I grimace, but as long as I’m drinking, there’s a chance it’ll help me forget the horrible grade I got. “Hey, shouldn’t you be doing this with your boyfriend?” I ask her, diving into a bag of chips to get the taste out of my mouth. “You know, the one you should be celebrating your anniversary with?”
“We did shots earlier,” she giggles. I can see whatever she drank while I was at the store is starting to affect her. “He’s catching up with his friend, Luke.” She joins me in stuffing chips into her mouth and we head back into the main party area in the living room. I search for Josh, but all I see are a lot of unfamiliar people.
She gives me a sly look. “I’ll have to introduce you two later. He might give your hot guy a run for his money.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I laugh. Becca’s never even seen him.
“You saucy wench!” Even though I’ve called her that before, tonight it’s doubly appropriate since she’s dressed like a pirate. “What would Josh think if he heard you say that?”
She smiles, her eyes twinkling, or maybe just glazing over from the alcohol. “He’d probably agree with me. Luke is hot. Like h-a-w-t hot. His arms are like this.” She holds up her hands in a big circle, squints at it, then makes it even bigger.
“Well, you’ve got a thing for biceps.” I catch sight of Josh’s blond head and the guy he’s talking to, who’s wearing a red cape and gladiator sandals. Josh is facing my direction, so I can’t see this Luke guy’s face, but something about him strikes me as familiar.
“And you’d have seen him for yourself if you hung out with us more often,” she continues, ignoring me. “You’re always holed up in your room reading.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with read...” I trail off. Watching him, he finally turns his head and I catch enough of his profile to make the connection.
It’s my hot guy.
“Becca, I need another shot.”
A HALF HOUR AND ANOTHER shot later, I’m definitely much more in control of the situation. It could be the alcohol giving me false self-confidence, but I’ll take it over the initial mortification that washed over me upon realizing that he was a real person Josh and Becca were friends with and I might be required to interact with in the future. I don’t need real life intruding on my fantasy like that.
I hide out in the kitchen for a while before deciding that hey, he’s on my turf, so he’d have to be the one to hide, not me. Except he doesn’t know I exist, so I’m pretty sure he won’t be the one hiding, but that’s not the point.
Besides, this was the guy that distracted me not only during the midterm but during every single Psych class. I mean, yes, I’m past buzzed, clearly in tipsy territory, and on my way to drunk, but the more I ponder it, the more I’m sure he needs to be brought down a peg. He can’t just go around distracting innocent people like me trying to take tests. It’s practically a crime.
I shimmy over to the middle of the living room, which has become an impromptu dance floor. Maybe I just need to dance off these thoughts and try to get him out of my head. I’ve been alternating between a flight or fight response the last half hour (which I do remember learning about in Psych class, thank you very much). I hunkered down in the kitchen earlier, but now I’m veering in the opposite direction towards confrontation after those shots hit me. I guess they don’t call it liquid courage for nothing.
A sexy nurse and 1920s gangster are dancing next to me, and I search for anyone that might be a good partner. The only single guy I see is dressed as a banana. Of all the costumes, why would you choose that one? I progress further into the crowd, avoiding him.
The deep bass of a new song starts up, so loud I can feel the vibrations, and I instinctively sway to the thumping beat. I don’t recognize this one, but in my current state of mind, I’m almost primal, closing my eyes and letting the music course through me, invading my bones and emptying my head of all thoughts.
I dance this way for a while before a big male body presses in close behind me. I’m so lost in the music I automatically shift backward, his heat calming the anxiety I’ve had all day. His muscled chest hits my back and we move our hips together in sync, rising and falling in time with the bassline. Light fingers brush the bare sides of my stomach and settle on my waist, pulling me in closer still. My heart is pounding, dancing with a stranger like this, even if it is in my own apartment, but something about the music and his presence has me relaxing my guard. I lean further back and inhale something woodsy and masculine, both soothing and exciting... and familiar. I take another breath and stiffen, my muscles tensing as awareness pours into me. I recognize that scent. I smelled it for an hour last Thursday while desperately trying to focus on my exam paper.
I twist my neck, gazing up into Luke’s gorgeous, smiling face. “You!” I pivot and point my finger into his hard chest, making him stumble a little. His grin fades and bright sky-blue eyes widen a little in surprise. “Of course you’d have beautiful eyes,” I mutter. “Just the cherry on top.”
“Excuse me?” he asks, looking confused. All of my feelings from earlier today finding out my exam grade rush back into me, and I get pissed off all over again.
“You have some nerve trying to dance with me after everything you’ve done!” I shove at his chest, and he immediately backs up, hands in the air like I’m a police officer and he’s telling me don’t shoot.
“Look, I’m sorry if I got too close.” He looks a little embarrassed, but I can’t give in to his adorable sheepish expression. “I just got caught up in the song and you seemed like you were into it.”
“Not that,” I hold up a hand. “I don’t care about that.” I poke him again on his chest. His nicely defined chest that his costume is showing off to full advantage... Wait, where was I? Oh, yeah. “You made me bomb the Psych midterm!”
At that, he looks even more bewildered, his head tilting to one side slightly. “I did what now?”
“You distracted me the whole time! And I got a terrible grade because of it.” The confusion still on his face pushes me over the edge. “You’re a distraction to the entire female population of that class! Sitting there in your tight shirt with your arm muscles all bulging.” I grab hold of his bicep to emphasize how big it is, and oh man, his skin is even warmer touching it, the muscle flexing in reaction.
“And you’re always running your hand through your hair, like this.” My other hand reaches up and gently slides through the soft, thick locks. “I’m sure you’re aware of the effect it has.” Once I start, I can’t seem to stop. My hands clearly have a will of their own.
His face softens as I continue to skim my fingers through his hair. “I don’t like it in my eyes,” he says, his voice gone husky. He leans into my touch, like a cat wanting his head scratched.
His closeness makes me aware of his scent again, the woodsy spice filling my nose. “And you smell so incredible.” I incline my head, skimming my nose along his neck as I inhale. “I couldn’t focus on the questions because of it.” He shudders, visible goosebumps arising where I’ve made contact.