~Samantha Lee~

The entire concept of 'happily ever after' had always felt like a cruel joke in our household. My mom, bless her chaotic heart, had pretty much sworn off men after my Chinese dad decided he preferred a Buddhist monastery in Tibet to our suburban chaos. For years, her frustration, her unfulfilled longing dripped onto me. Every every messy room, every slightly-too-short skirt was an indictment of my character, an extension of her own personal disappointments. So, when she dropped the bombshell that she was not only dating someone but was getting married, I nearly died.

I tugged at the hem of my mini-dress, the fabric clinging in all the wrong places. My phone lay on my bed, vibrating with Logan's contact name, but he wasn't picking up. Typical! He was probably already at the pre-game party with his frat brothers, surrounded by sweaty bodies and cheap beer, completely oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend was trying to coordinate a grand entrance.

"Still trying to track down Captain Oblivious?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Rachel was leaning against my doorframe wearing a black velvet jumpsuit. "He's probably already there, wrestling with a frat bro for the last bag of Doritos," she added, an amused smirk playing on her lips.

"He said he'd meet me," I grumbled, shoving my phone into my tiny clutch. "And I don't do solo entrances. It screams 'I have no friends and spend my weekends alphabetizing my sock drawer'."

Rachel rolled her eyes, pushing off the doorframe. "Relax, Sam. We'll make a grand entrance, together. Double the trouble, double the fun, zero percent chance of looking like a social pariah." She gestured towards the door. "Now come on, the bass is calling our names."

I smiled as we made our way out of the hostel and to the frat where the party was hosted, the 'club' was really just a repurposed warehouse off campus, known for its questionable hygiene but excellent DJ.

"Alright, mission find Logan," Rachel yelled over the music, already scanning the crowd.

"He's probably with his team," I shouted back, "You know how he gets when he's with the boys, he zones out. Probably doesn't even know his phone is in his pocket."

Famous last words, right? Because then I saw him. Logan was not with his teammates, I saw him with Hannah, her hands were tangled in his hair, his arms around her waist, and their mouths... definitely not talking. A full-on, tongue-invading, make-out session that left no room for doubt or polite interpretation.

I had left angrily, drunk, danced with strangers and my memory from that point onwards became fuzzy, then, nothing.

Until the sunlight filtered through the room, I groaned and my eyes snapped open, and I pulled the covers from my body with a gasp. My breath hitched when I noticed I was utterly, completely, terrifyingly naked.

"Aaaah!" I screamed.

"What the..." The voice was deep, raspy with sleep.

My head whipped to the side, my eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Next to me, occupying the other half of the bed, was a person. A man and he too was naked, his chest rising and falling with a slow, sleep-drugged rhythm.

My brain, still half-hibernating in an alcohol-induced coma, struggled to process the brown hair, messy, falling over his forehead. Broad shoulders, a lean torso. And then, his eyes, green and confused, blinked open, locking onto mine.

Tyler!

My world spun as I covered my mouth with my hands.

"Oh, holy mother of..." Tyler bolted upright, the sheets pooling around his waist. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and dawning horror. Slowly, agonizingly, the memories started to flood in of how everything happened.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" I scrambled, frantically grabbing for the pile of clothes thrown on a nearby chair."This cannot be happening!"

Tyler raked a hand through his hair, his face pale. "You're telling me! What the hell went down last night, Sam?"

"I don't know!" I shrieked, fumbling with the zipper of my dress, my hands shaking so hard I could barely aim. " We were both naked, we were both in bed. The answer was horrifyingly obvious.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again as if hoping I'd disappear. "Oh, God. This is... this is a nightmare."

"A nightmare is an understatement!" I finally wrestled my dress on, my hair a tangled mess, my makeup surely smeared. I looked like a hot mess, but at least I wasn't naked anymore. "Listen, Tyler, we are never, ever speaking of this again. Do you understand? Not a word. This never happened, we both blacked out, end of story."

He stared at me, his eyes still wide,  "You think I want this plastered all over campus?"

