The silky tone of his voice matched the fabric of his tie. She fingered the fabric, her senses reveling in both texture and sound. "You're forgetting something, Carson," she said, letting her fingers run down the line of green till she reached the end.

"And what's that?"

Wrapping the tie around her hand, she tugged till he was forced to bend forward. Anticipation danced in his eyes as she rose to meet him. In a low and sensual voice, she whispered, "You owe me a dance." She kissed the corner of his mouth, her lips lightly dragging against his. "And I intend to collect."

"I always pay my debts," he answered thickly, desire pulsing off him.

The cloth of his tie bit into her flesh as her hand gave an involuntary flex. Shuddering, she shifted against him and he let out a guttural sound. Every nerve in her body tingled. The connection between them so powerful, so electric, she could reach out and touch it.

 His hands briefly tightened around her hips as his eyes told her not to move. Gently, he caressed her hipbone with his thumb. Each stroke heated her blood, his touch a burning reminder of his claim. His hands travelled to her waist and his fingers fanned out. He slowly dragged his hands up. Her breathing turned shallow as he petted and stroked her ribs. One by one, he moved up her body till he stopped right below her chest.

Skin flushed, she lifted her lashes to look at him. What she saw there made her pulse skyrocket. She always knew he was intense but this...this was something else entirely. Raw passion heated his eyes. The scorching gaze so bright, it almost hurt to look. What amazed her was he didn't try to tame it or hide it from her. No, not Carson Marks. He poured out his heart, laid it bare, and left it there for the world to see.

One hand reached up and cupped the side of her face. She sucked in a breath when his thumb started tracing the contours of her mouth. First, outlining the perimeter of her upper lip, paying close attention to her Cupid's bow, then running his finger over the plump bottom. His eyes tracked his movements, every motion captured and memorized.

Her lips slightly parted when he tilted her face. Then he palmed the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair. Slowly, he lowered his head, giving her ample time to stop him if she wanted. But she didn't. She wanted the kiss—wanted him.

Then he stopped an inch away...and waited. Waited for what she didn't know and frankly, she didn't care. Her hands—which were still bound by his tie—gave a swift tug, jerking him forward and officially closing the gap between them.

He stilled for a moment, surprised by her attack, but quickly got over it as she gave a small moan of pleasure. His hands tightened their grip as he captured her mouth and kissed her for the first time. His lips, so soft and warm, moved against her with a hungry urgency that thrilled her. Over and over he claimed her, taking her on a long, sensual ride. His mouth started to turn exploratory as his tongue darted out. He bathed her lips, sliding between them, silently seeking her to open. She did as he wanted, and he rewarded her with a deep groan. Sweeping inside, he touched her tongue and a bolt of lust shot straight through her. She yanked at his tie, forcing their bodies to smash against each other in a beautiful collision.

He growled roughly, tightening his hold on her ribs. Heat pooled in her stomach. The feeling building with each silky touch till she thought she would burn alive. Their mouths tangled and sucked, all focus directed solely on each other.

Her blood was boiling now. Every cell scorched with pleasure. She could barely breathe, air a rare commodity. But it was hard to care. Hell, it was hard to think. For this fierce, passionate kiss consumed her.

He consumed her.

Carson lifted his mouth and rested his forehead against hers. She watched the choppy movements of his chest rise and fall as the sound of their harsh breathing echoed off each other. Gradually their heart rates slowed and their breathing turned to normal. Carson kissed her forehead before pulling away.

"That was some kiss," he rasped, his voice deep and hoarse.

She took a moment to swallow. Then asked, "Worth the wait?"

"What do you think?" His hand gathered some of her curls that had fallen out of her hair-do.

Gently, she patted her hair and felt an array of exposed bobby pins and loose curls. The intricate hairstyle Kelly worked hours on was ruined in a matter of minutes.

Carson stilled her busy hands. "You look beautiful."

"I look like a mess."

He smirked. "No, you looked thoroughly debauched."

