BEFORE

Chapter 3

JESS

  

I had no idea what I was doing here.

An end of semester party at some college kid's open house a block from the Strip.

Actually, that's a lie. I did know what I was doing here. I just didn't like my motivation.

I wanted to cut loose tonight. Do something completely out of character.

Make out with a stranger? Let some hot guy feel me up? Whatever I wanted, I couldn't describe it exactly, but I wanted more than this. This constant edginess that I was missing out on something.

Everyone around me constantly talked about sex. How many times they'd done it. How many guys were useless at finding a clit. How freaking awesome having a guy go down on you was.

I was clueless. I seriously had no idea what any of it entailed because I'd never done it. Any of it. And it was starting to piss me off.

Not that I'm one of those dumbass girls who is obsessed with losing her virginity. Far from it. I've been too busy assimilating into college life and keeping up my grades to worry about sex—or my lack of.

But with a long, endless summer stretching before me, and a lot of cute guys at this party, guess it was natural to wonder...would this be the summer I finally did it?

I'd be nineteen in the fall. UNLV's oldest virgin. I should make a T-shirt.

"You made it." Dave appeared before me, wearing a white button down, dark denim and a goofy grin. He'd ditched the glasses and actually looked less dorky and kinda cute. "Nice one, Geekette."

"Summer vacation officially starts tonight, so can we lose the droll nicknames?" I tried a snooty glare and failed. Trying to stare down a friend never worked.

"Maybe we can," he said, leaning in close, the scotch on his breath unexpected. "So what else should I call you? Babe? Cutie?"

I chuckled. "If that's your lameass attempt at flirting, save it."

A fleeting frown creased Dave's brow before his signature grin was back in place. "Have you seen the view yet?" He pointed upstairs. "Everyone's talking about it."

"I only just got here," I said, not particularly interested in any view other than the one that would show me what the hell I would be doing over summer.

"Come on, then. I'll show you." He snagged my hand so fast I spilled some of the cheap Chardonnay from the plastic cup that had been shoved into my other hand on arrival.

"What's your hurry?"

He winked in response and I rolled my eyes. Looked like Dorky Dave was intent on cutting loose tonight too. I couldn't fault him for that, but the longer I hung around him, the less chance I had of making new friends, making out with a hot guy and cutting loose myself.

A rowdy group of frat boys dressed only in Hawaiian-print board shorts thundered down the stairs as we climbed, jostling us. Dave slung a protective arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. Couldn't fault the guy for gallantry but when he didn't remove his arm as we reached the top floor, that same uncomfortable feeling I'd had in the library earlier today returned. Stronger this time.

"Where are we going—?"

"This way." He opened the third door on the left and pulled me inside. "Come check out this view."

As he kicked the door shut, a quick glance at the doorknob had me exhaling in relief. No lock. Which meant that little warning bell inside my head was ringing for nothing.