chapter 2
“Here you are!” Sera looked up as Kathleen stumbled toward her. Beer splashed out of her cup, splattering onto the ground. “Whatcha doing out here?”
“Just getting some air.”
“Hmm, it does feel nice. Having fun?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Of course, but I got to show you something.”
“Now?”
“Yup, get up!” She began to pull on Sera’s arm, spilling more of her drink onto her hand and down her arm. “Come on Sera!”
“Can’t it wait?” Sera protested, not ready to go plunging back into the house.
“No way! Come on!”
She jerked one more time and Sera reluctantly climbed to her feet. “This had better be good,” she mumbled, wiping absently at the back of her skirt.
“Oh, it is.” Kathleen hurried back toward the house, tugging Sera behind her. “They’re having fun!” she cried as they passed the couple by the wall. “Get a room!”
Sera laughed and quickly climbed the stairs to the door. She plunged back into the house, allowing Kathleen to drag her toward the dance floor. The music pounded around her, vibrating the floor of the house, and hammering into her head. She instantly wished that she was back outside where it was quiet, peaceful, and cool.
“Look!” Kathleen yelled.
Sera looked around but saw nothing unusual in the crowded mass. “What!?” she yelled back.
“Over there!” Kathleen pointed.
Sera looked at the group of girls gathered in the back, but saw nothing unusual about them. She was about to give up, thinking that Kathleen was losing it, when she spotted Michelle. She was standing amongst the group, a sweet smile on her normally cool face.
Sera was momentarily perplexed by Michelle’s actions. She was never so openly flirtatious, or seemingly carefree. Then, the group parted slightly to reveal a young man in their midst. He was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he smiled at the girls surrounding him. He was by far the most gorgeous man that she had ever seen. Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest as everything around her seemed to freeze. The noise was gone, the room ceased moving. He became the only thing that she could see, the only thing that she could feel.
She had the fierce urge to cross the room to him, but she couldn’t seem to get her legs to move. They were riveted in shock. Slowly, the girls surrounding him began to come back into focus. The music filtered back into her startled mind, and the room once again swarmed with people. She looked at the girls in amazement as they flirted outrageously, and overtly grazed against him. He could have his pick of any of them, even Michelle, who was usually too condescending to even think about picking a guy up at a party. Sera glanced back at Kathleen, who was wearing the same riveted expression that she was certain had been on her own face.
She looked back to find the strange guy staring intently at her. She was unable to break free of his intense gaze as his eyes locked on hers. The room seemed to disappear again as he smiled softly and nodded. She swallowed heavily, and managed a small smile in return before the group enclosed him. Sera felt as if she had just snapped out of a trance. She took a startled step back, bumping roughly into the doorjamb. Kathleen turned to her and grasped her arm painfully.
“Isn’t he hot!?” she cried.
“Who is he?” Sera managed around the lump in her throat.
“I don’t know. He just transferred here this semester. I can’t get close enough to talk to him and find out anything.”
Sera nodded slowly as she looked back at the group that enclosed him, blocking him from view. She felt a surprising sense of loss that completely confused her. She didn’t know anything about him, not even his name. She was acting like a silly fool. She was acting like the girls crowding around him.
She definitely wasn’t acting like herself.
“Come on,” Kathleen said, her voice filled with determination.
“What, where?” Sera gasped in surprise as Kathleen drug her toward the dance floor.
She didn’t have time to offer more of a protest as Kathleen plunged into the crowd. “Dance!” Kathleen called happily above the noise.
Sera stared dazedly at her before realizing that she looked like a foolish, wooden statue among the swaying bodies. Slowly she began to move to the music, but her mind remained on the group in the corner. And the man. She was so focused upon her thoughts, and pondering over the strange sense of loss she had felt, that she didn’t realize Kathleen was angling them toward the group until they were only feet away.
When she did realize it, she began to move slowly away, ignoring Kathleen’s agitated glances. She moved to the center of the floor, mingling back in with the larger group. She’d be damned if she was going to turn into some groupie, and latch onto some guy that she didn’t even know. He was gorgeous, but she would not degrade herself that way.
