Lustful Hearts
Chapter 3: New Beginnings- P1

The alarm woke me early, and I groaned, instantly hitting the snooze button and snuggled deeper into the pillow. I refused to leave this bed just yet, well not until I really, really had to. I was not a morning person.

I hated everything about this time of day. I had to get several cups of coffee in me before I practically felt human again.

Five snooze delays later.

I admitted defeat and dragged my tired cranky body out of bed heading for the shower. It was my first day at college, and turning up as a sleep zombie was not an option.

Stumbling towards the bathroom, my eyes snapped up to the sudden flash of white as I took in the sight before me-Joel stood in just a towel.

Holy shit, I was awake now.

His lips turned up in delight at my reaction, and he chuckled as the usual blush crept over me.

Great!

Just to add to my embarrassment.

I involuntarily flicked my tongue over my lips, zoning in on the beads of water that clung to his hard chest. God, I wanted to lick those off so bad.

He grinned like he could read every damn thought in my dirty little mind. I was probably an open book right now, with every single emotion on display.

Fantastic.

"Like what you see?" he asked teasingly. His eyes were alight with amusement, staring tantalisingly deep into mine.

Did he even need to ask?

I swallowed slowly. I knew I needed to remain calm, but a large part of me was all for lunging forward to act out my fantasy.

"You know you're not all that, Joel," I retorted.

Wow, worst reply. Ever.

He grabbed my arms and pulled me into his tight, hard body. "I think your face is telling me different." His warm, minty breath tickled softly against my face, and I shivered, feeling the effects all the way down to my toes. But it was his cocky tone that soon sent me crashing back down.

I wrenched myself free of his hold. I hated this whole egotistical side of him. It was that part that always brought me back to my senses.

Why did he have to act this way?

I scowled and stormed past him, slamming the bathroom door in disgust. But not before I caught sight of his amused smirk as he shot me a playful, flirty wink.

***

After Joel's unexpected bathroom encounter, the morning had grown steadily worse. I arrived at college to collect my welcoming literature and to grab a coffee before the opening lecture. So far I'd collected the pack, but I was still yet to enjoy a welcoming caffeine fix. Plus despite having the aid of a map to direct me, I was now outright lost. I could feel my mood growing darker by the minute.

I threw my bag over my shoulder mumbling away in anger, but I was too caught up in scrutinising the map to notice just what I was about to smack right into.

The pain was instantaneous, and I reeled back in complete shock.

I was actually seeing stars.

I clutched my head as my eyes flicked up to replace it was no wall, but actually a rock, hard chest. His hands grabbed me, steadying me, and I stumbled slightly, still dazed from the collision. "Hey, sorry about that," a husky voice said, chuckling above me.

I glared in his direction to replace a cute, blonde shaggy haired guy towering over me, dazzling me with his smile.

"Are you okay? Sorry, I was too busy texting to notice, but hey, you can crash right into me anytime, darling."

Yeah. Worse chat-up line. Ever.

A scowl crossed my face, and I quickly pulled away from his hold. I had no desire to be hit on. I was just about ready to storm off, when I noticed I was now minus a map. My eyes scoured the floor in search of it, ready to make a hasty exit.

Where the hell was it?

Though I didn't know why I was bothering, so far it had been about as useful as a chocolate kettle.

"You're new, right?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

His brown eyes twinkled with obvious delight. They left mine to wander slowly up and down my body as his tongue flicked over his bottom lip.

Genius and a pervert.

Lucky me.

"Yeah, I'm trying to replace 40A. I have a lecture there in less than ten minutes," I replied, plastering on a fake smile.

I just wanted to leave.

"Well, let me escort you to your room. We can't have newbies getting lost, now can we?" He winked, with his cheeky smile still in place.

He bent down to retrieve the map from the floor, and his other hand touched my lower back, guiding me back down the corridor.

Hmm, patronising and forward. The guy just keeps on giving, but if he led me to the correct room, I'd be grateful forever. The thought of walking into a packed lecture hall late was enough to make me bring up the entire contents of my breakfast.

"Here we are," he chirped, and I scowled. We'd barely walked less than a minute. He chuckled at my look of annoyance. "You were nearly right, just needed to take a left instead, but then you'd never have met me. Obviously, fate brought us together."

I hated fate right now.

"Thanks again," I bit out and took the map, desperate to make my escape through the door.

"Anytime, hope to see more of your pretty face around college." His hand gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face. His fingers grazed against my skin as his eyes lingered looking deep into mine. Oh god.

I inwardly shivered, breaking the contact.

I hoped not.

I gave him one last smile of gratitude as I swung the door open. It came out more forced than sincere. He smiled walking backwards and saluted me before he headed on his merry way.

Once inside, I noticed the room was heaving and filling up. There were a number of empty seats dotted around, but I headed for the back. Hoping to lurk amongst the shadows where there would be less chance of being noticed.

