuck my lip between my teeth then release it, my face scrunching a bit. “And for some reason I just don’t believe that. I could tell it was bad. Why else would you leave to walk another girl home?”

His fists clench at his side. I’m pushing some buttons with him that only infuriates him more.

“I didn’t mean to offend your girlfriend” I apologize.

“She’s not my girlfriend” he roars, slamming his cup on the railing of the deck so hard that the plastic cracks.

“Oh, sorry” I giggle, spinning around, resting my elbows on the railing as I look up at him. “So what is it that you want from me?”

“Nothing” he murmurs.

So I ask again. “Then why are you out here?”

“I told you already. What’s with all the questions?” he barks, his voice tight.

“Mhmm” I hum, rolling my eyes. I push myself off the railing, ready to rejoin the party.

That’s not Ashton’s plan. He grips my elbow, jerking me back to him, my back crashing into his front.

“What?” I yell, ripping my arm from his hold.

He runs his fingers through his hair, letting out a long breath. “No one talks to me like that” he says through his teeth.

“Yeah” I fold my arms across my chest, scowling at him. “Well maybe it’s about time someone should.”

I storm away from him, opening the sliding glass door and shutting it forcefully behind me, leaving Ashton out in the cold. I don’t know what his problem is. It’s college. I drunkenly stumbled into his room. Can’t he just get over that?

I grab a new cup and return to the dance floor. Adrienne now has Michael backed up against a wall, grinding into him. I don’t want to cock block her so I just dance in the crowd, swaying my hips to the beat, doing my best to forget about that jerk outside.

I’m enjoying myself, a little buzz going on when someone steps behind me, placing his hands on my hips, grinding into my backside. His hot breath is on my neck as his hands grip me tighter.

I lift my hand behind my head, running it through his hair, enjoying this moment. It’s been a while and I’m not against a random hook up so I spin around to find out who this mystery guy is.

“You” I glare at him, my voice full of disgust.

A smirk plays across his lips, pleased with what he’s doing to me. My cheeks are flushed, my hearts racing. He could easily tell and I curse myself for that.

He nods his head towards the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No.” My eyes nearly pop out of my head at his suggestion. This boy has some serious mood swings that even I can’t keep up with.

“I know you want to” his smile grows wider, thinking that he can easily win me over.

“No. I don’t” I repeat myself. “I want someone who can please me.”

He chuckles, leaning down to me. “Trust me baby, you will be begging me to stop” he whispers in my ear. He pulls back, his beautiful hazel eyes fixated on me that could get me to do about anything.

I have to bring myself back to reality. He is still rude and disrespectful not matter how attractive he is. So I take a step back, laughing even harder. He’s going to have to work a little bit harder to get me.

I manage to hide from Ashton for the next hour. I can’t begin to understand why he was following me, staring at me when openly admitted that he didn’t like me. It seems like the more I annoy him, the more he comes around.

“Shane!” Adrienne cheers when I approach her. She’s still dancing with Michael but Calum and Luke now join them so I don’t mind intruding.

The guys I accidentally met last night are a great crowd. It was embarrassing but I’m glad I stumbled across them.

“Hey Shane” a low voice comes from behind me.

I turn my head. “Oh, hey Dan” I smile politely at him. He’s part of our group but we’re not really that close.

Dan starts dancing with me and I’ve had enough drinks to allow it. He’s really not that good of a dancer. He doesn’t send a heat through me like Ashton had. He’ll do for now until his hands start to travel a little further than I like.

I grab his hands, moving them up to my hips where they belong. He doesn’t get the hint as they slide down my thighs. Luckily I wore jeans because he tried to cop a feel.

“Come on Dan. Stop” I plead, digging my finger nails into his skin.

But then he’s gone. I guess he did take the hint thankfully. I don’t want his hands all over me.

“Michael!” Calum yells over the music from across the room. Michael lets go of Adrienne, shoving his way through the masses of people.

There is a circle of people, cheering and screaming, clearly being entertained by something. Michael breaks through the crowd and I spot Dan lying on the ground, getting punched in the face repeatedly.

Dan groans, trying to fight back but can’t. There is blood splattered on the floor and the table is broken, shattered glass around him.

“Come on Ash!” Luke begs him. “Stop!”

Luke and Calum both pry Ashton off Dan successfully. He’s sweaty and beyond angry, the vein in neck throbbing. It’s actually kind of hot I’ll admit.

