Page 43 of Hot Ice, Tennessee

“I still think your idea is bad, by the way,” Jesse said a moment later, glancing up at me as he finished slicing strawberries for his drink. “Don’t hook up with some random guy tonight.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll regret it,” Jesse said.

“I think the ban is doing more harm than good. Why the hell do you care who I fuck, anyway?”

I decided it was probably a bad idea to mention the heated, pent-up dreams I was having abouthimearlier today.

“Hey. Watch it,” Jesse said as he came into the living room from the kitchen, walking over toward me on the couch.

He nodded downward, pointing at the drink in my hand.

“Shit,” I said, seeing that I’d been holding it at an angle, almost spilling onto the floor. “Ten points for you, Jesse.”

What was with me? I felt woozy, but I’d only had a couple of sips of my drink, and I definitely didn’t feel drunk or anything familiar. The world was a little softer around the edges, though, and every time my eyes landed on Jesse I was fixated on his tattoos—those goddamn tattoos that snaked up under his sleeve and made me want to peel his clothes off and nibble and lick every inch of him.

“Come on. Sit,” Jesse said, taking a spot on the couch that was near me but also not close enough.

“You think anybody’s here yet?” I said, the words coming out slightly slower than usual. “For the party, I mean.”

“You said people wouldn’t be here for at least another hour,” Jesse said, furrowing his brow. “Are yousureyou’re okay, Mason?”

I thought through everything I’d done today. I had worked in the sun, but I’d had heat stroke before, and it sure as fuck didn’t feelgoodlike this. I hadn’t been drinking at all before the last ten minutes. Certainly no weed. I’d gone up to shower and—

Fuck.

“The allergy meds,” I told Jesse as a slow smile spread over my face. “My doc did say they could be a little strong sometimes, and I took a double dose.”

“Especially after the sips of tequila you just took,” Jesse said. He stood up, grabbing my drink and taking it. “This is mine now. You’re cut off.”

“What?” I protested. “Okay. Fine. Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am,” he said, tossing back a sip of my cocktail.

“You’re young.”

“I know that, too.”

Fuck, I was staring at his lips again. I kept trying to act like I wasn’t actively watching him, but I was pretty sure I was doing a terrible job of it now. The way the sleeves on his shirt were rolled up, and his forearms looked so strong and soft at the same time. The way a piece of his hair fell over his forehead every once in a while, and he always pushed it back the same way, sometimes glancing over at me afterward, too.

His lashes were thick and dark but the green eyes behind them were soulful, even when he was trying to give me his bestfuck-offglare.

I wanted to know everything about him.

I wanted to ask so many more questions, to figure out how someone could be 21 and so sure of himself, so much smarter than I had ever been, then or now.

He wasn’t just hot. He was fuckinggorgeous. And I was definitely staring again.

“It’s okay. You’ll love all of my friends, and they said they’re excited to meet you, too. I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

There was a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips, which only made me want to stare at them more. “Excited tomeetme? Did you tell your friends about me?”

I felt heat in my cheeks. “No. I mean, yes, but I only told them that we’re definitelynotgoing to fuck.”

He was full-on smiling now. Was I making everything worse?

“Babe, you’re not even going to be awake by the time this party is supposed to start,” he said.

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