I halted for a moment at the front walk. What exactly were my plans? If Celia decided she was breaking up with Dirk, I’d have to tell her it was all a misunderstanding, of course. But after that, when she was crying and quite possibly mad as hell—what then? I was consumed with wanting to know her full reaction. In my dream ending, she’d make a public display and I’d be a front row spectator. This was the most fascinating part of the entire study, after all. Emotions. How they weakened the strong. How they deluded the intelligent. How they transformed a person into someone unrecognizable. I had an advantage with Celia that I hadn’t had with many of my previous studies—I knew people in her life well enough to be privy to the aftermath. I’d hear from my mother how quickly she recovered, whether or not Celia decided to get back with Dirk. I’d probably be on Sophia’s shit list for it, but that would be an improvement from being not on her list at all.

But wait. I was getting ahead of myself. Celia hadn’t even broken up with her boyfriend yet. No need to worry about the after when I was still in the before.

Inside the house, I grabbed a beer and found a group of acquaintances to sit with. Though I didn’t plan to drink much of it, I needed the bottle in hand as a prop. It made me seem casual, relaxed. The less desperate I appeared to Celia, the better. When she found me and realized I’d had no urgency to find her, I suspected it would raise her own desperation. She’d invite me to talk. I’d shrug and go along. My aloof demeanor would force her to play her best hand.

It was only a guess. But it was calculated and I had a good deal of faith in it.

When nearly an hour went by, and I’d seen no sign of The Subject, I began to wonder if I’d overestimated my holdings. Had she decided not to come? Looking for her was out of the question. Inquiring about her would also give up some of my leverage. But if I were careful about the way I asked…

I hooked eyes with Christina across the room. She’d been trying to get my attention for the last fifteen minutes, and I’d pretended not to notice. But damn, I noticed. She was wearing a short skirt that rode her hips and a halter top so high that miles of skin showed in between. She oozed sex. Her fuck-me lips were painted with a light gloss that made them look like they’d just been licked. She was a distraction—a distraction that I didn’t need.

But if anyone knew of Celia’s whereabouts, it was her.

I played the staring game with her, exchanging lewd glances until she beckoned me over. I pretended to consider it. Then I made my way through the swarm of bodies toward her, hoping that the stiffy I was sporting wouldn’t be witnessed by Celia. Maybe, if I worked the situation right, Christina could be my reward for concluding my experiment. Too consumed with my plans to think about my cock, it had been weeks since I’d gotten laid. Too long. I needed to be buried in pussy soon. And Christina Brooke was in possession of a more than acceptable pussy.

She leaned against the dining room archway as I approached, her eyes pinned on me. “Hudson Pierce.” She said my name with a slow seductive smile. “It took you long enough.”

I feigned innocence. “To get to the party?”

“To come looking for me.” She wet her lips and my gaze immediately rushed to her tongue as it flicked along its path.

Damn, she was going to make it difficult to keep focused, but I tried all the same. “I didn’t come looking for you. You summoned me.”

“That I did.” Her gaze flickered to my lips and back to my eyes. “And you came.”

“No, I didn’t. Not yet.” Flirting was easy with Christina Brooke. I’d have fucked her in high school if it weren’t for the fact she’d had a steady boyfriend. The boyfriend hadn’t been a problem for me, but Christina had been loyal. She’d also been innocent then. The way her demeanor had loosened up since the summer before, I had to think college had stripped her of her naiveté.

And then all I could think about was stripping Christina of other things.

“Oh, such a naughty boy.” Her grin was as wicked as my thoughts. “I sure hope that you haven’t already chosen your target for when you do.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’d like to volunteer.”

I stifled a laugh but kept my face straight. “That’s funny that you think you’d have any choice in the matter.” I placed a hand on the wall above her head and leaned in. “I mean, if you’re my target, I’d hit it, whether invited to or not.”

Her intake of breath was audible. “Damn. You just soaked my panties.”

I glanced down at her tight skirt, imagining what sort of panties she was wearing underneath. Then imagining beneath the panties. “Maybe you shouldn’t be wearing any.”

“That could be arranged.”

The banter was more than fun. It was getting me hot and making me forget my real purpose for approaching her. I dropped my hand from the wall and took a sip from the beer I was nursing, forcing my mind to switch gears. “Why are you alone anyway, Christina? I expected to see Celia hanging at your side.”

She gave a bored shrug. “She was here earlier.”

“She already left?” Shit. I’d been too cocky to think that she’d wait.

“She might be back later. She said she needed some recovery time.” Christina swept her hair off her shoulder.

I raised a brow. What did she need to recover from? My nerves stood on end, concerned that I’d misstepped somewhere along the way. Self-centered thinking, maybe, but it didn’t end my worry.

Christina answered my questioning expression. “She broke up with her boyfriend today.”

My heart pounded in my ears. Celia had broken up with Dirk. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? I’d been prepared for a confrontation. I’d been prepared to put on a good show of longing. The news was almost anti-climactic, but still very satisfying.

“Are you sure they really broke up?” I took another tug of my beer to hide my glee. That swallow finished off the drink.

“Yeah, I’m sure. She was here when he called.” Christina took the bottle from my hand and set it on the buffet behind her. She waited until she was facing me again before she continued. “I don’t think she was planning to dump him, exactly, but one minute she was saying hello and the next she was saying she was sorry it was over. Yeah, I eavesdropped, but she didn’t leave the room, so I figured fair game.”

“Damn.” As if I’d judge her for eavesdropping. I could kiss her for it. And I would kiss her—very soon. A victory kiss followed by a victory plunge.

But first, there were too many unknowns. Celia and Dirk may have had a fight that had nothing to do with me. I needed more information before I could truly celebrate success. And I needed my source to give it to me without noticing I was prying.

With my hands free of the bottle, I moved into Christina, pressing her further into the wall. My dick hardened at the full body contact. “Why did Celia do that? I thought she was really into her boyfriend.”

Christina chortled. “You did not. You thought she was into you.” So I had no need to cloak my interest after all. “And she is. She dumped him because of you.” She ground her pelvis against mine.

A surge of triumph washed through me. My pulse quickened both from the excitement of my achievement and from the knowledge that I was about to fuck and fuck hard. It was almost painful to draw out the celebration, but I also knew the pleasure of delayed gratification.

Christina traced a finger along my jaw. “Obviously, you don’t return the feeling.”

“And she thinks of you as a close friend, Christina. Obviously, you don’t return that feeling.” God, what despicable people we were. We deserved each other. At least for the night.

“Au contraire. I love her like a sister.” She trailed her hands up the sides of my fitted shirt, sending sparks of electricity thrumming through my veins. “But she is not Hudson Pierce material. She could never handle you.”