The penthouse was loud enough to make the walls vibrate.

Music thundered through the apartment, mixed with drunken laughter and the sharp smell of alcohol. Football players crowded the living room like they owned the world — which, in a way, they probably did.

The moment the elevator doors slid open, several heads turned.

Then the room went quiet.

“Well,” Theron drawled from the couch, amusement curling through his voice, “that’s definitely not the pizza.”

Laughter broke out instantly.

Theron Ashford sat sprawled across the leather couch like a king in his court, red hair messy from what looked like a long night of bad decisions. His hazel eyes dragged slowly over the girl standing frozen beside her suitcase, shamelessly entertained already.

Across the room, Zeno Vale looked up from his phone.

That was somehow worse.

Dark eyes narrowed immediately, sharp and unreadable as they flicked over her body once before he leaned back against the kitchen counter with a scoff.

“No fucking way.”

Someone snorted. “That’s the new roommate?”

Theron plucked the housing papers from her hands before she could react, scanning them lazily.

Then he grinned.

“Oh, this is real.”

The football players immediately started laughing harder.

“Poor thing.”

“She’s not lasting a week.”

“Zeno’s gonna make her cry by tomorrow.”

Zeno rolled his eyes at that, though his gaze never left her.

There was something deeply irritating about how soft she looked standing there in the middle of their chaos.

Too cute. Too nervous. Too easy to mess with.

“Who approved this?” he muttered flatly.

Theron ignored him completely, standing and stepping closer instead.

Too close.

“Relax,” he said smoothly, voice honey-warm despite the mockery underneath it. “We don’t bite.”

Zeno barked out a laugh from the kitchen.

“Speak for yourself.”

The room erupted again.

Theron smiled lazily before leaning down slightly, close enough for his expensive cologne to become overwhelming.

“Couple rules, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Don’t touch Zeno’s food. Don’t complain about the noise.”

His eyes flicked lower for half a second before returning to her face with obvious amusement.

“And if the football team stares at you too much tonight, try not to take it personally.”

From behind him, Zeno lit a cigarette with a sharp flick of his lighter.

“She’s already looking overwhelmed,” he said dryly. “You’re gonna scare her off.”

Theron glanced back over his shoulder with a grin.

“That’s the fun part.”

The apartment was unusually quiet for once.

No drunken football players. No screaming from the living room. No bass shaking the walls.

Just silence.

Which was exactly why the muffled sound from behind the bedroom door caught Theron’s attention immediately.

His brows lifted slightly.

“Well,” he murmured lazily, “that’s interesting.”

Zeno looked up from the couch with visible annoyance. “What?”

Theron only nodded toward the hallway.

A pause.

Then another soft sound came from inside the room.

Zeno stared at the door for a second before walking over and knocking hard against it.

“Oi.”

Nothing.

His expression darkened instantly.

“Open the damn door.”

Still nothing.

Theron leaned against the hallway wall beside him, already amused.

“She’s ignoring you.”

“She’s about to piss me off.”

Without another warning, Zeno tried the handle.

Unlocked.

The door swung open.

And both of them froze.

The room was dimly lit, warm air thick with embarrassment the second they walked in. Blankets tangled around her legs, cheeks flushed dark, breathing uneven.

And beneath the sheets—

Her hand disappeared between her thighs.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Theron laughed softly under his breath.

“Oh, sweetheart...”

Zeno looked her over slowly, calm and unreadable rather than shocked.

“No wonder you weren’t answering.”

Theron stepped further inside first, gaze dragging lazily across the room before landing on the clothes scattered beside the bed.

“Well,” he mused, “this suddenly explains a lot.”

The movement beneath the blankets stopped instantly.

Zeno bent slightly, picking up her bra from the floor between two fingers before letting out a quiet scoff.

“That’s cute.”

Humiliation flooded the room thickly enough to choke on.

Theron reached back casually and clicked the bedroom lock shut behind him.

The sound echoed loudly.

Zeno’s eyes flicked toward him briefly.

Theron only smiled.

“What?” he said smoothly. “Wouldn’t want anyone interrupting.”

His attention drifted back toward the bed.

“If you needed attention this badly,” he continued lightly, “you could’ve just asked.”

“Theron,” Zeno muttered, though there was no real warning in it.

The blankets shifted suddenly as if she was trying to hide herself again.

Zeno reacted instantly.

A large hand caught her ankle easily before she could move too far away.

“Stay still.”

The command came calm. Firm. Effortless.

Not angry.

Worse.

His gaze lowered slowly over her again before he clicked his tongue once.

“Getting shy now?”

Theron laughed quietly from beside the bed, loosening his belt with deliberate slowness as he watched the scene unfold.

“She’s cute when embarrassed.”