Kathleen stared up at her and sighed angrily. “I’ll be back!” she yelled above the music.
Sera nodded and mingled in with a group of girls from her dorm. They smiled warmly at her, and Danielle, another good friend of hers, playfully bumped her hip as she laughed happily. “Did you see the new guy?” she asked eagerly.
Sera sighed inwardly and nodded. Was every girl in this room infatuated with him? He was good looking, yes, but couldn’t they see that they were all making fools of themselves? There were other guys at this party. “Yeah,” she mumbled.
Danielle grinned as she tossed back her long, dark hair. Her hazel eyes were twinkling merrily as she bumped Sera again. “Are you going to talk to him?”
Sera’s eyebrows rose in surprise as she shook her head. “No.”
Danielle shook her head before spinning in a quick circle. Her dark hair twirled around her as she stopped before Sera, beaming from ear to ear. She was a pretty girl with a small, pointy nose, high cheekbones, and a narrow chin. She was built like a dancer, small, lithe, and graceful.
The fast paced dance music was cut off as a slow song came on. Sera saw her opportunity to make an exit as couples started to fill the floor. She moved with Danielle toward the door, but found herself unexpectedly blocked off. Frowning in aggravation she tilted her head up to see who it was that belonged to the body she had walked into, and was firmly blocking her way.
She froze as her gaze locked onto a set of brilliant green eyes. Eyes so clear and mesmerizing that she was certain no emerald could have compared. Her heart flip flopped painfully as she gazed at the man before her. The room seemed to disappear again as her entire body reacted to his presence.
It was him.
“Sorry,” she managed to say around the sudden lump in her throat.
He smiled; his face and eyes lit up with it. “It was my fault. I was trying to stop you.”
“Stop me?”
“Would you like to dance?”
Sera blinked in surprise. She didn’t want to dance, she wanted to flee as quickly as possible, but her feet wouldn’t move. Instead, without meaning to, she found herself nodding slowly. He held his hand out to her as a small smile curved his full mouth.
Her gaze traveled slowly to his long, elegant fingers as his hand clasped around hers. She felt an unexpected bolt of electricity rip through her. She jumped in surprise, her eyes snapped back to his. He was staring at her intently, his eyes narrowed with curiosity, and surprise. For a moment she felt as if he had ripped her skin away and was staring straight into her soul. She felt completely vulnerable, bared to him but no matter how much she disliked the feeling of vulnerability enveloping her, she couldn’t tear her gaze from his.
Then, he turned from her. Sera blinked dazedly as the intimate contact was broken. A shiver swept up her spine, but she managed to keep herself from revealing it to him. He led her to the center of the floor and turned to wrap his arms around her waist. Sera found herself staring at a broad chest as she rested her hands against it. She could feel the bunching of thick muscles, and radiating heat as her fingers lightly stroked him.
Another shudder, this one of desire, rippled through her. Desire was not something that she experienced; it was something that she feared, and something that she did not want to experience now. She had to bite her lip to keep another shiver repressed as she tilted her head to look up at him.
She took in every inch of his perfectly sculptured face. His eyes were the brilliant color of new sprung leaves. They seemed to glow with an inner light, and they radiated a magnetism that was completely entrancing. His eyelashes were long, thick, and black as they shadowed the planes of his sharp, chiseled cheekbones. His nose was straight and narrow. His lips were a deep, blood red, the lower lip slightly fuller than the upper.
Suddenly she longed, in a way that she never had with anyone else, to kiss him. She wanted to know what his lips tasted like. What they felt like.
Her hands trailed along his chest. She could feel every detail of his ridged muscles beneath the black shirt that clung to him. His broad shoulders seemed to block out the rest of the room as he spun her slowly along the floor. He was at least six feet tall, a good six inches taller than her, and she had to tilt her head back to look at him. His hair was black, a pure, raven black that was cut short, but waved around his gorgeous face.
He smiled softly as she hesitantly met his penetrating gaze again. She couldn’t imagine why he wanted to dance with her when he could have any girl here. “What’s your name?” he asked. He didn’t seem to raise his voice, but she was able to hear him clearly.