"Then we're in agreement!" I snatched my clutch, my heels, and practically sprinted towards the door, not even bothering to glance back. "Never happened!"

The door slammed shut behind me, and I didn't stop running until I was out on the street, the cool morning air doing nothing to calm my racing heart. The walk back to my hostel was a blur of mortified self-recrimination.

Tyler of all people, how could I... I slept with him. My stomach churned. The irony was ridiculous Logan cheats on me, and I wake up in bed with my biggest rival.

My phone, thankfully, chose that precise moment to start ringing, it was my mom.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself, "Hello?"

"Samantha Lee! Where are you?!" Her voice, even through the phone, was a piercing shriek. "You are not here! The ceremony starts in thirty minutes! Everyone is waiting!"

Oh.

My.

God.

The wedding! My mom's wedding.

"Mom, I... I forgot," I stammered.

"Forgot?!" she wailed. "You forgot your mother's wedding?! Get here this instant! The address is in the text I sent last night! Do you hear me?!"

"Yeah, Mom, I hear you! I'm on my way!" I practically yelled back, hanging up before she could launch into another tirade.

A wedding? Right! The universe truly had it out for me today.

I burst into my room just tore off the sequined disaster and practically leaped into the shower, scrubbing at my skin as if I could wash away the memories of the last few hours. Ten minutes later, I was out, dripping wet, and pulling on the first thing my hand found, a rose gold, off-the-shoulder gown that was probably way too fancy for a morning ceremony but, honestly, I didn't care. It was clean. I barely even attempted to comb my hair, just finger-combed it into some semblance of order before grabbing my clutch and practically flying out the door. The cab ride felt impossibly long, the driver probably wondering why his passenger looked like she'd just escaped from a high-speed chase.

The moment I stepped into the venue, I noticed there were so many people, my eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on my mother. She was standing next to a distinguished-looking man, beaming, her usually harried face radiating pure joy. She spotted me and waved frantically, a mix of relief and barely suppressed annoyance on her face.

I forced a smile, weaving through the chattering guests. When I reached them, my mom grabbed my arm, squeezing it tight. "Samantha! Oh, thank God you're here! You look... well, you're here! This is my daughter, Samantha!" She turned to the man beside her, her smile softening even more. "And darling, this is Mr. Pierce, my husband."

Mr. Pierce extended a hand, his smile kind. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Samantha. Your mother talks about you constantly."

I shook his hand, trying to act normal, my voice a little shaky. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Pierce. Congratulations."

Just then, a voice, deep and familiar, cut through the gentle murmur of conversation. "Sorry, I'm late, Dad. Had a... slow start to the morning."

My head snapped up, tilting towards the familiar sound. No, it couldn't be but there he was. Tyler Pierce, looking impossibly put-together in a tailored suit, his hair still slightly damp from a shower, his eyes finding mine across the small group. They widened fractionally, a silent, mutual gasp of horror passing between us.

Mr. Pierce chuckled, clapping Tyler on the shoulder. "Ah! Here comes my son."

What the hell?

~Samantha Lee~

My eyes fell on Tyler who seemed to be wrestling with the same dread as me. His jaw was tight, his gaze fixed on some invisible spot over my left shoulder, anywhere but at me.

"So, Samantha," Mom chirped, her smile getting wider, completely oblivious to the dread between Tyler and I, "Pierce and I have been thinking, you should move into the mansion with us," she said and my eyes widened in shock.

"Wait! What mom?! My room at the hostel is absolutely fine." I replied through gritted teeth.

"Your room at the hostel is fine, sweetie, but Mr. Pierce's house is also close to campus. You don't have to share a room with anyone."

I furrowed my brows,"Mom, no. Absolutely not. The hostel is perfect. I like my space, I like my freedom, I like not living with strangers." I tried to make it sound reasonable, but the emphasis on "strangers" was definitely for Tyler's benefit.

