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white sand and the ocean—black in the darkness, except for where silver moonlight rippled across the surface. It took his breath away.
    He turned his attention to a giant bonfire that had been built about twenty feet out from the base of the cliff. He hadn’t seen it from the top. He got it now: This was where the real party was. A bunch of kids from school ranged along the beach, some swimming, a few playing Frisbee. But most of them were just sitting in groups and couples around the fire, drinking beer.
    “Think fast!” Sienna tossed him a bottle from the row of huge coolers set up away from the heat of the fire. He caught it easily but didn’t open it. For one thing, it might explode from being shaken up by her throw. For another, he didn’t plan to drink tonight; he had to drive Dani and Kristy home.
    “Come meet my best friend, Belle.” Sienna tugged him over to a tall girl with short blond hair. Jason’s skin tingled where Sienna’s fingers touched him. “Belle, this is the new guy,” Sienna said.
    Jason nodded at her. He vaguely recalled Adam saying something about Belle in his rundown of the DeVere High hierarchy. But he’d been too distracted by Sienna to pay much attention.
    “You didn’t tell me he was an ‘Absolut’ cutie,” Belle purred. She smiled at Jason and a dimple appeared in each cheek.
    Now here’s a girl who seems friendly, Jason thought. And she herself is a cutie. She had blond hair tousled around her heart-shaped face, and pearly skin that gleamed in the moonlight. Her green eyes were bright with intelligence and playfulness. Jason felt that this was a girl he should want to get to know better. But that electricity—that snap he got from Sienna—it just wasn’t there with Belle.
    “‘Absolut’ is a word that you can only use once in a while,” Sienna answered. She flicked her eyes from the top of Jason’s head to his bare toes. “But I guess he’s worth it.”
    With Sienna, the electricity was never far away. As she gave him her seal of approval, Jason immediately got a rush. Okay, not everything happens instantaneously, he told himself firmly. Give Belle, like, five minutes.
    He turned to Belle and looked her up and down, in what he hoped was a not-obvious way. She didn’t have Sienna’s curves, but her body was thin and athletic, and she moved with the grace of a dancer. He noticed a diamond sparkling from a ring in her belly button, and smiled. It was sexy. “Did that hurt?” he asked, with a nod at Belle’s navel.
    “God, yes.” Belle ran one finger over her piercing. “I wish someone had told me that before I got it! Do you like it?”
    “Yeah,” he said honestly.
    “Good,” Belle murmured. Somehow she’d gotten so close, he could practically kiss her.
    “Hey! Back off, loser,” a harsh voice interrupted.
    Jason turned in surprise. A lean guy with shoulder-length brown hair was glaring at him, his blue eyes boring into Jason’s.
    “Excuse me?” Jason said.
    “You heard me. Back off.” The dude stepped closer—close enough for Jason to smell his extreme beer breath. Then, weirdly, he began to giggle. “Check it out! I totally freaked the new guy!” He slapped Jason on the back in what was supposed to be a friendly way, but the blow was just a little too hard. “Relax, man.”
    “Who are you?” Jason asked.
    “Dominic. Belle’s boyfriend,” the guy said, his words slurring a tiny bit. “Didn’t she tell you about me?” He dropped his arm across Belle’s shoulders and gave her a drunken kiss.
    “Her boyfriend?” Jason couldn’t hide the astonishment in his voice. This guy looked way too moody to be with the beautiful, bubbly Belle.
    “Yeah.” Dominic looked Jason up and down, his eyes hard even though the smile stayed on his face. “What’s so weird about that?”
    “Nothing,” Jason said quickly, trying to cover his surprise. “I just didn’t know.”
    “Dom, let’s go sit by the fire,” Belle suggested. “You’re