“Where’s Philip?” Dad asks, breaking my stream of thoughts. Mom nudges him with her elbow.
“He left. I assume he’s on his way back to Columbia.” Sam shifts next to me, placing his arm on the back of my chair. He isn’t touching me, but it still feels possessive. I want to lean into him to feel his warmth again, but I don’t move closer.
Sensing I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Mom speaks up, “Should we order takeout from that Chinese restaurant you love? I’ll order while you two tell us about your day.”
I couldn’t be more grateful to Mom at this moment. She’s always been great at knowing when to change the subject.
Ihear arguing coming from downstairs. Rushing down, I halt about halfway when I hear Philip’s voice.
Why is Philip here again?I groan audibly.
And who is he yelling at? What the fuck?
I thought I was pretty clear yesterday. But apparently, not clear enough. Groaning again, I continue making my way down.
Once I’m far enough down the stairs, I see Sam punch Philip.Oh my god!
Philip stumbles back a little before catching himself.
Rushing the rest of the way down the stairs, the volume of my voice rises as I shout at these idiots. “What the fuck are you guys doing? You know what? Don’t tell me. I don’t care. Philip. Leave. Now. Sam, maybe you should go home, too. Why are you even here this early? You guys are acting like fucking children.”
Philip turns around, making his way to the door, muttering an apology. I watch him as he shuts the door behind him.
“That’s the guy you want to be with?” Sam waves a hand behind him in the direction of the front door; his words are dripping in distaste.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I clench my hands in fists at my sides, “but I broke up with him. So, no. He isn’t the guy I want to be with. It shouldn’t matter to you anyway!” I’m still shouting.
I’m furious because this is the last thing I need right now when I've just lost my brother. I just need to get away from Sam, who obviously isn’t leaving.
Quickly turning around, I start up the stairs and hear Sam call after me.
“Wait. Let’s talk.”
“Stop following me,” I shout down to him, not caring where my parents are, or if they are even awake.
“Come on, just talk to me.” Sam’s voice is sincere, worried.
I practically run the rest of the way up the stairs to the third floor and ignore Sam’s continued pleas.
He’s right behind me and catches the door. Before I can close it, he slowly prowls into my room.
“Get out,” I snarl at him and shove my hand against his solid chest.
“No.” His tone is flat as he grabs onto my hand, keeping it against him. I feel his thunderous heart beneath his gray T-shirt.
He closes the door softly behind him. He’s calm. Too calm. Which enrages me further. Yanking my hand away from his chest and crossing my arms in front of me, I step slightly closer to him and raise my chin in defiance.
“Get. Out.”
Sam’s eyes flicker, and before I can process what that was, he pulls me into him, spins us around, and pins me to the door. His lips are on mine in an instant.
This isn’t a slow, sensual kiss. This is desperate, a little angry, even.
It takes only a heartbeat before I kiss him back, nipping at his bottom lip. My arms wrap around his waist, and I’m pulling him closer into me. Sam groans into my mouth and pulls away long enough to catch his breath.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, Kitty Kat,” he whispers in my ear, causing shivers to run down my spine. He plunges his tongue back into my mouth and the feel of him against me quickly brushes away any thoughts I might have on what he just said.
God, this man.
