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  She placed a hand lightly on his chest, silencing him. She forced herself to ignore the feel of his hardened pecs under her palm. “Listen, I’m flattered. You’re an attractive guy, but way too much of a distraction.”

  He grinned at that. The grin faded as her hand fell away while she shook her head.

  “Enjoy the party. I need to find the restroom.”

  Bonita felt his eyes follow her out. She really wished she had worn another dress.

  River enjoyed the view of Bonita’s cute little behind swishing in that dress of hers. He wondered if she even knew the effect she had on men as she walked away.

  She was kidding herself if she thought he’d let it go at that. He watched until she turned the corner then followed in search of a beer to tide him over.

  “Hey Patrick,” he said nodding at his friend as he made his way over to where the coolers were in the dining room. “What have you got for me in there?”

  “Only the finest selection of IPAs, monsieur. Or if you’re a complete pussy, some Stella or Amstel Light.” Patrick laughed with the rest of his buddies. River gave his own superficial laugh as he jocularly pushed the guy out of the way to open the cooler and grab a random bottle.

  He thought about hanging out with them and shooting the shit, but his mind wasn’t up for it. It was completely focused on Bonita.

  Damn this girl!

  Was it the rejection? These days it wasn’t something River was used to from the opposite sex, no matter what the race. He thought about her question as to whether or not he was “curious,” and had to laugh. If she’d actually met his family, she might have been shocked.

  Either way, it was pointless sticking around the party if he wasn’t going to have another go at her. He nodded to Patrick and wandered off toward the bathroom.

  He caught her just as she rounded the corner.

  “River!” she exclaimed in surprise. Her facial expression transformed into annoyance as she realized he had specifically sought her out.

  “Yo man, did you seriously just fuckin’ break up with Tiffany Brookstone?”

  Great, just great.

  Her eyes were torn away from River’s as she eyed the boy who had just approached them. Jeff was like a drunken oaf, slapping River on the back with a loud guffaw.

  “Hey, you don’t mind if I take a turn trying to tap that now, do you? Bros before ho’s and all.”

  Another guffaw. River saw Bonita give Jeff a look of disgust and his blood began to boil. He almost wanted to laugh at the timing of it, as though God was specifically trying to ruin his chances with this girl. First Tiffany, now Jeff.

  River shook Jeff’s hand off his shoulder angrily and turned to confront the guy. He saw Jeff’s eyes land on Bonita.

  “Well, well, well,” he slurred. “I guess I can see why—”

  “Fuck off, Jeff,” River said in a tone that gave the bigger guy pause.

  “Hey man,” Jeff said. “I’m more than happy with the sloppy seconds you left upstairs. You can have this little—”

  River had enough. He grabbed Jeff by the shirt with the one hand not holding a beer and shoved him back against the wall, an amazing feat considering the guy had a decent size on him weight-wise.

  “I said, fuck off,” River growled into his face.

  Jeff seemed to be more upset that River had spilled some of the beer from the bottle in his hands than he was at being pushed against the wall.

  “What the fuck man!” he exclaimed, looking angrily at the beer running in a foamy river down his arm.

  River just pulled away and turned around. Bonita was gone. Of course she was. Why would she have stuck around for this little display of caveman sparring?

  Great, just great.

  6

  Bonita was back in the library thinking about the scene she’d just witnessed, her head full of questions.

  Is that the kind of boy River hangs out with?

  Did he just break up with his girlfriend? At a party?

  Why is he pursuing me so hard?

  That’s when River made an appearance in the library again.

  Speak of the devil and he doth appear.

  For some reason the thought made her body temperature go up.

  “White flag,” he said, walking in with that disarming grin of his. “All I came to do was apologize for that little display. Jeff is…well he’s a problematic lad.” River sighed, shaking his head woefully.

  It was such a deliberately old-fashioned way of putting it that Bonita actually laughed.

  River’s eyebrows shot up hopefully and he came in closer.

  She drew back, giving him a look that said I don’t think so. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He walked right past her to inspect the bookshelf. “Don’t mind me, I’m just looking for a book.”

  Bonita twisted her lips with a smirk. “Are you mocking me?”

  “Me?” he said with exaggerated offense. “Oh no, I always sit and read in the library when I’m at a party.”

  “So what?” Bonita asked, getting huffy. “Is it so wrong to like books?”

  “Well, to get biblical again,” he winked at her, “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

  “Ecclesiastes 3, I didn’t realize you were such an expert on the Bible,” she said, impressed.

  He laughed. “The Byrds. I’m more of an expert on music. However, I do have to admire your knowledge of the Good Book.”

  “I’m a pastor’s daughter. You’d be surprised how biblical I can get.”

  Bonita actually brought her hand up to her lips as she realized how incredibly wrong that came out. River laughed even harder.

  “Listen, I’m not going to dog you about hanging out in here. If I had to spend all night surrounded by Gascony alumni I’d probably want to bury my head in a book too.”

  “What is it about you alumns that makes you dislike each other so much?”

  She saw a cloud come over his eyes; the next instant it was gone. “Let’s just say that my history with my fellow alumni is rather…complicated. On that note, I think the library is a fine place to chill out. But we’re missing something. How about a beer?”

