Page 32 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

“Shh. I’m chatting with your principal, honey.”

Well, this wasn’t good.

Amber’s mom was talking shit about me to my boss, and while that was nothing new, getting caught eavesdropping definitely wasn’t a good idea.

I whirled around, pulled open the closet door, stepped inside, and shut it softly.

A bit of light filtered in through the doorframe, but other than that, it was dark and cramped. I couldn’t make out much of anything. Shelves of stationery and books pressed in from both sides, and my back pushed into Theo’s front. There wasn’t enough space for the two of us in here, but it was too late to do anything else.

They were in the room now. I could hear them almost as clearly as if I was out there with them.

“What are you doing?” Theo mumbled. From the way he shifted back, he was probably trying his best to give me space.

“They’re talking about me. I can’t let them know I’ve heard every bitchy thing they’ve said, can I?” He was so stiff behind me; I could’ve cracked a board over him. “Oh, would you relax? I’m not going to bite you.”

“I’m not worried about your teeth, Mia.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

He didn’t answer, and I caught the tail end of Ashley asking, “Are you sure she should be the one teaching this?”

Damn it, Ashley. She hadn’t been a fan of mine since I gave her daughter a C-minus in eighth-grade literature. Was she ever going to get over that?

I pressed both hands to the door and turned my head. I shouldn’t have been snooping, but I wanted to know whether Rutton would defend me.

“Mia… Fuck. I need you to stop.”

“Shh. I’m trying to listen.”

Ignoring Theo’s rough, strained breaths, I bent closer, pushing my ear into the wood. He groaned softly as my hips pushed deeper into him, and I felt it.

There was a jolt of awareness, and suddenly, whatever Rutton had just said didn’t matter.

Theo was hard. Oh, god. He was hard.

Did being here, in this cramped space, turn him on? Or was it… me?

My nerves hummed, and the image of Theo caging me against the porch, demanding that I “show him”, forced a prickled heat across my skin. My back arched on its own, and the thick, rough fabric of his trousers rasped against my skirt. He felt thick and weighty as he pushed into my ass, and I bit back a gasp as sparks skittered down my spine.

His voice was low and harsh–threatening–as he clamped his hands down on my hips, put his lips to my ear, and said, “Stop moving.”

I swallowed, then jerked as Rutton’s muffled voice pushed through the door. “Did you find her folder?”

Theo grunted, and I felt his breath against my cheek as his fingers curled into me.

“Let me go,” I whispered.

“I can’t. It’s too small in here, and you won’t keep still.”

“Well, this–” I wriggled my hips against him “–isn’t my fault.”

“You fucking know it is.”

My stomach swooped as a hot thrum pulsed between my thighs, and I didn’t know what to say. Theo had his hands on me, and they were so big that they spanned my waist. He could do whatever he wanted, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it.

“Be quiet, and I’ll let you go when they leave.” It wasn’t a soft whisper of reassurance in my ear. It was a command.

And I couldn’t help it. Panic took over as I squirmed against him, pulling at his hands, trying to get him to loosen his grip, but he wouldn’t let go.