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The wicked delight in his voice was audible, trailing behind me like an infuriating ghost I couldn’t shake.

My fingers white-knuckled around my books.

I wasn’t sure what bothered me more: the bitter defeat clinging to my tongue, the hundred eyes stabbing me as I passed—or that goddamn smirk?

Chapter five

Josh

Liam’s warning echoed in my ears, telling me—rightfully so—I shouldn’t be seen paying too much attention to the scholarship girl. Even so, in twenty-three years, few things had delighted me as much as her seething, fighting not to react, not to smack me in front of a crowd.

Triumph from the day in the library still hummed low and satisfied in my veins, a mere trickle now, and soon, I needed another fix. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t glimpse that particular expression of hers again, the one screaming, “I’m going to murder you.”

I drew the professor’s attention to her, stifling a chuckle as I volunteered her to answer questions and argue difficult points. I expected her to melt into the chair, to stammer, but to my vexation, she answered. Correctly, might I add.

The little minx.

At once, I abandoned the strategy altogether. The last thing I wanted was to hand her shit on a silver platter.

One sunny Tuesday afternoon, an opportunity to mess with her presented itself.

I was hanging out in the locker area—an eyesore of lowered ceilings and too modern, self-locking cabinets—joking around with Liam, my best friend, and the gang. One of our friends had been dumped, so we were doing the obligatory roasting and teasing round—before we’d actually buckle down and support him.

Footsteps reached my ears, and I caught a glimpse of Mia in the corner of my vision—yanking things out of her locker, huffing under her breath, before she almost ran off.

She’d left the door ajar.

Oh, you’re making it too easy.

Liam arched a brow at me, as if he could see the thought forming behind the glint in my eye.

I as good as dismissed the warning with a lift of my chin and shoved my tingling fingers into my pockets. I knew this was pushing boundaries, even for me, but I couldn’t resist.

As soon as they headed to class, I stalked closer, nudged the door open, and took a peek.

Inside lay no embarrassing pictures of celebrities she had a crush on, no silly knick-knacks, only textbooks, stationery and—

My brows shot up. She’d forgotten her phone.

I hesitated for a few heartbeats, glancing around at people brushing past me, giving me curious looks as I hovered near what was clearly not my locker.

Nobody said a goddamn thing. They wouldn’t.

My fingers brushed against the sleek edge of her phone, and my mind kicked up with a vengeance. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity, though this went a little further than provoking her.

A part of me knew I shouldn’t.

But the lure was too strong.

If it had been anything else, she might have sacrificed it, just so she didn’t have to deal with me.

But this? Oh, no, she needed it.

I ripped a corner from one of her notebooks, grabbed a pen, and scribbled a ransom note:

Mia, this is not a drill! A handsome rogue has captured me. Come save me, quickly! Before he guesses the password and sees your most guarded secrets!

—Your phone (who is definitely in the wrong hands)