“Well, I personally think you can do much better than Josh, but you don’t see me complaining.”

He laughed and pressed the towel against my cheeks and my neck. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m going to catch a safety ride later, but I think I want to dance for a little bit more…”

“I’ll join you.” He opened the door and followed me out.

To my surprise, the living room was even more packed now and the lights were a lot dimmer. Since we couldn’t find a decent spot on the dance floor, Carter grabbed my hand and led me over to a corner.

He put his hands on my hips as we danced together, but unlike the numerous times that we’d danced before, my nerves were going out of control. My heart was racing a mile a minute.

I tried to act normal as the music shifted from chaotic to sensual, as he pulled me so close we were nearly lip to lip, but it was no use.

I wanted him to keep his hands on me, to touch me for the rest of the night.

“You look beautiful tonight, Ari…” he whispered against my mouth, letting his fingers caress my skin through the fabric of my dress.

“Thank you…” I breathed.

“Have you ever worn this dress before?” He tugged at its hem.

“Freshman year.” I blushed and buried my head in his chest to prevent our mouths from getting any closer.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” he whispered into my ear, but I didn’t answer. I was breathing in his scent, exhaling as he pressed his hand against my thigh.

“Ari?” he asked. “Ari?”

I ignored him once more, and instead of questioning it, he ran his fingers through my hair—setting my nerves on fire all over again.

A few songs later, when I’d convinced myself that my increased heartrate had nothing to do with the fact that Carter was still holding me close and touching me, I looked up at him.

“Why is the DJ playing slow songs now?” I asked.

“Would you like me to tell him to change it?”

“Yes…” I said softly. “Yes, I would.”

The lights in the room dimmed even darker, to where I could only make out the outline of his face.

“It’ll speed back up in a second,” he said, his lips slightly brushing against mine. “He always slows it down before the next power hour.”

“Right…” I felt his forehead touching mine.

The lights suddenly went black, and the next thing I knew, his lips were all over mine and my back was pushed hard against the wall. His tongue slipped into my mouth—demanding complete and utter control, and I immediately gave in.

Murmuring, I shut my eyes as he used his hips to keep me pressed against the wall, as he used one of his hands to slightly cup my ass.

He slid a hand under my dress and softly ran his fingers against my panty-line; in response, my arms went around his neck—my fingers threaded through his hair. He bit down hard on my bottom lip, so hard I moaned. But he didn’t stop kissing me. He kept his mouth attached to mine, barely giving me a chance to breathe.

“Ah…” I let another murmur escape my lips, and he bit my lip again. Even harder this time.

“Alright, enough of this slow shit!” The DJ bellowed! “Power Hour, part two bitches!”

The strobe lights came on again, and Carter and I quickly tore away—panting and staring at each other in utter disbelief.

“Fuck…” He breathed. “What the hell was that?”

“You tell me.” I leaned back against the wall. “One minute, I was dancing and the next minute, you were sticking your tongue down my throat.

“My tongue was nowhere near your throat,” he said, now smiling. “And you left out the next minute where you were kissing me back.”

“No, no, no. I was simply reacting to a sudden and rude intrusion of my mouth…” I paused, shaking my head. “You know what? I think I definitely had way too much to drink tonight, so I’m…I’m going to go lay down…Can I use your room?”

He readjusted my dress and smoothed my hair before answering. “Sure.”

I expected him to walk away and leave me to get there on my own, but he grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway—past the bathroom and past the door that separated his suite from the rest of the place.

He unlocked the door to his room and hit the lights, motioning for me to get into his bed.

“Wait…” I felt a sudden chill hit my skin, bringing attention to my still slightly damp dress. “I need to take a shower…Can I use your shower for a few minutes?”

“Of course you can,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “You know you never have to ask me for anything like that…”

We stared at each other, and I was pretty sure that dampness I was feeling was not my dress.

“Um…” I stepped forward, looking away from him. “I’m going to go um…Take that shower now…” I moved past him and walked straight into the bathroom, but I saw his reflection in the mirror behind me seconds later.

He took a towel from the closet and handed it to me. “Here.”

“Thank you…” I said, wondering why he was shutting the door. Shutting the door without leaving…

“You’re not going to stay in here with me the whole time are you?”

He smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Do you watch Josh when he takes his showers? Do you get off on watching your friends naked?”