Madison couldn't control the smile that spread across her face. Smoothing out his wrinkled tie, she stated, "You do have a way with words, Mr. Marks."

He took her blonde locks and pinned them back in place. "I know of another corner we can corrupt. What do you say we head over so I can try to dislodge all your curls?"

She swatted him playfully. "You promised me dancing."

He twirled the silver earring dangling from her ear. "What about a dark closet? I remember how much you like those."

A tiny thrill trickled down her spine as his words. It was amazing how much changed since their first meeting. She would never have imaged developing feelings for the straight-laced Boy Scout. Not so straight-laced, she thought to herself, remembering her "debauching."

"Fine," he conceded, taking the silence as her answer. "We'll dance. But expect a dark closet in the near future," he warned. She would have chuckled at his joke, but his solemn expression said he was very serious.

He held out his hand and led her onto the outside dance floor. They danced with their arms wound around each other, their bodies in a tight cinch. Her cheek pressed against his chest, while his chin rested on top of her head. No words were needed, just the feeling of the other.

Time passed and before she knew it, Andrew, the student body president was talking over the loudspeaker.

"Attention Edgewood High. Please head into the gym so we can reveal this year's Homecoming court."

Carson sighed and reluctantly let her go though he kept a hand on her lower back. "I don't see the point of this. We already know who's going to win."

It was true. Madison hadn't even bothered to vote much look at the ballot that was passed out during homeroom class. "The king and queen are locked, but we don't know the rest of the court."

The way Edgewood worked was various names from every grade were nominated. Then the top five names were voted on. The king and queen were picked from seniors while the prince and princesses were chosen from the rest of the grades.

They followed the throng of students into the gym. Carson kept a tight hold on her so they wouldn't become separated. Madison saw a flash of dark red and jumped up to get a better look.

"Who are you looking for?" Carson whispered from behind.

"Avery. I thought I saw her."

Carson used her shoulders as leverage as he strained to see over the crowd. "I got her," he said. Grabbing her hand, he weaved his way through the crowd. She trailed close behind, his bulk creating a small pathway for her to use without getting trampled. 

"There you are!" Avery exclaimed. "When you didn't come back, I thought you'd gone home or something."

A sliver of guilt entered Madison's conscious. She'd been so wrapped up in her own world, she'd forgotten all about Avery and the rest of the group. "Sorry. I got..." her eyes slid to Carson, "...sidetracked."

Avery broke out in a wide smile. "We can tell. You have a little, um..." She motioned to Carson's face.

That's when Madison noticed the smudge of pink lip-gloss on his cheek. Garrett smirked, while Kelly—who stood in front of him—gave a very noticeable thumbs-up.

"Way to go Madison," Kelly congratulated. She even feigned clapping.

 Luckily, Carson seemed amused by her friends' antics. He pretended to straighten his collar while smugly saying, "I am a fairly dashing specimen, aren't I?"

Madison rolled her eyes while her friends started laughing. "Carson, do you know everyone?"

"Not officially."

She made quick introductions before asking, "Where's Wyatt?"

It wasn't until the question left her mouth that she saw Kelly making a line across her throat with her finger. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she silently wondered what happened during her absence.

"He's around," Kelly said cautiously.

Madison's eyes cut to Avery. She turned her body slightly to give the illusion of privacy and asked in a low voice, "You okay?"

A frown adorned Avery's face as she fidgeted with her bracelet. "I'm fine."

"Do you want to go? We can leave. There's a whole tub of chocolate chip ice cream at my place with your name on it."

Avery hesitated then glanced over at Carson. She shook her head and told her, "No. It's fine."

"Um I should probably go find my friends," Carson interjected. "I'm sure they're wondering where the heck I am."

If Madison hadn't already fallen for Carson, she would have right then and there. His willingness to leave so she could comfort her friend was the type of quality she looked for in a boyfriend.

However, Avery vehemently opposed Carson's offer. "No, no. We're going to stay and enjoy this dance," she said firmly, putting on a brave face.

