The Sigma Tau house was a throbbing heart of bass and neon, a sensory overload that hit Sienna the moment they crossed the threshold. Bodies pressed in from all sides, the air thick with sweat and cheap beer.
"Stick with me, Hazard," Jace's voice was a warm murmur close to her ear, a steady anchor in the chaos. His hand found the small of her back, guiding her through the crowd. The touch was electric, proprietary, and she didn't hate it.
Tasha shot her a wide-eyed I told you so look over her shoulder before being swallowed by the dance floor.
They found a slightly less congested corner near a table laden with red plastic cups. Lydia materialized instantly, a vision in crimson silk, latching onto Jace's arm."Jace! You made it!" she chirped, ignoring Sienna completely. "Come on, the team's all over by the keg. They've been waiting for you."
Jace's hand didn't leave Sienna's back. "In a minute, Lyd. Getting my bearings."
Lydia's smile tightened. Her eyes finally flicked to Sienna, cold and assessing. "Oh. Hi. I didn't know you were bringing your… study buddy."
"Sociological observation," Sienna said flatly, her earlier confidence wavering under Lydia's glare.
"How academic." Lydia turned back to Jace, her voice dripping with sugar. "Seriously, come say hi. Everyone's asking for you."
Jace looked down at Sienna, a question in his eyes. You good?
She gave a tight nod. "Go. Do your… team thing. I'll find Tasha."He hesitated, his fingers pressing just a fraction harder against her spine before he let his hand fall. "Don't go getting into any trouble."
"No promises."
She watched him get pulled away by Lydia, a hollow feeling opening up in her stomach. This was his world. The loud music, the adoring crowd, the Lydia Parks. She was an observer here, an outsider.
"Forget them," Tasha said, appearing at her side with two cups. "This is a party. Let's dance."
For the next half hour, Sienna tried to lose herself in the music with Tasha. But her eyes kept straying, finding Jace across the room. He was laughing with his teammates, the center of attention, completely in his element. But every so often, his gaze would sweep the crowd, and when it landed on her, it felt like a physical touch.
Then the opening synth of a ridiculously catchy,upbeat pop song exploded from the speakers. The crowd roared.
"This is my song!" Tasha screamed, grabbing Sienna's hands and pulling her deeper into the pulsing mass of bodies.
Sienna laughed, finally letting go, moving to the rhythm. She closed her eyes, feeling the beat in her bones.
When she opened them, he was there.
Jace was standing right in front of her, a slow, captivated smile on his face. The crowd seemed to part for him.
"Cole," he said, his voice cutting through the music. "You dance."
"You sound surprised."
"Pleasantly." He moved closer, his body aligning with hers, not touching, but the space betweenthem charged with a new, dangerous energy. "This is a side of you I haven't seen."
Lydia was watching from the sidelines, her expression stormy.
"There are a lot of sides you haven't seen," Sienna retorted, her heart hammering.
"I'd like to." His eyes were dark, intense, locked on hers. The world narrowed to this single point. The music, the heat, the space between their bodies.
He reached out, his hand gently catching her waist, pulling her the final few inches into his space. It wasn't a dramatic dip or a spin, just a simple, possessive pull that brought her flush against him. Her hands came up, landing on his shoulders for balance. They were dancing. Really dancing.
"See?" he murmured, his lips close to her ear. "Not so bad, is it? Letting loose.""This is research," she breathed, her argument weak even to her own ears. Her fingers curled into the soft fabric of his Henley.
"Right. Research." His smile was a devilish thing. One of his hands slid from her waist to the small of her back, splaying wide and pressing her even closer. Her breath hitched.
The song built to its crescendo. The crowd surged around them, a wave of frantic energy. Someone jostled Sienna from behind, hard.
She lost her balance, stumbling forward into Jace.
He caught her instinctively, his arms wrapping around her to keep them both upright. Her face was buried in his neck for a split second, inhaling the scent of his cologne and clean sweat. He was solid, warm. Safe.
They froze.
Her head tilted back, her lips inches from his. Hiseyes dropped to her mouth, his playful grin gone, replaced by a raw, open hunger that stole the air from her lungs. The noise of the party faded to a distant hum. There was only his heartbeat against her chest, his breath mingling with hers, the intense, magnetic pull drawing them closer…
FLASH.
A blinding white light exploded in their faces.
They sprang apart, blinking spots from their vision. A guy with a camera phone grinned sheepishly from a few feet away. "Sorry, dude! My bad! That was just… a really good shot."
The spell was shattered. The noise of the party came crashing back, twice as loud.
Sienna stared at Jace, her chest heaving. His expression was a chaotic mix of frustration, surprise, and something that looked a lot like regret.
"I… I need air," she stammered, turning and pushing her way through the crowd, Tasha calling her name behind her.
She didn't look back. She just ran, the ghost of his touch burning on her skin, the afterimage of the camera flash seared onto the back of her eyelids.
Out on the front lawn, she leaned against a tree, gulping in the cold night air. Her phone buzzed incessantly in her clutch. She ignored it.
That had almost happened. They had almost…
And someone had captured it all.