Paradise Lost (Private 9)

I laughed and looked away, fiddling with the skirt of my dress. "And how many girls at this party have you kissed? " I asked, my heart racing.

He reached over and simply grazed the inside of my arm with his fingertips. I thought I was going to drown in longing right there.

"None," he whispered. "Tonight."

I looked up at him, looked right into his eyes, and held my breath. I almost couldn't believe what I was about to do.

"Well then," I said. "Let me be the first."

And then I leaned in and kissed him.

How I didn't explode is beyond the laws of physics. This was pure attraction. I knew almost nothing about this guy aside from his name and the fact that every other girl at this party wanted him, and I didn't care. As he reached around my waist and pulled me to him,

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I didn't care about anything other than the fact that my toes and fingers and thighs and arms and ears were tingling. I wanted to press every single inch of my body against his. Only once in my life had I felt attraction like this, and that was with Dash. And I had been drugged at the time.

But tonight, I was clear. Upton made me feel gorgeous, uninhibited, totally daring. Totally not me.

And I was loving it.

Then I felt his hand traveling from my bare stomach northward, and I jolted backward. Instantly, the crashing waves and the laughter and the music came rushing in on me. It was like waking up from a deep sleep only to enter sensory overload. Kissing was one thing. I wasn't sure I was ready to go further than that.

"What happened?" Upton asked, pulling away.

"Nothing! Nothing," I said, flipping onto my back. I tried to shove my hands into my hair, and then realized it was pinned up and carefully extricated my fingers. "I just... needed some air."

Upton's fingertips trailed up and down my inner forearm, sending pleasant shivers throughout my body.

"Have you gotten enough yet?" he asked, inching closer and bringing his face toward mine.

I giggled and looked at h

im in a mock-stern way. "I'm thinking we should go back to the party."

Upton's eyebrows rose. "Why? I'm having plenty of fun right here."

"Me too," I said, racking my brain for something I could say that

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wouldn't offend him and wouldn't make me sound like a complete prude. "It's just... I came down here to hang out with my friends, and I feel like I'm neglecting them."

Upton smiled. "All right then. We'll go inside. But I plan on continuing this at a later date."

I couldn't help but smile in response. I definitely wanted to hang out with him again.

Upton pulled me up off the lounge in one swift motion. As soon as we were through the doors, it was obvious that something was up. Almost everyone at the party was gathered near the front door of the suite, and there was an enthusiastic din coming from the center of the crowd. The only person who didn't appear to have any interest in what was going on was Sawyer Hathaway, who was leaning against the wall near the verandah doors, picking at his fingernails.

"It's so good to see you!" a girl's voice squealed. A girl with a British accent. "Really? Do you like it? I just had it cut."

"I love it," I heard Taylor say. "I've been thinking about chopping mine, too."

"Oh, you definitely should. It's so freeing!"

Finally, the girl with the accent made her way out of the crowd and into the open. She had short blond curls pushed back from her face with a skinny headband, a sun-kissed tan, and seriously defined arms. She wore a tiny spaghetti-strap boho dress with swirls of brown, red, and orange all over it, and at least half a dozen beaded necklaces of all different lengths. She linked arms with an athletic-looking girl with long black hair, tan skin, and a regal air about her.

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