The sound of cheers and screams echoed across the field as Taylor scored the final touchdown, winning the seniors the game. She pumped her arms in the air, and I cheered alongside her and the rest of the girls.

"Hey, Haven? Congrats to your team on the win." Talia Brennen, captain of the junior team, handed over the trophy in her hand. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she cracked a smile. "But so that you know, the juniors are better. We'll let you oldies have it this time, though."

I grinned. "Better luck next year, Brennen."

She waved as she hurried off to join the rest of her teammates.

I turned the trophy in my hands, running a finger alongside the golden tab engraved with our year on it. The glint of the crest only caught my eye temporarily. I peered at the inside of the trophy, noticing the piece of paper lodged inside. I pulled out the note.

DARIAN WAS INNOCENT.

Cold goosebumps threaded my skin, making the little hairs rise. I flipped the page, but there was nothing there—no signature from Killer Cupid, no other information.

I looked at the crowd of people, but everyone was too busy celebrating the game. Amidst the squeals, there wasn't anyone suspiciously quiet or even looking in my direction. I folded the note up, placing it into my shorts.

I walked over to the bench to grab my water bottle. I saw the other guys run up to mix with the players, but I didn't see Griffin. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms grab me and pull me back behind the bleachers. Before I could react, a hand clamped over my mouth.

Instant fear kicked into my system, and I reached up to pull the hands away. My widened eyes met with Griffin's shining ones, and he gave me a charming smile.

"You scared me." I stifled a laugh. "What are you doing?"

"Stealing you away so I can congratulate you on a good game," he said, trailing his fingers across my neck. "Although my way of saying congrats doesn't involve as many words."

I shook my head, placing my hand on his chest as if to push him away. "Someone might see us," I whispered, looking over his shoulder to see the other students still milling around.

"No one can see us now," he said, using his arms to guide me, so his body blocked me from anyone else's view. "So, I can do this." He leaned down before kissing me, his mouth warm and tasting like mint. His tongue met mine for only a second before he pulled away. I frowned at the loss of contact, but he had moved down to the nape of my neck, sucking gently. I let out a gasp, eyes fluttering as he moved down. "And this."

"And even this," he said slowly, hooking his finger on the band of my shorts to pull me closer, tracing his finger on my bare skin. I felt my breath hitch, realizing how close he was to me. I tried to ignore the thrill of seeing how far he would go, my common sense telling me to create some distance.

I tugged his hand away before he could see the effect he had on me, but from the sparkle in his eyes, I knew it was too late.

"Griffin," I whispered against his mouth, "We need to talk."

"Uh-oh," Griffin said. "Am I in trouble?"

I laughed, pulling away. "No, but..." I stopped, noticing the way he was looking at me.

I couldn't bring up the news about Darian now. Knowing more of Natasha's lies would crush him.

Besides, it was too soon to figure out how Darian had any connection to this.

"Never mind," I said, lips curving into a smile. "I'm just happy you're here."

The dimple in his cheek was back as he smiled.

"How come you came today? You never come to these types of things."

"Had nothing else to do." He shrugged, and I raised my eyebrows at him dubiously. A small smile spread across his face. "I wanted to support my girl."

I liked the sound of that better than I wanted to admit. I tried to ignore the rush of butterflies in my stomach, standing on my toes to look past him. "Oh really? Where is she?"

"So funny," he said in a low tone. "You up for an adventure tonight?"

"I have a huge test tomorrow — what?" I said, seeing the corner of his lips turn up.

"Grey, you could study five minutes before the test and still pass. Come on. Be wild." He was testing me, but it was working. He gently poked me in the stomach, but he had already convinced me.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'll pick you up from your place tonight," he answered, ignoring my question.

"But what should I wear?" I prodded, hoping I could get the place out of him, but he was already backing away, his gaze still on me.

"Anything you want. You're still going to look beautiful. See you tonight, Haven."

With that, he was gone. At the last second, he turned over his shoulder, giving me a quick wink.

I walked to my car, still buzzing from our conversation.

I had to remind myself this wasn't a date; I could wear whatever. Still, once I was back home, I took a shower and stood in front of the closet, skimming the clothes. I finally decided on a cute yellow tank top and ripped blue jeans, placing the two on the bed. Before leaving, I caught sight of the little box underneath my bed. I had saved all the Cupid's Guide to Murder notes, refusing to look back at them. At the last second, I added the one about Darian from the trophy into the box, shutting it away.

Time seemed to go by too slowly. When I finally got a text from Griffin that he was outside, I sprayed my vanilla perfume on my wrists and took a deep breath. As I rushed downstairs, I saw my mom perched on the living room sofa; her legs crossed under her as she read. After our conversation, I knew this wasn't about to go well.

"Are you going to a friend's house?" My mom asked, looking up from her book.

"I'm going to see Griffin," I said, crossing my arms. If she wanted to fight, she could. I wouldn't back down easily.

She frowned, taking her reading glasses off. "I told you I didn't want you seeing him."

"Well, you don't get to dictate my life," I replied. Her face scrunched up, and I could tell my words upset her. Before I could apologize, she said,

"If you walk out this door right now, Haven, you're grounded. No phone, no hanging out with your friends, no ski trip."

It's not like I could go on the trip, anyway. When I didn't budge, she shook her head incredulously, her eyes searching mine. "Is he worth it?"

I saw the look in her eyes, and it wasn't anger. She pitied me, as if she knew Griffin would hurt me, proving her right. And that made me feel worse.