Zeno finally released her ankle only to lean forward slightly instead, large hand catching beneath her jaw before she could turn away completely.

“Look at you,” he murmured darkly.

The touch traveled lower for only a second before two fingers brushed teasingly across her chest.

Then—

A sharp flick against her nipple.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to make her jolt.

“There,” Zeno said smoothly, watching her reaction carefully. “Now you’re paying attention again.”

Meanwhile Theron loosened his belt slightly as he stepped closer to the bed, eyes dark with curiosity now rather than amusement.

“Poor thing,” he murmured. “You look terrified.”

The party had been going for hours.

Music pounded hard enough to shake the penthouse walls while bodies crowded every inch of the apartment. Drunk football players yelled over each other from the kitchen, girls danced on countertops, and expensive liquor spilled freely across black marble counters.

Somewhere in the middle of it all sat Zeno Vale looking deeply irritated.

Not because of the party.

Because she’d slammed her bedroom door twenty minutes ago after glaring at him like she wanted him dead.

Theron noticed immediately.

“She’s pissed,” he laughed from beside him on the couch, one arm thrown lazily over the backrest.

Zeno barely looked up from his drink.

“She’ll survive.”

Another angry glare from down the hallway before the bedroom door shut again.

Theron snorted.

“Oh, she definitely hates you.”

“Good.”

But despite the cold response, Zeno’s eyes stayed fixed toward the hallway long after she disappeared.

Then his phone buzzed.

`TURN THE FUCKING MUSIC DOWN.|

Theron leaned over instantly to read it before bursting out laughing.

“Oh, she’s serious.”

Another message appeared immediately after.

I HAVE CLASS TOMORROW.

Zeno scoffed softly, though amusement tugged at the corner of his mouth now.

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

Theron grinned wickedly. “Go make your girl less homicidal.”

“She’s not my girl.”

“Sure.”

A few minutes later, Zeno shoved his way down the hallway while people continued screaming over the music.

When he returned—

She was with him.

Still annoyed. Still glaring. Still wearing that tiny tank top that made several thoughts in Zeno’s brain immediately become everyone else’s problem.

Because the second the flashing lights hit properly—

He noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, so did Theron.

The redhead sat up slowly on the couch, eyes dragging downward before a grin spread across his face.

“Oh, this is dangerous.”

Zeno’s jaw tightened once.

Possessive irritation flared instantly at the way several drunk idiots nearby had also noticed.

Without warning, he dropped heavily onto the couch and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her straight down onto his lap.

The room exploded immediately.

“OH SHIT—”

“ZENOOOO—”

“BRO FINALLY—”

“ABOUT DAMN TIME—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Zeno barked without even looking away from her.

His large hand stayed firm against her hip, fingers pressing possessively into soft flesh as he leaned back against the couch like he owned the entire situation.

Which he basically did.

Theron watched with obvious amusement from beside them, swirling liquor lazily in his glass.

“She looks like she wants to stab you.”

“She can get in line.”

Zeno’s dark gaze dragged slowly over her face before lowering briefly again.

That tiny top was not helping his mood.

At all.

His hand shifted upward slightly along her side, thumb brushing beneath the fabric just enough to feel warm skin underneath.

“Cute outfit,” he said calmly.

Then after a beat:

“Or lack thereof.”

Theron choked on his drink laughing.

Zeno flipped him off instantly before tightening his grip on her waist when she tried to move.

“Nah,” he said smoothly. “You wanted the music handled, right?”

His hand slid higher again, slow and deliberate, resting firmly against her ribs beneath the thin fabric.

Close enough to make the implication obvious.

Then his gaze locked onto hers.

“Kiss me and maybe I’ll think about it.”

Theron leaned closer from the side with a dangerous grin.

“Careful, sweetheart,” he murmured. “He gets mean when he’s denied.”

Zeno didn’t deny it.

If anything, the slow smirk spreading across his face only confirmed it.

The party was already out of control by the time she arrived.

Music blasted through the penthouse loud enough to shake the glasses lining the kitchen shelves while bodies crowded every available inch of space. Someone was drunk screaming lyrics from the balcony, football players shoved each other near the beer pong table, and the entire apartment smelled like smoke, cologne, and expensive liquor.

And right in the middle of all of it—

Zeno noticed her instantly.

Unfortunately, so did everyone else.

The sleeveless top hugged her soft body perfectly, exposing warm skin beneath flashing LED lights while the shorter skirt showed off thick thighs that immediately dragged attention from half the room.

Theron nearly choked on his drink when he saw the expression on Zeno’s face.

“Oh,” he laughed quietly. “You’re possessive tonight.”

“Shut up.”

But his eyes never left her.

Not once.

Every guy in the room suddenly seemed way too interested in talking to her. Standing near her. Looking at her.

