She was right. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why the hell should I run away? Lifting the edge of my halter top, I wiped off my face, trying not to sniffle.

“How do I look?”

“You’ll do in the dark,’’ she said, winking at me. “Hold your head high and remember, I’ve got your back. Six Mile trailer park forever, baby.”

________

Boonie was the first person I saw back at the party.

He leaned against a pickup truck full of massive speakers that the senior boys had hooked to car batteries. Something had gone wrong with the system early on, and it’d stopped working. Fortunately, the truck’s own stereo wasn’t too bad when they cranked it all the way.

Now the fire burned high and girls were all dancing. I saw Erin wander up to Boonie and lean into him. He gave her a hug then pushed her away firmly when her hands started to wander.

Shanda marched us straight over to them.

“What happened to you?’’ Erin asked, so drunk I could hardly understand her words.

“I caught Farell fucking Allie Stockwell,” I said bitterly, wishing I could kill the hateful bitch. “Now I’m going to dump his ass.”

“Holy shit.”

Boonie didn’t say anything, but his eyes flared with sudden intensity. Shanda looked between us, a strange smile playing at her lips. I think she was about to say something.

Then Farell stumbled out of the dark and back into the party.

“Darcy!” he shouted, lurching toward us. People turned to stare. “Darcy! Darcy, it was a mistake. Let me explain.”

“Showtime,’’ Shanda said, pushing me forward. I felt an almost palpable wave of excitement from the crowd. Great. Nothing like a little drama to make a party memorable.

“We’re done, Farell,’’ I announced before I lost my nerve. I was supposed to love him . . . but he was supposed to love me, too. Asshole. “Go back to Allie.”

He swayed, confused shock all over his face.

“But Darcy . . . I didn’t mean it.”

“You heard her,’’ Boonie said, stepping forward. Erin straightened and lurched into Shanda, clearly trying to show her support no matter how drunk she was. “You’re done. Go away.”

“Shut up, you fucking loser,” Farell said, swaying. “She’s my girl. You want her but you can’t have her.”

“No, I was your girl,” I said, the words cutting through me like knives. In the firelight he looked like a homeless guy, his clothes covered in dirt and pine needles. “It’s over. You made your choice.”

Farell looked confused, eyes blinking. Slowly he started to sneer.

“I see how it is,” he said. “You’re fucking him, aren’t you? I guess trash calls to trash.”

Boonie growled and stepped forward, reaching for him. Farell took a drunken swing and then they were all over each other. Shanda pulled me and Erin back as the students started shouting and screaming, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Farell was drunk off his ass, which should’ve made him an easy target. And he was—for every hit he landed, Boonie got him twice. The alcohol seemed to be dulling his senses, though. I wasn’t sure he even felt the pain.

He couldn’t possibly last long.

Boonie was faster and more savage than I’d ever seen him. He threw a sudden flurry of punches, his face cold with fury. Then Farell went down hard and it was over. A hush fell over the crowd as Boonie turned and stalked over to me, chest still heaving. I’d never seen his eyes so wild.

“C’mon,’’ he said. I looked around, wondering what to do. He didn’t wait for me to answer, catching my hand and all but dragging me down the hillside. That’s when I heard Farell shouting after us.

“Fuck you, whore! Go fuck your trashy boyfriend. He’s nothing, just like you’re nothing!”

Boonie stopped short, every muscle in his body rigid. Then he turned slowly to face Farell one last time.

“If you ever talk to her like that again, I’ll kill you.”

Nobody there could doubt him—Boonie meant every word. My former boyfriend blinked, and I saw raw terror. Then Boonie pulled on my hand again and we were off.

________

I stumbled along in shock for a while, finally realizing I had no idea where we were going, or even why I was with him, but I did know this—something monumental had just happened.

“Why did you fight with Farell?” I asked. Boonie turned, backing me into a small crypt surrounded by brush. The plaster-covered bricks hit my butt and I stared up at him, wide-eyed.

“Because he’s an asshole,” Boonie said. “Why the fuck did you let him stick his dick in you, Darcy?”

I gasped, shaking my head.

“I can’t talk to you about this.”

Boonie pushed forward into my space, reaching down to catch my waist as he lifted me to sit on the monument. Then he was standing between my bare legs, staring down into my face. A muscle in his jaw flexed. I felt one of his hands reach down and around my waist, spreading across the flat of my back. His other hand rose to cup the back of my head, fingers burrowing into my hair.

“Been thinkin’ about this all year,” he whispered. “I come home and my fuckin’ girl is with the biggest prick in the valley. Took you too long to figure it out, babe. Such a goddamn waste.”

His fuckin’ girl?

I hardly had time to process his words before he jerked me into his body, wrenching my head back for his kiss. I gasped and he took the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth.

I thought I’d been kissed before.

I was wrong. This was nothing like what I’d experienced with Farell—nothing like the first kiss Boonie had given me, either. This was a man’s kiss, his mouth taking everything from me without mercy. I felt his cock harden between my legs and God help me, but I wanted him. Then his hips started moving in a slow, steady swivel that pressed my clit into my pelvic bone. Lightning sheets of need shot down the length of my spine.

Boonie tore his mouth away, resting his forehead against my own. His body shuddered and mine answered like we’d been made for each other.

I’d never wanted Farell this bad.

Not even close.

“Tell me no right now,” he said, the words a low growl. “Otherwise we’re doing this.”

Reaching down, I slipped my hands under his shirt on either side of his body, sliding them along the sculpted curves of his muscles.

“I want it, too.”

That was enough. Groaning, Boonie caught my mouth again, even as he shoved up my skirt. I spread for him and his fingers traced the lines of my opening through the silky fabric of my panties. Then he found my clit, creating waves of sensation and need as my body recognized his.

He teased me like that for an eternity.

Boonie still hadn’t touched my skin directly but I felt the pressure building. Finally he pushed the thin fabric of my thong aside and slid one strong, roughened finger into me. Holy. Hell. I squeezed around him, unable to control myself. He ripped his mouth free to look at me. His eyes were wild and his breath came in deep, shuddering gasps.

“That’s the hottest fucking pussy I’ve ever felt,” he said, and while the words might not’ve been romantic, they were about the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.

“It’ll feel better around your cock,” I whispered, feeling a thrill of feminine power.

Boonie closed his eyes at my words, those little muscles in his jaw flexing over and over. He seemed to be fighting some sort of battle with himself. I took the opportunity to push up his shirt.

Then I leaned forward and very deliberately licked his nipple.

He exploded into action, ripping his finger out of me. He took a step back and I felt suddenly cold and alone. For an instant, I thought he was leaving.

That devastated me.

He was mine. We belonged together.

Then Boonie’s hands found his pants, jerking his fly open, and I realized he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d gone commando, and my mouth fell open as his stiffened cock burst free. It was big and hard and all too ready to fill me.