"Yeah."
Liam stepped off the last stair as Mike led the way to the keg by the door. His gaze drifted back to Michelle. She was still standing in the doorway, but there was another girl with her now. Liam frowned as he paused to study the new addition. She was small, and delicate, with a petite frame emphasized by the body-hugging clothes she wore. Her breasts were high and full, a little more than a handful. Her waist was no more than an open hand width, her hips small and round. Despite her tiny appearance, her legs were amazingly long. In the short skirt she wore, he was able to admire the elegant curve of her calves and lower thighs.
He tore his gaze away from her legs as a familiar tightening began filling his groin. Her long, golden hair fell freely over her shoulders to spill down her back in thick, cascading waves. Her nose was small and narrow with a small slope at the end of it. He couldn't see her eyes, but he imagined they were as spectacular as the rest of her. Her mouth was full and an enticing dark, rose red color. A mouth designed for kissing, he decided.
"Who's that?"
Mike lifted his head from the keg. "Where?" he inquired as he thrust another beer into Liam's hand.
"The girl with Michelle, who is she?"
Mike's gaze followed his. He chuckled under his breath as he smiled. "That, my friend, is Serendipity, or Sera. Forget it, you'll never get close to her."
Liam raised an inquiring eyebrow as he took a sip of beer. "Really?"
"Yep. No one ever has."
He shot Mike a questioning look. "No one?" he asked in disbelief. The girl was beautiful; he highly doubted she had any problem attracting men. Even now, there were a bunch of guys hovering around her like moths to a flame.
Mike turned to him, his cornflower blue eyes intense. "As far as I know, she's never dated anyone on campus, and I've never seen her with a guy."
"But she comes to frat parties?"
"She comes with her roommate, and she leaves with her roommate, or by herself."
"Is she a lesbian?" He certainly hoped not, but it was a possibility.
"Never heard or saw anything like that either. Leave her be, Liam."
His brow furrowed as he turned to stare at Mike in disbelief. "Why, because she turned you down?" he quipped.
Mike shook his head. "I've never tried."
Liam started to laugh as he shook his head. "Yeah right. I know you, and there's no way you wouldn't try with someone like her!"
Mike shook his head and bent to refill his cup. "Seriously, I haven't."
Liam stared at him in astonishment. He knew Mike as well as he knew himself, and he knew he intended to try with her. He didn't believe Mike for one second. Mike took hold of his cup and bent to refill it. "Why not?"
Mike shoved the cup back into Liam's hand. "I don't know. I mean she's hot, don't get me wrong, but..."
"But what?"
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I don't know. We had Trig together last year; she helped me out a lot. I couldn't have passed the class without her, you know how I am with math, but there's something about her..." his voice trailed off as he frowned thoughtfully.
Liam sensed there was more, that Mike had used his incredible powers of deduction on the girl and hadn't liked what he'd discovered. "What about her?" Liam prodded.
Mike's frown deepened as he turned troubled eyes to Liam. "Honestly, it's almost as if she's scared of something. The few times I accidentally touched her, she would get this look on her face that, well... it just wasn't normal, wasn't right. I didn't want to scare her even more by making a pass at her. Plus..." Mike broke off, his brow furrowed as he stared at Sera and Michelle.
"Plus what?" Liam prodded.
Mike took a sip of beer. "I don't know; there's something about her, something I can't put my finger on or describe. Something different."
Liam couldn't believe one word he was hearing. Mike usually didn't care about a girl one way or another. No matter what. The fact he’d restrained himself from going after someone was astounding, but to hear him talk about her as if he genuinely liked her was an absolute miracle.
"Are you okay, Mike? Are you sick or something?"
Mike's frown disappeared as he grinned merrily. "No, I'm not. Trust me when you get close enough you'll see it, and you'll understand."
Liam turned to look at her. "Who said I was going to get close enough?"
Mike laughed. "I think you should leave her be, but I know you, you'll be heading in that direction. For now though, let's see what other options we have available to us tonight. You're going to need them."
Liam didn't think he would need any other options. He had marked his conquest for the night, and he was going to have her, but it never hurt to look. "Sounds good to me."
Liam watched as she slipped out the door. He almost went after her but decided against it. She would be back; of that he was certain. When she came back, he would make his presence known. Until then, he decided to give her time alone and to inspect the rest of the women available for another night.
He followed Mike onto the crowded dance floor, instantly finding himself swamped by a group of girls who made it quite obvious he could have whatever he wanted from them. He tried to focus his attention on them, but his thoughts kept wandering to Sera, and when she would return.
Chapter Two
"Here you are!" Sera looked up as Kathleen stumbled toward her. Beer splashed out of her cup, splattering on the ground. "Whatcha doing out here?"
"Just getting some air."
"Hmm,