I caught a few people's eyes walking up. Their welcoming smiles appeared warm and friendly, where mine were more of a grimace. I never did well around anyone new. My awkward side always managed to make an unwelcomed appearance.

The lecture began and judging by the amount of handouts we'd been given, it was going to be a long and tedious morning. Luckily for me I'd planned ahead. I liked to be prepared for these inevitable situations Pulling out my notebook and iPod, I discretely slipped in my earphones. The inane chatter was soon replaced with the rockier tones of Nirvana. I retrieved my emergency bag of skittles from my bag for a much needed energy boost. They were my only chance of surviving this long morning.

The moment my pencil hit the paper my mind instantly wandered going back to that moment with just Joel and the towel.

That damn towel.

I cursed it to hell for concealing the part of him that held the most intrigue.

I shifted uneasily in my seat imagining if the towel had in fact slipped. I smiled at my not so innocent thoughts. I had thought about removing it. Believe me, it would have answered a lot of questions.

I licked my lips feeling the heat spread throughout my body. The mere thought of a naked Joel made me want to lose all control. I glanced down at my mindless doodling to replace I'd subconsciously scribbled Joel's name like a hundred times.

What the hell?

I ripped the page out in disgust and screwed it up into a ball tossing it in the bin. I turned to the next empty page and began sketching the guy sitting in the row in front of me, to my right. He was providing the perfect side profile, and the fact he was a dead ringer for Edward Cullen only intrigued me to draw him even more.

The bell rang signalling lunch, and I suddenly felt a shadow cast over me. I shifted slightly in my seat, only to replace a pair of prying eyes peering over my shoulder.

"Hey, that's really good," he remarked from behind. His warm breath tickled against my cheek as I breathed in his delicious scent.

"Thanks," I replied smiling. I was rather proud of my morning's handiwork. I'd really managed to capture his good side.

I quickly closed the pad and slipped it back into my bag before the Edward Cullen wannabe noticed. I didn't wish to be known as a stalker on my first day of college. No one ever shook that kind of label. "He does have that sexy Edward Cullen vibe about him, wonder if he bites? I hope so." He chuckled.

I turned to see his face was lit up in amusement as he continued mindlessly staring at the Edward wannabe. He licked his lips like he was imagining the very thought. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd be the one doing the biting. I chuckled at the very idea. He was a good-looking guy, but it was pretty obvious by the way he was mentally undressing the Edward muse, he was gay.

Typical.

His sandy coloured hair was styled into a meticulously perfected quiff. I could tell from that alone he was a perfectionist. His large, brown eyes sparkled with mischief, and I smiled wondering what kind of trouble he had in store.

He was about around six foot and broad. He wasn't as big as Joel muscle wise, but he was clearly defined. Just by looking at him, I could see he had a great sense of style when it came to clothes. He dressed more for his own individual style, which was unique and suited his personality.

"He may even sparkle too." I laughed too loudly at my own joke, cringing slightly. I tossed the sweets wrapper into the bin, making a mental note to buy some more later.

"Hey, I'm Elijah," he said smiling. "Do you fancy hitting the canteen? I have a craving for chocolate fudge cake that needs fulfilled." He widened his eyes to emphasise his need further.

He was a man after my own heart. I think I'd officially found my cake soul mate.

"I'm Izzy," I replied smiling back. "After this morning I need the extra sugar to get me through this afternoon." It had been a long morning, and I was expecting the afternoon to be even slower.

"Yeah, it's going to drag, I'm going all out with the carbs, then I'll get sleepy and doze for the rest of the afternoon." He grinned, beginning to chuckle.

I couldn't help but laugh along with him. "Sounds like a plan." I smiled, looking up into a pair of cheeky, warm, chocolate brown eyes.

He was going to be a lot of fun, I could just tell.

***

Walking into the cafeteria the tables were already beginning to fill. I looked out onto a sea of faces, only to spot the blonde guy from earlier.

Seriously?

I snapped my head back around just in time. I knew I had to keep a low profile if I stood any chance of escaping his creepy clutches. I just hoped fate would be kind, but it always had a nasty habit of kicking me in the teeth.

I discretely stood behind Elijah, shamelessly using him as a human barrier as I monitored the enemy. He hadn't noticed me so far. He was completely caught up with the buzz and chatter at his table. His laughter was loud and could be heard from the other side of the room. He really didn't care about all the stares he was attracting. I was slightly envious he had the ability to enjoy himself without worrying about the attention he created.

We grabbed some trays and worked our way along. The mixture of different aromas filled the air. My eyes widened passing every plate. I started loading my tray with all the necessities. I definitely needed them to get me through what was looking like a long and arduous afternoon.

I looked over at Elijah and chuckled. His tray was loaded with every form of junk food imaginable. I guess he really was going down the death by carbs route.

Both our eyes widened approaching the cake section. We stood contemplating, but the decision was taken out of my hands the moment Elijah nudged me, grinning wildly. He pointed towards the ultimate indulgence-hot chocolate fudge cake with cream.

I needed that in my mouth now."]