He uses the back of his clean hand to wipe away the blood on his lip. I guess Dan got one good shot in. His eyes meet mine for a second, dark and furious as if he blames me for this predicament.

My eyes flutter shut as I shake my head. “I’m going home” I tell Adrienne.

She nods. “Let me grab my stuff. I’ll go with you” she offers.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine” I assure her. “Okay” she sighs.

I make my way back to my room, blowing off steam along the way. I’m still shocked about what just happened at the house, Ashton fighting on my behalf. That was totally unexpected and uncalled for.

Thankfully Amy and my quadmate aren’t there when I return. They are annoying and judgmental. With tear stained cheeks and the smell of alcohol on my breath they are sure to make comments.

As I go to shut the door, it’s halted, a foot stopping it from closing. “What the hell are you doing here?” I snap, my blood boiling with anger.

Ashton leans against the doorframe, his signature smirk plastered on his face. If I weren’t so mad at him I would be turned on with the way he’s looking at me – hungry and I’m the only thing that can relieve him.

My eyes scan his body. Blood stains his pants and shirt, along with his knuckles. His cheeks are red and his hair is a mess but he still manages to look good despite the fact.

Ashton saunters towards me, something evil behind his eyes. For a moment, I’m afraid. He did just beat the crap out of Dan. Who knows what he could to me?

I gasp loudly when his rough hands land on my hips. I want to smack them away but I can’t. Secretly I want them there. I have no clue what his deal is. He’s the most confusing person I’ve ever met.

Ashton takes a few more steps, backing me up slowly until I’m against the wall. He stares down at me intently causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. “How did you find me?” I find the courage to look up at him.

He shakes his head, grinning. “God you piss me off” he says in the most seductive tone that has my insides twisting in the best way. I’m convinced he’s the only person who can insult me and make it sound like a compliment.

“Stop asking questions” he mutters, his fingers digging deeper into my skin.

“Ash,” I sigh, covering his hands with my own.

He groans, sliding his hands down my body and grips the back of my thighs, lifting me into his arms. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his waist, my hands resting on his shoulders.

He dips his head and I anxiously anticipate his next move. My heart is beating out of my chest, so loud that I’m sure he can hear it.

His lips brush along the corner off my mouth, a spark igniting between us. Or maybe it’s the alcohol.

His eyes travel up my body as I study his face. I hadn’t notice the tiny scar just next to his temple. I find myself wondering how he got it. Was he a child? Did he fall? Or was it something more serious?

All those random thoughts are pushed to the back of my mind when his lips crash down on mine. I know this is going to end badly. He’s going to treat me like dirt later like he’s been doing but I don’t care. This feels too good.

I feel the kiss through my entire body. His tongue swipes across my bottom lip and I part mine, kissing him back with everything I have.

The kiss is heated, our hands running through each other’s hair, tugging and pulling. I moan into his mouth, not able to control myself. It’s just his lips on mine and I feel like I could already have an orgasm. How does he do this to me?”

Ashton pulls back, biting my bottom lip. “Which room?”

I point behind me, too high off of him to form words. Ashton carries me to my room, slamming the door shut with his foot. “Which bed?” he asks, looking around the room.

Amy’s side is littered with books and tons of girly shit. It’s not my style and he can tell as he throws me on to the correct bed.

Ashton crawls on the bed, parting my legs with his knees as he lowers his body, grinding his hips into mine. His lips attach to my neck, sucking and biting on my sensitive skin. I get more aroused by each flick of his tongue.

His hands slide down my chest, undoing each button. He’s quick to remove my boots as I throw my shirt to the side.

His eyes skim my chest. “This needs to go” he points to my bra. I push my back off the bed so he can unclasp it. Seconds later its thrown to the other side of the room.

I giggle into the kiss and he shakes his head in amusement. I don’t know how we got here. He doesn’t like me, I annoy him yet he followed me back to my room and has his hands and lips all over me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.

He unzips my jeans painfully slow, the vibration from the zipper driving me nuts. I need him. Badly.

I lift my hips, urging him to take them off and fuck my senseless. “What do you want baby?” he smile devilishly at me.

I’ve never been one for dirty talk but I’m always up to try new things. “Show me I was wrong. Show me that you can please me. That I’ll be begging you to stop.”

