I have never been one to back down from a dare or from experiencing something new that was completely out of my comfort zone. Spontaneity often called to me when life became too predictable in my routine. But as I looked at myself in the floor length mirror hung on my closet door, I slightly regretted my need for different and my willingness to jump headfirst into new situations.

"You look hot!"

I smirked, shaking my head at Savannah's reflection behind me through the mirror. She was wrapped in her sheet, with the front tied--an outfit inspired by the other night. Though then, it was a disaster. Now, it was somehow an acceptable outfit choice.

"I swear, the cheesecake you promised me for this better be the best I have ever had."

She chuckled, her cheeks crimson colored as she assessed her outfit.

"This is definitely crazy. I don't normally do anything like this. Do you think we should just stay home?"

I turned around and faced her, moving a few pieces of hair out of her face.

"No Savannah, I don't. This may be a bit out of our comfort zone, but it's also college. Crazy themed parties are all a part of that experience. We're going to have fun! Plus, there's no way Josh will be able to keep his hands off of you after seeing you looking like this."

A slow grin spread across her face as she nodded in excitement.

"I hope you're right! Now come on, let's get going before I change my mind."

I turned back to the mirror for one last assessment. Aaron's white shirt that I had grabbed hung mid-thigh, just above my knee-high black boots. I chose a thin laced nude bra to go underneath to give the appearance of no bra without actually forgoing it and wore black booty short panties underneath. My hair was wavy and tousled to look like bedhead, and I kept my lips a nude color while my eyes had mascara and a bit of gold in the corners to make them pop without going overboard. My outfit screamed sexy, while my makeup screamed fresh and relaxed. It was the perfect combination.

I smiled, nodding in approvement and grabbed my phone. I looked across my body searching for a place to put it. Sighing, I tucked it inside my boot and turned to head out the door with Savannah.

When we arrived at Josh's fraternity house, trash was littered in the front yard, causing me to inwardly cringe, and there were several people standing outside drinking from kegs. Near one of the bushes, someone was bending over, throwing up, and I made a mental note to steer clear of that area. Different colored Christmas lights were strung across the house and pop music was blaring from the inside, making it appear as though the house itself was dancing from the bass.

I glanced over at a very nervous looking Savannah who was eyeing the scene spread out in front of us with a bit of apprehension. She tugged at her blanket, attempting to pull it up more.

"Have you texted Josh yet?"

"Yeah, he said he'd look for me once we were inside. Why isn't Aaron here again?"

We continued to walk, making our way to the front door with several interested glances on the way.

"He's visiting his dad's this weekend."

"Oh, right! That's probably a good thing with what you're wearing."

"Well, I'm wearing his shirt, so he'll be happy about that at least." I shrugged, stepping inside and looking around at the party goers.

There were countless women scantily clad in nothing but their bras and panties and men in nothing but boxers. There were some in robes, others in t-shirts and boxers, and a few who had the sheet idea. I spotted a few students, both men and women, who chose to ignore the theme and dress in whatever they wanted. Part of me was wishing I had gone that route, and by the look of Savannah's scrunched face, I could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Come on, let's get a drink!" I shouted over the music, taking her hand and leading her toward a small bar they had set up. There weren't many options other than beer, vodka, and whiskey, but I decided on a vodka cranberry for the both of us, remembering how much I liked it when Aaron had ordered me one.

We were in the middle of drinking and dancing, when I noticed Savannah go wide-eyed. I turned around to see an attractive man with sandy blonde hair and black rimmed glasses strutting up to us. He was lean but muscular, wearing a white tank top and boxers. I glanced back at Savannah who mouthed Josh.

"Savannah, hey. I thought that was you." He greeted, grinning from ear to ear.

"Uh, hey Josh. Wow, you look great after sex. Um, I mean...well you know, the theme and all." She giggled, nervously waving her hands in the air, palm up to emphasize her meaning.

He chuckled, running his hand through his slightly wavy hair. "I know what you meant. You look amazing too. Would you like to dance?"

Savannah looked over to me, and I mouthed yes, giving her a thumbs up. She took his hand, and he led her a few feet away, pulling her close to him as they started moving against each other during the slow R&B song that was playing. I decided to take the opportunity to grab another drink.

As I stood drinking, the bartender held me in a conversation, shamelessly flirting while making me another drink on the house. He was cute and nice enough, so I decided to hang with him for a while to avoid groping hands and gyrating bodies.

"How's your temper today?"

I spun around to face the familiar voice that brought me out of the slight daze I was in, to see Nathan smiling down at me. His black t-shirt clung to him, and he had it paired with boxer shorts.

"So far, so good. But the night's still young."

He smirked, holding out his hand for me to take.

"Well, then I'll be sure to be on my best behavior. I'd prefer to stay on your good side; I'm not particularly fond of being stabbed." His eyes crinkled in amusement as his lips curved in a devilish smile.

I shook my head, the movement causing a bit of dizziness, and grinned. "A girl has one moment of potentially lethal behavior, and she can't live it down. You'll be glad to know, the paper survived the assault."

"Now, that is great news. I am happy to hear that. Especially since I may need those notes." He winked, leading me toward the couples dancing. "Care to give me a dance?"

I shrugged, feeling a dance was harmless. Technically, I was single, and Aaron and I had talked about not dismissing options, not that I was considering Nathan as an option. But since the other night, I felt this weird shift between our relationship, causing me to feel slightly guilty at accepting Nathan's offer. Quickly chugging the rest of my third drink, I set the red plastic cup on the side of the stairwell we had passed by, feeling warm and light as Nathan wrapped his arms around me.

