Page 111 of Ignition

Oh, hell no.

Chapter thirty-four

Mia

My boots squeaked on the polished chequered floor of the hallway where sconces cast long warm stripes of light, offsetting the darkness outside. I was on my way to dinner, carrying my notebook and pencil case I meant to drop off in my locker, when a hand closed around my wrist.

A strong grip yanked me inside a seminar room that didn’t see much use, and the next thing I knew, my back pressed against the door and my things clattered to the floor as a large palm landed on my mouth, muffling my startled squeal.

“Shhh, it’s me,” Josh whisper-hissed, willing me to keep it down.

“Wha—gerroff me!” I squirmed, the sound barely making it through.

His hands whispered off me at once, lifting in a gesture of disarmament that stopped the snarl on the tip of my tongue. Chest heaving, adrenaline kicking up my pulse, I glowered at him.

“What do you want?” I barked.

“You didn’t answer my text.”

My brows pulled into a furrow, and a snort escaped me. Right. The infuriating, “Be my Valentine,” audacity of a text.

“Yes, I did. I said, ‘Go fuck yourself’ and ‘We’re done,’” I ground out, jaw shifting with restraint not to bite his head off for the sheer unmitigated cheek.

“Ah,” he chuckled, crossing his arms loosely over a dark T-shirt.

My spine bristled and my fingers tightened into fists at my sides, nails biting into palms that itched to smack the amused expression right off his face.

“I must not have liked your reply then.”

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” I growled, careful to keep my tone down, but my glare screamed bloody murder.

Instead of backing down—like any sane person would—he shuffled closer, until he stood almost chest to chest with me. His scent washed over me, tangled with a faint whiff of salty sweat, which I guessed meant he’d returned from a run or practice.

My body reacted with a flood of heat I hated on principle, as if it hadn’t got the memo we despised him now. As if it could still remember—

No.

We’re not doing this again.

I whirled on my feet, intending to yank open the door and dart out, to put as much distance between us—

A palm slammed against the frame, blocking my path without touching me, though heat radiated off his chest, brushing my back like he was a gods-darned furnace.

My teeth ground together, biting down on what I simmered to say.

“You can’t just decide we’re done.”

Too close, too low. Goosebumps rose on the side of my neck where his voice grazed my skin, and I swallowed hard, cursing my body for betraying me at every turn, when my mind knew I had to leave.

And soon. Before—

“Oh, yeah? You’re gonna make that choice for me, too?” I snarled.

His fingers brushed over the wood in a slow caress, as if he longed to touch me instead, before they fell to his sides.

He was silent for so long, I shifted on my feet until we were face to face again. His chest rose and fell with deep, shuddering breaths, and his eyes had pinged open.

Shit—