A Good Girl’s Guide To Bad Boys

Chapter 4

It was safe to say that I’d found two more things that I hated about Hunter. His car and his music.

‘So, you guys are full on dancers?’ he asked, glancing over at Kenzi. One of his hands was on her knee and the other was on the wheel, driving along lazily. I didn’t exactly trust his driving skills, either, making me all the more nervous.

‘Yeah, breakdancers,’ she chimed, looking over at him adoringly with a smile.

‘Can you guys tone it down? I feel like a spare part,’ I said, leaning back on the hard leather seat.

Hunter looked at me in the rearview mirror with one side of his mouth quirked. ‘Is there a problem, princess?’ he mocked, only causing me to narrow my eyes so much that I couldn’t see his face properly. I didn’t need to see his mouth to know that it was already contorted into that irritating smirk.

‘Yeah, you are the problem. Stop flirting with my best friend and drive,’ I said, folding my arms over my chest. I could feel my heart hammering against my bare forearm.

We didn’t know this new crew, nor did we know how well they danced, so this could’ve been a load of crap. Not to mention that they were friends of Hunter’s.

‘I’m not flirting. I’m enquiring,’ he retorted, feigning innocence. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the window.

The area that I had moved to really wasn’t that bad. Despite what my flat looked like from the outside, it was amazing on the inside. The brown and cream colouring of the buildings gave them a vintage look, mixed in with modern office buildings as we weaved through the main streets. The backstreets were a completely different story. The people there frightened me, but I wasn’t about to tell Hunter that.

‘We’re here,’ Hunter cooed when he’d pulled up outside what looked like an old factory warehouse. It didn’t look all that bad and I could hear the beat of the music pumping from the inside, but I still wasn’t convinced. Kenzi, however, was a completely different story and was bouncing with excitement in her seat.

‘Are you sure that you didn’t just bring us out here to rape and kill us?’ I asked. ‘Because I have pepper spray with me,’ I finished lamely, leaving him smirking. His shoulders shook with his laughter and it didn’t take me long to realise that I liked his laugh. It was friendly and welcoming. Everything that Hunter wasn’t.

‘Andy, if I was going to rape and kill you both, do you really think that it was a good idea telling me that you have pepper spray on you?’ He raised a quizzical eyebrow when I huffed. ‘Thought not. Now c’mon, you two,’ he drawled, slipping his keys into his back pocket.

‘You know, maybe we should wait until we can find a troop at uni, I have some reading to do anyway...’ I trailed off, keeping my distance behind them.

Hunter looked over his shoulder at me. ‘Live a little,’ he hollered and I frowned, shoving my bag over my shoulder as we walked to the door. The beat began to get louder, going straight through my chest and matching my heartbeat.

‘Hunt!’ I heard a guy call and when I had stopped looking around at the surprisingly homey interior, I noticed a dark-haired guy strolling over to us. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and he had a dancer’s body: toned chest but not bulky and a slim waist where his jeans were hanging. There was another girl in the troop; she was standing in the corner, doing some simple break moves to the music.

‘Kyle, man,’ Hunter answered. Kenzi joined my side and nudged me with her elbow, gesturing to Kyle, who had made his way over. He looked at us, skimming over our bodies with his piercing blue eyes.

‘So, you guys can dance, then?’ Kyle asked, side-stepping Hunter to speak to us.

‘Yep,’ Kenzi answered, confidence wound through her voice. She altered her posture so that she was standing straight. I rubbed my arm nervously, doing a quick spot check for the exits in case something went wrong.

Kyle smiled and stood aside, gesturing for us to walk in front of him.

‘Right, we’ll shove some music on and we’ll give you both a dance off,’ he replied, glancing over at the girl by the CD player, who was coming over to meet us.

‘Hey,’ the girl said cautiously. She scrutinised me and then glanced at Kyle as he introduced us. I’d already dumped my bag on the floor so was quickly stretching my muscles before starting.

Now that I was sure I was safe, I wasn’t nervous. Both Kenzi and I were confident in our dancing abilities and knew we would be able to match them. I just wasn’t keen on Hunter and how he seemed to be lingering, watching my every move. The longer Kyle spoke, the easier it was to ignore him.

It wasn’t long before Kenzi and I were set by the music player and Kyle’s crew were standing opposite. I closed my eyes and took in the beat of the song, letting it guide my mind to the dance moves. I gave Kenzi a quick look and got an idea.

