Natalie
Linnea leans over the table to whisper at me. "Don't look now, but your soon-to-be stepbrother hasn't blinked for the last minute. He is staring at you and looking pissed off as hell. Did you two fight or something?"
I discreetly lean back in my chair inside the library. Noah is sitting a few tables away, glowering at me. A sense of having betrayed him washes over me, and I shudder.
I'm the traitor who let Linnea invite Felix and Johan to our study session, and now Noah is looking ready to commit murder. Johan and Felix are fetching us water, and now, when I'm alone with Linnea, Noah is showing his disapproval.
Awkwardly, I turn back to Linnea. "I might have told Noah that he could study with us today. He needed help with his subjects for the upcoming midterm exams."
Linnea freezes, arching an eyebrow. "I'm sure Noah will handle those exams and receive a top score without your help. If not, it's his fault for focusing on too many things."
"Focusing on too many things?" I ask.
"Noah can't be both a football star and whatever else he is studying. I've heard he is an overachiever. Even the couch is complaining that he is taking on too many things at once."
"I didn't even know..."
"I heard from Bianca—she is one of Noah's secret admirers."
"Oh, I see." I had no idea Bianca was into Noah. I thought she dated that guy that hit Linnea…
"I'm still surprised Noah Parker is your stepbrother, though," Linnea looks him over and shivers. "Wow... He is intimidating when he is angry. Do you want us to walk you home today?"
"No, it's fine," I breathe a laugh. "Noah is harmless, even though he resembles a serial killer right now. I'm not worried about him. Besides, I'm staying late at the library."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Might I ask why?"
I give Linnea a sheepish smile. "I'm behind in math..."
She laughs. "You're behind on a subject?"
"Yes... I've been rather busy."
I've been fucking Noah and letting him take me out to eat Vietnamese food when I should have been studying.
Linnea grimaces. "Good luck catching up with your studies. May the force be with you."
"Thanks."
The guys eventually return, but I hardly get any studying done with Linnea and Johan glued to each other's lips. The couple laugh and giggle like teenagers until finally, they decide it's time to leave the library.
Noah is long gone, and Linnea is standing by the table. She is zipping her jacket, glancing down at me. "I have no clue where Felix went, but Johan and I are heading home. You sure that you don't want to come with us?"
"I'm fine," I tell her. "Noah gave me the keys to his Bugatti—I will drive home in style tonight."
Linnea smiles at me. "Too bad he is your stepbrother. He sounds friendly, and please don't tell Johan, but Noah Parker is hot. Like leave-your-husband sexy and I-want-your-babies gorgeous."
I snort through my nose. "Noah is a looker, alright."
"He really is."
"But he is my stepbrother, so it's weird talking about it."
"Damn, I don't understand how you can just accept that fact. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off Noah, knowing he slept in the room next to mine. I would throw down my underwear and say, 'Take me right now,' and bat my eyelashes like a fool."
"Okay," I'm sweating now. Linnea is inserting bad ideas into my head. She is a terrible influence. "That's enough, Linnea."
"Sorry!" She laughs. "Anyway, I will be going now. Johan is waiting for me, so see you tomorrow?"
I smile. "Yeah, drive home safely!"
Linnea heads down the stairs, and I return to my textbook. Silence fills the floor I'm sitting on. I'm surrounded by bookshelves and jump in startlement once Felix pops up out of nowhere.
He looks amused by my reaction in the chair next to mine. His lips curl into a smile. "Did I scare you?"
"Yeah!" I'm not afraid to admit it. "Who said big guys couldn't be sneaky? I think I suffered a mini heart attack."
Felix laughs, but it doesn't quite reach his ears. It's almost like he faked his entertainment, and I hold my breath when he inches closer. He is a rugby player like Johan, but I don't know him that well. His interest in me is making me anxious.
Maybe I'm wrong, but Felix has been giving me bad vibes since his leg brushes against mine inside the cafeteria. I said nothing, thinking he meant nothing by it, but what if I'm wrong?
Felix leans his cheek against his palm. "You're not seeing anyone, right?"
A pang of discomfort hits me. "Uh... Not really?"
His expression turns wolfish. "So you're single?"
"Yeah." I shudder at his smile. "But that doesn't mean I want to date anyone. I'm happy being single."
Felix snorts. "Lies."
I lift an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You would be much happier with me because, let's face it: every woman wants me to be their boyfriend."
I snort at him. "Cocky much?"
"No, just honest," Felix looks me up and down. "You're not really my type, though. I prefer skinnier women."
"Geez, thanks for that one."
"But I'm pretty horny right now."
I freeze and let my eyes roam over Felix's face to see if he is joking. His expression is entirely solemn. He probably told me the truth, which makes my skin crawl. Would it be weird if I ran down the stairs? There aren't any other people up here, and I'm uneasy.
"Okay, I don't know how to tell you this, but Felix, you're not my type. I'm not interested in having sex with you."
"I'm not your type?" Felix laughs. "Woah, are you playing hard to get Natalie Gracen?"
"What?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "No! I just don't want to have any sex with you—it's the truth, not some game I'm playing!"
Felix flashes me his white teeth. "I bet you're interested in me."
"Are you deaf?!"
Felix ignores me and leans in to kiss me. His jock sweat overtakes my senses, making me want to puke. Felix smells as if he hasn't showered for days, sour and stinky. Push at his chest, and when that doesn't help, I bite down on his tongue.
"Fuck!" Felix swears with his cock harder than ever. "Oh my, you're one of those dominatrixes, aren't you? I see how it is now, and I understand. You like it rough, so I will make it rough for you, baby!"
"I want nothing from you!" I stand up from my chair. "Kissing me against my will count as sexual assault!"
"Sexual assault?"
"Yes!"
Anger flashes in Felix's eyes, and he fists my t-shirt, pulling me higher up to smash his lips over mine. His large hands keep me from escaping, and when he eventually leans away, I glare at him.
There are so many things I want to yell at Felix—the words are lining up inside my head. But the moment gets interrupted by Noah coming up the stairs with a pissed-off expression.
Instant panic hits me. Did Noah watch Felix kiss me? Shit, Noah might have gotten it all wrong! What if he thinks I wanted it?