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“Why do you sit out here? It’s so damn hot.”

The first time she noticed Ben, there was a dark and dangerous aura surrounding him that drew her in. His dark brown eyes pierced right through her, causing lust to swirl inside. Alyssa couldn’t help the feeling streaming through her and that lip ring of his caught her attention when he pulled it into his mouth.

“I’m plotting to take out my archenemies from afar.”

“Funny girl,” he said, leaning against the wall and crossing his legs.

“Oddly enough, I kind of like it.” Not wanting to face the crowd, she was sitting under the overhang with her back to everyone lost in her school work until Ben showed up.

Trying to avoid that awkward silence, she asked, “What do you people do for fun around here? I haven’t had a chance to really get out and explore.”

Ben blew out a loud breath. “Not much to be honest. It’s boring as fuck around here. I guess some work on the weekend at their family’s farms, they get jobs outside of town, or they sit in a field and drink beer with friends. Some go hunting, and some swim down by the river. There isn’t really much to do.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wow … that is boring.” She went from swimming in the most sought after beaches to swimming in a river?

“You’re telling me,” he smirked. “If you want, I can take you for a drive and show you around town.” He took out a paper and pen and scribbled his cell phone number down and handed it to her.

“That would take all of what? Five minutes?” She did the same and handed Ben her cell number.

“Funny girl,” Ben chuckled. Alyssa finally got a good look at him, starting with his lip ring. She never had a boyfriend that had piercings before, and she wondered if Ben had any tattoos now. They seemed to go hand in hand. Ben’s tongue slipped out and licked it, pulling it into his mouth.

“It didn’t hurt,” he said.

“What?”

“My lip ring that you’re staring at, it didn’t hurt in case you wanted to know.”

Heat rose to her cheeks. Ben looked so deeply into her eyes that she had to fight the urge not so squirm under his gaze. Her body simmered, her heart beat faster. She could tell he was temptation … and she liked it. Alyssa had a few casual boyfriends in the past, but Ben was the kind of boy you didn’t bring home, the one a father would warn you to stay away from.

But she didn’t have a father to remind her of that.

“What did your parents say about your lip ring?”

Ben huffed, his jagged smile tightening her stomach. “Mom took off when I was a kid so it’s just been me and my dad. Let’s just say he wasn’t too fond of it and tried to rip it out a few times.”

Alyssa’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry about it—he didn’t get very far since he was drunk and shit.”

“What does he say now since you still have it?”

Ben shook his head. “Nothing. He put his hands on me, so I put mine on him. It was only fair. He hasn’t fucked with me since.” Ben shrugged it off. “Have any plans this weekend?”

“Yeah—she does. With me.” That southern voice commanded attention more so than Ben’s did.

“I should have known,” Ben sneered.

“Why don’t you take a hike?” John suggested.

“I actually don’t have any plans, but I’m looking for a job,” she interrupted.

“I’ll see you around, Alyssa. Maybe this weekend I can help with your job search,” Ben winked and then left.

John watched Ben walk away, his skin crawling. He heard from people around town that Ben’s father raised him with an iron fist and a splash of vodka.

“You need to stay away from him. He’s bad news.”

The last thing Alyssa wanted was to be told what to do. “So you’ve said. Why don’t you let me be the one to decide that?”