Sam pushed onto the crowded subway car, out of breath from running to catch her train. She gave a sigh of relief and stationed herself close enough to a pole to hang on when the car began moving. She combed her fingers through her wavy chestnut curls, wild from racing down several flights of stairs, and smoothed her flowing skirt.
Glancing around, she caught a glimpse of a tall, sandy-haired guy standing a few feet away, his face only visible in profile. She was unable to stop herself from admiring his chiseled jawline and the cut biceps his short-sleeved t-shirt revealed. A black tattoo peeked out of the sleeve, disappearing under his arm. His gray t-shirt stretched taut over his pecs and flat stomach, hinting at the musculature underneath. A jolt of lust pinged through her, but was quickly replaced by shock as he turned his head and their eyes met, his blue eyes burning into her hazel ones.
Knox Daniels.
It had been several years, but there was no mistaking that face. She'd had to look at it every single day from ninth to eleventh grade and, given how he'd made her life miserable, she didn't think she'd ever be able to forget it.
He'd single-handedly made sure she never had a date, much less a boyfriend, her first three years of high school. She'd been the constant butt of jokes, her locker almost always spray painted with 'NERD' or some other derogatory name, or overflowing with trash (and one not-so memorable time, used condoms).
She never knew what she'd done to piss him off, but she had been beyond relieved when her father was transferred at the beginning of her senior year. Most teens would have been devastated to be uprooted for their last year in high school, but for Sam, it was the chance to finally have a normal high school experience.
She still remembered the last time she saw him. She'd been so ecstatic at the prospect of escape that, when he'd paused in the hall to watch as she'd cleaned out her locker for the last time, she'd made full eye contact with him for once and given him a wide, sunny smile.
"Bye," she'd said, simply, the relish in her voice throwing him off.
His unfathomable blue eyes had widened slightly, his expression intense, before a scowl darkened his face. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Somewhere I won't have to deal with you anymore," she'd replied sweetly.
He had leaned down, towering over her petite figure, and promised, "you'll see me again."
Sam recalled his raspy last words now as she jerked her eyes away from his fiery blue stare just as his lips formed her name. She tried to regulate her breathing as, out of her peripheral vision, she saw Knox shifting closer. Her heart in her throat, she turned her body away from him, facing the door. In the reflection of the window, she could see that he was now standing directly behind her, his blond hair tousled, his eyebrows drawn together as if deep in thought.
The car slowed to a stop and the doors opened. More passengers crowded in, boxing Sam in on all sides. She was painfully aware of Knox's powerful body just inches away. Her skin prickled and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
The subway car jerked into motion. To her horror, Sam was slammed back into Knox's hard chest. She felt big hands encircle her upper arms, catching her and holding her in place.
She resisted the urge to turn and look at him, but she could feel every inch of him, every muscle, molded to her back. Blood pounded in her ears as her body responded to his on a primal level.
His familiar scent reached her nose, triggering memories of the years he had tortured her in school. She stiffened at the reminder, fighting her body's response to his closeness. She had very little room to move, but she tried to put a few inches between their bodies.
He held her in place, trapping her against his body.
Her breath caught. What was he doing?
She was torn between crying out for help and giving in to the heavy arousal that flooded her body. She hated that Knox was as gorgeous as ever, and was still able to effortlessly awaken her body with just a look, just his proximity. It reminded her how, as a teen, she had been so confused and embarrassed by the way she simultaneously loathed him and desired him.
She felt his mouth close to her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Samantha," he breathed. Knox's low, raspy voice uttering her name set off flutters throughout her tummy and heat spread throughout her body. Her skin broke out into goosebumps and her nipples hardened into sharp little points. Despite her body's involuntary response, she held herself rigidly, staring straight ahead, giving no indication she'd heard anything.
Knox chuckled softly at her refusal to look at or acknowledge him. His warm breath tickled her ear and her hardened nipples chafed against the lace of her bra almost painfully. "I thought I was imagining things," he said in that velvety soft tone. "But no. I'd know you anywhere."
She sucked in a breath as the train halted and the crush of people pushed their bodies even closer together, his lower body now flush against her as well. She let out a small gasp as she became aware of a sizable hardness prodding into her ass.
His mouth was at her ear again. "That's the other reason I knew it was you." He rocked into her, letting her feel the length of his impressive erection. "All you had to do was walk in a room and you had me so hard I wanted to beg you just for a taste of your sweet pussy."
She clenched her thighs together, feeling a rush of warmth between her legs at his filthy words. She opened her mouth to tell him to get the fuck away from her, but all that came out was a whimper.
His hands moved from where they held her arms in place down to her hips. She glanced down, seeing his strong, tanned hands grasping her.
Lust coursed through her, drugging her into docility. The same thing had happened back in high school- even when she was furious at him, he'd affected her so strongly on a physical level that she felt almost drunk when she was around him. What was worse, he was the first and last man who had aroused her like that. And without even lifting a finger.
As a teen, she'd imagined, at night, alone in the dark, what it might feel like, the heights he might take her to, if he actually tried to seduce her.
Her fantasies didn't even come close to the electricity his touch sent jolting through her body.
