“Then you’re in luck, ’cause I can think of a whole lotta ways we can have fun together tonight.” He passed the bottle back to her. “Drink up.”

Sierra held her breath and managed to swallow another mouthful. But she didn’t stop the shudder this time.

“Gets better by about the fifth shot. After that, you won’t know what you’re swallowing.”

Her warning bells went off. Especially when he wrapped his fingers in the necklace she wore and tugged. “I’ve been watching you all night.”

Crap.

“Heard some things about you. You’ve got a nice ass, pretty face too.” He kept putting pressure on her necklace chain, giving her no choice but to move closer to him.

Her brain warned her to tell him that he was choking her, even as she feared he was fully aware of what he was doing.

“Now. How about we talk about payment?”

Two shots in a row made her head spin.

Stupid, Sierra. What is wrong with you?

But she couldn’t make her legs or arms work.

“Wanna hear your options?”

No. I want you to let me go. “I could just pay you.”

“Nah. I’m wantin’ something else. Your money is no good.”

“But mine is. I figure she drank maybe five bucks worth of Jack.” A hand waved a five dollar bill between her face and Tyler’s. “So consider this payment in full.”

Boone.

Oh God, Boone was here. She didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed.

Tyler released her necklace. She sucked in a deep breath and snapped back against Boone’s chest.

But Tyler didn’t notice, he was too busy glaring at Boone. “What the fuck is your problem, West?”

“Don’t have one, Ty. Just watching out for my girl.” He tucked the folded bill in Tyler’s shirt pocket. “We square?”

Sierra remained frozen.

“You’re with her? Bullshit,” Tyler spat. “Kara didn’t say nothin’ to me about that.”

“That’s ’cause Kara doesn’t know. No one knows.” Boone dropped his arm over Sierra’s shoulder. “Our families would have a shit fit if they knew we were together.” Then Boone’s hot mouth teased the skin below her ear. “Right, sugar bear?”

He’d said the words loud enough for Tyler to hear. But her tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth.

“Don’t pull that silent treatment crap with me,” Boone warned Sierra testily. “Tell you what. You don’t get pissed off at me for bein’ late and I won’t get pissed off at you for drinking with another guy. ’Cause you know how jealous I get, baby.”

Tyler’s gaze moved between them. He looked ready to kill Boone. And maim her.

Boone twined his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back in a move that showed his displeasure she hadn’t answered him. Then he put his mouth on her ear and whispered, “For Christsake, Sierra, act like we’re together or Tyler will fuck me up, and then he’ll fuck you.”

That snapped her out of it. “Sorry, Boone. Don’t be mad.” Sierra turned her head and buried her face in his neck.

Boone sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. She’s a big fuckin’ cocktease when she’s been drinking.” He offered Tyler his hand. “No hard feelings?”

A beat passed before Tyler shook Boone’s hand. “You’re lucky you got here in time. Me’n her were about to have us a private party. You’d better keep a tighter leash on her. Most guys ain’t as understanding as me.”

“You got that right.” Boone curled his hand around her hip and squeezed. “Any bedrooms open so Sierra and I can…talk?”

Tyler laughed. Then he yelled, “Jimbo. Clear out my bedroom so these two can fuck and make up.”

His bedroom? Omigod. This was his house?

“Thanks, man.” Boone dropped his free hand to her ass and kept his arm around her neck, almost in a headlock as he maneuvered her through the crowd.

Sierra felt everyone staring at them, but she kept her gaze on her feet. Even that didn’t keep her from stumbling. She heard laughter and Boone’s grip tightened.

He steered her into a bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

The shots hit her the same time as the reality of the situation. She tripped over something on the floor and Boone caught her before she fell.

He pushed her against the door, bracing her shoulders, and got right in her face. “What the fuck were you doing?”

“I don’t know.”

“That is goddamn obvious, Sierra.”

She closed her eyes.

“Huh-uh. Look at me. Keep those eyes open because the room will start spinning and I don’t wanna deal with you being sick as well as being stupid.”

