Page 30 of Ignition

What the—

My spine drew up straight as I yanked myself back.

Nails biting into my palms, I clung to the stinging pain.

“Before I remind you who you’re talking to.”

My voice came out more strained than it had any right to.

“I know who I’m talking to—the biggest piece of shit on campus!”

Her face contorted in disdain, but I didn’t much care. I could barely focus—barely hear—over the rush of blood galloping in my ears.

“Is that so?”

My voice was a rough murmur, entirely too low for this conversation, but she was too angry to feel the shift. Bless her. My feet shuffled one step closer still.

Her jaw shifted with whatever she was biting down on.

Probably an insult.

It should’ve concerned me, how much I wanted to pry it out of her.

Whispers brushed the shells of my ears. I should have stepped away, but my body protested. Her head tipped up so she could glare at me, and my frame kept the sun out of her eyes. Blazing, murderous eyes.

“I swear to God, Josh, back the fuck down,” she growled.

The sound went straight to my groin, and I bit down on a groan building in the back of my throat.

Shit.

I made a mental note to check Google later—“Why does growling turn me on?”—and didn’t budge an inch.

“Make me.”

The words spilled out of me before I could stop them, thick and dark with challenge.

Time warped.

Her gaze locked with mine as she fought herself. Then, her hands flew to my chest and shoved me—so hard, I stumbled back a step.

Or maybe it was the surprise that did it.

My hands snapped to her wrists—too fast, too sure.

I froze. My breathing stuttered out for a heartbeat, before I forced it even.

How the hell did this happen?

Ten minutes ago I wanted to break her. Now—

But being this close to her, with her scent settling in my nose and the warmth of her palms burning a print through my shirt, as if branding me from the outside in, it was so easy to forget all the reasons I shouldn’t linger.

Before I went and lost my mind completely, I sneered, “You do know I can have you expelled for this, right?” The bored lilt in my voice was entirely put-on.

The fight drained out of her in one fell swoop: her face blanched, her mouth fell slack, and her palms grew limp.

My stupid, traitorous body wanted to lean into her touch. I told myself all the reasons I shouldn’t get tangled up with her. The thoughts were ugly. I grabbed onto them anyway and forced myself back a step.