The lust in his eyes turns to anger. He literally tears my panties into two. Good thing those weren’t my favorite.

Ashton yanks his shirt over his head, followed by his pants and boxers, adding it to the pile of clothes strewn across the floor. I’ll have to clean them up before my clean freak roommate gets back. She’d be so pissed if she found my bra lying on her bed or some random guy’s shirt on her desk.

I run my fingers down his torso, admiring his body. His skin is perfectly tan. His hair is now pressed to his forehead, covering those beautiful eyes of his. His abs are perfectly sculpted. I could run my tongue up and down them all day.

Ashton places a kiss on my knee, his lips working up my thigh. That feeling alone drives me wild. I grab a fistful of his hair, pushing his head where I need him most. He grips my wrist tightly in one of his large hands, holding them above my head as he presses his body against mine.

“Not getting that anymore” he teases me about my neediness and I pout.

Oh, the things he can probably do with his tongue.

I lift my hips, begging for any sort of friction only to have him shove my hips down against the mattress. The fire between my legs is becoming too much and he loves seeing me crumble beneath him.

“Please” I breathe.

“Please what?”

“Fuck me” I whisper in his ear.

With my hands still pinned above my head, he lines up and thrusts into me, hard, filling me up completely. I scream out his name, the pain quickly turning into pleasure as he begins to move.

I try to wiggle my hands out of his hold with no luck. He’s too strong. I want to touch him, feel him, feel his biceps as he pumps in and out of me but he won’t allow that.

I wrap my legs around him, wanting to feel him deeper. He finally lets go of my hands and I’m quick to run them through that gorgeous head of curls as he rolls his hips mercilessly into me.

“Slow down” I attempt to say between my ragged breaths. I want this feeling to last and at the rate this is going I’m going to finish too soon.

A deep chuckle comes from the back of his throat. “I told you you’d be begging me to stop” he says with a smug smile, thrusting harder into me.

 Ashton stills for a second and sits up on his knees, bringing me to his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck, my fingernails digging into his skin, sure to make marks. I reconnect our lips while trying to catch my breath as he fucks up into me.

“Fuck!” I cry out when I feel myself getting close. I start bouncing up and down on him, trying to get myself off. Who knows what he's going to do if he finishes first. I bet he’s the type of guy to just up and leave a girl wanting more and forcing her to finish herself.

I tighten my walls around him, causing a very sexy moan to fall from those beautiful full lips of his. I can't help but smile when his eyes clench shut and he moans my name over and over again. There is something so sexy about the way that rolled off his lips.

“I’m going to come baby” he groans. I clench my walls even tighter around him causing his thrusts to become more forceful. His thumb finds my clit and he rubs it roughly to get me off quicker. Within seconds I'm coming undone, unable to think straight from the intense pleasure running through my body. Ashton pulls out, releasing all over my sheets.

Oh well. I have to do laundry tomorrow anyway.

“Fuck” he moans before burying his face in my chest. When we both finally gain the strength to stand up, I yank my sheets off my bed and toss them in the hamper. I'm in no mood to do laundry right now and I don't have another clean set. So I did what any other college student would have and spread out my comforter and lay on top of it.

“That’s how you’re going to sleep?” he asks, raising his brow.

“Yup” I smile, completely content with myself.

“Suit yourself” he shrugs.

“Do you have a better idea?”

I thought he was going to say something but he shakes his head no. He gathers his clothes, slipping back into them. I pout. Naked Ashton is the most tolerable so far.

I grab a pair of shorts and a lace knit tank top and change into it, not caring that Ashton is still standing in the room. I’m surprised he's still here.

I climb back on to my bed, attempting to make a sleeping bag out of my comforter so I'm not freezing all night.

“Come on” Ashton says. He scoops me up in his arms, carrying me out of my room and then into the hallway. “Calum’s not coming home tonight.”

I'm not quite sure what that means but I allow him to carry me to his room anyway. He throws me down roughly on Calum’s bed and climbs into his own.

I'm confused as to why he didn’t just put me in his bed. I mean he did have a girl sleeping with him last night so I know he’s not that type of guy that refuses to sleep with a girl after he has sex with her.

After ten minutes of not being able to fall asleep, I tiptoe to his side, lifting the blankets, sliding in next to him. I expect him to kick me out or make a rude comment but he doesn’t. He just turns over, facing the wall, not saying a word.