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[17] Desk Kisses

The first time Mia saw a strange side of Samuel had been senior year. Prom was a week away, and while she had all things prepared including a dress, matching shoes, and a complimenting make-up look (curtesy to Samantha's artistry, of course) she was missing one thing—a date.

It was gym class, only instead of the lazy fooling around she typically did, she was in shorts behind the start line in the track field. It was the mile run today, and according to her gym instructor their goal was to beat their original score from the beginning of the school year. Mia was quite unconcerned. Having been best-friends with Samantha for so long, running a mile was no longer intimidating. She could pace herself appropriately and easily overcome her first score.

Mr. Mathers blew the whistle to quiet down their chattering. "On your marks, get set, GO!"

Off Mia flew, hair whipping behind her in curly tendrils. It amazed her to see that by the time she got to the third lap, she was the fastest girl in her class. If Sammie had shared this class with her they would surely win side-by-side. By the last lap Mia burst her strength, managing to beat everyone behind her except one guy—Anthony Smith. This was unsurprising, as he was the star athlete of their school and number one in the track team.

A surge of competitiveness welled within Mia, causing her to push herself enough catch up to him. And catch up she did. Enough that his eyes widened when he saw her next to him. With the finish line only a few meters off, Mia used her last reserve of energy to surpass him. Only, it was not to be so. Anthony caught on to it and powered himself up, passing the finish line ahead of her with merely five seconds to spare.

"Six minutes! Six-oh-five!" Their gym teacher yelled, having his assistant jot it next to their names.

Mia was too busy holding her knees and taking deep breaths that she didn't notice Anthony getting close to her. When she saw a pair of sneakers in her field of vision she looked up. His brown eyes were assessing her with admiration. Even though Anthony could do faster, he was probably impressed she actually tried to tie with him.

"I didn't know you could run Mia." He praised.

Mia straightened and wiped her forehead, smiling sheepishly. Having spent so much time with wolfmen she hardly considered herself a runner, though perhaps in human terms it was understandable. "Yeah, I like to run pretty much everyday."

"I can tell." He responded. His eyes surveyed her from head to toe, slowing noticeably at her legs. Mia knew they were toned and well-shaped, working out with Sammie definitely suited her body well. She expected him to go off on his own, but to her surprise he followed her to the bench to continue conversation. "Are you looking forward to prom next week?"

"Yeah, I have everything ready. I'll be going with Sammie."

"Oh, you don't have a prom date?" Anthony appeared surprised that no one had asked her.

Mia shrugged, nonchalant. "No. I don't mind though, I still plan on having fun."

"Of course!" Anthony nodded in understanding. Then, he seemed to think about something. "Well, you know, I don't have a date either." He scratched his head, more shy now. "Um, if you want—"

Suddenly, Mia felt herself being jerked from the bench and hauled elsewhere. Head spinning, she followed the trail of her arm, only to realize she was currently being handled by Samuel himself. For a moment she was confused, only able to blink until finally he deposited her in front of the metal fence. Mia couldn't believe this. For the most part, Samuel loved to ignore her in school and only spoke to John and Michael, who also had this period.

She crossed her arms. "Excuse me! What was that for?!"

He shoved his water bottle to her chest. "Hold this."

Mia rolled her eyes. The other day she had asked to borrow Samuel's car so she and Sammie could go to a faraway store (they had the limited edition eyeshadow palette she needed for prom), and he had wagered she had to do what he asked for two days. Normally, he only enacted that during out-of-school hours. Now it seemed he wanted to bring it here.

"Couldn't I have done that over there?" Mia pointed to the bench she had been comfortably sitting at.

Samuel stared her down. In his activewear clothing she could spot the bulge of his muscles, making him more intimidating than usual. "No. Here is where I want you."

"You do realize you interrupted my conversation with Anthony. That was rude." Clearly he still needed to be taught proper etiquette. "Thanks to your meddling now I don't have a prom date. I'm pretty sure he was going to ask me."

Samuel cocked his head to the side. "How unfortunate." His tone was mocking, lending that he knew exactly what he had done but didn't care. "Why would you even go to prom with him, you barely know him."

"That's true, but I do have another class with him and he seems nice. Besides, he's fast! I'm sure someone with his stamina would be a great dance partner."

