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She released a sigh. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Bottoms up,” Ben clinked his glass against hers.

Taking a deep breath, she took the whole shot. As soon as it hit the back of her throat, she almost gagged. The last time she had a shot of tequila was with John at the bonfire. It wasn’t bad then, but she’d already had a few shots of whiskey before that so maybe that helped. She shivered, cringing from the impact and swallowed hard.

“Holy shit,” she brought the back of her hand to her mouth. Tequila was definitely an acquired taste. Her eyes watered and she shook it off. Ben laughed at her response to the shot. “That bad?”

“No,” she lied. “I’m just not used to it. You drink this stuff all the time?” He nodded. She was going to need a few minutes before she had another one. Placing the glass on the table, she asked, “Want to show me to the bathroom?” She could smell the food on her and wanted to wash it away.

“You have a dart board in your place?” she said with a smile, stopping in the living room.

“Yeah, why not? It’s fun, e

specially after a few drinks.”

“I have terrible aim. I would be hitting the wall left and right.”

Ben chuckled. “We’ll play a game in a little bit. I’ll teach ya.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you want tiny little holes in your wall? Because that’s what will happen.” Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned. His lip ring caught her attention. “Let’s get you cleaned up and we’ll try it out.”

As she walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on, Ben walked back in and handed her a pair of boxer shorts and a black Metallica shirt. He left and she turned the water hotter, steam filled the bathroom. Stepping in, the heated water cascaded down and she leaned against the shower wall. It was a little too hot, but she needed it. She needed to forget about the last few days but she couldn’t. They plagued her thoughts all day.

Tears escaped as she thought about Jace. She thought about him as much as she thought about John. Despite not knowing Jace very long, his passing still tore her up pretty badly. She wished she had more time with him. He was fun to be around, had that innocent flirtatious smile and was real. He was her friend and now he was gone. Alyssa shook her head, the mourning in her chest mounting. John might have needed her that night, but she needed him just as much. Jace had become a good friend and now he was a memory.

A memory that would soon fade with the rest of them.

Alyssa stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair. The tequila was already hitting her blood stream, helping the tension in her neck ease. She slipped on Ben’s clothes and wiped the foggy mirror with her hand. Ben’s shirt almost went to her knees and made it look like she had no shorts on. She tied it into a knot at her waist and rolled the shorts so they sat a little tighter on her. A blank look stared back at her and she touched the puffiness under her red eyes. She wanted one night where she didn’t think about John or cry from losing Jace. She felt selfish wanting that, but she needed it. The pain was damaging. She didn’t want to be alone either, so it was perfect that Ben invited her over.

Out in the living room, music played in the background as Ben made each shot near the center ring and two more shot glasses waited on the table nearby. Walking over, she grabbed one and tipped it back and handed the other to Ben without saying anything. It burned going down, but it wasn’t as bad this time. She needed to forget, not feel anything. Ben raked his gaze down her body, lingering on her belly that showed from his tied shirt then snapped his eyes back to hers. He gave her a crooked grin, then he slammed it back.

“Let’s go,” he waved at her. “You’re going to play.” Ben hooked an arm around her waist and pulled to her stand in front of him. He stepped closely behind and she shivered at his touch on her stomach. His fingers danced across her naked skin, heating her up. He picked up her hand and positioned the dart between her fingers.

“Look at the center,” he whispered near her neck. “Focus on it. Take a deep breath and throw it. It’s very easy.”

Alyssa swallowed hard. The stubble on his jaw grazed her face causing goose bumps to coat her skin. Brushing it off, she followed Ben’s directions and flung the dart … where it bounced off the wall and hit the floor. Alyssa giggled and Ben gave her hip a squeeze.

“You weren’t even close!” Ben joked. “And it didn’t even stick to the wall,” he said, bending down to pick up the dart with a smile. “Try it again, this time put a little oomph into it and throw harder.” He handed her three darts. She bit her lip and nodded.

She launched all the darts one after another. This time they stuck to the wall, but not even close to the board. Ben tried to stifle a laugh, but his face gave it away and she found herself laughing.

His eyes lit up. “I don’t understand how you are so far from the target.”

“I told you I have no aim!” she laughed.

“But you’re not even close to the board,” he said in astonishment. Ben grabbed the darts, closed his eyes and shot all three off hitting the board.

“Show off.”

He grinned and her eyes found his lip ring again. The second shot was beginning to hit and she liked the feeling it gave her.

“Every time you miss, you have to take a shot. That should make you learn real quick.”

“Or I’ll just get really drunk and my aim will be even worse.”

“I can’t imagine it could get any worse.”

Pursing her lips together, she grabbed the darts and focused on the colors of the board. She shot each one, her body angling forward from the power she added to the throw, this time hitting closer to the board. Ben picked up the darts and walked behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her to his chest. He didn’t let go, just held her tight and she could feel the hardness of his body pressed against her. Her heart was pumping faster, heat coursing through her body when he picked up her hand, put the dart in it and held on. He pulled back, her hand going with his and flung it hard. She leaned forward from the force and her hips pressed into Ben’s. His hand flattened on her belly, his fingers searing her skin as the tip of his finger dipped into the lip of her shorts. Ben didn’t probe, just left it there.