"Shots! Shots! Shots!" my best friend Maddie shouted in sync with Shots by LMFAO as we both threw back the tequila. The liquor burned down my throat, but it was a good burn.
"I am so drunk," Maddie yelled over the music. "And you know what? Fuck Robbie! He has no idea what he's missing out on!"
Robbie was Maddie's on-again, off-again boyfriend. At the moment, they were off again, and she was a hot mess. As usual.
"You can do so much better," I slurred, lifting my red Solo cup. "Here's to finding new guys this year!"
"To new, better guys," Maddie agreed, clinking her cup against mine. "I need another drink. Want anything?"
"Another beer."
I knew I'd regret this tequila-and-beer combo in the morning, but that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, I needed the blur. I needed the noise. I needed anything that wasn't reality. And Branden Mitchell's annual back-to-school party was the perfect escape.
It was the Friday before senior year.
I had a feeling about this year. A new school year always meant new beginnings, but this one felt different. Bigger. Like something was shifting beneath the surface.
Everything was about to change.
I didn't know how I knew. I just felt it deep in my gut.
The only question was, would it change for the better… or for the worse?
Not that things could get much worse than this.
I glanced toward the drink table and spotted Maddie. She wasn't grabbing shots anymore. She was flirting with Robbie. Her head tipped back in laughter as she touched his arm.
I rolled my eyes.
Well. There goes my best friend for the night.
Scanning the yard, I searched for someone else I recognized and headed toward the bonfire where a group of jocks stood laughing.
As I drew closer, the scent of smoke hit me.
I froze.
My eyes squeezed shut as the smell wrapped around me, dragging me backward two weeks in time. Fire. Heat. Ash. The scent I'd been trying to scrub from my hair, my clothes, my skin.
It still clung to me.
Persistent. Unforgiving.
I had to get the hell out of there.
Note to self: stay far away from fires. Especially two weeks after your parents are killed in one.
My chest tightened. I turned abruptly, and collided with something solid, or someone solid.
A rock-hard chest.
A very tall, very muscular chest.
I looked up.
And forgot how to breathe.
I had never seen him before, but he was easily the most gorgeous guy I'd ever laid eyes on. Black hair—short on the sides, longer in the front. A five o'clock shadow sharpened his already angular features. His black t-shirt stretched across a chest that looked sculpted.
But it was his eyes that stole me.
Bright, ocean-blue.
They locked onto mine, and something sparked low in my stomach.
Not just attraction.
Something stronger. Deeper. Magnetic.
Like we were meant to collide.
There wasn't an inch of space between us. And neither of us moved away.
We just stood there, staring, suspended in the noise and flashing lights, until he finally spoke.
"Would you like to dance?"
His voice was deep. Smooth. Dangerous in a way that made goosebumps erupt across my arms.
"Yes," I breathed.
He took my hand and led me toward the center of the yard. The music pulsed around us as we moved together, bodies swaying in sync.
The tension between us wasn't subtle.
It thrummed.
"What's your name?" I asked, barely able to tear my eyes from his.
"Theo."
He didn't look away.
"I'm Raven."
"You're also stunning."
The way he said it made heat flood my cheeks.
"You're not so bad yourself," I replied.
Understatement of the century.
"Are you new here? I've never seen you before."
His gaze never wavered. "I'm just passing through town." A slight pause. "Then again… you might be the reason I stay."
Liquid courage surged through me.
And before I could overthink it, I kissed him.
His lips were warm and firm. For half a second, he seemed surprised. Then he kissed me back.
Harder.
His hands settled at my waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, heated, turned consuming. His mouth moved against mine like he'd been waiting for this.
It wasn't sweet.
It wasn't shy.
It was fire.
When I finally pulled away, I was breathless.
I met his eyes again.
Holy fuck.
Suddenly, the world tilted. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was him.
Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.
And just before everything went black, I heard him murmur softly, "Holy fuck is right."
My stomach dropped.
I hadn't said that out loud…
Had I?