“Sera.”
“Sera, that’s unusual.”
“You don’t know my full name,” she said with a playful grin, unable to believe that she was actually flirting with him. She never flirted, hell she never even danced with guys. She kept to herself, she avoided them. As a matter of fact she went out of her way to avoid them, not to dance with them. It was easier that way, less hurtful. But now, she found herself unable to stop doing either.
He grinned at her and shifted his hold as he pulled her closer. “What would that be?” he asked; his voice was deep and husky. It sent chills of pleasure down her spine.
“Serendipity.”
He broke into a grin as he laughed softly. “Well now isn’t that perfect. Sera, I think my meeting you was serendipitous.”
She laughed and shrugged. “Who knows, maybe. What’s your name?”
“Liam.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said as the music came to an end.
She felt a sense of loss as his arms fell away from her. “Want to go somewhere else?” he inquired.
Sera nervously licked her lips; her gaze darted quickly around the crowded room. “Where?”
Liam stared at her for a moment, surprised by her hesitation, her sudden fear. In that moment he was surprised to find his mind going from wonderful, lust filled thoughts of the bedroom, to making her feel safe and secure. “For a walk. It’s hot and loud in here. To loud to talk, and I would like to get to know you better.”
She stared at him in surprise, and then, to her own surprise, she found herself nodding in agreement as the music blared again. He took hold of her hand and led her off the crowded dance floor. She followed numbly behind, unable to believe that she had agreed to leave with him. What was the matter with her? She knew better than to do this, knew better than to allow this to happen, but she couldn’t stop herself. Couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she didn’t want to go, because she did want to go.
She caught the envious glances tossed her way as they moved slowly through the thick crowd. Suddenly, Michelle stepped in front of her.
“Where are you going?” she demanded, her eyes chillingly cold.
Sera gaped at Michelle in surprise. She pulled on Liam’s hand, stopping him in the midst of the crowd. He turned back to her, a frown marring his forehead. His eyes darted to Michelle and his frown deepened as his hand tightened upon hers. “I don’t know yet,” Sera answered.
“This is very unlike you Sera,” she said coldly. “I’ve never known you to leave a party with someone, has Kathleen finally succeeded in making you a slut?”
Sera’s face flamed red with embarrassment and anger. Michelle was supposed to be one of her best friends, not attacking her like this.
“That is uncalled for,” Liam growled, taking a step closer to her.
Michelle’s eyes blazed with fury as they landed upon him. Sera found herself trapped between them, her face on fire as she trembled slightly, unable to move. She had no idea how to get away from either one of them, but she desperately wanted to bolt from them both. “Well Michelle, it is like you to be a bitch.” Kathleen appeared at Sera’s side, her jaw clenched angrily as she leveled Michelle with a fierce look. “Even I, who am well aware of how much of a bitch you can be, am surprised by this new level.”
Michelle’s eyes snapped to Kathleen. They burned with an intense hatred unlike anything Sera had seen before. A chill shuddered through Sera in the face of that hatred. Kathleen seemed not to notice it as she seized hold of Sera’s arm and steered her quickly away. She found herself pulling Liam through the crowd as Kathleen plunged onward. They made their way outside where Kathleen released her arm, slid to the bottom step, and hugged her middle as she burst out laughing.
“Did... you... see... her... face!?” she managed to gasp out. “That was great!”
“Kathleen...” Sera started.
“Oh I know, she’s a friend of yours,” Kathleen waved a hand in dismissal as she sobered up. “But I love putting her in her place. Besides, I don’t know how you can consider that stuck up bitch a friend.”
“She’s your friend?” Liam inquired, his dark eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“Yes.”
He stared inquiringly at her for a moment. “Nice friends you have.”
“Hey!” Kathleen protested. “I’m a very good friend. By the way, my name is Kathleen, and you are...?”
“Liam.”
“Nice to meet you Liam.”
“You too Kathleen.”
Kathleen climbed to her feet and absently brushed at her wrinkled skirt. “I’m going to head back to the room; do you want to come with me Sera?”
