Free Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) by Jenn Young

starting.
    With her eyes locked on his, she started his complete and total annihilation. The curve of her breasts brushed against his chest. Her hips swayed and grinded; her hands slid over his back and slipped under his shirt. Her mouth was a whisper against his. Every time he tried to close the gap, she moved her hips, teasing him.
    She ended up in a tangled vise with him. Her back was to him, her arm snaking upward and around his neck. His hand glided over her stomach. He was breathing hard against her neck, and reveling in it, she laughed softly.
    Confidence thrummed through her blood. This was what she had been born to do. This was what Jason was missing out on.
    Still laughing, she half-closed her eyes. As she lowered her eyelashes, she peeked out at the backyard. Oh, she’d attracted attention, and plenty of it. No one was dancing anymore, just her and Justin. People had actually gathered around the edges of the lawn, so they could get their little voyeuristic show. Travis was standing off to a side, absorbing everything with a wide grin.
    An unexpected thrill ran through her when she lifted her head—and stared into Alex’s eyes. Yes, this was why she hadn’t wanted to go over to him …
    He hadn’t left his position near the pool, but despite his surrounding posse, he raised his water bottle in a salute, acknowledging her presence. Mandy Fitzpatrick was with him, her hand resting possessively on his chest. Quentin Maxwell was in the middle of the semicircle, gesturing with his hands. The more he talked, the more the others laughed, even Grant Darlington.
    And yet Alex smiled only at her.
    She was dancing with Justin, their bodies winding as one, but Alex was openly watching her, making no pretense of it. Strange, that. It wasn’t the first time she’d been subjected to his attention, but there was something different about him tonight. Or maybe she was the different one tonight.
    Sparks electrified her skin. Even as she gave into the fevered sensation of music and heat, she couldn’t seem to escape those green eyes.
    When the song ended, it was almost a shock. She was suddenly herself again, but even as she freed herself from Justin, she couldn’t be embarrassed. The magic had mostly dissipated, but there was enough left.
    Sweat beaded Justin’s forehead. “Damn,” he said, managing a smile. “That was, uh—that was amazing. You like to dance, huh?”
    Maybe it was the sight of Bri Latimer’s scowling face that aroused her latent sense of mischief, but Adrian couldn’t help reaching out and trailing a lazy hand over his chest. “Oh, I love to dance,” she said slyly. “Come see me later if you want to.”
    “Yeah, I’d like to—ow!”
    Bri had stomped over to her twin brother’s side and yanked on his arm before he could even finish the sentence. “I need him,” she growled. Her hazel eyes snapped with barely restrained temper. “Excuse us.”
    Then it was Adrian’s turn to be grabbed.
    “Dude, that was awesome!” Travis said with such glee that she had to grin. “Everyone is talking about you, Adrian! Bri Latimer totally hates you now. She was talking to her friends about how you were toying with her brother.”
    Adrian glanced at the siblings now a few feet away. Bri was talking to Justin, probably giving him hell, but really, he was a big boy.
    Travis nodded at someone behind her back. “Maxwell’s heading your way.”
    She didn’t know whether to be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. Quentin had been so damn rude that she still fumed over his stupid “bang her like a screen door” comment. He hadn’t been any better on the first day of school either. Granted, he hadn’t said a word to her after that, but he’d developed a habit of leering at her daily.
    When Quentin turned up, he proved he hadn’t changed. His gaze immediately dropped to her cleavage. “Baby, if you wanted an invitation, you only had to let me know,” he said, not even bothering to say hello. “You