Page 157 of The Villain We Tempt

Ooooh.

Yelena giggles as she turns and catches my eye before she steps closer.

“They’re a couple!” she laughs, nodding at the guy with shorter, dark hair. “Aaron is the TA for her Foreign Policy class.” She winks. “Lucia’s in good hands!”

Phew.

The music roars on. The pulse of the whole party hums through my veins, my skin tingling like I’m being softly licked and kissed by a thousand tongues. It’s like I’m unaware of anything but the beat and the sensation of my skin coming alive and sizzling with liquid fire.

Man, absinthe iscrazy…

A face slips past me in the crowd. Before I can stop myself, I’m whirling and thrusting my hand out to grab his arm.

“Anyone steal any of your underwear lately?”

The guy abruptly whirls to give me a look like he’s wondering how I escaped from the institution. I immediately realize that he is not, in fact, Lochlan.

“Sorry!” I blurt, my face turning to fire as I drop the confused guy's arm.

Fucking absinthe.

I would ask myself why I’m seeing Lochlan freaking Kildare’s face in a stranger's. But I already know the answer. At least tosome degree, my mind has been on him ever since I bumped into him in the men’s locker room.

…When my gaze dropped, and I saw the fingernail claw-marks on his hips.

I know it’s a massive leap. I mean, Lochlan playsfootball. The scrapes on his body could have been and probablywerefrom any number of bang-ups that happened during practice.

I can’t think of themnow, of course. But I’m sure there were other scrapes, bruises, and cuts on his body that I didn’t notice because I was too busy playing Nancy Drew and creating connections that don't exist.

And yet…

Here I am, seeing his obnoxiously gorgeous face on a stranger.

I roll my eyes at myself, letting my head drop back and my arms reach up into the hazy, throbbing energy swirling over the party.

Lochlan is NOT The Ghost Prince.

The Ghost Prince is NOT Lochlan.

I start to say it again inside my head. But I don’t finish before my attention is captured by theamazingsensation of a hand touching my bare arm. I turn, and I grin widely with my whole face as I see Arianna peering at me.

“Arrriiii!” I giggle, throwing my arms around her and hugging her tightly. “I love yousoooomuch, you know.”

Then I just keep hugging her, because holyfuckshe feels good. Her hair smells amazing. My hands against her bare back feel like they’re absorbing throbs of pulsing electricity. And Jesus Christ, her body is so soft against mine…

“I don’t wanna be weird,” I giggle. “But your tits feelamazingright now.”

Arianna pulls away and frowns as she peers into my face. “You seemreallymessed up, Gal.”

I snort out a tittering giggle. “Iamreally messed up,” I smile. I glance wildly around, grinning at the way the lights leave glowing trails when I move my head.

Okay, wait.

I reallyammessed up right now. At the same time, I feel fucking incredible.

I don’t see Yelena when I glance around again in a slow-motion haze. But Idosee Lucia dancing between Aaron and his boyfriend, looking like she’s on cloud nine. Wren is next to me, smiling widely in a dreamy haze, her eyes closed as she runs her hands over her own breasts.

Wait, what’s happening.