“Just a figure of speech. I didn’t actually see a party. A party I’d have to report,” he said with a wink.

“Of course, no parties anywhere. God, this place is so dull,” Lucy joked. She lifted her cup and sipped, hoping the alcohol combined with the spa-like sound of the trickling fountain down below would calm the jittery nerves that had crept up.

Ryan laughed. “You really are something, aren’t you?” He tapped his cup, looking at her. He then whipped his phone out of his back pocket, and before Lucy knew what was happening, he had his arm around her waist, said “Whoops, sorry, bad angle,” and slid his hand up her side as he made his way to his ultimate destination—her shoulder. “There, that’s better. Now say, ‘Got a Pulse!’”

He snapped a picture, and Lucy wasn’t even sure she’d smiled, it’d all happened so fast, including the feel of his arm against her.

She sipped her beer and let a smile through. Because Ryan Thompson had basically hugged her.

He kept his arm around her as he played with the dozens of heart backgrounds he explained he’d had commissioned for his exclusive use before he settled on one and showed it to her for approval. She nodded even though she wasn’t sure what she was nodding to. By the time he’d posted it online, tagging her, she realized she hadn’t told him what her Pulse handle was.

“This doesn’t get your Pulse moving, nothing will.” He lifted his arm from her shoulder and said, “Now, tell me, how it’s going with Lit?”

*   *   *

As Lucy snuck down the hall to retrieve round three, she slipped into her room to change her shoes.

Ryan Thompson was tall.

And liked to talk. A lot. Mostly about himself. But that was okay. Because he was Ryan Thompson. Though she had a crick in her neck from looking up.

She slid her feet into her highest heels, kept her head down as she smuggled two new beers out of the common room, and returned to the balcony.

Ryan waved to her excitedly. “Anyone can live . . .” He dangled his phone in front of her face.

She almost dropped the drinks. He grabbed one from her, and she traded it for his phone. “But I’ve got a Pulse!”

♥♥♥♥♥

Thumping. She was Thumping!

She didn’t realize she was dancing in place until Ryan joined her.

“See?” he said. “Told you I could give you a boost.” He pushed his cup into hers. “Cheers!”

Lucy bumped back before drinking half her beer in one gulp. She was well on her way to intoxicated, half from the beer, half from Pulse, and half from Ryan.

Wait . . .

Ryan tilted his beer toward her. “Keep this up, you’ll be Crushing It by Demo Day, and we’ll be fighting off VCs.”