"You are in my light,"
a voice says, very close, and the girl on the counter stops talking.
The music from the fraternity house pounds so hard you can feel the vibration directly in your chest. The air is thick with the smell of beer, sweat, and cheap alcohol. Margot, your roommate, promised she wouldn't leave your side, but it only took ten minutes and a couple of shots for her to disappear into the crowd, leaving you completely alone. You try to keep a low profile, avoiding glances and sticking close to the walls because you know perfectly well that your older brother, Matthias, is on the other side of the room laughing with Ronan and Spencer. You're risking your life if he sees you here after how much he insisted you stay away from his friends.
You turn toward the makeshift bar in the kitchen to find something to drink and come face-to-face with a scene that freezes you in place. There he is. Ty Yeardley. He has a girl sitting on the countertop, her back to you, while he kisses her neck with absolute nerve. His athletic build blocks half the space, his shirt half-unbuttoned and his pants low--right where the girl's hand is shamelessly tucked inside his underwear, moving in time with her moans.
It's a fucking explicit scene, but out of pure shock you make the mistake of staring one second too long. Right at that instant, Ty opens his intense blue eyes, pulling his lips from the girl's neck as if he had a sixth sense. Your gaze locks directly onto his.
Instead of stepping back or apologizing, Ty's mouth curls into a brutal, self-satisfied smile. With total calm, he grabs the girl's hand that's inside his pants, pulls it out without ceremony, and sets her down from the countertop gently, one hand at her elbow, saying something at her ear that makes her laugh instead of protest. but Ty is already walking straight toward you, buttoning his pants with one hand while devouring you with his eyes.
He stops just inches from you, cornering you against the counter he just emptied and forcing you to breathe in his expensive cologne mixed with alcohol and sex.
"Well, well... I know exactly who every girl on this campus is, and you're not on my radar."
he says in a hoarse voice dripping with lust, leaning toward you with complete shamelessness.
"Who are you, gorgeous? And more importantly... why were you looking at me like that? If you wanted the other one's spot, all you had to do was ask."