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looking at him but was leering at Claire. “Who was that girl?”
    “Claire.” His voice sounded rough.
    “Claire?” Dustin frowned, obviously trying to put the name with the person. “Claire Miller? She looks different.”
    “Not really.” Jason wanted to direct Dustin’s attention elsewhere. He was often protective of Claire, but this didn’t feel protective as much as it felt territorial.
    “Are you two hooking up?”
    “No,” he answered in a raspy voice as he fought the instinct to pursue Claire and pounce. That wasn’t his style. He waited for the women to come to him. “Why?”
    “I didn’t realize she was your type.”
    She wasn’t. Claire was a serious woman. She was all about making commitments and focusing on her goals. They would get along like oil and water. “What type is that?”
    Dustin smiled. “Wild.”
    Jason stared at his friend. Claire hadn’t done anything wild yet. The only thing she had done differently was dance with him. He remembered her friends’ stunned expression when he’d sought Claire out. Was that all it took to establish a reputation around here? For him to show interest?
    He shouldn’t test this newfound attraction with Claire. She was too innocent and sweet to handle him. Jason didn’t approve of the men in her past yet none of them had as scandalous a dating past as him.
    But Claire was acting differently this week. Reckless. She was determined to attract any kind of male attention and that could only lead to trouble. Despite the lust racing through his veins, he had to remember that his main goal during her “reinvention” was to stay close to Claire and take care of her.
    Jason took a moment to consider if that was the best option and realized he didn’t have a choice. He was tempting trouble but the most dangerous thing facing Claire tonight was Claire herself.

3
    J ASON FOUND C LAIRE on the other side of the bonfire in line to get a drink. Her eyes widened when she saw him striding to her and her spine stiffened. She immediately stepped out of line and headed to where the cars were parked but he caught up with her.
    “Why did you walk away after the dance?” Jason asked. He looked over his shoulder but no one was around. The light from the bonfire didn’t quite reach them, and they were cocooned in the shadows.
    “The song was over. Why are you following me?”
    Because he couldn’t stop himself. He was always aware of where Claire was, who she was with and what she was doing. Until tonight he’d thought it was because he’d assigned himself to watch over her, but now he wasn’t so sure his motives had been that noble.
    “Everything was going great,” he said. “Dustin’s eyes bugged out and he’s probably going to make a move on you.”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Getting Dustin’s attention is not part of my goal.”
    “You want to create a persona. I thought we were doing that. Did you change your mind?”
    “If you must know...” Claire rolled back her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t like being center stage.”
    “Everyone wants to be in the spotlight,” Jason argued. “They want to be seen and heard. It’s human nature.”
    “Not everybody. I do better behind the scenes,” she said softly.
    Was she trying to convince him or herself? Did she think she didn’t belong in the spotlight because she found it easier to stay offstage? “You were able to put yourself out there when you got Max’s attention,” he pointed out.
    “That was an unusual circumstance,” she admitted. “I can’t do it easily in the real world. It’s different when you’re online. You can create an image and no one has to know that it’s fake. No one sees the work you did to cultivate the image.”
    “The whole point of this project is to put the spotlight on you so you can show what you are made of. What you are capable of doing. If that’s not going to happen, what are you going to do?”
    She glanced over to where the cars