003 - Rules And Appearance

♡♡ HYLARA ♡♡

"You're late!"

Creed stood by his locker in the empty locker room, his broad back turned to me, a thick heavy towel loosely wrapped around his waist. Water from his shower beaded on his spine, trailing down the ridges of his toned muscles.

His dark brown hair was damp and spiky, and the delicious essence of his soap lingered on him making me want to dab his skin with my tongue.

"With the way you're devouring me with your eyes, I'd think you've never seen a shirtless man." He scoffed without glancing my way, his voice dripping with disdain.

I gulped, heat pricking my skin at having been caught ogling.

"Maybe if you weren't living in your head, you'd realize I was waiting for you to wrap up whatever you're doing." I defended.

There was something about him that made me act rashly with him.

Slamming his locker shut, he turned towards me, a pair of black Tom Ford boxer briefs in his hand, his arrogant smirk not missing. 

My lips turned dry as the sharp V at his lower abdomen disappeared beneath his loosely tied towel. Gulping, I meet his dark grey eyes pinning me in place as though they'd caught every forbidden thought in my mind.

"You know we have to get over our differences if we want to survive this scandal." Swallowing hard, I crossed my arms defensively over my chest, pretending the thin fabric brushing against my sensitive flesh wasn't bothering me.

"You mean your little debut picture?"

"I hate you!" I snapped, smacking him hard on the chest.

His eyes darkened, the locker room temperature suddenly increased, my palm tingled from the impact, causing a sensation to settle between my thighs.

I was instantly hit with self-disgust, and an overwhelming urge to smack myself in the head.

What was wrong with me? My life was literally falling apart and somehow, my body still found time to react to the man who almost got me expelled five semesters ago?

Without a word, Creed stepped back, his fingers casually trailing the waistband of his briefs. The glint in his eyes made my pulse fumble before he shamelessly dropped the towel with a thud.

"CREED HORTON! You're so disgusting." I shrieked, slapping my hands over my eyes, but my brain had already captured the huge size of his junk.

The insufferable man actually chuckled, the low rumble making my face turn beetroot. 

"Drop the blushing virgin act princess, we both know better."

"So what? A child is still pure, don't defile my chaste eyes."

"Prude."

When I opened my eyes, he was already in his black sleeveless jersey that exposed his thick corded arms inked with dark tattoos.

My gaze lingered a little too long on him, which made me frown in annoyance.

"You're being inappropriate, and that is exactly why I'm here," I muttered, widening the space between us. "We need rules if this ridiculous arrangement is going to last without one of us ending up behind bars for a felony."

"Rules?" Creed quirked an amused brow, "Interesting. Let's hear what you're so scared of."

The council had barely dismissed us before I knew this conversation couldn't wait, so I asked to meet up after his practice. Squaring my shoulders, I held up my index finger.

"I'm not—. Forget it. Rule number one, no sex."

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Really Hylara? That doesn't make him think you're hoping to get down with him at all. I chided, wincing mentally.

"What?"

"No sleeping together." I strengthen my spine resisting the urge to cough in discomfort.

"Why date if we don't sleep together?" His features crease with genuine confusion.

"We're fake dating not bed buddies, Creed Horton." I glared. "Two, stay out of my personal business, and I'll be out of yours."

"Are we signing contracts and having brisk handshakes?" He chuckled, clearly not taking this seriously. "Don't make rules you can't keep up with, Hylara Hart, you've been devouring me with your chaste eyes since you walked in."

"That's a creative way to explain your imagination." I smiled sweetly.

"Rule number three, no lying." he closed the space between us, his breath fanning my face. A shiver passed through me as his finger lightly tucked some loose strands behind my ear.

Swallowing hard, I took another step backwards but Creed matched them until the cold locker bit into my back. His arms kept me trapped, his sharp woodsy scent making the room feel smaller.

"You're not going to lie to me Hylara, especially when your body's telling me something different." His voice had a rough edge, his hooded eyes glistening under the locker room's fluorescent light.

"Your... your eyes," I stuttered hesitantly.

Creed quickly averted his eyes but not before I caught its golden glow.

Did his eyes change colors based on his moods? Was that even normal?

"Be ready at nine little girlfriend, we're making our first appearance tonight. I want the whole school talking tomorrow."

I didn't understand what Creed meant until a knock sounded on my dorm door later that evening. Luckily, my roommates were out and Cassandra hadn't shown her man-stealing face all day.

Grabbing my purse, I met Creed by the door, his sleeves were pulled up to expose his dark inked arms.

"You're wearing that?" His nose scrunched in displeasure.

I looked down at the calf-length printed skirt, plain tank shirt, and the jacket wrapped around my shoulders.

"It's just a date." I shrugged.

"Exactly, not some religious gathering. Don't you have anything less boring?"

Rolling my eyes, I brushed past him into the hallway, his heavy footsteps trailing behind me. Creed's little fans erupted into squeals and flirty whispers like he was some god coming to bless them with an eternal beauty formula.

How pathetic.

The car rolled to a stop outside an upscale nightclub.

The club hit me all at once, blinding lights slicing through smokes, liquor thick in the air, and bass vibrating through me. Creed barely spared a glance as he led me towards a door guarded by two bulky bouncers with faces unfamiliar with smiles.

I frowned as the men bowed to Creed before opening the door to the most sinful place I'd ever seen.

The air was charged with the smell of sex, alcohol, and tobacco. Ladies almost covered in nothing danced on poles to entertain men in luxury suits.

"What's this place?"

"Not important. We're only here to make an appearance."

"In a place like this? Is that okay?"

"In my establishment." Picking two glasses from a pretty brunette with red rhinestone pasties, he handed me one before leading us to a private room.

I wasn't surprised—the Horton family practically owned the city. It was normal for him to have something to his name.

"Tonight's task is simple. We kiss, it'll seem like someone spotted us together. The rumors would make things more believable."

My jaw dropped. This man had no shame. Was this his brilliant idea?

"What if I refuse? Do you have a backup plan?" Raising a brow, I took a large gulp of my drink to distract myself.

Declan was the only man I'd ever kissed. What if I wasn't good enough? As much as I hated Creed, I didn't want our first fake kiss to end in disappointment.

"I'm sure the Dean would love to know why."

"You—!"

"My PR team will share photos of us practically eating each other to the right outlet." He brushed me off.

"And the cameras?" I squeak, every nerve in my body on high alert.

"Already rolling. Don't ruin this by freezing on camera. Loosen up, I'm not stealing your first kiss."

"Of course not, I've had some impossible to forget kisses."

"I doubt that slob could be that much." He retorted, pulling me flush against him. My body betrayed me again with a shiver as our breath tangled.

Creed's eyes burned with something fierce and complicated for me to decipher as his lips claimed mine.

What started gently quickly skyrocketed into something deep and breathtaking that sent my heart into a frenzy. Every passing second blurred the line between pretending and wanting more.

Despite the warning bells in my head, I melted into him, his fingers digging into my waist, drawing me impossibly closer to his firm chest.

As the kiss broke, Creed's lips burned a path from my face to my neck as though he wasn't ready to let go.

Releasing a ragged breath, Creed's lips grazed the shell of my ear as he whispered lowly.

Mate.