  “I don’t—” Before she could inform him of her status as a minor as far as drinking was concerned, he interrupted her.

  “No, beer is too secular. Let’s stick with the biblical theme. You sit here in one of these chairs and I’ll be right back.”

  He was gone before she could stop him. What in the world did he mean by “biblical?”

  As River made his way back to the foyer he could see Jeff was eagerly trying to make good on his plans to “tap that” with Tiffany.

  He was wasted. She was wasted. Definitely not good.

  No one else was intervening (of course) so he sighed and strolled over. Jeff had her in a corner, using his size to keep her there. Once River had a good look at her face and the slightly sloppy smile she was giving Jeff, he relaxed…only a little. By his count, the beer in her hand had to be at least her fifth. Unlike Jeff, Tiffany didn’t have the kind of build that could handle five beers, at least not well enough to make wise choices tonight.

  “Are you okay, Tiffany?” he asked, knowing full well what sort of reaction he’d get—from both of them.

  “Hey man, you already quit this rodeo. Time for someone else to take a ride,” Jeff said.

  River kept his eyes on Tiffany, assessing her reaction. Even as drunk as she was, and as hell bent she must have been on making River jealous, she had to take issue with being compared to a piece of cattle.

  He saw the waiver in her glazed eyes. No, she most certainly did not appreciate being treated like a bronco getting prepped for a ride. Then they blazed with fiery lucidness as she stared back at River defiantly.

  Before she could toss it back in his face, Marianne joined the party. She deftly ducked around River and leaned against the wall next to Jeff’s hand planted firmly on one side of Tiffany.

&nbs
p; “Hey Tiff,” she said, staring at Jeff with a deceptively amicable smile. “We’re about to watch Clueless in the living room, why don’t you come join us?”

  Tiffany wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t take advantage of an opportunity handed to her on a silver platter. Jeff just scowled. It was one thing to push back at River; Marianne was someone nobody was able to mess with.

  “What the fuck ever, man,” Jeff said, pushing himself off the wall. “Nobody wants your used up leftovers anyway.”

  He stormed off, leaving a stunned Tiffany. The hurt look on her face actually made River feel bad for her.

  “Tiffany—” he began, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “Fuck off, River,” she spat, angrily shaking his hand off as she walked away.

  “No good deed, huh?” Marianne said watching her go. Then with her arms crossed over her chest she pushed herself off the wall.

  “Sure you don’t want to go back to being ‘Riot,’ River?” she teased as she back-walked away from him, then spun around to follow Tiffany.

  River just sighed and fell back against the wall. No good deed indeed.

  He remembered his original quest and made his way toward the bar area. Knowing how this party usually went down, someone had already raided the wine cellar.

  Sure enough there was a half empty bottle of cabernet and River reached one long arm through the throng of people vying for the vodka and tequila to grab it. He was about to reach for the stack of red Solo cups, then changed his mind.

  He had a better idea.

  River made his way back through the foyer toward the dining room. He caught sight of Jeff leaning over the railing at the top of the stairs, staring down at the crowd below him with a sullen expression. His eyes caught River’s and gave him an angry sneer. River just kept on his way.

  The cabinet holding the crystal glassware had already been raided. He grabbed two of the crystal wine goblets that were left and held them in one hand while he carried the bottle in the other.

  If he was going to impress Bonita, he might as well go all the way.

  As he came back through the foyer his eyes instinctively glanced up to where Jeff had been leaning on the railing, only to find the guy was gone. Good riddance. Thinking about him would only ruin the night. River had an idea of exactly where he wanted it to go.

  He entered the library to find Bonita sitting there in confused anticipation. Her body relaxed slightly as he walked in, then her brow wrinkled as she saw what he was holding.

  Before she could say anything, he had placed both glasses on the small table between the two arm chairs and began pouring the wine.

  “River,” she began.

  “I know, I know, you’re worried I’m trying to get you drunk so you’ll open up to me,” he gave her a smirk, “or worse. Well, you’d be right.”

  She laughed lightly. “That’s not it—”

  He stopped listening at that point, something nagging at the back of his mind. He stared hard into the glass as he finished pouring the second one.

  Then it hit him.

  Oh hell…

  He placed the bottle on the table and ran back out to the foyer.

  7

  Bonita stared in shock at River’s retreating body as he ran out the entrance to the library. It took her a moment to register exactly what had happened. He’d brought the wine in, poured, then ran like a bat out of hell. Where the heck had he gone?

  She stared dumbly at the glass nearest her. What in the world was she supposed to do with this? Especially sitting here by herself.

  After several moments, she felt ridiculous. It wouldn’t hurt to take a sip. She certainly wouldn’t be the first underage student to imbibe on a college campus, or even at this party based on what little she’d seen. She reached out and grabbed one of the glasses.

  River crashed through a crowd of people in the foyer, earning him a few choice expletives. He ignored them as he ran up the stairs two at a time. He threw open the door to the first bedroom and took in the exact scenario he feared he would find:

  Jeff sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Bethany on her back, out like a lightbulb.

  A hand on the thigh.

