Later that night a couple of friends had come over, joined by a few more. It had grown into a party that was still in full swing.

The music was blaring but I loved the noise. It kept me from thinking too much. The hot girl who was trying to flirt with me was also a welcome distraction. Her toffee-brown eyes sparkled when she smiled at me suggestively. From her seducing eyes to the way she trailed her tongue across her bottom lip, I could read the signs. She was making sure I knew she was available.

I leaned closer and she whispered in my ear, "I really like you."

She didn't know me, I hadn't revealed anything about myself. It was lust, pure and simple.

Girls, I knew well. Within the first five minutes I could tell if they were too clingy or not geared to one-night stands. Some girls couldn't keep physical and emotional separate, and those were the ones I had to keep far away from.

I was barely managing with my past, I couldn't deal with more. The temporary peace I achieved from being with a girl dictated my actions. To the outside world I was a player with an appetite for women, but that was a lie.

I had issues about letting people get too close. I didn't need a shrink with degrees to link it back to my childhood. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if my mom had been loving, but I'd spent my childhood craving the love most children took for granted.

For the most part it was something I didn't concentrate on. There was nothing I could do to change my past. Some bad choices mixed with a hard upbringing had molded me into the person I was today even if some of those mistakes echoed in the nightmares that plagued me from time to time. There were lots of kids who grew up with less than stellar childhoods so I wasn't unique.

Slater was also a prime example of a messed-up childhood that made it difficult for him to let people close. We were two scarred people who knew how hard life could be. It had helped us understand each other and it had bonded us together, closer than our families.

Pulling myself back to the present, I gave the girl who was still trying to flirt with me a slight smile that I knew made girls weak, while I debated taking her upstairs to my room. She was beautiful but I bet she looked even better naked. My eyes trailed over the swell of her breasts as I imagined what she would look like with nothing on.

I never bedded drunk girls. It was a rule I lived by. It ensured there were no misunderstandings the next morning. I felt the familiar pull in my veins at the thought of running my hands over her body and making her moan with contentment.

"I've seen you around campus," she said, her hand on my arm covering part of my tattoo sleeve. I nodded distractedly.

I allowed my eyes to wander around the party to see if I could find Slater in the throng of people. He'd been talking to some girl and I wondered how it was going.

Slater didn't have any problems picking up girls and they usually gravitated to him but he was pickier with his choices than I was. I was emotionally scarred and Slater was worse but, knowing his childhood had been a lot harder than mine, I understood why. I was the only one who knew about his past.

I was still scanning the crowd, looking for Slater, when my eyes meshed with a pair of blue eyes attached to one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Any thought of Slater or the girl who was still talking disappeared out of my mind.

The girl with the striking, large blue eyes with shoulder-length platinum-blond hair looked at me tentatively as I continued to stare at her. She was breathtaking. Her figure was incredible in a short mini skirt and top.

I continued to hold her stare, wondering how long it would take her to look away. My look was direct and suggestive. The side of my mouth tipped in a half-smile. I'd used it on so many girls and knew it was lethal. Her eyes were fixed on me. The warning bells were already going off but I ignored them. I could tell by the way she pulled the red mini skirt down that she wasn't comfortable in what she was wearing. She lacked the confidence I was used to in the opposite sex.

It either meant she was innocent or she hadn't had a lot of experience. My blood heated at the thought of her. A quick sweep of her long legs quickened my pulse.

"Are you listening?" the girl beside me said and I brought my attention back to her, suppressing the automatic frown at being interrupted.

"Sorry, I was looking for my friend," I explained without missing a beat.

My eyes drifted back to the girl with the blue eyes but she was talking to a girl I recognized.

Jordan. She was not a fan. I would bet she was probably warning the girl from getting involved with me. I experienced a moment of disappointment that I wouldn't get a chance to get to know the blue-eyed girl better. Just as well, I reminded myself. There was a vulnerability about her that had tugged at something inside of me. It was unsettling.

"Do you want to go somewhere quiet?" the girl said, continuing to flirt with me.

The attraction I'd felt only moments before had dwindled and I knew it had something to do with the blue-eyed girl across the room.

"Maybe next time," I told her. She looked disappointed but I brushed it off. "I'll talk to you later."

I escaped to look for Slater, and I found him in the kitchen talking to a girl. With a look he could tell I was agitated. He made an excuse to the girl and headed to me.

"Everything okay?" he asked. I nodded as I found a beer and opened it.

"Everything's fine," I insisted before I took a gulp from the bottle.

He never said anything more but he gave me a knowing look. I refused to open up about the reason I was feeling a little unsteady.

Two drinks later, I felt more collected so I left the kitchen. I couldn't stop myself from looking for the blue-eyed girl who had piqued my interest before, but I couldn't find her.

I pushed my way through the crowd dancing in the living room as I made my way across the room.