He kept his hands on my hips, and I wrapped mine around his neck as we moved to the beat of the music. With each movement, my mind felt lighter and my body number, side effects from those red solo cups of mine.

I was having fun as the beat picked up, enticing me to turn around and sway. Running my hands down the front of my shirt, Nathan's hands continued to grip my hips, moving me against him. When the song ended, I turned back around to face him. His lips pulled into a lopsided grin as he tugged me closer.

"Thanks for the dance."

I smiled back up at him, noticing the way his carefree expression quickly turned serious. He was looking behind me as he gave a slight head nod, quickly dropping his hands from my waist. He looked back down on me, giving me a small smile.

"Hand me your phone."

I tilted my head in confusion. "What?"

"To put my number in it. Just in case you need anything."

I slowly nodded, bending down to retrieve it from the side of my boot. I handed it to him, and he typed his number in before handing it back to me.

"I'm really sorry, but I gotta run. I'm supposed to meet up with some friends, but I am glad I ran into you." He leaned in, giving me a hug as he whispered, "Thanks for the dance. I'll see you in class."

I frowned, slightly disappointed he was leaving, but nodded my head.

"No problem, thanks for the company."

 When he walked off, I took a step forward in hopes of finding Savannah, only to immediately stop in my tracks at the low, gruff voice behind me.

"What are you doing, Madalynn?"

I slowly turned to see Liam towering over me in no shirt, his tattoo that I couldn't help but love on full display, and grey sweatpants hanging uncomfortably low on his hips. If the tanned six pack he had wasn't enough, the well-defined V-shape leading down his pants definitely was.

I need another damn drink.

Ignoring his question, I rolled my eyes and headed back in the direction of the bar for a stronger drink. The heat behind me causing electrical currents to shoot through my body, let me know Liam decided to follow.

"Back for more?" The bartender smirked, looking me up and down before grabbing the vodka bottle.

"Yes! Make it how I like it." I smiled, drumming the counter with my fingertips.

"Oh, I think I know exactly how you'll like it." He winked.

"Just make the damn drink!" Growled Liam, stepping in beside me.

I sighed, waving my hand in the air without looking in his direction. "Don't worry about him, he's always a dick." The bartender glanced between me and Liam, smirking and shaking his head, before handing me my drink. "In fact, I'm pretty sure it's because his is so small, he has to make up for it somehow."

I turned, taking a sip of my delicious concoction, when I felt Liam's chest press firmly against my back. His lips grazed my ear as the warmth of his breath caused goosebumps across my body.

"Do you constantly think of my dick? Because that's twice now in two days you've mentioned its' ability. I'm starting to think you have an obsession towards it."

I unconsciously leaned into him, the instant shiver that made its' way throughout my body, the only realization of my action. I could feel him tense behind me, but he didn't move.

"I'm missing a dance partner, and I have a feeling you had something to do with it." Ignoring his comment, I turned my head and peered up at him. His darkened eyes didn't do their normal job at intimidating me. Suddenly feeling brazen, I lowered my hand and reached for his behind me, grabbing it and interlacing my fingers through the top of his. He surprised me even more by not pulling away. His intense gaze continued to bore into me in an unreadable expression, and I wanted nothing more than to pry him open and read the pieces of him that he was determined to keep tucked away.

"Dance with me." I demanded, straightening back up and pulling him forward. He followed me until we were in a less crowded area where I ditched my drink.

I turned to face him, placing my hands on his chest. When he made no move of his own, I grabbed his hands, placing them on my waist. He automatically dropped them, staring at me with a clenched jaw and heated eyes.

Looks like we're doing this the hard way.

With my hands placed back on his bare chest, I slowly ran them down his smooth skin, tracing over the grooves of his abs, as I dropped in a squat before popping back up. His eyebrows darted up before he narrowed his eyes at me, pressing his lips tightly together. I turned around, his hard chest pressed against my back, and wrapped my hand around the base of his neck, pushing back and grinding into him to the beat of the music. His hands instantly flew up, gripping my hips and stilling my movements.

I peered up at him, his golden-emerald eyes darkening with the arousal I was beginning to feel push into my back despite his resistance. I felt intoxicated from his look alone, knowing no amount of alcohol was causing this feeling. Slowly, I started grinding back into him, that time with him guiding my movements as his fingers pressed further into me. I ran my hand down his forearm, noticing the effect my touch was having on him as goosebumps followed the trail my fingers had made. Pulling his hand off my waist and placing it on my neck, I forced him to lightly squeeze. A low growl escaped him as he then trailed his hand down between my breasts and across my stomach, ending just at the base of my shirt.

He gave it a small tug, grazing my thigh with his fingers and igniting a spark that spread to my core. Then, in one swift motion, he unclasped my hand around the back of his neck, pulled on my shirt with his other hand and spun me around to face him.

"What are you doing, Madalynn?" He roughly asked again, his husky voice strained; he seemed like he was standing on an edge, and I wanted to desperately push him off.

Phew! Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? 👀 Stay tuned for next week's double update to see where this dynamic duo goes from here!

Are we shipping any of the characters yet? Raise your emoji hand if your Team Aaron, give me heart eyes if your Team Liam, or...surprise! Give me a thumbs up if Nathan is doing it for you 😏

As always, thanks so much for reading and supporting me! I hope you're enjoying the story.