Chapter 3
THREE
S tate College
Prom night, Haley could never have imagined that just two years out of high school, she’d find herself offering the first ceasefire in their tumultuous relationship. Of course, the chemistry between them had always been volatile, so it only made sense that it would take her helping Ian pass his actual chemistry class to soften her heart.
As far as Haley had been concerned, their separate lives past that point were a blessing, a sign that the universe occasionally got tired of screwing people over. She was neck-deep in her pharmacy program at State College, while Ian, from what she’d heard, had landed a spot as a wide receiver on the football team. He had an athlete’s body, all long limbs and muscles. He was wicked fast and graceful enough that he could have been a dancer if he’d wanted to go that route.
She was proud of both of them. Many kids had started at State College with them, but they'd dropped out for one reason or another. Their town wasn’t the richest or the fanciest, but an education usually meant the difference between living paycheck to paycheck and having a good-paying job. Not that she was willing to share that with anyone—least of all Ian. She’d rarely even glimpsed him on campus, which was fine with her.
However, karma had other plans. When Professor Stubbs asked her to be his PA, Haley had been horrified and secretly intrigued by the honor. It was a great resume builder—if only it didn’t involve interacting with Ian Johnson.
“Haley, could you tutor one of my athletes? He’s in danger of failing, and the team can’t lose him this season,” Stubbs had said, oblivious to her hesitation.
After much internal groaning and a healthy dose of pride-swallowing, Haley had agreed. Ian’s future, not to mention the team’s championship, seemed to rest in her hands. She just hoped he wouldn’t make it unbearable.
An hour later, as Haley eyed Ian studying at the library, she’d wondered if this tutoring project had been a mistake. Every time she was around him, her body went haywire. It wasn’t comfortable, and in retaliation, she often got snippy. Taking a deep breath, she decided it was now or never.
“You know, if you keep glaring at the molecules like that, they might rearrange themselves out of sheer terror.”
Ian looked up, narrowing his eyes when he saw her. “Haley. Didn’t realize my chemistry book came with a side of unsolicited bullshit.”
“Oh, it’s a freebie,” she said, crossing her arms. “Consider it a perk. Now, will you let me help you, or are you planning to miss the big game?”
He rolled his eyes. “Why would you want to help me?”
She gave him a long-suffering look. “Because, unlike you, I do have a heart. Professor Stubbs seems to think that the school needs this championship win, and football needs you, so that brings us to the cold, hard facts. You need me.”
He hesitated, then let out a reluctant sigh. “All right. Fine. Do you want to tutor me? Knock yourself out. But not here, okay? I have a reputation to uphold.”
Haley stiffened. What did he mean by that? Was he embarrassed to be seen with her? Jackass.
“Perfect.” She flashed him a fake, sweet smile. “Name the time and place.”
She turned on her heel and started to leave, but his hand reached out and snatched her wrist. “I need your number.”
Haley simpered, “Why Ian Johnson? I thought you’d never ask.”
Haley arrived at Ian’s apartment the next evening, prepared with a few textbooks, snacks, and the determination to keep things professional. She didn’t have the patience for Ian’s cocky attitude, but she’d promised Professor Stubbs she’d give it her best shot.
The door swung open, and he looked… mildly uncomfortable and drop-dead gorgeous. It was those stupid Johnson genes—not denim, although he also wore those. He was the youngest of seven super-hot boys, there was no small amount of eye candy in that family. However, the Johnson boys usually emitted a cocky assurance that grated on her nerves. Tonight, Haley couldn’t help but smile. Big, tough Ian Johnson, looking unsure of himself. It was refreshing.
Haley plastered on a smile. “Ready to learn, Johnson? Or are you planning to wing it like usual?”
Ian’s lips twitched into a smirk. “Very funny. Come on in, Haley. Let’s get this over with.”
She followed him inside, noting the surprisingly neat space. The table was already cluttered with books and notes. He gestured to a chair, and she sat down, spreading her materials out in front of her.
“All right, let’s start with the basics,” Haley said, flipping open a notebook. “What exactly are you struggling with?”
Ian rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. “Pretty much everything.”