Everything about Griffin was as if I was playing a dangerous game. I knew he was a heartbreaker and things wouldn't be easy with our past. But all I could think about was the softness of his eyes as he looked at me. The intensity of wanting him to kiss me until I grew intoxicated by his kiss. The way my body vibrated in sync with his anytime he was near me- my safety and destruction all at once. We could make it, right?

I didn't know if one day he would leave. But a desperate part of me wanted to hold on to him if I could, because he was worth it.

He always would be.

I opened the door and walked out, giving my mom a wordless answer. I walked over to the car parked in the front; the doubt faded when Griffin turned to look at me.

I opened the door and sat inside. Immediately, the scent of his cologne and aftershave drew me in, and I was at ease. I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, half to keep his scent as close as I could, half to forget. Before I pulled away, he used his fingers to pull me back and gently brought my face back to him to kiss me.

"You sure you don't want to tell me where we're going?" I tried to sound innocent as I broke away. I noticed how handsome he looked in the maroon t-shirt that hugged his biceps and dark jeans and tried to clear the inappropriate thoughts in my head.

"Nice try. But if you keep looking at me like that, I don't know if I can stand my ground."

I felt myself blush. Music hummed from the radio as I turned to face him. I realized I enjoyed watching him drive — how his jaw muscles pulsated as he switched lanes or his hand casually hung over the steering wheel.

"You're doing that thing you do," he said with a hint of amusement.

"What thing?" I raised my eyebrows. 

"Watch me when you think I'm not looking."

"I don't do that!" I exclaimed, a little too fast. My cheeks burned, realizing he had caught me doing that, and his grin wasn't making it any better.

"Course you don't." He turned the dial to change the music station.

"You're cocky," I groaned.

"And you're into it. Don't worry, I like when you look at me, Grey."

I flushed. "Do you do it too?"

"All the time. Especially that one day when you were sleeping. So hot. You had a little drool too." I whacked his arm, and he grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers before I could make him steer the car to another lane. He didn't let my hand go, though, not for the rest of the ride. I turned my focus to look out the window. After a while, the scenery changed from Victorian homes and city lights to beach houses, the smell of salty ocean air surrounding us.

"Are we going to the beach?" I asked, unable to hide my excitement. I had never gone to the beach at night with a boy. The thought of it made my heartbeat quicken. As Griffin pulled into a parking spot and turned the engine off, I looked at him.

"One second." He reached into the backseat and pulled out a blanket and picnic basket.

"A picnic on the beach?" It surprised me he had planned something. I looked up at him, feeling the familiar tingle in my stomach.

"I figured it was a good way to convince you to go skinny dipping," he joked.

"You wish," I told him, cursing at my body for reacting that way anytime he mentioned something like that. In my mind, I liked to pretend like I was a hot sex emblem, but I was just a shy girl with a vivid imagination of some hot guy ripping her clothes off.

Close enough, right?

We walked to the beach to find a spot to sit down at. I took my sandals off and kept them in my hand, enjoying the feel of the soft sand. A light breeze whipped through my hair, and I moved closer to Griffin, a gesture he noticed as he brought an arm around my waist.

He laid the blanket down on the ground and then looked at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he moved towards me.

"What are you — "

Before I could finish my sentence, Griffin scooped me up, draped me over his shoulder, and started running towards the ocean.

"Griffin! Let me go," I said, trying to hide the smile as he swung me around. I folded my hands into fists and tried to drum his back, but he only tightened his grip. As he approached the water, though, I frowned, realizing what he was about to do. "I swear if you drop me—" Before I could finish my words, he leaned forward as if he was going to drop me into the ocean. My feet dipped into the water, and I swung my arms around his neck, tightening my grip and trying not to squeal from the coldness. At the last second, he pulled me back up, laughing. He was enjoying this a little too much.

"Let me go," I repeated, wrinkling my nose. I wasn't mad, not really, but I didn't trust him not to drop me.

"Are you sure?" he said, and I realized my words were a mistake.

"Not—"

He loosened his grip, and I fell into the water, soaked. I moved my hair from my face, blinking in disbelief and looking at Griffin with narrowed eyes. "I meant gently, jerk!"

He laughed at my reaction, extending a hand. "Knew I made you wet." His smirk was all it took for me to know what I wanted to do.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him down with me, the surprise on his face making me giggle. As he pushed up underneath the water, he shook his wet hair out of his face, spraying me with the excess water.

"Had to even the playing field," I teased.

His eyes gleamed with humor and something else I couldn't quite place as he looked at me. The mood transformed from playfulness to something deeper, and I suddenly realized how close we were.

For a moment, the two of us bobbed in the water, just looking at each other, a comfortable silence spreading over us. Then he moved closer to me, his deep blue eyes surveying my face and moving briefly to my lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, the heat of our bodies in contact overtaking the coolness of the waves.

Do it. Be wild. Don't think.

I swallowed as I touched the bottom of my shirt, slowly pulling it off my body and exposing my black lace bra. The entire time I watched him, his eyes darkening as he drank me in. I felt vulnerable in front of him, and my hand instinctively twitched to cover myself, but I didn't. For some reason, I wasn't scared of him — I wanted him to see me, all of me.

"It's not skinny dipping, but close," I said, laughing softly.

Griffin wasn't smiling; instead, he looked at me, almost mesmerized. He swallowed, closing the final distance between us.

"You drive me crazy, Grey," he said in a husky tone. With a charming smile that took away the rest of my resolve, he placed a hand around my waist, guiding me down until we were both under the water. Dark blue waves crashed around us as his lips were on mine, sweet and salty.

You too, Griffin Keely.

You too.