‘Haze routine,’ I whispered and her eyes widened before she nodded at me with a grin.

At Haze, a nightclub at home, we managed to do a huge routine, the one that made us known among the troops and clubs. It was our first official gig and one of our best ever routines. It was also the start of our dancing career and included a few hip moves that would probably make my mother cry if she saw them.

Kyle’s crew started the dance first. They both moved well and I had to admit, I was beginning to get nervous about facing them. The standard that they set was that of our old crew, if not better.

Kenzi and I completed a series of body rolls, side steps and twists before the other team took their go. We must’ve danced for about half an hour before both teams ran out of moves and everyone was breathing heavily. Kyle smiled and wiped his forehead with a towel before holding his hand out to me.

‘You girls are good, you’re welcome to dance with us,’ he said inbetween pants and I smiled. Before I could answer, Kenzi cut in, leaving me listening to my racing heart and deep breathing.

‘Thanks, can I take your number?’ she asked. I tuned out of the rest of their conversation and pulled the bottom of my top up, allowing the cool air to soothe my skin.

I left Kenzi to talk to the others as I went outside with my bag to clean myself up. The breeze hit my forehead, blowing my fringe out of the way. I decided to cool down, stretching the toned muscles in my stomach and back.

‘I didn’t expect that.’ Hunter’s voice came from behind me and I sighed.

‘Why are you still here?’ I asked, still stretching. It wasn’t until I saw his eyes move down my back that I realised I was pushing my backside out in front of him. Instantly, I straightened.

‘You guys need a lift home,’ he replied easily, leaning against the cool stone wall behind me.

‘Can you do me a favour?’ I asked, glancing over at his handsome face and he smirked.

‘For a price.’

‘You’re impossible,’ I huffed. I reached down to grab my bag but felt a large hand on my forearm. Before I could register what was happening, I was flush with Hunter’s muscled chest, his warm hand still tight on arm. My eyes searched his face quickly, my blood racing through my veins.

‘You keep walking away from me,’ he said, still wearing that stupid smirk. If I could have, I’d have smacked it right from his face.

‘That’s because you’re irritating,’ I ground out, trying to pull myself away, but failing.

‘You know, you’re one of the first girls to ever reject me,’ he whispered.

I narrowed my eyes and scoffed. ‘Wow. Just when I thought that your head couldn’t get any bigger.’

He didn’t answer me, just brushed his thumb along the bare skin of my arms, causing tingles to break out. ‘I’m not big headed, just... confident.’ He shrugged, letting my arm go.

I yanked it back and took two steps away from him, distancing us. He didn’t need to know that he’d just made my heart race. ‘Kenzi’s confident, you cross the line,’ I corrected, bending down to pick up my bag and went to meet Kenzi back inside. I was strongly considering asking her to switch roommates.

Hunter was by my side in minutes, grinning at me. ‘You’ve got a really short temper, you know,’ he noted and I bit my lip to prevent myself letting another sarcastic comment out, stalking back over to Kenzi and Kyle.

‘Only with you,’ I shot back over my shoulder, earning me a mock salute from my roommate. I was going to have to try to get along with him, I had another twelve months living in the same house as him and we weren’t going to be having any fun at all the way we were at the moment. Plus, if I didn’t get along with him, I didn’t know where I’d go or what I’d do, all the student flats would be full.

‘Andy!’ Kenzi called and I smiled, meeting her over by Kyle. He told us that they practised at the same warehouse every Wednesday, Saturday and Monday.

‘Right, ladies, we’ve got to go,’ Hunter called from the door.

I slowly made my way over to him and Kenzi held her hand up to signal that she’d be a couple of minutes. Kyle was handing her some leaflets and was talking to her about where we’d be dancing and what type of clothes we’d need.

Just as Hunter was about to get in the car, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat and he stiffened. I was positioned behind him but I could see every single muscle in his back go taut.

‘Well, if it isn’t my dear brother,’ cooed an unfamiliar voice. I was about to peer over Hunter’s shoulder to look at the guy addressing us but his arm shot back. He gave me one quick glance over his shoulder and then looked back in front of him, a sneer painted on his face.

‘Hello Seb.’