She arched her brow. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
Grabbing his notebook, she began to look at his work.
“This is… yikes.” She held up a scribbled formula. “This is a train wreck. If you balanced your chemical equations the way you balanced your diet, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”
He blinked, looking affronted. “What’s wrong with my diet?”
Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. He looked like a god.
Haley cleared her throat. “You think chicken wings are a food group, Ian.”
He rolled his eyes, but a small smirk betrayed him. “All right, Miss Chemistry Genius, enlighten me.”
For the next hour, they worked through problems, and Haley was surprised by how focused Ian was. He asked questions, even if some were laced with frustration, and his occasional smirk made her stomach flutter in a way she absolutely did not appreciate.
“You’re actually not hopeless,” she said, leaning back in her chair after they’d finished a particularly tricky problem.
Ian’s smirk deepened. “High praise, coming from you.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” she shot back, though her lips twitched despite herself. “But seriously, you’re picking this up faster than I expected.”
“I had a good teacher,” he said, his voice softening. The teasing edge in his tone disappeared for a moment, and Haley felt her breath catch.
She quickly looked away, busying herself with organizing the notes on the table. “Well, let’s see if you still feel that way after the next test.”
Ian chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “You know, Haley, you’re not nearly as scary as you used to be.”
She glanced up, startled. “Scary?”
“Yeah. Back in high school, you were all sharp edges and death glares. I think I might’ve been a little scared of you.”
Haley blinked, caught off guard by the admission. “I thought you hated me.”
Ian shook his head, his expression unreadable. “Nah. I just didn’t know how to deal with you.”
The room fell quiet, the air between them charged with something Haley couldn’t quite name. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the door burst open, and two of Ian’s teammates barged in, laughing and elbowing each other.
Ian’s relaxed demeanor vanished in an instant. He shot to his feet, blocking their view of Haley. “Guys, I’m busy. Get lost.”
“Busy?” one of them said, his gaze darting past Ian to Haley. “Oh, hey there. Didn’t know you had company.”
Haley felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she forced a polite smile. “We’re studying.”
The other teammate snorted. “Studying, huh? Didn’t know you needed help, Johnson.”
Ian’s jaw tightened. “Out. Now.”
Haley’s brain whirred into overdrive. She knew Ian didn’t want people to know he was being tutored. Was it because of his teammates? Haley could already picture the locker-room taunts and jeers Ian would face if they found out he was studying with her. And for some inexplicable reason, she didn’t want him to deal with that.
Without thinking too hard, Haley jumped up, grabbing Ian, and kissed him clean on the mouth.
Ian went stiff as a board, his eyes wide with shock, and she could practically hear his teammates’ jaws drop. As she slowly began to pull away, mortified at her impulsive actions, Ian seemed to come to life.
His lips parted, and his hands shot out to her hips, pulling her tight against his chest.
Haley was suddenly in over her head when his hot mouth took charge of the kiss, and it went from a quick peck to something worthy of a PG-13 rating.
As Haley began to lose herself in the kiss, the guys started hooting and cat-calling. Ian broke the kiss, and Haley wondered if her breathing was just as labored as his or her eyes just as dilated.
What the fuck had just happened?
“Whoa, Ian! Didn’t know you had company,” one of them crowed, his eyes darting to Haley with interest. “You finally got a girlfriend?”
They whooped, elbowing each other as they threw their books and backpacks down and continued to be obnoxious assholes. Haley hadn’t looked at Ian since she'd kissed him. She couldn’t look at him. Embarrassment flooded her as she remembered every act of war he'd committed against her. What had gotten into her? With the last of her books picked up, she shot to her feet and nearly ran to the door.
“Thanks for the chemistry lesson, Ian,” she said breathily. And for the first time since the lip-locking incident, she looked at him.
His expression was tumultuous. Rather than joking around with his friends, his eyes were glued on her, as if he hadn’t even registered that his roommates were idiots on the couch.
Ian didn’t raise a hand to wave farewell or even say goodbye. He just stared Haley down with a look so a look so heated she almost missed the hint of vulnerability indicating she’d just thrown his world off its axis. The only trouble was she’d gone and done that to her world, too.