Stupid. She hated being called stupid. And it stung hearing it from him. “I’m not that drunk.” Sierra put her hands on his chest and shoved him as hard as she could.

Boone wasn’t expecting it and he stumbled back two steps.

“Leave me alone. I don’t need you to fucking babysit me, Boone.”

He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and stared at her. “What the hell do you think would’ve happened if I’d left you alone with Tyler Larkin?”

“I would’ve figured something out.”

“Before or after he fed you more booze, dragged you into his bedroom and raped you?”

“What?”

“Rape. Sex without consent,” he snarled. “Tyler doesn’t fucking care if you’re conscious.”

She felt sick. “And how do you know that?”

“Because he did it to a friend of mine. They were drinking and then the next thing she remembered was waking up with him on top of her.”

“Oh God.”

Then Boone was face to face with her again. “I told you to stay away from Kara. And I heard you’ve been here, at her brother Tyler’s house for the past two weekends.”

“I didn’t know it was his house.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t know Tyler was her brother.”

His eyes turned hard. “You just showed up at some random person’s house and started drinking with strangers? Jesus. Sierra. You’re smarter than that. Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m fucking sick and tired of sitting at home by myself all the time, okay? No one in this godforsaken town wants anything to do with me. So when Kara and Angie asked me to hang out, I said yes. I thought maybe I’d meet other people.”

“You don’t want to meet the people they hang out with,” he snapped. “For Christsake, Tyler is twenty-three. He’s been in jail. The only people who are around him are his loser jailbird buddies and his sister’s high school friends who don’t have any other place to drink.”

“Then why are you here?” she demanded. “Are you one of his loser friends?”

“Fuck no. I showed up because I heard at school you were here last weekend.”

“Bull. I haven’t seen you in school for weeks, so I doubt you heard anything.”

“I only need one credit to graduate so I’m only there for one class in the morning, so yeah, I heard.”

“Why do you give a shit what I do anyway?”

“Because I also heard you’re some kind of party girl now.”

“So?”

“So you don’t need to head down this road again, Sierra. Making bad choices like you did in Arizona.”

Maybe he was right. But he had no idea how alone she felt. And it wasn’t like he called to check up on her like he’d said he might. He had no business judging her anyway. They weren’t anything to each other.

Closing her eyes, she slumped against the door. “You’ve done your good deed, protecting me from Tyler. Thank you. You’ve made it clear I’m a fucking idiot. So go away.”

“I’m just supposed to what? Leave you here?”

“I’ve got a car.”

Boone’s hands were on her arms. “You think you’re gonna drive after you’ve been drinking? Bullshit. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

She twisted out of his hold. “I wasn’t gonna leave right now, asshole. I’ll be sober enough to drive in a couple of hours. I’ll just hang out until then.”

“Listen to yourself. Do you really think Tyler will let you hang out? Especially after I convinced him that we’re together? What exactly do you think the people out there think we’re doing in here? Talking?” he half-sneered.

She opened her mouth to deny it, but Boone was right. “Fine. You can stay in here with me. That oughta add to your stud reputation. That you banged me for two solid hours.”

Boone blushed. Then he got pissed off. “Right. Because that’s all I give a shit about. My reputation as some kind of stud. Even if we stay in here, that doesn’t deal with the problem when we leave the bedroom.”

“Which is what?”

“We’ll have to act like we’re together at least a little while, so Tyler doesn’t track me down and beat the fuck out of me for pulling one over on him. That’s the kind of guy he is. Making him look stupid turns him psycho.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Dammit. This is the last thing I wanted.”

Meaning, I’m the last one you wanted to be tied to—in reality or even pretend.

“You know what, Boone? Fuck off. You don’t have to act so disgusted that people will think we’re together.”

Boone whirled around. “That’s what you think? That being with you would be an embarrassment to me? God. You are drunk.”

“Shut up.”

“Think about it. If we’re a couple at school the news will spread like wildfire through the McKay and West families.”

“Then we will have a very loud and public breakup on Monday morning. Or better yet, let’s have a big fight now. Want me to scream and storm out?”