“I’ll be there in a little bit.”
Kathleen’s gaze darted worriedly to Liam. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
Sera smiled softly. For Kathleen’s carefree demeanor, Sera knew that she worried about her. “I’ll be fine. Why are you heading back so early?”
“I’ve had my share of entertainment, alcohol, leering guys, and bitches for the night,” she said with a huge grin. “I’ll see you later.” She hopped off the stairs and skipped down the sidewalk. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she called over her shoulder, “Which is nothing!”
Sera could hear her laughing all the way down the street. She turned back to Liam, who was watching Kathleen’s disappearing figure intently. “She seems like fun,” he commented dryly.
“She is. Lots of fun, and my best friend.”
“I don’t know you, or your friends very well, but I would suggest rethinking at least one of them.”
Sera turned and headed down the sidewalk, kicking at a few loose stones. “Michelle is a little funny about some things,” she admitted.
“I must have missed her sense of humor.”
She laughed softly and turned to walk backward in front of him. “She doesn’t have one, but she’s a good person, once you get to know her. She’s just used to getting whatever she wants.”
“And what did she want that she didn’t get?”
Sera looked away, a blush stained her cheeks as a wave of shyness swept her. “She wanted you,” she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.
“And she always gets what she wants?”
Sera looked up at him, expecting him to be laughing at her. Instead, his face was hard, and his eyes were cold and remote. Sera stopped walking. He halted before her, his eyes focused upon her, but remained distant. “Yes,” she said carefully. “Michelle always gets what she sets her mind to. She’s beautiful, and smart, and not easily denied.”
Liam’s gaze searched her small, delicate face. He hadn’t been wrong in his assumption earlier, her eyes were spectacular. They were a swirling combination of emerald blue and vivid purple. The violet mingled with the blue in such a way that it was almost impossible to discern one color from the other. He could become lost in those wide, innocent, beguiling eyes if he wasn’t careful.
Which he always was. He couldn’t allow himself to become involved with someone, or to get attached. But, he found himself becoming intrigued with her. If he wasn’t careful, he might actually find himself liking her. That was something that he couldn’t do, wasn’t capable of doing. He needed to stay aloof, and distant from her.
“I see,” he finally replied.
She searched his face for the reason that he was suddenly so detached, but it remained impassive. “Why does that make you angry?”
He looked at her in surprise, and then smiled. His eyes sparkled as he took hold of her hand and began to walk again. “It doesn’t make me angry. I just don’t like it when people assume things.”
“Assume things?”
“She assumed that she would always get what she wanted, and so did you.”
“I’m not assuming anything,” she retorted. “That’s the way it’s always been.”
“Well, it isn’t now.”
“Besides, she won’t give up. She never does.”
“So?”
Sera shrugged and looked down at the sidewalk. “You never know what the future holds,” she said softly.
“Wouldn’t I have a say in it?” he asked, his voice tight with ire.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
He remained silent for a moment, and then squeezed her hand gently. “I know you didn’t, but I don’t want Michelle, and I think that’s why she was so angry with you.”
“Why?”
He smiled down at her as he led her quickly across the street. It was then that Sera realized they had left the campus and were heading into town. The streets were packed with cars. People, mostly college students, were milling around outside the bars smoking cigarettes. Music filled the air as they passed by the crammed bars and groups of people on the street. She smiled softly as she noticed the envious glances of the women they passed.
He remained silent as they turned a corner and left the noise behind for quieter, closed shops. “She knew that I had my eye on someone else.”
“And who would that be?” she asked.
“Some blond who didn’t want to talk to me.” Sera glanced up at him, surprised by the teasing glint in his eyes.
She laughed softly as she cast him a quick smile. “Who could with the swarm that you had around you?”
He stopped walking, tugging on her hand to halt her. She stopped before him, tilting her chin up to gaze into his amazing green eyes. “I found a way to talk to you,” he said huskily.
His voice sent shivers of desire down her spine. His intense stare caused her to bite nervously into her bottom lip as his hand came up to gently stroke her cheek. “There wasn’t a swarm of people around me,” she said softly, relishing in the feel of his touch against her skin.
