AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tugged at my arm to drag me over, but something held me back. “I’m going to wander around a bit. I’ll catch you later.”
“Sure. I’ll see you in a bit. Or…” She giggled. “Back in the room if you’re looking to score some action here.”
I snorted. Maybe that was her plan, to get some action, because the guys watched as she stumbled across the lawn toward her BFF. I wasn’t sure if she would end up back at her friend’s place or with one of those guys.
With a cursory glance, I held onto my drink and didn’t see anyone else I knew, which was zero people, really, aside from Jax. But maybe I could find the hot guy from the Spot. Something told me he would be there. I rolled my eyes at myself. The thought wasn’t as profound as it had seemed at first. It was easy to assume because of all the similarly built guys there.
Head high, I wove through partiers until I made it to the stairs that would take me to the porch and wide-open door to the house. I crossed the threshold and took a beat to brace myself against the sheer volume of music flooding the space. A crush of people stood inside, and I edged my way along the outer wall.
I pushed out another breath. My third since Piper had traipsed off to join her friend. My nerves were getting the best of me. They weren’t about the party, not really. It was him. I could feel him somewhere in there. Weirdest thing ever, but every inch of me was hyperaware of his larger-than-life presence, and I swore he was inside the huge house because that was where I felt most drawn.
And the weirdest thing, I didn’t even know his name. But every journey started with a single step, and that was mine—to take back my life. Being there was surreal. It wasn’t exactly where I grew up, but it was close enough and around people from the same school I’d attended years ago. Brooke and I had discussed my attending Thane and conquering old ghosts many times.
Another visual sweep of drunk partygoers, and I suppressed my dislike for everything it encompassed. I wasn’t a partier. But that didn’t matter. I was back, and it was time to take full control of my life.
I eased around two girls, and that was when I saw him standing in a doorway, hands holding onto the frame over his head, muscles bulging. My mouth watered at the picture he presented. I never looked twice at the big, brawny types. They hadn’t been my jam before, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Every visible inch of him drew me in, but I held my stance.Would he see me, remember me?I didn’t flirt or chase after anyone, so the whole thing was foreign territory.I… I just want something for me that isn’t in my plan. Or maybe this is?Taking back my life could entail letting someone else in, even a little bit.
The fine hair on the back of my neck rose as his gaze locked on mine. He said something to the brunette with her hair slicked back into a high ponytail then broke off their conversation as he walked toward me. The crowd parted for him.
It was loud, and I had no idea how we would converse, but I wanted to. A beer bottle dangled from his fingers. A slight grin curved his lips, and his eyes smoldered. He glanced pointedly at the drink I held, and I shook my head. I didn’t need another. I hadn’t even drunk a sip yet. When he reached me, he settled his large hand on the small of my back. The tiniest bit of pressure had me moving in the direction he wanted me to go—toward the rear door.
He pushed open the screen, and we walked out onto a deck. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering how I could tactfully ask his name. Nothing clever came to mind, and when we stopped in a dimly lit corner of the yard, a reasonable distance from the deck, I took the standard route.
“I’m Winter.”
His hand fell away, and we faced one another as he took a long pull from his beer. Dark-blue eyes held mine, his expression giving nothing away. “I know who you are.”
“Oh?” I scanned his face, trying to find something familiar. I drew a blank, and when a slow, wicked grin curved his kissable lips, I stopped trying to place him.
“I make sure to know all the beautiful women.”
I shifted from foot to foot, heat climbing up my neck and settling in my cheeks. He was a total player. “Maybe this was a mistake.”
Strong, warm fingers loosely encircled my wrist, and I froze at how the slightest contact sent bolts of electricity surging through my body.
“Don’t go. I want to get to know you.”
I tilted my head. I couldn’t figure him out. If nothing else, I owed it to myself to see where our crazy chemistry would lead, if only because I’d never felt anything like it before, and I was more than a little curious. “Do you live here?” I flicked my gaze over his shoulder at the brightly lit house looming behind us.
“Yeah. I’m on the football team.” He released me, his gaze bouncing over my face, searching. “You don’t remember who I am?”
I gave a slight shake of my head.
“We went to elementary school together.”
That explained why I had no idea who he was, not really. I only remembered Piper because Summer was best friends with her. Those years, especially the last one, had been shitty. Mom was doing a lot of drugs. Men were in and out of the house, and my grandparents wanted nothing to do with us. The reference to that time shook me, and I didn’t want to admit I had no clue who he was. “Oh, right. It’s great to see you again.”
He didn’t give anything away. Not even his name. Frustration clawed at me, but not enough for me to ask. Something held me back. Maybe it was how his features began to change. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth formed a tight line. A girl shrieked, and I glanced toward the sound. Some guy chased her around the yard. Both were laughing. He caught her and swung her around, then over his shoulder, before bounding up the porch steps and into the house.
When I swiveled back to the nameless blue-eyed man, I thought I might be going crazy.Did I imagine how hard he looked a moment ago?I gave myself a mental shake because his face was back to normal as he smiled at me, and something about the intensity in his eyes made me want to take a risk, stay, and get to know him a little.
“How do you like playing for the team?”
“It’s everything I’d hoped it would be, aside from the injury I had at the beginning of the season. That cost me a few games. But next year will be even better. How about you? Are you in any sports? Or are you here strictly for academics?”
“Academics. Art mainly. I’ve never gotten into sports.” That would have burned precious calories when I was young. And in Brooke and James’s care, it never occurred to me to try.