And Zeno already looked one bad comment away from committing a felony.

Theron, naturally, found this hysterical.

“She looks hot,” he said casually.

“I know.”

The answer came instantly. Too instantly.

Theron burst out laughing.

Before Zeno could threaten him properly, movement near the kitchen caught both their attention.

One of the drunk football players had stumbled too close to her, grinning stupidly while looking her over openly.

Then came the comment.

“Damn,” the guy snickered loudly to his friends, “Vale finally lowered his standards? Didn’t know he was into fat girls.”

The world went silent.

Not the party.

Not the music.

Just the immediate terrifying silence around Zeno.

Theron’s smile vanished first.

Because unlike most people on campus—

He knew exactly what Zeno looked like right before violence.

And this?

This was bad.

Very bad.

Zeno stood slowly from the couch.

The movement alone made nearby conversations die instantly.

The drunk guy laughed nervously once, clearly realizing too late that he’d fucked up.

“Bro, relax, I was just jok—”

Zeno hit him before he could finish the sentence.

The punch landed hard enough to send him crashing into the kitchen counter.

The entire party erupted.

“OH SHIT—”

“ZENOOOO—”

“GET HIM—”

The guy barely managed to stand again before Zeno grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back against the marble counter with enough force to rattle the bottles nearby.

“You wanna repeat that?” Zeno asked calmly.

Which was somehow more terrifying than yelling.

Blood dripped from the guy’s nose instantly.

“I— dude—”

“What was that?” Zeno interrupted softly, tightening his grip. “Couldn’t hear you the first time.”

Theron moved closer finally, though not to stop him.

Mostly to stop everyone else from interfering.

Several football players wisely backed away instead.

Because everyone knew this about Zeno Vale:

He was cruel when angry.

But he was absolutely vicious when protective.

The guy tried to speak again only for Zeno to shove him hard enough back into the counter to shut him up instantly.

“You think you get to talk about her like that?” he said lowly.

The room had gone nearly silent now except for the music still pounding through the speakers.

Even drunk people knew better than to interrupt this.

Theron exhaled slowly beside them before glancing toward her.

Then back toward Zeno.

And there it was again.

That ugly possessiveness Zeno tried so hard to pretend wasn’t there.

Unfortunately for everyone involved—

It was very, very real.

Zeno finally released the guy with one rough shove before looking at him with complete disgust.

“Get the fuck out of my apartment.”

The guy didn’t argue.

He practically fled.

Breathing hard, Zeno wiped blood from his knuckles before finally turning toward her.

Still furious. Still tense.

But the second his eyes landed on her again—

Something softened slightly.

Barely noticeable.

Unless someone knew him well.

Theron noticed immediately.

Which meant he was absolutely never letting Zeno live this down. The silence after the fight lasted maybe ten seconds.

Then Theron clapped his hands once from the middle of the kitchen.

“Alright,” he announced smoothly, “show’s over. Drink or leave.”

Almost instantly, the party restarted around them.

Music surged louder again. People began talking nervously. Someone restarted beer pong like Zeno hadn’t just nearly killed a man five feet away.

Theron stepped over the broken glass casually, pouring himself another drink like this happened every weekend.

Honestly?

It kind of did.

Meanwhile Zeno still looked furious.

Blood streaked across his knuckles while his chest rose slowly beneath his black shirt, dark eyes locked onto her like he was trying to calm himself down just by looking at her.

Then he grabbed her wrist.

Not rough.

Possessive.

Pulling her directly against his chest until her back pressed firmly against him.

One large hand settled low on her waist while the other tilted her chin upward slightly.

“You know what your problem is?” he muttered darkly near her ear.

The music pounded through the apartment around them.

“You let idiots look at you dressed like this.”

His gaze dragged slowly downward again.

Open admiration this time. No mockery. No teasing.

Just hunger.

“Fucking gorgeous,” Zeno said quietly.

The words sounded almost irritated.

Like he blamed her for it.

Theron glanced over from the kitchen island immediately, grin widening when he noticed how tightly Zeno was holding her now.

Zeno ignored him completely.

His thumb slid slowly against the exposed skin of her waist beneath the sleeveless top, eyes still fixed downward.

“You know,” he murmured, voice rougher now, “I’ve been hard the entire fucking party.”

Theron nearly choked laughing.

But Zeno kept going like he didn’t even hear him.

“Watching those little skirts ride up your thighs every time you moved.”

His grip tightened slightly.

“Thinking about dragging you onto my lap.”

Dark eyes lowered briefly toward her chest before returning upward again.

“And getting my mouth on those tits.”

“Jesus Christ,” Theron laughed from across the room. “At least buy her dinner first.”

For once, Zeno didn’t even bother denying how obsessed he sounded.

.