“I have a plan, so we don’t make too much noise,” Calix said, releasing my hand and pulling me into the air.He tossed me over his shoulder, one arm draped around the backs of my thighs, the other resting on my ass.
I narrowed my eyes and held myself back from kicking and screaming this time.
Stupid Calix, looking for any reason he can to have his hands all over me.
Once we made it to the second floor, where his and Diya’s rooms were located, he paused and peered down the hallway.Then this asshole smacked me hard on the ass.I bit back a yelp and kneed him in the chest.
What does he think he’s doing?!
“I don’t think anyone is home,” he said in his normal tone.
I waited a moment before responding to make sure.“Then set me down!”
He moved his hand across my ass, getting a good feel for himself.“Or what?”
“I’ll tell you what,” I muttered, hitting him in the back again.“I’m going to ruin your life.”
“Can’t get much worse than being here with you,” he said.
“Oh, buddy,” I said.“You have another thing coming to you if that’s what you think.”
A low chuckle left his mouth, and he smacked my ass again.“I’msoscared.”
“You just wait until you set me down.”
After walking into his room, he kicked the door closed with his foot, smacking me again.“Guess I won’t let you down then.Can’t have thebig, badAstrid coming to ruin my life.I’ll never recover.”
Tired of his jokes, I wrapped my arm around his neck from behind, putting him into a choke hold and squeezing as hard as I could.I didn’t know if I was doing it right, but those jiujitsu classes that my parents had made me take when I was five were really paying off now.
I locked the choke on tight and squeezed harder, wrapping my legs around his waist, too, to really squeeze his body and make him think twice about teasing me again.This man was going to get everything he deserved.
Calix leaned against the bed with his knees, grabbing at my arm in ameaslyattempt to pull it away, and then he dropped me down, falling on me with his entire body weight.All the air got knocked out of my lungs, and I released my death grip.When he pulled back, we both began gasping for air.
“I hate you,” I said between breaths, glaring up at him.
His body was still nestled between my thighs as he leaned over me with one hand posted beside my head, coughing to catch his breath.One moment turned into two, and soon, our ragged breaths turned into short, softer ones.
His gaze traveled from one eye to the other, then slowly down to my lips.I sucked in a sharp breath, my gaze following the same pattern—both his eyes and then down to his full lips that I remembered had been all over me at the party.
I swallowed hard.“Calix …”
“Astrid …” He dragged out, eyes hazy and fixed on my lips.“My Hellcat.”
Warmth exploded through my thighs, my heart racing.“Won’t your girlfriend be mad at you”—when he moved a couple of inches closer, I bit back a desperate whimper—“for bringing me home?”
“Girlfriend?That girl at the race?She was just a random girl to make you jealous.”
Hehadbeen making me jealous with her.Did he want me as badly as I wanted him?
Almost instinctively, I tilted my head to the side, drawing my nose against his.“Not her.I’m talking about Mira, my ex–best friend.”I curled my fingers around his collar.“You know, the one you’re supposedly dating.”
“Mira?”he said in a low chuckle.“We’re not really dating, just like I know you’re not really dating Frasier.”
I closed my eyes, heart tightening at the sound of his name.“That’s not true.”
Calix’s lips curved into a smirk as he drew his nose up mine.“Don’t lie to me, Hellcat.”His breath was warm against my mouth.He moved his lips, and when I went to close the distance, he pulled back.“We both know it’s not real.”He moved them toward me again, then pulled away when I got near.“Admit it.”
I lifted my head in an attempt to close the distance again.“Calix …”