Tyler, for his part, finally shifted his gaze to me, a flash of something unreadable in his green eyes. "Yeah, Mrs. Pierce, Sam's got a point. The hostel works."

"Nonsense!" Mr. Pierce boomed, "It's a big house, plenty of space! And you two are practically family now. What better way to strengthen the bond between our new blended family than to live under one roof?" He beamed, completely missing the twin looks of horror exchanged between Tyler and me. "You both are brother and sister."

The words echoed in my head, mocking me, twisting the memory of last night's activities into something truly horrific. My face felt hot, and I could practically feel the blush creeping up my neck.

"No!" I blurted, simultaneously with Tyler's "No way!"

Mom's smile faltered. Her perfectly manicured eyebrow arched. "Is everything alright, you two?" she asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. "Yes, Mom. Everything's... peachy." I lied.

"Good," she announced, "Because that's quite enough. Samantha, you're moving into the house this weekend, it's settled. It's about family, Tyler will drive you to school every day and that's that."

Tyler slumped back in his chair, a defeated sigh escaping him. We said nothing and we left the wedding venue for the Pierce's mansion. My jaw probably dropped as we stepped into the gate of the mansion.

I literally had to fight the urge to whip my head around and stare at Tyler. This was his house? The guy who never flaunted anything. I mean, sure, he was on the university's elite hockey team, but that didn't scream "mansion dweller" to me. My internal monologue was a series of shocked exclamations. Holy hell! This is... wow.

We stepped inside, and the grand foyer was even more impressive. High ceilings, a sweeping staircase, and art that probably cost more than my entire tuition.

Mr. Pierce, radiating proud papa energy, led the way. "Samantha, your room is just up here!" He gestured grandly up the staircase that felt like it belonged in a movie.

What fresh hell awaited me?

He threw open a door at the end of a very long, very silent hallway. The room was huge, with a king-sized bed, a private bathroom, and a view that overlooked some kind of garden. It was beautiful, undeniably. But then he gestured across the hall, to another door. "And that's Tyler's room! You two will be neighbors!"

Neighbors?! Of course. Because the universe hated me. My eyes locked onto that door, then flitted to Tyler, who was leaning against the doorframe of his room, a faint, unreadable smirk playing on his lips. This was going to be an absolute nightmare.

After the full tour which included a ridiculously large kitchen, a home theatre, and a gym that put our campus one to shame, Mom clapped her hands together. "Well, that's everything! Mr. Pierce and I are off to do some planning. You two catch up!"

And with that, they were gone, leaving me alone in the vast, echoing hallway with the one person I absolutely, positively did not want to be alone with.

As soon as the sound of their footsteps faded, I spun on my heel, ready to bolt into my new, overly luxurious prison. But a hand shot out wrapping around my wrist. My entire body stiffened.

"Don't even think about it, Lee," Tyler's voice rumbled behind me.

I yanked my hand away as if his touch were acid. "Stay away from me, Pierce," I hissed, my voice barely a whisper, laced with a disgust I hoped was convincing. "You disgust me."

He took a slow step closer, a knowing glint in his eyes. "You didn't have that on your mind when you were busy moaning my name last night, did you?"

My eyes went wide, my face flaming. Had he actually just said that? Out loud? In his dad's house? "Don't you dare," I breathed looking mortified. "Don't you ever mention that again! And it's obvious you stay away from me!"

He chuckled, "And what if I have no intention of doing that, Lee?" he teased, his grin widening just enough to show a flash of perfect teeth.

"Because I always knew you liked me, Tyler," I retorted, desperation making me bold. "But I don't like you. You don't... You don't deserve my likeness." The words stumbled out, a desperate attempt to wound him, to put distance between us.

The humor vanished from his face as quickly as it had appeared. His eyes darkened and he took a slow, deliberate step towards me, then another. I took quick, jerky steps back, my heart pounding against my ribs. Each step he took, I retreated, until my back hit the wall with a soft thud.

I was trapped.