“No,” he whispered. “Just a bunch of leering guys who were too scared to talk to you.”
Sera’s eyes snapped up to his. She stared at him in surprise before bursting into laughter. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
His hand froze on her face as he stared at her doubtfully. “Didn’t you notice them?”
Sera looked at him in confusion and took a step back. His hand fell from her face. A sense of loss enveloped her as the contact was broken. “Notice who?” she asked.
He stared at her with the fierce intensity that she was beginning to grow accustomed to. Her eyebrows rose inquiringly as she tried to discern what he was searching for, but she had no idea why he was looking at her like that. He gently placed his hand on her face and drew her closer. Her heart began to pound eagerly as she rested her hands lightly against his chest. The air seemed to crackle with electricity as his thumb began to gently stroke her cheek.
She stared into his fierce green eyes as they burned into hers. She was completely useless against the magnetic pull that was drawing her in. She closed her eyes as his lips brushed against hers; they sent a shower of sparks and heat throughout her body.
Her mouth opened slowly and his tongue delved heatedly into it. His hands thrust into her hair as he kissed her hungrily. Her whole body was on fire as she clutched at his back to pull him closer. He eased her against the cool cement of a store wall as his hard body pressed firmer against hers. All of his hard contours burned into her flesh, sizzling throughout her. His hands slid leisurely down her body to caress the exposed skin of her stomach. She shivered with desire as her knees turned to Jell-O.
Suddenly, the loud burst of a horn ripped into her daze. She jumped in surprise as her mind cleared of its passion induced haze. With frightening clarity she realized that she was alone, in an alley, with a man that she didn’t know. A man that was strong enough to do whatever he wanted to her.
Fear surged through her. Gasping harshly, she pushed frantically at his solid chest. Needing him to get away, needing to breathe.
He pulled away from her, his eyes a darker, desire clouded green. She took a shuddery breath as she tried to stop the shaking in her legs, and the pounding of her heart that no longer had anything to do with desire. Her eyes silently pleaded with him not to hurt her as her hands slid away from his chest to clutch at the cool cement of the wall.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Shame flooded her face as she looked down at her feet. “I had better get back,” she finally managed to say.
“All right.”
Sera blinked in surprise as he gently took her hand. For a moment fear blazed through her, and she stiffened involuntarily. However, when he didn’t make another move toward her, some of the fear dissipated. She knew many men would have been angered by her refusal, by her sudden hot and cold. Yet Liam seemed to take it all in stride as they walked toward the college.
It surprised and perplexed her, and she couldn’t stop herself from casting wary glances his way. Not only did he make her melt just by touching her, but he seemed to actually be a decent person. It was too good to be true, there had to be something wrong with him.
Liam was silent as he tried to puzzle out the mystery that was Sera. He had finally seen what it was that Mike had been talking about. There had been so much fear and pleading in her eyes, that it had actually constricted his heart for a moment. She had instantly reminded him of a frightened, trapped animal, and he had understood why Mike had said to leave her be.
It was very obvious that she had been hurt in the past. But how bad it had been, he didn’t know. His hand involuntarily tightened around hers as the thought of anyone mistreating her sent a flash of burning anger through him. Damn, what the hell was the matter with him? He didn’t know this girl from Eve; he shouldn’t give a rat’s ass about what had happened to her.
He chanced a glance at her as she walked along; her golden head was bent as she studied the sidewalk. He frowned thoughtfully as he realized that for some strange reason, he did give a rat’s ass. He clenched his jaw as he turned to study the campus. She was the type of person that he could truly come to like, and that was a chance that he couldn’t take.
They passed the party, which had begun to slow down. There was a scattering of people sleeping on the lawn, while others were spilling out the doors. The music was still going, but it wasn’t as loud anymore. “Hey Liam!” someone yelled drunkenly from the stone wall. “You get some man!?”
Liam was surprised by the deep blush that instantly stained her cheeks. He was certain that he had never seen anyone turn that red, that fast. He gently squeezed her hand for reassurance. “I see that you’ve made some friends since you’ve been here,” she said softly.
