PART I
“Paige. You can’t pat my crotch and not expect me to react.”
PROLOGUE
DEREK
The bass thumped through the walls of the house. It was too loud and wild for the small living room packed with drunk and sweaty teenagers. Empty red cups littered every surface, and someone had spilled beer near the kitchen doorway, making the tiles sticky.
I kept my hand curled around my drink, which was a soda, scanning the room for one person.
Paige.
She was laughing near the couch, her blond hair falling in loose waves down her back, catching the neon lights and looking far too angelic for a place like this.
The dark blue dress she wore was shorter than anything she had ever worn before. It hugged her lithe frame as if it were a second skin. Her hazel eyes sparkled with life, wild and rebellious, making my heart beat faster and my pants impossibly tight.
I had been in love with her since we were kids. But seeing her enjoying herself might have made me fall a little harder.
She looked beautiful. Too beautiful. Too tempting. And too damn far out of reach.
And might be too fucking drunk.
I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the elbows, the teenage sweat with the stench of beer and cheap cologne. When I reached her, I gently took her cup away.
“Hey,” I said, leaning close so she could hear me. “Slow down, okay?”
She blinked at me, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “I’m fine,” she said with a grin. “I promise.”
I didn’t trust anyone there. I trusted myself even less around her, but I trusted myself to keep her safe.
“Come with me,” I said, guiding her away with my hand on her back, glaring at any guy who even dared to glance at her. “I want you to meet some people.”
Some of my friends were good and safe.
I introduced her around, saving Jack Mitchell for last. Jack had an annoyingly symmetrical face, easy smile, and the kind of confidence that made girls giggle.
Paige’s gaze lingered a second longer than I liked.
“He’s cute,” she whispered to me when Jack walked away.
I’m cuter.
I shrugged, pretending that it didn’t land like a punch. “If you say so.”
I didn’t think too much about her comment because tonight wasn’t about Jack. I just had to make sure she didn’t trip over her own heels, didn’t drink too much, or didn’t fall into the pool like Jane Rosewood had two parties ago.
But then someone yelled, “Truth or Dare!” And because drunk teenagers were feral creatures, a circle quickly formed on the floor.
Paige dragged me with her. It didn’t take long for someone to turn to her with an evil glint in their eyes.
“Paige! Truth or dare?”
She lifted her cup dramatically. “Dare!”
The crowd cheered, and I felt my stomach sink.
Fucking hell. I had made sure there was soda in her cup, and still she was acting like she was tipsy.
