Since my cup was empty and I needed a refill anyway, I joined her. “Might as well.”
I wondered if I would be able to pop another pill without any of the girls noticing. Since my purse spilled at a party several months back and my pill bottle fell out, I’d been working harder to keep it to myself. They wouldn’t understand.
The pills helped a lot when I hurt my back at work last year after lifting a heavy case of liquor bottles. Now they simply helped me get through each day. Making it a little easier. I didn’t take too many, and it had never become a problem, so I didn’t see a reason to bring attention to it. Everyone around us was drinking and doing street drugs. That was far worse in my opinion.
While Athena flashed her come hither smile at several guys, we made our way through the room. One of the hockey players caught her eye. She couldn’t resist stopping to gush over a recent game the university team had won. After giving him her number, we continued on to the kitchen.
I couldn’t help but be impressed by Athena. She was so bold. She never let anything stop her from going after what she wanted. Although I wasn’t the shy type, I didn’t have the confidence to approach men the way she did.
We entered the large kitchen, squeezing through people to the counter where a fantastic array of alcohol had been laid out. We topped up our drinks, lingering so Athena could scrutinize every man in the vicinity.
Several people were packed around a large table in the attached dining area. A few of the Kings were there playing poker, including Auryn Brewer. I couldn’t resist giving him a curious onceover.
Platinum blonde with a short, stylish haircut, he had deep brown eyes that would draw any woman under his spell. While not huge or bulky, he had a moderate build. Firm like hehad muscle in the right places. A guy that ran a black market business couldn’t let himself go.
Too bad he was such a player. Even though I wasn’t on the hunt for a boyfriend, I wasn’t interested in being a conquest either.
Feeling my gaze upon him, Auryn glanced up, making eye contact. Shit. He caught me. Well, that was embarrassing.
I quickly redirected my attention back to Athena, feeling my cheeks turn pink. She was chattering about some guy in one of her classes. Wondering if she should go talk to him. Then deciding against it since she didn’t want to make it weird in class. I nodded along, doing my best to resist the urge to glance back at Auryn to see if he was still looking at me.
It shouldn’t have mattered anyway. I’d never looked twice at him. That shouldn’t change just because he’d asked about me.
“I told you he wants you.” Athena subtly inclined her head in his direction. “He’s hard-core checking you out. Good thing I told you to wear that skirt tonight. It makes your ass look divine.”
I glanced down at the pleated black skirt I wore. It fell to mid-thigh, showing off my legs. I’d paired it with a long-sleeved red top made of soft material that hugged my body just right.
“I’m not looking for a one night stand,” I protested. “The last one was a disaster.”
And how. My last one night stand had been after a drunken night out at a concert. The guy was a total hottie. A guitarist for the band. I’d expected it to be amazing. Instead, he’d grunted like a pig before coming after a few thrusts and promptly passing out. Gross.
“Auryn has far too much ego to be a disaster in bed. Give it a go. You might have a good time.” Athena gave me a push. “I’m going to go chat up the sexy British guy that transferred hereearlier this year. I love his accent. I’ll meet you back at the couch with the girls.”
She was gone before I could stop her. Driven by her latest conquest. I guess a sexy accent beat out the hot hockey player. Having no intention of hanging around, I turned to go back into the living room. And ran right into Jamie.
Fuck me. What was he doing here?
His dark eyes swept over me, lingering on my short skirt. “I didn’t expect to run into you here. Do you come to these parties often?”
That was really none of his damn business. Instead of saying as much, I said, “I’m here with my friends. They’re waiting for me in the other room.”
“That’s cool. We should hang out sometime soon. Maybe we can stay in this time. You could come to my place. When would be a good time for you?” He swigged from the beer bottle he held, awaiting my response like this was a completely normal conversation to have.
My brows shot up. I gaped at him in disbelief. Was this guy for real?
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Jamie. Like I said before, I think we would be better off as friends.” Since he was blocking my path to the living room, I couldn’t easily slip past him. I would have given anything for Athena or one of the other girls to come save me right then.
“So come over and we’ll hang out as friends.” Jamie shrugged, like it was that simple.
“Maybe some other time.” Not knowing how to handle this conversation, I tried to let him down easy. “I’m pretty busy with graduation coming up in a couple months and work. I don’t have a lot of time.”
Hopefully after graduation I would never see him again. Too bad he knew where I worked.
“I don’t feel like you gave us a real chance. Get to know me a little. I have a feeling we would be really great together.” He reached to take my hand.
My automatic reaction was to jerk away. I even went so far as to take a step back. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I told you how I feel. Please respect that.”
He shoved a hand through his short brown hair, huffing out an angry breath. “Why do you have to be so difficult? I’m a nice guy. I deserve a chance at the very least.”