“I’ve never met him.”
“It’s Jason Biggs.”
“He’s an a*shole.”
Sera shrugged, and nodded. “If you think so now, wait till you get to know him.”
“Sounds like you like him,” he commented dryly.
“Not at all, but you learn to deal with him.”
“Has he ever done anything to you?”
Her face burned even hotter as she recalled some of the rude comments that he’d made to her in the past. “No, just stupid comments, petty stuff really.”
He could tell by her tone that it wasn’t petty stuff to her. He glanced over his shoulder to see if he could still spot Jason, but the party was well past them. He would have a talk with Jason later to make sure that he didn’t bother her again. His frown deepened as he realized that he actually felt protective of this girl. Jesus, he needed to get away from her, now.
They turned a corner and her dorm came into view. She was instantly disappointed that they were here, she was surprised to realize that she didn’t want the night to end. Shaking her head to clear her conflicting emotions, she tugged lightly upon his hand.
“This is my dorm,” she said, stopping in front of it.
“I’ll walk you to your room.”
She stared at him in surprise. Was he just being nice, or did he expect something to happen once they were at her room? But Kathleen had said that she would be there, so he couldn’t be expecting anything. Sera chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. She was still busy trying to figure him out when they entered the building.
Liam was just as surprised as she was. He’d had every intention of leaving her at the door to the building, and going back to the party. There were probably some girls still lingering about who would be more than happy to spend the night with him. Instead, he found himself not wanting to leave her until he knew that she was safely in her room.
“Do you live on campus?” she asked.
“At the Omega house.”
“I don’t picture you as a frat guy.”
“It’s better than living in a dorm. More freedom.”
“I guess.”
She stopped in front of her door and turned to face him. “Do you want to come in? Kathleen is probably still up.” In fact she knew that Kathleen was still up, waiting to hear about everything that had happened.
He frowned for a moment, his eyes darkened before he shrugged casually. “All right.”
She opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. Kathleen was sitting on her bed, a beer in hand as she talked happily with Danielle. They both froze, their mouths gaping slightly as they entered. “Hi,” Kathleen finally managed to stammer out.
“Hey,” Sera said. “What are you guys up to?”
“Nothing,” Danielle answered, her eyes latched onto Liam.
“Want a beer?” Kathleen asked.
“Isn’t it against the rules for you to have alcohol in the dorm rooms?” Liam asked teasingly.
“It’s also against the rules for you to be here,” she replied happily.
He smiled at her as she dug beneath her bed to pull out a cooler. Liam grabbed two beers from it, popped the top on one, and handed it to Sera. He watched her intently for a moment as she took a sip.
“How do you like this school so far?” Danielle asked unusually shy and hesitant.
“Seems nice, so far.”
“You have to watch out for some of the people,” Kathleen said. “They can be funny.” Her eyes settled intently on Sera. “It takes some people longer to realize that than others.”
Liam looked over at her, his gaze just as intense as Kathleen’s. “I figured that,” he said.
A soft knock on the door made them all jump. “Shit,” Danielle said, ditching her beer under the bed. Sera grabbed Liam’s can and shoved both of them into her desk drawer. It was bad enough there was a man in their room, but being caught with alcohol would surely get them expelled.
Heart hammering, she walked slowly over to the door and cracked it a little. Michelle stood impatiently outside, her eyes narrowed, and her long auburn hair spilling around her beautiful face. “Can I come in?” she asked.
“Oh damn!” Kathleen cried angrily.
Sera nodded and stepped back, a tight knot of anxiety formed in her stomach. She wasn’t in the mood for an intense encounter. Michelle swept into the room and froze when she spotted Liam sitting elegantly on Sera’s bed, beers back in hand. He stared back at her with open disdain before standing slowly and walking over to hand Sera her beer. She chanced a glance at him to find the hard, cold look back on his face. He managed a small smile for her as he leaned casually against the wall, his shoulder brushing against hers as he crossed his legs before him.
