Chapter 18 ~ Bellamy #2
I smile despite his words. “Minho, you owe me.”
“I didn’t do shit.”
I take another step closer. “But you wanted to, and now your friend has done it for you, so I think it’s only fair you do this one thing for me.”
He tilts his head to the side, and his lips curve upward. “He’s no friend of mine, so I don’t see how I owe you anything, Bells, other than maybe a punch for asking me for such a stupid favour.”
Fuck, this is fun.
It shouldn’t, not when my reputation is on the line, but I want to play games with him, so many naked, romantic, cheesy, heart-pounding games with him.
I bite down on my lower lip. “Come on, baby.” We are chest to chest now; his dad could open the door behind me and catch us any moment. “Help me clean up my reputation, and I will help you get the thing you want most.”
His long lashes flutter as his eyes lock with mine, and he leans forward, lightly pressing his lips to mine. “No, Boy Wonder.”
I pout. “Why not?”
Please kiss me. I want to beg him now that he’s this close, but I don’t want to give him more power than he’s already gotten from my mess.
“Because we’re brothers.”
The words hit me in the chest, and I feel it land, the weight of it pulling my heart down, and then I do something I shouldn't. I grind my erection against his thigh hard enough, his breath catches, and his heart thunders against mine.
“Stepbrothers,” I correct him, keeping my voice low. “We aren't related, last I checked.”
His hand rubs against my dick tauntingly.
The feeling of him touching me is maddening.
My towel, being the only barrier between you and me, is killing me.
“Hmm, and if I were to do this—” Minho’s eyes drop to what he’s doing to me as I shamelessly grind into him before looking up again.
“What do you think I want—truly want more than anything?”
“I–” I closed my eyes because fuck me backwards, I have no clue. And my chance to say anything must time out when he removes his hand from my cock before he lightly pushes me off him.
He chuckles. “As thrilling as fake dating you would be, I just don’t see why I would want to help you, Bells. I’m Captain now, and my focus has to be the team, and I just can’t do that if I am trying to save you from your mess.” He kisses my cheek and slips past me.
“Your mess.”
Oh my God.
That’s when it clicks. “You left the hard drive under the couch on purpose.” I turn to find him smiling deviously at me. I was a fool thinking I could trick this evil deceiver. He planned for me to find his drive and use it.
“I must say,” he starts, a light laughter escaping him.
“I thought you’d wait a day before thinking of a way you could somehow pin this on Mani.
What was the plan? Blame him, get me to feel bad and help you out of a bind.
I bet making me pretend to date you made you feel like you’d get you closer to actually having me? ”
Holy motherfucking shit.
He truly is the devil.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to leak those photos.” I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore.
“I didn’t—at least not until I saw you get a text this morning from someone asking you how much for my dresser.”
Shit.
“I told you we’d share a—”
He laughs, the sound mocking. “Doesn’t mean I wanted to share a bed with you when I was just getting used to sharing literally everything else with you, again.”
I raise my hands in defeat. “Well, shit, sue me for wanting to cuddle the guy I like, for wanting you to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see before I go to sleep.”
“God, you are obsessed.”
I smirk. “What if I am?”
“Get a hobby.”
“I have—”
He holds up a hand, and I shut up. “You had hockey, you're benched for three games, Bells, so now is the perfect time to find something else to do.”
I can’t help the laughter that escapes me. “You seriously planned this all out, didn’t you?”
Minho tilts his head to the side, considering my words. “Honestly, it was a coin toss of what-if scenarios until I decided just to let you find the drive.” He takes a step backwards, never breaking eye contact. “What you did with it afterwards was entirely up to you, baby.”
“You tricked me.”
“And you could have destroyed the drive, and been none the wiser,” He teases, his smile widening as if he’s the fucking Cheshire Cat.
“I hate you.”
I don't hate him, but I do despise how much better he is at deceiving people into doing whatever he wants.
It’s high school and the first year of Eden U all over again. But worse, because now I am the one who's been cornered like prey to its predator.
He raises a brow. “You love me, or you wouldn’t try so hard to play a game you can’t see you’ve already lost”
“I–”
Fuck, I should be the one saying I love him; I do, but those words aren’t enough to describe how I feel for him. Which is why I watch as he turns and walks away without another word, leaving me in the hallway utterly speechless for the first time since I first met him.
How did I lose so badly?
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Curious to find out what happens next?Click here for the next book in The Map of Us series: Devil’s Gambit (Book 2)