  A tennis skirt covering just enough to show a tiny triangle of yellow underwear.

  A whisper: “Hey, you awake?”

  A sleepy moan and shift on the bed.

  The skirt rising further up with the movement.

  The trainer that River’s older brother Michael had introduced him to had helped him create a physique that wasn’t just for show; it was a body that could be put to use.

  He took three quick strides and grabbed Jeff at the easiest point of containment, around the neck. He hooked his hand underneath the chin and yanked it back, pulling the heavy weight of Jeff’s body with it.

  All Jeff could manage was a grunt before River had his arm fully around his neck, dragging him out the door. They were halfway down the stairs by the time Jeff managed to react.

  Everyone in the foyer stopped to stare at the spectacle, all of them wondering exactly what was going on.

  Bonita took a sip. Then she heard the commotion out in the foyer. She blinked as it became suddenly louder.

  Curiosity got the better of her. After all, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to note River’s hasty exit and a ruckus occurring only minutes later.

  River, what did you get yourself into?

  She was already in the hall when she noticed she still had the glass in her hand. Instead of taking it back, she shrugged and made her way toward the foyer to see what all the fuss was about. She squeezed her way to the front of a growing crowd and followed their gazes up the stairs.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed, completely forgetting her church upbringing.

  River was below Jeff on the stairway, dragging the bigger boy from behind. Now that the element of surprise was over, Jeff simply elbowed him in the gut. That loosened River’s grip enough for Jeff to duck out underneath his arm.

  The elbow had forced River to stumble down the stairs backwards and Jeff quickly spun around. His face was full of rage as he barreled into River, forcing both of them down to the first floor. River was able to regain his footing and stumbled out from underneath Jeff’s rampage.

  By now the crowd on the first floor was swelling to incorporate most of the attendees while at the same time pushing back to give the two brawlers more room to duke it out.

  River and Jeff circled each other, River watching his opponent with a wary but observant eye. Jeff just snarled as he came at River again. He saw it coming and dodged easily, then struck at just the right spot in Jeff’s lower back to cause pain, hopefully incapacitating pain.

  Instead, Jeff arched his back with a loud roar. River gave an exasperated sigh before throwing an upper cut, a punch that had the potential to knock his opponent out…when it connected at the right spot. Despite being blinded by rage, Jeff saw it coming and dodged just enough to avoid the brunt of it. It didn’t knock him out, but it did force his huge body backward.

  Straight into Bonita.

  River had a brief glimpse of her brown eyes, wide open in surprise as she stared at him from behind her glasses. They were forced shut as the mass of muscle fell into her pushing her back into the person behind her.

  There was a heart-stopping moment where River’s brain didn’t function, glimpsing the growing red stain on the front of her dress and thinking she’d been stabbed.

  Then he heard the tinkling crash of glass and his eyes flew down to the shattered crystal on the floor in front of her.

  For some stupid reason River was focused on the red nail polish on her toes when Jeff seized his opportunity.

  Bonita had stared open mouthed as River dragged Jeff down the stairs until the boy’s elbow had done its handiwork. A small yelp escaped her lips as the two of them practically tumbled down the stairs.

  Like everyone else she had instinctively pressed back while the two boys went at it, creating a wide c
ircle of which Bonita was on the edge.

  There was a brief moment where Bonita’s eyes connected with River’s yet again.

  Then everything had gone to hell.

  She felt the force of Jeff crashing into her and the air escaped her lungs. The brunt of it went directly toward the glass that was positioned in front of her. The force of the impact tipped it up so that all the dark red liquid splashed over her chest.

  A tiny splash ended up on the bare arm of the boy she had been pushed into. He growled his complaint, and amid all the craziness, Bonita still had a moment to be irked with him. After all, that tiny splash was nothing compared to the deluge that had just hit the front of her dress.

  That thought was brushed away as the momentum of Jeff’s body jostled the glass out of her hand and straight down to the floor. The sound of a hundred tiny shards tinkling rose above the yells and gasps of the crowd. Everyone stared in stunned silence, including River.

  Bonita saw his eyes looking down at the shattered glass near her feet. There was a brief, ridiculous moment where she was glad she had taken the time to paint her nails.

  Then she gasped.

  River’s eyes were still focused on the red of Bonita’s nails when he saw Jeff’s fist come at him out of the corner of his eye. That eye was immediately slammed shut, and would be for the next few days, as the fist connected with his face. From there it was like slow motion. River’s head swung to the right and he felt the momentum of the swing go through his body forcing him to the floor.

  His one good eye had a perfect view of Bonita’s white sandals and the shattered crystal. In the periphery of that eye he saw Jeff’s foot swing back in preparation for a kick, taking full advantage of River’s momentary vulnerability.

  As the swift, hard kick connected with his stomach, River curled in agony. He had braced himself, but wasn’t nearly prepared for the utter shock of how much pain erupted from his center. For a few moments he was unable to catch his breath and panic began to set in.

  That final, cowardly move was enough to get a few of the boys in the crowd to put an end to the mess. In a blurred haze he saw two figures pulling Jeff away, he recognized Patrick and thought the other might be Brad.