She didn’t quite understand what was going on, but she knew that he was trying to tell her and everyone in the room, something. Michelle stared at him, her dark eyes filled with anger. “Hello everyone,” she said coldly.
“Hey,” Danielle said nervously. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier.” The apology was meant for Sera but Michelle’s eyes remained locked on Liam.
Sera shifted uncomfortably as Liam stood straighter. She still didn’t understand what was going on, but she could feel anger radiating from him. He took a swig of beer and stepped away to place it on her desk. He headed back to her and rested his hands lightly upon her shoulders. Her eyes widened in surprise as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.
“I’d better get going,” he said.
“All right.”
Unbelievable disappointment welled up inside of her. She hardly knew him, and yet she felt as if something would be missing when he left. She took a deep breath in an attempt to get her irrational emotions under control. She hadn’t had that much to drink, but maybe the alcohol was affecting her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently. Warmth instantly spread through her whole body. She had to clench her hand around her beer in order to keep herself from grabbing him, and deepening the kiss. When he pulled away from her there was a wealth of confusion in his darkened eyes.
Liam studied her intently. He hadn’t meant to tell her that he would see her tomorrow. He’d had every intention of walking out of this room, and never seeing her again. She was too dangerous. She made him feel things that he had never felt before. Things that he wasn’t supposed to feel, wasn’t allowed to feel.
Yet, he found himself wanting to protect her, shelter her, and to ease the hurt that he had seen in her eyes earlier. He wanted her with an intensity that was even now heating, and hardening him. She was the most delectable, entrancing woman that he had ever met.
Sera managed to nod a response before he turned away from her. He brushed by Michelle, not even looking at her as he opened the door. “Nice to meet you guys,” he said to Kathleen and Danielle, pointedly ignoring Michelle.
“Bye,” they said in unison.
He shut the door behind him, and they all remained silent for a few moments. “Oh my God,” Danielle gushed. “He is so hot.”
“You had better spill!” Kathleen said, excitedly bouncing on her bed.
“Oh yes!” Danielle cried. “Where did you guys go? How was that kiss!?”
Sera stared at them for a moment before she turned to Michelle. She was leaning casually against the door, but the set of her jaw, and the anger in her eyes, belied her cool composure. “I’d better go too,” she said as she stepped away from the wall. “I’ll see you later, and I am sorry about earlier.”
“It’s all right,” Sera replied dully.
Michelle swung the door open and closed it loudly behind her. “What is her problem?” Danielle asked in surprise.
“Bet you ten she tries to catch up with him.” Kathleen scrambled off her bed and raced to the window.
“Kathleen...” Sera started.
“Never seen her walk that fast before,” Kathleen commented.
Sera was unable to resist looking. Michelle was hurrying down the front walk, Liam just ahead of her. He suddenly turned around as Michelle walked quickly over to him. Sera’s heart began to pound painfully as they stood together beneath the street light.
“That bitch!” Kathleen cried, angrily slamming her hands on the sill. “That rotten bitch!”
“I can’t believe it,” Danielle whispered.
Sera felt as if someone had socked her in the stomach as the two continued to talk. She could barely even breathe. “Well if he wants her...” she barely choked out.
“Screw that!” Kathleen snapped.
Michelle reached out to touch Liam’s shoulder flirtatiously, but he took a step back from her. Sera watched in amazement as he turned and walked away from her. Michelle stood for a moment before turning and walking the other way. “Good for him,” Kathleen muttered. “I knew I liked him for a reason!”
Sera turned away from the window and sat on her bed, shock rolled through her. “I can’t believe her,” Danielle declared. “She’s got a set of balls.”
“No, she’s just a back stabbing bitch! Now I hope you realize what she is.” Sera stared up at Kathleen in confusion and shock. “She’s not worth being upset over.”
Sera blinked and shook her head. “I’m not upset about her.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
“I don’t know, I guess I’m just confused.”
“About what?” Danielle asked, sitting next to her, and handing Sera her beer.
Sera took a long swallow and began to twirl the beer in her hand. “I don’t know what just happened.”
