01.

ISABELLA

"Noah! What the fuck, man?" Hardin curses, as he reaches for the sheets and throws it around my naked body, pulling it tight.

At the same time, he's fumbling around, his hand slapping against the mattress, searching for something, anything, to cover his dick. Which was currently doing a very impressive job in standing at attention.

Then he turns, eyes blazing, to his brother, who's sitting on the only sofa in this room, a smug grin plastered across his face. Like he didn't just barge in on us, without a single knock, cuddling nakedly.

Fuck! I'm too mortified to speak. Too stunned to even form a coherent word. I can't even bring myself to look up at Noah. My heart is racing. Fuck again! How much did he see? My ass? My breasts?

Noah is fucking out of his mind. Seriously. Normal people know how to knock. Normal people won't gleefully watch their brother and his girl naked on the bed.

But who am I kidding? Noah isn't normal. Not at all. He thrives on chaos, on pushing boundaries, on making everyone around him uncomfortable.

I wrap the sheets tighter around my body, pulling them up to my chin, glancing down to make sure every curve, every inch, is hidden from his piercing gaze.

"Come on, it's just nudes. You don't have to be shy about it, Minnie." He says, leaning further into the couch he's on.

There he goes again. That infuriating nickname. He knows just how much I hate his nicknames for me, especially 'Minnie'. And he knows exactly how to get right under my skin, how to push every single one of my buttons.

"Isabella." I say, my chin jutted out with a hint of defiance.

"Minnie." He mumbles, his smirk widening.

"Isabella." I say again, not knowing why I'm even doing this. I know that he enjoys riling me up and I'm only feeding his satisfaction by reacting, but... Aargh!

There's just something about this guy that keeps making me feel things I absolutely have no right feeling.

Like now. While he's being a complete dick, a total asshole, I can't seem to focus on my anger because he's shirtless.

And have you seen Noah Hawkins shirtless?

It's a fucking meal.

His chest is broad, sculpted, covered in a roadmap of intricate tattoos that snake up his arms and disappear under the waistband of his low-slung jeans.

The ink, dark and mysterious, would make you think he has an obsession with them or something, each one telling a story I'll never know.

And just thinking about it makes me feel like the worst person on earth. Because I'm dating his brother, Hardin, who's the sweetest guy you'd ever find, kind and gentle, and everything Noah isn't.

I take few deep breaths and glance at Hardin, who's still glaring daggers at his brother, and then his eyes soften when they meet mine.

I nod. "It's fine. I just... hate your brother." Noah snorts like I'm being unreasonable for not enjoying being walked in on naked. I glare up at him. "What do you want?"

"First of all, Drama queen, I'm here to talk to my brother. Not some..." He eyes me up and down. "Naked Minnie mouse."

Hardin runs a hand over his face. "Can you stop? All you had to do was knock."

Noah shrugs. "Like I said, it's just nudes." He looks at me, that annoying smile spreading. "Why cuddle when you could have just fucked?"

Oh heavens! The vulgarity of this guy makes my stomach churn.

"Shut the fuck up man!" Hardin lunges for his brother. He's held back only by the fact that he's still tangled in the sheets, and I'm clinging to his arm, trying to keep him from actually throttling Noah. "Leave her alone. Must you be a dick to Bella?" Hardin looks strained. His muscles tense under my arms. And he's really, truly angry.

And Noah just laughs some more, infuriating Hardin the more, making him strain against my grip. "Right. I know. You two haven't fucked yet."

My cheeks heat up. That's... that's just how much I can take from this imbecile. My limit has been reached. I can't stand another second of this.

I make sure that the sheet is covering every part of my body and kiss Hardin. "I'll be in the bathroom." I say, and he nods.

Now that I'm alone, and I can think about something other than my boyfriend, I hurry and get cleaned up, splashing cold water on my face. The steam from the shower feels good, cleansing.

By the time I'm walking back into Hardin's room, wrapped in his fluffy towel, Noah is gone, thank goodness.

"What did he want?" I ask Hardin, who's reaching his arm out, around my wet body, pulling me close. The towel is doing its best, but my hair is still dripping onto his shoulders. "Eww... You stink." I push him off me playfully, pointing at the door of his bathroom. "Go shower you big lug."

"He's throwing a party for later. He wants to use the house." Hardin explains, as he strips of his boxers. I quickly turn my face to the bedside table, pretending to be utterly engrossed in the dust motes dancing in the morning sunlight.

I can feel the tips of my ears are burning, a tell-tale sign that I'm blushing furiously. Fuck me!

If Hardin notices that, he doesn't say a word. He just chuckles from the bathroom. A few moments later, he calls out, his voice slightly muffled by the running water. "I'm sorry about my brother, okay? He shouldn't have just barged in us like that."

I nod, even though he can't see me. "You don't have to apologize. He's just Noah." And that, unfortunately, explains everything.

I take out my phone from my bag and sigh at the number of texts and missed calls. Most importantly, I log into the portal of Greenville University. Because that's what matters the most to me.

My scholarship. The one I applied for last month after Hardin convinced me to. Not that I thought I had any chance in the prestigious, private, university but...

Oh Fuck!

"I got in." I murmur.

"Babe?"

I turn around, facing Hardin. He's butt naked. "At this rate, you should take the towel as yours." He smiles, his gaze on the towel around my chest.

"I got in, Hardin."