Samuel's eyes swirled gold. It confused Mia, because she hadn't said anything to make him mad. "Don't talk to him." He ordered.

"You can't do that! You can't tell me not to talk to people as part of the agreement!" Mia's grip on the water bottle became tighter, bending the plastic.

Samuel came closer, his step predatory. He was so tall his form created a shadow over her in the sun. "Yes I can. You said you would do anything I want for two days. This is what I want."

Mia glared. "Ugh! Why do you want me to be alone for prom?! If I have a partner it means I don't get to bother you, that should make you happy!"

Samuel remained quiet, his gaze fierce. It was so penetrating it made her shiver. As she mulled over his actions she came to a conclusion. "It's because you want me to be miserable, that's why."

Samuel wouldn't want her to enjoy her prom day. He most likely wanted her to be alone so that she would watch other couples and be jealous she didn't get asked out herself. But he was wrong if he thought that would work. She could have just as much fun with Sammie, if not more.

Mia almost jumped when she felt his finger touch her cheek. Very lightly, so soft she wondered if it was her imagination. He was staring at her...differently. "No. That's not why." He answered seriously.

Before she could further probe, her gym instructor blew the whistle again. "Group five to the start line!"

Samuel left her to join his group. He was a tall, lean giant amongst their class. A group of girls sighed in awe at the view of him. Mia fought hard to not roll her eyes, it was not uncommon for girls of all years to ask her what Samuel's 'type' was and his likes and dislikes. Poor girls had no idea what kind of monster they were dealing with.

"On your marks, get set, GO!"

Group five ran past the start line, and as expected Samuel went at an easy pace to not draw too much attention to himself. However, Mia noticed that something seemed to change after the first lap, for after than he increased speed so quickly that even her gym instruction dropped his whistle. Mia's mouth dropped as well. He began overlapping students, and by the time he reached the finish line on his fourth lap he had the entire class gazing in awe.

"FOUR MINUTES!" Her gym instructor screamed. "Boy! Why are you not on the track team! That's 17 seconds from the world record!"

At this Mia gulped, because she knew Samuel had not done his best and had almost given away that he was... extraordinary. Not to mention, he did not appear as out of breath as he should be, to the point that even Anthony their track star might have his eyes pop out of his face soon.

Samuel ignored all of this, his attention fixed on Mia like she was the angle of his compass. He went up to her and took his water bottle. With an arrogant tilt of his lips, he lowered his mouth to her ear. "If stamina is what you want, I will always have more than him."

All the way up until the bell to end class, Mia was speechless.

Present

There was a grumpy expression on Mia's face as she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her lips. Even though she wasn't here, God forbid she should lick a cone and have Sammie think she's 'seducing' Samuel through his fetish. She might force them to 'admit their feelings'. With the little jabs and hints Sammie's been throwing as of late, she was almost starting to sound like Annie—who was at the moment looking between Mia and Samuel as they continued their glaring contest.

It wasn't that Mia was being petty. At least, not in her mind. It was that Samuel was being unreasonable about not letting her join on the trip to Everglades. Why. Why did his ex-girlfriend get to go, but she who's known them both for way longer was unallowed? He was so evil!

"Saurus, can I please go to Everglades?" she re-asked.

"You're not allowed to call me that, its not getting you any favors. The answer stays the same: no."

Mia groaned. So many had called him Saurus during dinner that it slipped. She hadn't meant to call him the name his entire pack used, especially since she wasn't 'worthy' of referring to him with such familiarity. The idiot. She knew so much more about him than the average pack member. He may hate her, but he couldn't deny she had more knowledge about him than the average person.

"Please Samuel, I want to go!"

"Ask me again Mia and I'll be taking the gas card from you."

Mia gasped at the idea of him relinquishing such a prized possession. Free gas was a blessed commodity, that he should threaten her this way was horrendous. Nevertheless, at least she had him at wits end.

"I just don't understand why I can't go."

As usual, Samuel ignored that question and continued sipping from his sugary drink. Deciding she might as well give it her last chance, she said "How about we play a game. If I can finish two drinks faster than you, you must let me join. If not, I won't ask you ever again."

Samuel raised a brow, clearly unimpressed with her contest. He probably thought it so childish, thought her so ignorant. Even if it was, it's the only thing she could think up last minute. She kissed his jaw for extra measure. As she pulled away Mia didn't notice how his eyes glazed for a split second before they hardened.