“What do you mean?” Kathleen demanded, hands on her hips.
Sera stood and walked back to the window. The street was empty now. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“Sera,” Danielle said gently. “You’re not making any sense.”
“I’ve never met anyone like him,” she said softly. “No one has ever made me feel that way. He looks at me, and I melt. He touches me, and shivers run up and down my spine. He kisses me, and the whole world disappears, and I feel... well I don’t know how to explain what I feel. All I know is that I feel more for him in the past hour than anyone I’ve ever met. How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s the alcohol,” Kathleen joked.
Sera put her beer down. “Maybe you’re right, but I don’t think so.”
“That’s a good thing,” Danielle said forcefully. “Why are you questioning it?”
“I don’t know; have you ever felt like that?”
“No.”
“Then there’s Michelle...”
“Don’t tell me you’re worried about that tramp!” Kathleen cried.
“No, it’s not that. I just don’t understand what in the world he could want with me, when he could have her?”
Danielle’s eyebrows rose as she stared at her in surprise, well Kathleen’s mouth dropped open. She slowly closed her mouth. “Because he has good taste,” she answered dryly. “It’s obvious to the rest of us what Michelle is; you’re the one that refuses to see it.”
“I see it now,” she whispered.
But too late. She always saw things too late. She had truly thought that Michelle was her friend, she had trusted her. But, after everything that had happened tonight she knew that her trust had been misplaced, yet again. Just like it always was.
And now there was Liam. She didn’t know what to make of him, or the way that he made her feel. She didn’t even want to feel this way. It only led to hurt, and pain. She found herself torn between wanting to see him again, and hoping that she never would. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself as her body trembled with her torn emotions.
***
Liam walked back into the frat house. The music had been turned down; the lights were dimmed to give the house a more romantic atmosphere. Although, how anyone could feel romantic in the jumbled mess of garbage, and the stench of beer, he didn’t know. However, some people obviously did. He could hear more than one couple having sex in the dance room, and knew that the thumps over his head weren’t drunks falling down.
“Hey, how’d it go?”
Liam turned as Mike came strolling in from the back room with a cute brunette tucked under his arm. She grinned drunkenly up at Liam as she leaned heavily against Mike’s side. Jack and Doug followed behind him; a redhead was under Jack’s arm, and a brunette under Doug’s. “Fine,” he replied absently.
Mike smirked brightly as he leaned drunkenly against the banister. “Told you so.”
Liam raised an eyebrow as he scowled at him. “Told him what?” Jack asked happily.
“About Sera.”
“Oh,” Jack replied, his forehead furrowed. “You shouldn’t have even bothered to try, she doesn’t give it up.”
“I didn’t try!” Liam snapped. “And don’t talk about her like that.”
He was even more surprised than they were by the hostility in his voice, and the sudden tenseness that filled him. Mike lifted a blond brow questioningly, but didn’t say anything. Jack and Doug both stared at him with expressions of surprise.
“Well,” Doug was the first to recover. “There are some girls back there who are more than willing.”
The brunette giggled as she wrapped her arm around Doug’s waist. Liam couldn’t help the sneer of disgust that curled his upper lip. He looked away from her, his gaze darting down the hall to the back living room. He could hear voices coming from there, most of them female. For a moment he was tempted. He was still slightly hard from his time with Sera and he wouldn’t mind having someone relieve him.
Growing hard again just at the thought of Sera, he took a step toward them, and then stopped. He suddenly realized that he wasn’t in the mood for one of those girls, that he didn’t want them. Frowning, and suddenly very angry, he turned back around and headed for the stairs. His emotions were a rioting mess that he couldn’t even begin to fathom at the moment.
“Where ya going?” Jack slurred.
“To bed,” he muttered.
“Are you serious man? There are plenty of girls back there!”
“Hey,” Mike seized Liam’s arm before he could escape. “You all right?”
Liam’s jaw clenched as he gazed at his friend. Mike’s eyes were dark as they searched his face in bewilderment. “No,” Liam responded as he pulled his arm free. “I’m not.”
He turned away and stalked up the stairs.