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Claire checked on me "I told you he was a dud"

I didn’t think that at all

"Do you want to be assigned to souys just arrived and I’ for attention"

"No," I immediately protested

She raised her hands "Okay Your boredolad for her to be gone During our brief conversation, I had lost sight of Ben in the crowd People were pushing and shoving orI couldn’t tell All I kneas the arettes and beer, and evensweat Even in heels, I was shorter thaninto h the crowd but tripped when one ofI fell into soirl looked as though she wanted to kill !" she snarled

My eyes widened "I’m so sorry!"

She looked as if she wanted to punch et your panties in a wad" His voice boomed over the music

I looked up into Ben’s eyes My hero had saved me He took my elbow and tried to steer me away from the crowd, but the center of the rooed behind hirabbed uided me to the safety of the wall But as soon as we reached it, he released his grip on my hand I felt an immediate loss, and my body temperature seemed to dip, as the heat that was there between us had suffused me and I missed it

He shoved his hands in his pockets "So the wall to support h," he said, his eyes unknowingly or th of my body

I melted on the spot

He leaned forward to whisper in et you a drink"

I was shaken, that was for sure, but not frorabbed his aret you a drink That’s my job" I slapped my hand over my mouth "Shoot, I didn’t mean my job I didn’t mean it that way"

He smirked and then winked "I won’t tell anyone you said the forbidden word Don’t worry"

I sed deeply and tried to gather myself as I watched hi about him was so electric

When he returned with two cups of beer, he clinked his to h rush--unscathed," he joked

His voice arain I s else that blank look crossed his face once etting lost in the crowd I ain I refilled his beer whenever it was eht and he thanked hed and carried on with pledges and brothers as I ads Claire, or Stacy, had encouraged, because he didn’t give ht ended before I expected when all of a sudden Ben stood on a chair and announced to the new pledges their task They were to comb the caed ht was so unlike me

Once everyone took off, the house was practically euys and so had the other girls I had seen earlier at her table I had only consu a little tipsy and quite bold I stared across the rooainst the paneling, lazily leaning against the hile talking on his phone He flipped it shut and slid it in his pocket and then stared into his red Solo cup It was then that I s were tre, so I approached hilanced up and I swear his eyes were bluer than any ocean I’d ever seen

"I’uid eyes stared into the depths of ers started shaking But when I looked up at hiain--the electricity that passed between us I batted h I felt ridiculous "Are you sure?"

He chuckled "Yeah, I’m sure"

My cheeks fla at irl and I decided to drop that act before it even started He could obviously see through it

"Did you have fun tonight?"

"What’s not fun about naive college freshhed "What about you?" he asked, low and sloith a huskiness to his voice that madeinside myself to find a flirtiness that I never knew I had

He raised an eyebrow "Oh yeah? Do tell"

He caughthim to ask me that I sucked in a breath and reeled for what to say My eyes darted around the room and landed on a poster on the wall that read LA CÔTE D’AZUR and Iup quickly about the place that I kneould turn any guy on Of course, it was soe and said, "I spent my freshman year in France, and the French Riviera had so many nude beaches that were always fun" I made sure to say it in a sultry seductive tone And technically what I told him wasn’t a lie I was sure they were fun

His eyes htened his stance and stared atto remember how to breathe

His mouth quirked and he asked, "When you went to the beach did you do the A came over me and I became someone else entirely I wasn’t someone made up, but rather someone that knehat she wanted, and suddenly any apprehension or nervousness I had slipped away I leaned in and whispered, "No, I didn’t even bring one to France" My voice sounded saucy