He leaned in, his tall, muscular frame caging me against the cool wall, his scent enveloped me. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his skin. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he moved his face closer to mine, his lips brushing my cheek, then tracing a path towards my neck.

It wasn't a kiss, it was a torture, a deliberate invasion of my personal space, like he was breathing me in, discovering every scent, every reaction. My breath hitched and my hands, without conscious thought, went up, pressing against his chest.

I was ready to risk it all, to push him away, to demand he stop, or maybe... maybe pull him closer. My eyes fluttered shut, caught in the intoxicating, terrifying moment.

Then, just as the tension was stretched to its absolute breaking point, he pulled away, suddenly and abruptly.

My eyes flew open, blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of the sudden emptiness where his body had been.

His fingers flicked my forehead.

My mouth fell open in shock. What the actual hell just happened?

He grinned, that infuriating, knowing smirk back in place. "See, Lee? It's obvious you're clearly into me. You should stop pretending."

And with that, he turned and walked away leaving me standing there, pressed against the wall, utterly speechless.

~Samantha Lee~

The ceiling in my new bedroom was a vast, unforgiving white. I'd counted 1,472 imaginary sheep, named every state capital alphabetically, and mentally replayed the final three seconds of last season's championship game at least fifty times. Still, sleep was a luxury I apparently no longer deserved.

My sheets were twisted around my legs, damp with a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the temperature. Every time I closed my eyes, the scene replayed in my head, how my mother's hand tucked into the arm of a smiling Mr. Pierce, and just behind them was his son.

Tyler! Fucking! Pierce.

My arch-nemesis and now, thanks to a whirlwind romance that apparently blossomed over what? Charity galas? He was my stepbrother.

The thought of it sends a shiver down my spine and it's not in any good way.

How could my mom do this? Of all the single, eligible men in this city, she had to fall for the father of the one person who could make my blood boil just by breathing in my general direction. She had no idea about the years of rivalry, the snide remarks in the hallways, the competitive fire that burned between the hockey team and the cheerleading team. She had no idea about that night at the party, the blur of alcohol and tension that ended with his hands on my waist and his mouth dangerously swallowing mine.

A hot flush crawled up my neck just thinking about what happened between us. My mom would kill me, not just kill me, she would disown me, then resurrect me just to kill me a second time if she ever found out I'd so much as shared air with Tyler Pierce outside of a school-sanctioned event. Staying away from him wasn't a suggestion, it was a survival mandate, and now, I was supposed to live with him.

The first rays of morning light finally sliced through the blinds, and I took it as my cue to escape. I slid out of bed silently like a spy on a mission. The mission?

Operation: Avoid All Pierces.

I tiptoed past the kitchen, the scent of fresh coffee a painful temptation, and slipped out the front door of the ridiculously oversized mansion without so much as a granola bar. Freedom tasted like crisp morning air and an empty stomach.

My old hostel dorm room felt like a time capsule. Cardboard boxes slumped against the walls, half-packed and judgmental. A faded poster of my favorite band was still tacked to the wall, a relic from a simpler time like, last week. I groaned, sinking onto the edge of my stripped mattress. The thought of cramming the rest of my life into these boxes and hauling them over to the Pierce palace by the weekend made my entire body ache with dread.

A glance at my phone sent a jolt of panic through me.

Class!

Crap!

I practically sprinted across campus, my backpack thumping against my spine. I skidded into the lecture hall with minutes to spare, my lungs burning. My relief was short-lived. I hated this class not because of the professor or the subject matter, but because Logan was in it. And right on cue, as I was settling into a seat in the back corner, he walked in.

But he wasn't alone.

His hand was laced with Hannah's, their fingers intertwined like it was the most natural thing in the world. They didn't need to keep it a secret anymore, not since I had caught them cheating on me, kissing like their life depends on it, but I couldn't lie the public display was a fresh stab to the gut, a bitter, ugly thing coiled in my stomach, and I had to force myself to look away, focusing on a particularly interesting crack in the ceiling. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing how much it still stung.

The whispers started almost immediately, a low hiss that slithered through the room.

