"Are you stuck on those three words because I've rendered you speechless with my charm?" Sam ribbed. "Or did I really have an effect on your panties, Johanna?" "Jodanna," I corrected, giving him a scatting look. "And don't flatter yourself by thinking you had any effects on my panties." Samuel chuckled darkly and placed an arm on the counter top. "Did I now?" He was throwing my own words back at me. I nearly snarled, leave my panties out of this, before I started searching through the crowd for any familiar faces. Anything or anyone that I could use as a diversion of getting away from Samuel. I wasn't sure how much longer I could bear being in his presence. He was making me nervous and blush all at the same time with his comments. But what little last bit I found charming of him was steadfastly spiralling into annoyance after the joke about my name. Maybe this was a bad idea to begin with. I gave him a leeway and he'd used it as an opportunity to talk to me. Maybe I'd done the right thing by running away from him all those times. The wind was knocked out of my lungs when my eyes fell upon a familiar group of guys in the far corner. They exchanged a rolled joint and laughed boisterously with a couple of girls. They were the kind of exuberant crowd you wanted to avoid. The kind that spelled trouble. The bad boys. The kind that used you, played you, broke you. Simply because they could. And then they'd make a huge joke about it afterwards, after destroying you. My breathing quickened and my heart beats accelerated as I wondered if... if Joey Donald was there, too. Here. The force of that thought had me crushing my cup tightly. No. No. He couldn't be here. Please, no. I squeezed my eyes shut as thoughts of him invaded my mind like pinpricks. Please, don't let him be here. I heard rustling as Sam shifted. "Are you okay?" His gruffly spoken question rang in the air. No. I tried to ease my breathing back to normal. There was a familiar, tingly sensations spreading through my wrists, to my palms, and landing in the tips of my fingers. Causing my hands to shake. My drink almost fell out of my hands. The look on Samuel's face - the crease etched between his brows and the way his body was inclined towards me - when I finally looked at him just did it. The markings of fake concern was too much for me to handle - too much of a resemblance between him and Joey. The way he'd sweet talked me for the first time at a party, the way he'd gotten under my skin and wormed his way into my life... just like Samuel Adams was doing right now. My nostrils flared when I spotted one of the guys from Joey's crew, putting his hands all over a young freshman girl. She had no idea what they were capable of. Instead, she giggled timidly as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear, most likely so he could take her upstairs later. My guts churned with painful realization. I was going to puke. God, I had been that girl once upon a time. Sam placed a hand gently on my bare shoulder and I jerked. He flinched like I hit him and raised his hands defensively in the air. "Jodanna, are you okay -" "What do you want from me?" I bit out. Right now, all I could see was Joey Donald in front of me. Not Samuel Adams. Blond hair and green eyes were replaced by dark hair and brown eyes and a deceiving smirk. "What do you mean?" I shook my head, trying to remove the thoughts of my ex as a bitter laugh flew out of my mouth. "I know all about guys like you. There's no way you're here just to talk. Spit it out. What do you want from me?" Sam's face morphed right before me. No longer was there a teasing glint in his eyes. His features hardened. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" Boys like him - bad boys - only wanted one thing from girls like me. I'd given it and landed myself in this turmoil to begin with. He wasn't here to harmlessly flirt with me or anything remotely similar to it. No. He obviously wanted something from me. They all did. I knew all too well about guys like him. I'd just forgotten for a moment who I was talking to. Samuel Adams wasn't reputed for being the kind of guy that kept girls around for longer than he deemed necessary. I made a move to leave but he stopped me with a quick hand around my wrist, tugging me back. "You're saying I can't come here to talk to you because-"Something suspiciously like hurt flashed across his face, but it was the undertone of his anger "-because I want to get to know you? You think I have an ulterior motive." "Bullshit." I leaned in and spat the word in his face. He didn't let go of my wrist. "There's plenty of girls here, no need to flatter me. Get on with it and tell me what you want." He grasped my wrist tightly and pulled me close with a swift yank. "Fine," he grated. "I'll stop beating around the fucking bush." Strong arms came around each side of the bar top, caging me in. It was dark in our corner so I imagined no one could see the heated exchange between us. I had to crane my neck in order to meet his eyes. There weren't many boys who dwarfed me, but at roughly six feet three, Samuel loomed over me like a giant. A very angry giant at that. "You're in my personal space." I tried to push him away, obviously failing when his brick wall of a body didn't budge. I tried again but he pressed closer to me... until my palm nearly dug into his sculpted chest. I was forced to drop it away. A rough exhale hit the shell of my ear. Cold lips, a contrast against my burning skin, grazed my earlobe and a shiver snaked up my spine. Involuntarily, my free hand rose to cup his bicep. I tried pushing him away, but to no avail. "You want the truth?" he whispered hotly. "I'm having a goddamn hard time keeping my eyes off you. Been that way for awhile now." My hand tightened on his bulging muscle. "And now that I'm here -" His head dipped, causing his breath to fan across my neck. "-I'm having an even harder time keeping my hands off of you." My chest rose and fell rhythmically, and my breaths were choppy when he planted an unexpected, open-mouthed kiss right at my pulse. Bewildered. Astonished. Frozen. Toes curled deeply inside my boots. "You're very, very hot." A tiny lick as his tongue flickered against the column of my neck. Teeth grazed the delicate flesh, until I could feel his mouth back at my ear. He wouldn't bulge. His actions had robbed me of breath and the ability to speak. "And if I remember correctly, there's a vacant room upstairs... Give me the chance to show you just how gorgeous I think you are, gorgeous." Mouth parted. Stomach plummeting. Heart rising. Pulse skyrocketing. I couldn't speak, dammit. I couldn't speak.