Chapter 5

By the looks of things, we were in a fair bit of trouble. I tried to slip past Hunter again but he put his arm out and gave me a warning look.

‘Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around all day?’ Hunter asked, giving Seb an exasperated look.

‘Don’t flatter yourself. I’m here to pick Kenzi up.’ He shrugged and I noticed frown lines appear on Hunter’s face. ‘I thought that you might want to spend time with your newest whore,’ Seb added, leaving me blushing and beyond offended.

‘Um, no, thank you. Take him with you if you like.’ I gave a one shoulder shrug, earning an eyebrow raise from Hunter and a smirk from Seb.

‘I’ll leave him with you, love. Sorry about that,’ he countered until Hunter cleared his throat.

‘If you two are finished,’ Hunter hissed and I smiled, masking my discomfort.

I heard the car doors unlock and Hunter put his hand on the handle in preparation.

‘Seb!’ Kenzi exclaimed, greeting him from behind us. I widened my eyes but Hunter didn’t look in the least surprised.

‘Come on, we’re going,’ he whispered to me. I didn’t realise how close Hunter was until his voice and his breath were dancing on my neck, below my ear. His hand on my forearm caused heat to go searing through my skin.

‘I’ll see you later, Kenz!’ I called over Hunter’s shoulder and she nodded with a smile. Seb gave me a wink and a small salute before leading her away.

I got into the car sulkily, shutting the door a little too loudly. Hunter’s knuckles were white on the wheel and he started the car with more force on the pedal than necessary.

‘What was all that about?’ I asked.

Hunter grunted, not taking his eyes off the road. ‘None of your business,’ he responded. Rolling my eyes, I decided not to push the subject. His snappy attitude was enough to make me not want to engage in conversation with him.

‘Will you chill out?’ I said after about five minutes of watching him ram buttons on the car and screech round corners, cursing under his breath. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and sighed, turning the music up to block me out.

‘You’re a jerk, you know that?!’ I yelled over the music. He just smirked and pulled up outside of the flats. He didn’t even wait for me; he got out and started walking to the door.

Too irritated to care, I left my bag in the boot and jogged in after him.

‘No wonder your brother gets all the girls, have you met you?’ I asked, after catching him up in the lift, and he turned to face me with an annoyed expression.

‘Just be quiet,’ he grumbled, leaning back against the wall of the lift.

‘No. You can’t order me around like you do everyone else,’ I retorted. I was about to go on with my lecture when he leaned over and placed his lips on mine. It took me a moment to register what was going on. His lips were soft and he gently pressed his tongue against my lips, asking for permission. I granted it before bringing my teeth down on his tongue. He pulled back and swore, licking his lip.

‘Did you just bite me?’ He stared at me in disbelief. I nodded smugly, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t know what I was more annoyed about, the fact that he’d kissed me, or the fact that I’d slightly enjoyed it. Apart from Hunter just then, the only person I’d ever kissed was my ex-boyfriend, Marco.

‘Yes, I did. You cannot just go around kissing people.’ Without giving him a backwards glance, I walked out of the lift and towards our flat.

‘You know, I’m beginning to believe that you really are that good little church girl,’ he chimed behind me and I spun around to face him. I hated his assumptions and more than anything, I hated that he was right.

‘No, I am not.’ I was lying and we both knew it. Hunter stepped forward and stood so close that I could feel the tickle of air from his lips on mine. His hands held my hips still and he glanced at me, making me near enough lose myself in his dark green eyes. He had me exactly where he wanted me.

‘Then prove it,’ he repeated and pressed his lips to mine. I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do. Making a quick decision to prove him wrong, I moved my lips with his and my hand made its way up to the nape of his neck.

After a small battle of dominance, he won out and pushed me back so that I was against the wall outside our flat. I finally found my senses and pulled back, still trapped in his embrace. He smirked down at my lips. I grinned, twisted and pushed him back against the wall, pressing my mouth to his. He was more than happy to oblige and let his hands wander down to my arse.

Grinning against his lips, I pulled back and ran my hands down his chest to his belt loops, pulling him against my lower half. Keeping my lips close enough to feel his breath, I looked up into his eyes, which were glazed over with lust.

‘I just did,’ I whispered and he grinned, looking down at our bodies which were pressed tight against each other. I moved forward and pressed my lips against the soft skin of his neck, feeling his raging pulse under his skin.

