TEMPTING THE ICE KING

Nervous butterflies settled in my chest as the door shut behind my dad.

Kyren slowly approached me, backing me against a wall. His tall frame towered over me. "House rules. My room is off-limits, the fridge is split 50/50, and if I hear your pom-poms shaking after 11 PM, I'm throwing them off the balcony. Don't think for a second that because your father is my Coach, you're safe from me in here. If anything... it just makes you a more tempting target."

"Rules are overrated. And I'm not one of your teammates." I smirked, pretending not to be shaken by his proximity.

"Just know that for every rule of mine you break, I get to take something from you in return." He said, his eyes dropping to my lips. "Stay out of my way or face the consequences of your actions."

He pulled back from me before entering his room once again. I finally allowed myself to breathe again, as I pushed myself off the wall.

This must be why they call him the Ice King. He's not very... kind. I entered my new bedroom and quietly started getting to work. Within a few hours, I was completely done unpacking.

I tiredly slumped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. I grabbed my phone and found hundreds of notifications popping up on the screen.

Why was everyone bombarding my phone?

A deep frown settled on my forehead as I clicked the message Brie sent, and my phone almost dropped from my hand.

Brie: I saw the video of you and the Ice King last night. You passed the first test. But I want to see him melting. And I want proof.

Proof? What the hell does that even mean? Did she want me to set up cameras while I seduced him?

I tossed my phone aside before burying my face inside a pillow.

The entire campus must know about last night. They must think we have something going on.

If Kyren corrected them. No, if Kyren publicly rejected me... I would become the laughing stock of the school. I mean, he clearly hates my guts. That's why he's been threatening me since last night.

What the hell am I going to do? This could literally ruin my life.

I grabbed my phone again, and this time I dialled Jia's number.

"Hailey? Are you okay? Why haven't you been answering any of my texts?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm not okay, Jia. I'm losing my mind. I need your help, I don't think Kyren likes me. Like at all. And now we live in the same apartment, and he set up all these crazy rules. What do I do, J?"

"What?! Kyren Wolfe, the Ice King, is your new roommate?" She asked in a voice filled with disbelief.

"I know, I'm freaking out," I finally admitted.

"Okay, calm down. Relax. I know exactly what you can do to win him over." She confidently stated.

"Tell me," I said before getting up from my bed.

"Seduce him. No straight man can resist a beautiful woman. Your body is your greatest weapon right now. Think accidental groping. Or leaving the bathroom door open by accident. If he sees you naked, he'll lose his mind."

"But that's the problem, I don't want him to see me naked. Why the hell did nobody warn me about how forward he was? You all acted like he sucked at dating, and he's actually like really good at... he knows how to charm people. If I were somebody else, his cheap tricks might have worked on me." I huffed out in frustration.

"Wait, did something happen between you two after you left the room last night? Did you guys make out?" She curiously questioned.

"No. Absolutely not. This is just a game. I never said that I was going to make out with him or seduce him. Maybe this is going a little too far. I should call off the bet, shouldn't I?"

"And let Brielle win? Hell no." Jia said. "Just put on some lingerie and walk into the kitchen. I believe in you, Hailey. You can do this." She uttered before ending the call in my ear.

I slammed my phone down on my bedside table before nodding to myself. Jia was right, I couldn't let Brielle win this bet. I'd never hear the end of it.

I'll wait until tonight. In the meantime, I need to come up with a plan. I'll go to his room at midnight and tell him, I'm scared. That should work, right?

I binge-watched my favorite show to make the time go by a little faster. By the time I was done with season one, it was midnight.

I jumped off my bed before quickly stripping out of the sweatpants and crop top I had on. I grabbed a lacy black set of lingerie from my closet before pulling it on. I ran my fingers through my hair before letting the dark locks cascade down my back.

I applied some lipstick to my lips before staring at myself in the mirror. This was it. The point of no return. I nervously bit into my bottom lip before pulling my bedroom door open.

I stopped in front of Kyren's room. I didn't knock, I just opened the door and stumbled inside. I found him sitting at the foot of his bed, listening to something through his earphones.

He paused before slowly running his eyes over my half-naked form.

My cheeks warmed under his predatory gaze. I seductively made my way over to him and only stopped once I stood directly in front of him.

As I was about to explain myself, my mind went blank.

"What are you doing, Princess?" He asked, his voice sounding gravelly.

"I was just wondering if you had some sunscreen." I blurted out.

Sunscreen? Why the hell would I ask him for sunscreen?

Kyren slowly rose from his bed. He took his time looking at me. His thumbs hooked into the waistband of my panties, and a soft gasp escaped my lips.

"You walked in here, wearing lingerie, to ask for sunscreen? At midnight?" He let out a dark chuckle.

"You broke the first rule, Princess. That means I get to take something from you. I'll start with this," he said, tugging at my panties, and a needy throb ran straight through my core.

"Kyren, don't," I tried, but it was to no avail.

He roughly pulled at the flimsy material, covering my most intimate part. The sound of lace ripping, echoed through the room. The cold air from the AC bit into my exposed skin.

His hands slid up my back. He unclasped my bra with ease, and it soundlessly dropped to the floor. His gaze raked over my trembling form with a satisfied hunger.

"You're not a cheerleader tonight. You're mine. And I'm going to spend the next few hours showing you exactly what happens when you break my rules." He stated before pushing my legs wide open with his knee.