"Fine. I'll entertain you in this."

Mia pinched Annie under the table, who jumped up and volunteered to get them the drinks. As Annie arranged the drinks before them Mia tried to inwardly pep herself. Samuel had been drinking liquids all dinner, so maybe this would prove to be advantageous as she wasn't as full herself. Annie placed two drinks in front of each of them, sitting herself at the corner to be their referee.

"Sorry I couldn't get you the same drinks Alpha, they ran out of fruit punch." Annie apologized.

Sure enough, while Mia's drinks were an orange-red swirl, Samuel's was of a glossy quality. But the Alpha merely shrugged, not bothering to inspect the drinks as his eyes were focused solely on Mia.

"Alright. On your marks..." Mia clutched the first drink. Samuel smiled smugly, his own hands under the table. "Get set. GO!"

Mia chugged her drink with a vigor, not bother to even look at Samuel as she did not want to miss a split second. At some point when she was finishing her first drink, she heard Samuel curse, though she did not know why. When she put her last drink down, Samuel had surprisingly only finished one glass, and was currently giving Annie a disapproving look. Said woman was twiddling with her fingers and looking down at her lap.

"Yes!" Mia cried, jumping from the table. "I won!"

Samuel pulled her down by the shirt. "Not by skill, we're re-doing it."

"I'm sorry!" Annie squeaked.

Mia gaped, not understanding what was going on. "What?! No way! I won fair and square!"

"She gave me a drink I couldn't finish." Samuel slide the still-full glass to Mia's side.

At first, Mia was confused. Smelling the drink, there was nothing odd about it. Until she tasted it. Viridian. A wolfman's joy and weakness. For humans alcohol caused them to lose inhibitions, but for wolfmen it was viridian. The best thing about it is that it was odorless and tasteless for wolfmen, only humans found it bitter. Samuel had no idea what hit him until he drank the whole thing. It worked that fast, or at least he could sense its growing effect. Granted he would only be moderately affected, but still.

Knowing Annie that had most definitely been an accident. The wolfwoman had probably been so rushed she filled their glasses with the first thing she saw.

"I don't care. I still won." Mia insisted.

Samuel growled, clearly annoyed with her consensus. He leaned onto to her shoulder and Mia winced with the anticipation that he would bite her. Only, he didn't. He licked her instead. They both froze. Annie smartly covered her mouth to hide any noise of surprise. A bite on the shoulder was a reprimand. A lick, however...

Samuel abruptly stood from his chair, muttering something about 'talk about this tomorrow' and left. Both women watched as he exited, and Mia had never been so happy that Sammie was on her third date with Michael. Her best-friend seeing that would be so awkward, because a lick there was wolfman talk for 'I want to be close to you'.

"Don't you dare say a thing Annie." Mia said to her in warning as the red-head opened her lips to speak. Annie squeaked once more and nodded silently.

While Annie's lips were closed, her eyes were a different story. It was clear what Annie was bidding her to do, she was urging her to go after Saurus. Had it been any other circumstance Mia would have probably said no, but as it was there was a morbid curiosity in her that desired to test the waters. What would Samuel be like under the influence? There was only one way to find out.

Mia found him on his desk. For the first time his fingers weren't busy typing away at the keyboard, nor his gaze at the computer screen scanning a document. Instead, his lids were closed, his head resting against the chair. His chest rose and fell in rhythm as he breathed. Mia was almost concerned about interrupting his state of peace. Almost.

"You can't study here tonight." He prohibited, halting her mid-step.

Mia gripped her laptop tighter. In all her time here Samuel had never denied her access to his study. If anything, he would get on her case for slacking off. "Why not?"

His eyes opened, revealing two pools of liquid darkness. They were a vortex, a massive force pulling her in to those very depths like a magnet. His cold voice chilled her. "Because I said so."

Mia grunted. Of course. Typical response. She had half-mind to actually listen to him and take this as a night off. However...

"No." Mia replied, leaving it at that.

Based off his approach it seemed the viridian had minimal effect on him anyway. It was as she passed his desk that she realized he had a notepad open.

"You're drawing again." She whispered, looking at the blank page. He had drawn nothing thus far, but she recognized that style of notepad. Its where he used to draw away when they were younger.

Samuel didn't say anything as Mia left her laptop on a table. He didn't protest as she came near him on his desk and picked up the pad.