‘God, you’re good at this,’ he groaned when I moved my pelvis against his crotch area.

I smiled. ‘I know, and soon you’ll be begging to sleep with me.’ I stepped back and looked at his shocked expression. ‘But you don’t do girls like me, do you?’ I asked nonchalantly and his brows furrowed. Before he could get a word in, I sauntered away, adding an extra sway to my hips as I opened the door and let myself inside.

Once in my room, I allowed my jelly legs to give out. I couldn’t believe that I had just done that. I didn’t do that type of thing. Ever. My virginity had gone to the guy I loved and I didn’t go around acting like that, certainly not with people I barely knew. But there was something about Hunter that wound me up.

I spent about an hour going over the books I’d need for uni before going into the front room. Hunter was in there and he was completely calm, considering what had just happened between us.

‘Uni starts tomorrow, do you need a ride?’ he asked and I glanced over in his direction.

I shook my head. ‘Nope, Kenzi is taking me.’

He nodded and looked back at the television screen. ‘I will never beg you for anything, you know,’ he informed me. I snapped my head over to look at him but his eyes didn’t leave the TV screen. I chose to ignore him.

‘My brother isn’t good for Kenzi, by the way,’ he added and I sighed.

‘Jealous?’

He scoffed, shaking his head. ‘She’s not worth my jealousy,’ he muttered and I scowled.

‘Watch your mouth.’

He shrugged and finished what he was going to say. ‘He’s trouble, worse than me.’

I matched his smirk with my own coy smile. ‘I’m glad that I don’t know him well, then.’

‘You will get to know him, he goes to the same university.’

We were having an actual conversation, one without insults. Well, few insults. I wouldn’t admit it to his face, but talking to him kept my mind off my first day and how nervous I was about starting university.

When I went back to my room, I found an email on my phone. It was from my dad, letting me know the official date of his wedding and the time I should be there. Excitement erupted in my stomach and I grinned at the screen. When my parents got their divorce, Dad was already half in love with someone else and as much as I hated him at the time for what he did to my mother, he was happy.

***

‘Rise and shine!’ Hunter called the next morning, hammering on my door. I groaned, rolling over and pressing my face into the pillow. Next thing I knew, the bed beside me went down with someone’s weight. An arm snaked around my waist and pulled me away from the pillows. I swore and turned around to hit my attacker but my wrist was caught in a firm hand.

‘I don’t think so,’ Hunter chided, letting his eyes wander freely over me in my boxers and t-shirt. I would’ve hit him if I could use my hand.

Instead, I yanked my arm back from his grasp and got up, taking my clothes and underwear to the bathroom. When I returned, Hunter was gone and my phone was ringing.

‘Hey!’ Kenzi yelled through the phone when I answered it.

‘Hey, are you all ready?’ I asked as I put my English text books into my bag.

‘Yeah, pretty much. I was calling to make sure that I am actually picking you up at ten.’

‘Yep.’ I heard some papers rustling in the background until I heard her voice again.

‘Oh, there’s this party tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to come,’ she trailed off and I sighed. Parties weren’t exactly my thing, but as it was freshers’ week, there wasn’t really much of a choice. I wanted to get to know some people.

‘Sure, why not.’

She squealed and once again, I held the receiver away from my ear. ‘Great! See you in an hour.’

I hung up shortly after her outburst and made my way into the front room.

‘Looking good.’ I looked over at the sofa to see Hunter lying across it, assessing my body in tight white jeans and dark blue top. I’d borrowed the outfit from Kenzi and was glad to be able to wear something tighter, rather than the loose clothing my mother used to force upon me.

‘Uh, thanks,’ I mumbled, letting my own eyes wander over his muscled torso in his black shirt and dark-wash jeans.

I walked into the kitchen to make my breakfast when I felt a presence behind me. Warm hands settled on my hips and Hunter’s mouth was on my neck. Had he not learned anything from yesterday?

I leaned back slightly, annoyed when a soft moan escaped my throat. Hunter chuckled and ran his hand down the top of my thigh before pulling away.

‘On the contrary, you’ll be the one doing the begging,’ he whispered, giving my jaw line one more kiss.

‘That sounds like a challenge,’ I responded, wanting to kick myself when my voice came out husky.

‘That’s because it is,’ he confirmed, before backing away and heading out of the kitchen.

Chapter 6