Anyone could see she wanted to go, but Avery kept insisting on staying. Madison looked helplessly at Kelly who just shrugged. Not knowing what else to do, she dropped the subject and let Avery win.

A spotlight drew everyone's attention to the stage near the DJ's station. Andrew stood in the middle with a microphone in one hand and a black envelope in another. He began announcing the Homecoming court, starting with the freshman class first. He listed every nominee and then declared the winner. By the time he reached the senior class, Madison had zoned out.

"—and the final nominee is Carson Marks."

She jerked out of her reverie at the sound of his name. Mouth hanging open, she turned to the boy standing next to her. His cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as everyone clapped.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, puzzled by his taciturn.  

He shifted his feet and shrugged. "It's not a big deal. My friends nominated me as a joke."

"Are you kidding me? Of course this is a big deal!"

"—the winner for Homecoming King is....Zachary Brewer!"

Carson shuffled behind her. He forced her to lean back into his body while his arms wrapped around her stomach. As Zach came on stage to accept his crown, Carson slanted his head so he could talk in her ear. "I don't care about Homecoming King or even this dance. The only wish I had for the night was to spend it with you."

The poignancy of his statement touched her. She melted into his embrace and rested her head against his chest. "If you could bottle up words just as you do smell, you could make a fortune."

"You laugh," she said, feeling his chest rumble, "but trust me. I can see it now." She framed the air as if a headline was in front of them. "Carson's Declaration. A love potion for all ages. Dangerously sweet. And utterly addictive."

"I know who to call if I ever want to market anything," he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"—and now for the Homecoming Court's dance," Andrew announced. He gestured to the DJ and while he started to play a song, Andrew urged the winners to grab their dates and dance in the middle of the gym floor.

Out of the corner of Madison's eye, she saw Wyatt near a table. His stance was stiff and uncomfortable looking. Indifference showed on his face as he watched the proceedings. However, the mask started to slip as Zach Brewer made his way over to Madison and her friends.

He approached the group with a bounce in his step, clearly enjoying the confusion of the crowd. With a dramatic flare, he bent forward and gave a deep bow. "May I have this dance, Avery?" he asked, arm outstretched, palm up.

Avery didn't say anything. Flabbergasted, she could only stare at his hand with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Avery," Madison whispered, nudging her side. "Give him your hand."

Avery's mouth moved, but no sound came out. The crowd started to murmur around them. Not wanting to pass the chance to make Wyatt jealous, Madison pinched her side.

"Dance with him. Wyatt's watching," she hissed.

That seemed to jolt her out of her stupor. Grabbing Zach's hand, she took a step forward and said, "I'd be delighted."

As they walked away, Zach flashed Madison a knowing smile and a quick wink. She watched as they danced together. Zach whispered something in Avery's ear and she whispered something back. Soon the pair was moving across the floor, headed right towards Wyatt.

"Oh that boy is devious," Madison murmured to herself. Fascinated, she watched as red blotches start to appear on Wyatt's face. His eyes tracked their every movement, seeming particularly obsessed with the placement of Zach's hands. 

"Looks like he's going to blow," Kelly muttered. "I think I can see steam coming out of his ears. How did you manage to get freaking Zach Brewer to ask her to dance?"

"Maybe you should be the one bottling up her words," Carson told her. "Seems to me you're the one the silver-tongue."

"What can I say? It's a blessing as much as it is a curse."

The music ended and Wyatt immediately stormed the floor. He grabbed Avery's arm and carted her out the gym doors.

Garrett guffawed with approval. "I have a feeling we won't be seeing them for the rest of the night."

"In that case, your curls and I have a date with a very dark corner," Carson said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"You're absolutely ridiculous, you know that?" she asked, following him out of the gym.

"But you like it," he answered back, throwing a smug grin over his shoulder.

"I do," she confessed. "I like it and I like you."

He reached back and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. Joy flooded her heart and prayed he would never let go.