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“Brynn?!”Bang, bang, bang, bang.“I’m fucking serious, Brynn. Open the damn door.”
“Wait. That’s him? Right now?” Samantha asks, mouth gaping. “Oh, and he sounds angry. That’s sexy.”
I cross my arms over my chest and quirk a brow at her as I hiss, “Seriously? Don’t be fooled by his—” I shut my mouth as another voice joins Jace’s in the hallway.
I picture him talking to Creepy Cate and it brings me joy because I know how poorly it’ll go.
“Well, where the hell is she?” he bellows on the heels of a door slamming.
My roommate might be an absolute bitch, but the idea of her shutting the door in Jace’s face somehow makes my heart soar.
I start to smile. I’m like the Grinch who stole Christmas, only it’s destroying Jace that makes me happy. But then my gaze falls to Samantha in time to catch a look I can’t read as she glances at Charlotte. My stomach twists, but before I have a chance to even process it, she jumps to her feet.
“Oh, no you don’t!” I shout, stumbling over Charlotte’s legs as I try to scramble over her and off the bed to the sound of her manic laughter.
“This is for your own good!” Samantha yells.
My stomach sinks as I realize I’m at a disadvantage. Samantha’s bed is closer to the door. I have no chance. “Don’t you dare—”
Samantha swings the door open so fast it hits the wall with awhackat the same time my feet meet the floor and my right foot catches in Charlotte’s comforter. I begin to fall, and I’d like to say it’s graceful, but I’m sure it’s anything but as my arms helicopter in the air and I face-plant on the scuffed linoleum.
I lie on the hard floor, body aching from the impact as two shoes appear in my line of vision. As if that’s not embarrassing enough, Jace’s smug face dips down to mine, only inches from the floor, eyes twinkling with amusement. It’s like staring into the deep end of a pool on a hot summer day.
“Hey, there. Whatcha doin’?”
“Uh, er . . . Jace?” Samantha says, her tone meek from above me. I groan as I press my forehead to the cold hard ground.
Luckily, I’d been able to stop the brunt of the fall with my hands at the last minute, though it’s little consolation for dull the sting of humiliation coursing through me. I peel myself off the scuffed linoleum and stand.
Straightening, I stare at his shoes a moment before clearing my throat and slowly raising my gaze to find him looking hotter than he has a right to. Here I am, eating dust bunnies off the dormitory floor in leggings and a baggy tee while he looks like he just stepped off the cover of GQ with a dark blue button down rolled at the sleeves and jeans.
He’s now casually leaning against the doorframe of their room, crossing his arms over his chest. “Hey, there, Cupcake. I knew you’d be excited to see me, but I didn’t know you’d bethisexcited. You could’ve just waited for me to come to the door, you know.”
I purse my lips, trying to come up with a snarky comeback, but I’m unusually bereft. Beside me, Samantha mouths, “Sorry” and winces.
I sigh. “What do you want? Haven’t you tortured me already once today?”
His gaze shifts to my friends, then back. “Can we have a minute?”
“No—”
“Yes—” Charlotte says at the same time before she winces and glances over at me with a shrug. “Er, I mean . . .”
“Don’t worry about us.” Samantha waves for the girls to get to their feet and head for the door as Jace takes a step inside. “We’ll just be right down the hall in Laura’s room,” Samantha says, then proceeds to fan her face behind Jace’s back. “So hot,” she mouths.
I roll my eyes and lift a hand. “Bye!” I say, a little too loudly to let her know she’s going to hear about this later.
Jace’s gaze never leaves mine as Samantha shoves everyone out the door, and once they're gone, he wastes no time getting to the point as he asks, “Did you sleep with him?”
I flinch. “Excuse me?”
“Stanley. Did you?”
My jaw drops at the same time my cheeks flush, from anger or embarrassment I’m not sure. Likely a combination of both.
“Are you freaking kidding me? You’ve got some nerve barging in here and asking me that.”
His mouth twists. “Technically, I was invited in, and if you haven’t noticed, I’m still standing in the doorway.