"I haven't drawn today yet." He said, letting her flip through past pages.

"Are these all from this year?" Mia smiled as she explored his creations.

"Yes."

When they were younger Mia had always tried to see his drawings, very few times would he allow her. It seemed viridian had an affect after all, otherwise she doubted he would lend her such liberties. Especially in the face of losing to her in a game so recently.

The drawings Saurus made were absolutely beautiful. They held no color, all done in gray pencil and shaded in various tones to give it dimension. Even so, despite their bland colors they held such life, such vividness that it struck her. In the years he's gotten better, his technique more detailed and precise.

There were drawings of all sorts of things, but a pattern Mia noticed is that they seemed to be a snapshot of a moment. Samantha laughing as someone said a joke, someone spilling a drink as they got up from their seat (the look of absolute horror on John's face was quite hilarious!), and even the werechildren bonding with their wolves. It was all so beautiful.

Mia even noticed herself in a few of the snapshots, it only happened in the ones Sammie was in and she happened to be next to her. Thankfully, he drew her accurately rather than looking like an ogre.

"Do you have more drawing pads?"

Samuel nodded. "These old ones." He said offhandedly.

There was a laziness to his movements as he stood from his chair and opened a drawer to pull two sets out. One was large, encompassing drawings that seemed more for practice rather than actively drawing a picture. But towards the middle it switched to lively illustrations much like how he did now. But there was another pad in specific that drew her attention over the other. It was thinner in size, but the cover was pink and held a heart in the center. A rather girly sort of notepad to be seeing in his drawer. The kind someone would buy for Valentine's day.

Curious, Mia chose that next. As she pulled the cover away and skimmed through the images her heart squeezed. She wasn't sure why. It was a drawing pad with only drawings of Jasmine. Only they were...different. It didn't follow the same pattern as the others, where he caught an unforgettable moment. These looked very posed and intentional.

"Wow, a whole pad for Jasmine." Mia muttered somewhat darkly. Her fingers continued to flip through the papers, wanting to look away but unable to.

Jasmine would look at him and smile, sitting straight in her seat with her hands clasped. Another of her laying near a flower. Another of her seemingly gazing off into the sunset. Again, very posed.

Samuel nodded, albeit slightly dopey. "Yes, she said I didn't draw her, so I figured this would make her feel better. She would pick an idea each week and I would draw her."

Mia snorted. Well, that explained why it was such a posed picture rather than his style.

"Well, they're both amazingly drawn." She admitted, releasing a whoosh of air as she closed Jasmine's pad. It had only about twenty drawings altogether. Very minuscule compared to the other, much larger pad. For some reason, that comforted her a bit.

"Thank you."

"I will say though, I'm kind of hurt you didn't bother drawing a picture of me." She said, giggling and playfully shoving his shoulder.

Mia didn't know why she said this, but she blamed it on his current state of mind. How he wasn't being mean to her. How he wasn't pushing her away. The giggle sounded a bit stale to her ears. Forced, even. She wanted to take the words back, but at the same time she felt her question burn within her chest.

Why? Why was she only in drawings with Samantha?

Even his sister had drawings to herself. One of her laying in bed with a facemask (which she would hate) and another of her holding out a present for his birthday, her eyes full of excitement.

Saurus didn't answer her. He only stared, like a statue carved of stone.

Mia smirked. "What? I'm not cute enough? Do you need me to pose for inspiration." Not knowing what got into her, she grabbed a book and sat on his chair. "Is this inspiring enough?" she joked.

Samuel grabbed a pencil from the drawer and pulled a sheet of paper from the printer. He began furiously drawing, not once looking at her, and it made her wonder how precise his mind was in memorizing an image for him to not have to look up twice.

Mia watched, mesmerized as his hands moved from top to bottom and then across the sheet. From her vantage point she couldn't see much, only gray lines. On his knees and drawing over his desk he looked younger, very youthful in the way he worked. It was his arms, the way the muscles tensed and relaxed depending on what he was doing that showed how very much man he was.

When he finished, he stood an gave her the picture. Only her breath caught in her throat. Because this was not a picture of her holding a book, or anything book related.

