The Boy Next Door

Namely, this guy.

Levi.

I try not to snort.

“Yeah,” he continues, “I was just telling my buddies that—”

Dismissing him, I shift my weight and focus on Alyssa. I don’t give a damn what this guy was yapping to his buddies about. “Can I talk to you outside?”

“Oh.” She peeks across the table at Levi from beneath the thick fringe of her lashes. “Well, I—”

“Great.” Not taking no for an answer, I grab her hand and pull her to her feet. She rises with a small squeak of protest.

“Maybe you haven’t realized it, but we’re in the middle of something here,” Levi says, straightening on his chair.

No, douchebag, you’re not.

I swear to God, if he gets in my way, I’m going to punch him. Now that I’m practically benched, I’ve got nothing to lose.

Alyssa must see the determination that has settled over my features because she quickly says, “It’s fine, Levi. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Yeah, that’s not going to happen either.

“Are you sure?” His gaze bounces reluctantly between the pair of us as a frown settles on his face.

No more easy-peasy smile, is there?

“Yup.” Alyssa gives me a bit of side-eye. “It’s all good.”

Levi grumbles something indecipherable under his breath before slouching against the chair. It’s like he realizes he should be making more of a fuss since I swooped in and hijacked the girl he was with.

Now that a decision has been made, I haul Alyssa out of the shop and around the corner away from the prying eyes of student traffic. Plus, I don’t want the dude inside to come out and find us.

“Colton,” she growls, “was that really necessary?”

You bet your ass it was.

When I advance on her, she scoots away until there’s nowhere else to go. Her shoulder blades hit the brick building. My fingers lock around her wrists before dragging them over her head and shackling them against the wall.

The pulse beneath the delicate flesh of her throat flutters wildly as she whispers, “What are you doing?”

“This.” And then my mouth is crashing onto hers. The urge to brand her as my own throbs through me.

For a moment, her body stiffens before melting beneath mine. The taste of her is the only thing powerful enough to calm the beast raging inside. It’s desperate to claw its way from beneath my skin.

The irony is that I spent so many years not wanting to feel anything, afraid to let anyone in, including this girl. Most especially this girl. My deepest, darkest fear is that they’ll disappear from my life. It’s not something I’m entirely comfortable acknowledging. It’s the reason I pushed Alyssa away after she revealed her feelings for me. I know what it’s like to love someone completely. To have them walk away and not bother with you again is soul-crushing. I’ve gone to great lengths never to experience that kind of pain again.

Until this tiny female insisted on clawing her way inside me and burrowing deep.

And now she wants to walk away?

Move on without me?

Forget I ever existed?

No way. I refuse to allow that to happen.

It’s only when she turns soft and pliant that I take the kiss deeper, so deep I have no idea where she ends, and I begin. When I finally lift my mouth away, we’re both breathing hard. I rest my forehead against hers. The only time I feel sane is when she’s in my arms.

Unfortunately, I’m the last person she wants touching her.

“Who’s the guy?” I ask gruffly, unable to forget about him.

As if waking from a dream, she blinks away the thick haze clouding her eyes. “Just someone from class.”

“Was it a date that I interrupted?” It better not have been.

Her body stiffens. Just when I think she’ll refuse to answer, she admits in a clipped tone, “We were grabbing a coffee.”

“Do you like him?” Unable to hold back, I can’t stop myself from bombarding her with a spray of questions. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do if she’s developed feelings for the guy. How can I combat that?

“We’re just friends.”

A puff of relief escapes from me.

Even though I have no right to tell her what to do, the words burst free before I can rein them back in again. “I don’t want you with anyone else. And I sure as shit don’t want any other guys touching you.”

“Colton...” Emotion flickers in her eyes before she glances away.

“Look at me,” I growl.

Her widened gaze slices to mine as I repeat, “I don’t want anyone else touching you.” When she remains silent, I run the tip of my nose along the curve of her jaw. “I don’t want anyone else inside your body.”

“Please,” she whispers. Not only is she intent on fighting me, but herself as well. I hear the struggle in her voice. And I get it. Truly, I do, but still...