"...can't believe he dumped Sam for her..."

"Are you kidding? Hannah's way prettier. It's a total upgrade."

"God, I'd be so embarrassed if I were her..."

My knuckles turned white as I gripped my pen. Each word was a tiny, sharp pebble being thrown at me. My cheeks burned with a humiliating heat, and all I wanted was for the floor to swallow me whole.

Just as I thought I was going to combust from sheer mortification spontaneously, Professor Albright strode in, his briefcase thumping onto the lectern. "Alright, people, settle down!"

I'd never been so grateful to hear his booming, monotonous voice in my entire life. The whispers died out, replaced by the shuffling of notebooks. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, my shoulders slumping in relief.

The next hour was a blur of academic jargon that went in one ear and out the other. The second the class ended, I had my books shoved in my bag, ready to make a clean getaway. My plan was to find Rachel and Lily and drown my sorrows in a truly obscene amount of iced coffee.

But, of course, the universe had other plans.

"Well, well, look what we have here."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Blocking the doorway were Hannah and her two carbon-copy minions, Amber and Jessica. I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't get stuck.

"Lost something?" I asked, my voice dripping with false sweetness.

A smirk played on Hannah's perfectly glossed lips. "Just wondering how it feels, Sam to lose." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper that was loud enough for everyone still in the room to hear. "Logan told me you were... boring. He needed someone with more passion. I'm just better, you know? He chose me."

Amber and Jessica giggled like a pair of hyenas. The words were designed to be poison darts, and damn it, they were hitting their mark. My throat felt tight, my carefully constructed wall of indifference crumbling.

"You want to know what she needs?" A new voice cut through the tension. Rachel appeared at my side, Lily right behind her, both of them looking ready for war.

Rachel fixed Hannah with a withering glare. "She needs you to go ahead and enjoy eating her trash. Bon appétit."

Lily crossed her arms, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Seriously, Hannah. Sam doesn't need Logan. He's used and dumped. You're welcome to him."

Hannah's jaw dropped. She looked from Rachel's cool look to Lily's outright aggression and back to me. For once, the queen bee was speechless. With a frustrated huff that ruffled her perfect hair, she spun on her heel and stormed off, her minions scrambling to follow.

The second they were gone, the tension broke. I high-fived Lily and Rachel, a real, genuine smile finally breaking through. "God, I love you guys. Seriously. 'Eating her trash'?"

Rachel shrugged, a grin spreading across her face. "Seemed appropriate."

I laughed, a wave of gratitude washing over me. This was my family, the one I'd chosen.

Just as I turned to suggest our coffee run, my eyes caught on a figure leaning against the far wall at the entrance to the hall. Tall, broad-shouldered, with an air of lazy confidence that always set my teeth on edge.

Tyler.

He wasn't talking to anyone or looking at his phone. He was just standing there, his dark eyes fixed directly on me. He'd seen the whole thing. The confrontation, my friends' intervention, everything. There was an unreadable expression on his face, an intensity that made the air feel thick and heavy.

A strange current passed between us, a silent, charged acknowledgment that crackled across the crowded hallway.

Rachel's gaze darted from me to Tyler and back again. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Okay," she said slowly, her voice low. "We have a lot to talk about. Starting with what the hell really happened at the party Friday night, and ending with why your nemesis is staring at you like you're the last drop of water in the desert."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "Yeah, okay," I managed to say, my voice a little breathless. I gave them a quick, tight nod. "I'll be right back."

I didn't wait for a response. With a deep breath, I started walking, not towards my friends, but towards the hall entrance, towards him. My steps were even and deliberate, my gaze fixed straight ahead. I wasn't going to stop, I wasn't going to engage, I was going to walk right past him and out into the fresh air and pretend he didn't exist.

As I reached the entrance, I brushed past him, the heat radiating off his body warming my skin for a fraction of a second, I didn't look at him, I just kept walking.

I made it three steps before I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, falling into pace with my own.

He was following me.