Page 18 of Bully Roommate

Stupid boys. Always leaving things around.

I climbed to my feet and stopped cold. Maverick stood in the jamb of the hallway, shirtless, a pair of those ungodly gray sweat pants low on his hips.

My mind raced back to what happened at the party. He’d looked so lost when I caught a glimpse of his mossy eyes. Emotions traveled quickly over his face like a slideshow of pain and anger.

I’d never known Maverick to be so moody, so tormented, or maybe because I’d found myself running from him, I didn’t notice.

I swallowed. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

Maverick stepped forward, the moonlight filtered in from the cracked curtain and cast a glow over his skin. Like I needed a reminder of what he looked like.

When he didn’t speak, I cleared my throat and stepped around him. Maverick grabbed the crease of my elbow and pulled me close to him. His scent rolled over me, leaving me breathless and dizzy.

“What is it?” I asked, bewildered that his touch was gentle.

Maverick searched my face. “Did he touch you?”

Did he touch me?Despite the audacity of his question, I felt myself turning into a puddle of goo.Stop this...

“Does it matter?” I whispered, gathering my nerve.

His Adam’s apple bobbed deep in his throat. “Yeah,” he said. “It does,to me. So, did he? I saw you dancing—is that what you like? To dance?”

I furrowed my brow in confusion.This is wrong.“Just stop it, Maverick.”

His grip on my arm tightened. “Stop what?”

I jerked away, feeling pissed. “This!” I gestured my arms out wide. “Have you forgotten what you did to me for four years? I hated school—I hated myself—because of you!”

He didn’t respond. I waited for him to move, but when he didn’t, I tried again for my room. This time he let me get halfway before he pressed me into the corner of the hallway.

The entirety of my body exploded into flames. He was touching me ... his palm on my hip, the other tangled into the hair at the nape of my neck. For the first time in my life, I felt myself grow weak because of Maverick Booker.

“Did he kiss you?” he whispered.

I pressed my lips together in an attempt to stop them from quivering. Light music spilled from his room beside us, but all I could hear were my heavy breaths, and how calm he seemed.

Of course, he was calm. He’d held many girls before when no man ever touched me like this.

“Stop it, Maverick. We both know you hate me. I can’t let you do this to me.”

He didn’t budge. “Do what to you,hmm? What am I doing to you?”

“Being nice,” I said exasperated. "Well, sort of."

Maverick tightened his hand against my hair and angled my chin up high. I watched as he studied my mouth.What is he thinking? What am I doing? I am not this girl.

Quickly, I brought my arms up and slammed them down on his, shocking him to take a few steps back. I grabbed the handle of my door to open it when he pressed himself against my back and trapped me there.

I hated this position even more, having his minty breath hitting my cheek as I turned my head. “I want to know. Tell me,please.”Please. Maverick never said please to me before. “Did he kiss you?” he asked again.

I screwed my eyes shut. “On the cheek.”

Maverick let out a relieved breath and slowly brought my hair into a low ponytail, his hand used as the band, as he carefully turned me to face him again.

This time, with his free hand, he dragged his thumb down the center of my bottom lip. He tightened his grip on my hair and tilted my chin again to look into my eyes.

When he growled, I felt my bones melt and I realized as he leaned closer, and his bottom lip touched mine that this couldn’t happened. “I don’t want you to be my first kiss,” I blurted out.

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