It was a picture of her many days ago, when the werechildren and pups had jumped all over her, licking her face and calling her 'Luna' because she so called saved them from the 'angry alpha' after they had pulled a prank on the painted wall. Her hair billowed in the wind, and an ecstatic smile at their heavy affection. He had walked away from her in a huff that day, why was this memory drawn when it had appeared as though he could careless.

She looked up at him, confused. "But—but how?"

His rich baritone wove around her like a deep melody. "I don't need a pose to draw a picture of you. I have many imprinted on my mind."

Her throat thickened at the implications. She didn't know what to say. Mia stood awkwardly in front of his desk. "Are these all of them?" She asked, handing the two back to him. He drew much too often to only have two pads.

Samuel retrieved the pads from her and carelessly threw them into a drawer. He shook his head. "No. I have many others like this one." He stated, referring to the organic one where he drew as inspired.

Mia bit her lip. "That's cool."

He looked at the floor. "There are also a few more...I have it hidden in my room. That way no one ever sees it. That way you never see it." He said softly.

"Why...why would you not want me to see it?" Mia's heart beat at a faster rhythm, skipping within her chest.

His glassy eyes locked with hers. And he took a step closer to her. Then another one. Then another.

"I don't blame Jasmine for leaving me. She even said it... she would say it often and I know she was right."

"What was she right about?"

"I shouldn't have been with her if all I was going to do was picture a different scenario. And wonder...and want something that wasn't her...."

Mia tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows drawing together in puzzlement. Had he wondered different ways to fix the unsteady relationship he had with Jasmine? Perhaps prevent the break up they had? It didn't sound that way though.

Samuel continued. "My drawings. They showed where my heart was all the time. She found them once... and cried when she realized many of them had been drawn. Some very recent." His hand reached out to touch her, his thumb grazing her cheek with fondness. "But I couldn't help it. My mind burns with images, and the only way to get rid of them, the only way I can get peace even if for a little while, is by drawing them."

He came closer, pressing his nose against her neck, and breathing her in. Mia shivered at the contact, only then realizing he had her cornered against his desk. But unlike before, this was different. They weren't arguing. He wasn't pushing her away. They weren't insulting each other.

Samuel pushed her further onto his desk, stepping in between her legs.

Mia raised a hand to his chest, stopping him. "Samuel. What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" He repeated the question back to her. He grabbed her wrist, removing the barrier of her hand and stepped closer so that their chests brushed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything." She answered, her voice wavering at the end.

You're the one getting closer to me. She thought.

But maybe that was the point he was trying to make. That while she wasn't doing anything, she was also not stopping him.

He was doing this under the influence. His inhibitions were out the window. Did he even know what he was doing? She should push him away.

But she couldn't. And she wasn't sure why her breath hitched when his hands fell on her thighs and wrapped them securely around him. Or why her pulse became irregular when his face came down, and the hand on her thigh traveled up to her waist, and slid under her shirt, and caressed her skin so tenderly. And his eyes were not just black anymore, they were dotted in amber flames, burning feverishly into the night.

"You are...so beautiful." He whispered.

Samuel's head dipped, he joined their lips into a lock. Slow, at first. Very tentative. As though if he went stronger, she would disappear. Or he would wake up from a dream. But then he became bolder, his lips brushing hers with such ardent passion she wondered if this was real.

Mia's arms rose around his shoulders, never had a kiss felt this sweet. She adjusted herself more firmly against him, molding herself his form. A deep, guttural growl escaped him, and they were done for, lost in a whirl of clashing tongues and exploring hands. Her body was on fire, ignited as his hands grabbed and caressed her, branding her with his touch. Every touch left an imprint. Every kiss left her breathless.

His mouth over hers was demanding, drawing her in, but also taking all he could get. He was a wanderer in a desert, and she happened to be the oasis.

But then, Mia started to feel something harden beneath her, coming from Samuel's jeans. She pulled back, the reality of what they were doing catching up with her. "S-Samuel."

He breathed deeply. "I'm sorry." He said. He pulled her head to his chest and kissed her hair. Then her temple. Then her forehead. He kissed her cheek, and hovered over her lips.

He groaned, almost pained before letting go of the hold he had over her body, clutching his desk so tightly Mia feared he would dent it.

"I..." he cleared his throat. "I will go. Goodnight Mia."

Author's Note: Whew! Someone gimme a fan! Long chapter but its one of my favorites! LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS! What do you think will happen after such a deep interaction?