“You have a drink?” he slurs as he leans in toward me.

“Yep,” I answer, holding up my beer.

“Let’s go for a walk,” he says as he closes in. His hands caress my hair but he’s actually kind of pulling it when I think he means to just brush his fingers through it.

“I’m good here,” I answer. Grant and Natalie are fully making out on the log behind me now, so it’s just me and drunk Tyler.

“Come on,” he says, and his hands snake around my waist and pinches my hip. He’s leaning in, and although he’s not quite as drunk as Grant, he still reeks of beer and something skunky.

He pulls me toward him, and he’s surprisingly so strong I sort of stumble. I didn’t expect it, so when he’s not balanced enough to support himself or me, we both fall. I manage to catch myself before I completely hit the ground, but he doesn’t and he lands in the sand spilling his beer.

“You fucking whore,” he says with a laugh.

“I’m gonna go,” I answer and turn to walk away.

As soon as I turn, I spot a familiar face across the fire. Piercing sky blue eyes and wavy brown locks. Even in this dark night, I can see the colorful designs on his skin, and they are the only beautiful thing in this scenario, like they truly do not belong here. I stop in my tracks as our eyes meet. His expression is harsh. Every feature of his face seems tight and laser focused on me.

Just as I’m about to take another step around the fire, I feel an arm around my waist again and a warm breath in my ear. “You’re mine tonight.”

I shove away from Tyler, and again he pulls me closer, this time trying to pull me out of the crowd and toward the darkness of the beach. A moment’s panic sets in when I realize that if no one helps me, he might actually be strong enough to pull me away. He’s twice my size, and even drunk he’s far stronger than I am. My heart hammers in my chest as I try to squirm out of his grasp.

“Where are you going?” he slurs as he pulls harder.

I’m about to scream for help, but the panic makes me freeze up. What if no one cares? What if they’re all so drunk or just so used to this kind of behavior that they do nothing at all? What if this guy actually pulls me into the darkness and has his way with me?

But before I can even react, there is a hand fisted in Tyler’s collar. It forces him away so quickly, that he lets me go instantly. I watch as Tyler crumples to the ground like a wet rag. It happens so fast that I don’t even notice who the angry fist is attached to. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the buzz from the beer, the crackling fire, and the noisy thrumming of my pulse in my ears.