Page 16 of Treacherous

And it was during that harmless conversation, as I made my way down the steps towards the outdoor football field with Hope and Ash, that I came to the conclusion I could manage this.

High-school was doable and I was even enjoying myself, sort of…that was until I tripped on the second last step and crashed head first into a wall of muscle before bouncing backwards from the impact.

A pair of tattooed arms shot out and grabbed my shoulders, saving me from my second ass-landing of the day, and I could have groaned in despair when I saw who those arms belonged to.

"You just can't stay away, can you?" Noah smirked down at me. "And here I was thinking I'd have to thaw you out before we came to an arrangement…"

"There's not enough sunshine in the sky to do that, buddy," I shot back as I took a step backwards and desperately tried to ignore the way my skin prickled and heated from his touch.

Hope, who had been standing next to me, gestured towards the field. "I'm gonna go warm up, Teagan," she called out before jogging off with Ash.

Don’t leave me with him,I mentally begged them.

I moved around Noah to follow after them, but he stepped in front of me and blocked my path.

I shook my head and went to go around him again, but Noah intercepted my move and blocked my pathagain.

"Move," I told him as I glared up at his stupid, smug face.

He was a good foot taller than me and I hated that he was using his height as an intimidation tactic. He wasn't even kitted out for gym class, clad in dark jeans, boots and a hoodie, so why the hell did he bother coming down to the pitch?

"I noticed you had your windshield replaced," Noah said as he stepped towards me, forcing me to take a step back from him. I didn't like the way my heart fluttered and my pulse hammered in my fingertips.

That was not good.

Not good at all.

"What's your point, Messina?" I snapped as I stepped backwards. "Hang on…" My gaze locked on Noah's mouth – on what was inside his mouth. "Your tongue is pierced." I hadn't noticed that before now, but then again why would I?

"And?" he drawled, dragging out the word, as he stared down at me.

"And nothing." I shrugged uncomfortably and stepped back. "I didn't realize it before now. That's all."

"Are you sure that's all?" he chuckled, stepping forward.

I wasn’t sure that was all. I wasn’t sure of anything when he crowded me like this…

My brain and my body were on two different picket lines when it came to him.

Noah stepped closer, invading my space and I felt the fencing around the field against my back. "You kinda look like you want to touch it."

Resting one hand on the fence next to my face, Noah lowered his mouth to mine. His breath fanned my face when he spoke. "Do you, Thorn?" he whispered, brown eyes deep, delicious and locked on mine. "Do you want to touch me?"

Yes, yes, bloody hell yes…

"I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot barge pole," I shot back, lying through my teeth, as my heart-rate soared.

Where the hell was the teacher?

Why wasn't someone stopping this big dick from attacking me?

And why did a huge chunk of menotwant him to be stopped?

I was a seriously screwed up seventeen year old.

"Just leave me alone, Noah," I breathed, eyes locked on his mouth…on those lips. "You heard the cops – keep your distance."

"I will," he replied, moving even closer to me so that his body was flush with mine. "When you pay me what you owe me."

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