Chapter 5~ Jason.

The heat was consuming, but as Maddox’s heavy weight pressed down on me, the sheer panic of how far this was going, snapped me back to reality.

Gathering every ounce of strength I had, I shoved hard against his broad shoulders, wrenching my lips away from his.

“Maddox, stop! No…” I panted, my voice trembling.

He blinked down at me, his gray eyes completely clouded with alcohol.

For a second, I thought he was going to snap and force it anyway, but instead, the aggression entirely drained out of him.

He let out a low, pathetic groan, collapsing face-first into the crook of my neck.

His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, pinning me to the mattress like a giant human shield.

I tried to wriggle out from under him, but his grip only tightened, his voice slurring heavily against my skin.

“Don't..." He mumbled, sounding entirely unlike the arrogant captain I knew. "Don't go. Stay here... Just stay…”

He was completely dead to the world a minute later, snoring softly while using me like a pillow.

I lay awake for hours in the dark, staring at the ceiling with his heavy arms anchoring me down, wondering how the hell my life had turned into this.

*

I breathed out as I tossed on the bed, but stopped at once when I couldn't feel the body which I could remember was here—right beside me.

I blinked open my eyes, the bright rays of morning sunlight hitting my face and welcoming me to the new day.

Maddox was gone.

I really should have wriggled out of his grip last night despite him holding me back, yet I had fallen asleep right beside him.

I walked down the hallway, my throat feeling far too dry for me to remain cramped up in bed.

I headed down the staircase and strolled into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking eagerly from it.

I figured Maddox must have gone to college already, or wherever it was he usually went. That was fine by me.

The last thing I wanted at this exact moment was seeing his face.

I was just placing the water bottle down on the cabinet to leave when I stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes met with Maddox standing right at the kitchen doorway.

He was dressed in shorts, his eyes fixed on me like I'd done something terribly wrong—when actually, he had been the one who barged into my room yesterday.

The vivid memory of it had my cheeks flushing instantly, and I couldn't even keep eye contact with him, looking away at anything but him.

“What happened yesterday?" He called out, demanding. I didn't need to read the expression on his face to know he was furious.

I swallowed hard. "What do you think?"

“Did you have anything to do with me last night?" He countered coldly. "Because the last time I checked, that's what you're good at."

I scoffed. "What?"

This time I was staring right at him, and fuck, how hot he was looking right now.

His gray eyes were even clearer than yesterday’s gloomy look. His hair was ruffled, as though he had just gone running, and now he was standing right in front of me with one thing clear—he wanted to make me the bad guy all over again.

“Don't pretend like that isn't—"

“You don't even remember yesterday, yet you have the guts to accuse me of that?" I interrupted, my blood starting to boil.

“The last thing I remember, you were in my room, off dress," he shot back, his voice stern. "You just really think you're up to the task of seducing me, is that it?"

He mustn't be serious right now...

The more I remained here hearing him out, accusing me of all of these things, the more I wanted to scream.

“Think whatever you want." I walked towards the doorway and tried to leave, but he didn't even let me walk past him...

Maddox reached out, wrapping his hand around my wrist and slamming me against the wall—hard.

I didn't even have enough time to breathe or register the sharp pain in my back before he pulled himself completely against me, devouring my lips at once in a harsh, sudden rush.

“Get off... Me..." I mumbled into the kiss, using every ounce of my weight to push his chest away. But Maddox had always been ridiculously stronger than me, bruising my lips as though they simply belonged to him to ravage whenever he pleased.

The second he dropped his guard slightly, I gathered all the strength left in my palms and brought my hand hitting him sharply across his face.

I panted heavily as he slowly turned his face back toward me.

He didn’t even look like a guy who had just been struck.

A dark, wicked smile tugged at the corner of his lips, making it look like he would gladly repeat the whole thing just so I could slap him again.

What kind of monster was I living with?

“You want that, don't you? So why pretend now?" He asked, his voice dripping with venomous sarcasm.

God, he was such a prick.

This time, I felt something deep inside me beginning to break apart. Tears threatened to spill, but crying in front of Maddox was out of the question. I would rather kill myself.

"You wanna know what?" I forced a bitter smirk onto my face, my voice trembling at the lie. "I actually took a naked picture of you while you were passed out. Just so I could enjoy myself later on. And now that you're getting on my nerves... Looks like I'm just gonna leak it for the whole college to see.”

Maddox's jaw clenched. "You did that? Now you're starting to show your true colors, even though your dad pretends to be the exact opposite."

“Don't get my dad into this." I gritted out.

“Or else what?" He took a heavy, threatening step forward, completely trapping me against the wall. “You think your little threats scare me, stepbrother? Go ahead and broadcast whatever you want. Let's see whose reputation gets ruined the most. If you want to get popular by making nude videos with me, I'll gladly make sure I give you a real show."

He closed the remaining space between us, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. I hated how my body was already beginning to react to his physical proximity.

“But I'll give you a better option," Maddox murmured, his voice dropping to a low, commanding tone that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "A deal to pay the price of what you did three years ago. You want peace in this apartment? You want me to play nice in front of our parents like I didn't catch you with my boxers—and keep my hands off you in public?"

I swallowed back the lump in my throat, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What do you want, Maddox?"

His grip tightened on my waist, his gray eyes flashing with a toxic hunger. "You do everything that I want, despite what it is... With obedience."

Tears finally blurred my vision, but I blinked them away, staring right into his ruthless eyes.

I was cornered. I had no other cards left to play against him.

"What—"

"Should I consider that a no?" He cut me off as though, if it were a no he would make my life a miserable end.

"Till when?"

"As long as it lasts me..."

"One semester," I choked out.

God, I must be stupid for that.

Maddox’s smirk widened, a victorious gleam in his eyes as he leaned down, pressing a hard, bruising kiss against my jawline.

“One semester," he whispered against my skin. "Deal, roommate."