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With a disappointed sigh, I decide to leave. I look around the room to see if I can see the girls anywhere so I can tell them I'm going. I bypass the couple on the chair grinding on each other, and two girls making out, but I have to do a double take when I see Barbara's red hair in the mix with them. I blink when I notice her hand up the girl's skirt while she kisses one of the girls' necks as the boy’s around them cheer them on.
Awesome. I'm definitely not interrupting her.
I look around the room again but don't see Penny anywhere and decide screw it. Pushing myself off the wall, I’m ready to leave, knowing they don’t give a crap about me. I bump into a hard chest and nearly fall on my ass. I gasp, feeling my feet slip out from under me as I try to grab hold of anything but failing. I brace myself, expecting to hit the ground with a thump, but two large hands grip my arms to steady me, my hands grabbing onto thick biceps.
I look up to see Tats' dark blue eyes, making me swallow hard.
Crap….
He blinks a couple of times before clearing his throat. His hands squeeze my arms a little, sending a tingle throughout my body.
He steps back and rasps, "Are you okay, Shorty?"
Crap, he smells good—woodsy—and, wow, his arms….
He feels so good against my skin.
I blink. Crap, he just spoke. What did he say?
He smirks as his words finally reach me, bringing me out of my Tats-induced haze.
Okay, I'm small, but not that small, so the name Shorty is annoying.
I place my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes, stating, "I'm not that short, Tats," making his smirk widen, and I just raise a brow at him, trying my hardest not to blush.
He shakes his head. "Sweety, you're like 5 ft 4; you're short. Embrace it. Did I hurt you when I grabbed you?"
I shake my head at him, my cheeks starting to feel a little hot, remembering nearly falling on my ass in front of everyone. I reply, "No, I'm okay. Good catch, though." He chuckles, his eyes eating me up, and I clear my throat, stuttering, "Uh, um, thanks for not letting me fall. I'll, uh, see you around…."
He furrows his brows as he looks at me and the direction I am going before stepping closer. I notice his dark blue eyes are dilated.
“You leaving?" he asks.
I shrug, nodding toward the table before stating, "It's not really my scene. My momma told me I had to at least attend one party and have fun. I've attended, but that's a little too much fun for my liking, especially when my cousin overdosed on coke last year and died. Plus, my friends ditched me."
Can I even class them as friends?
He nods, his gaze moving to the table as he swallows, a shadow overtaking his features before he hides it with a grin. He looks at me, tilting his head, giving me a once over before nodding toward the stairs.
"There's a room upstairs with a balcony; why don't we head up there? You can have a drink and watch the party below so you can get the full feel of it without the crap, and I'll keep you company."
I study him for a moment. He seems sincere, but I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but something doesn't seem right with him. Normally, he's the happy-go-lucky guy that I've crushed on for years. Now, he looks lost—unless he always was, and he'd hidden it better.
I saw him the first time when my parents took me around Huntersville High, ready for freshman year. He was a senior, and I wasn't even on his radar. When I started here for college, I didn't know he attended until I saw him across the lawn near the art department last week.
He's covered with tattoos, so it doesn't surprise me that he's gone down that career path.
He grins. "Come on, Shorty. Have a few drinks, and then you can tell ya momma you stayed for over two hours."
I snort, still uneasy about staying, but nod gingerly, wanting this time with him. He throws his fist in the air in victory, making me chuckle. He takes my hand, leading me upstairs, as electric shocks shoot through me. I don't think he notices the “zinging” as he pushes past people who look at me with questions in their eyes. We approach a long hallway where he opens a brown door to our left, bringing us into a wide-open room with a king-sized bed, two white dressers, and a flat-screen TV.
I walk to the double doors at the other end and open them, walking out onto the balcony as he shuts the main door.
I look over the balcony's edge as Tats comes and stands next to me, handing me an unopened bottled water. I give him a grateful smile then turn to look out into the crowd just in time to see Penny topless in the pool as some guy sucks on her boob while some girl sucks on her neck.
I wince, making Tats raise a brow, but I just shake my head. "Somehow, I didn't expect to see my new sorority sister topless in a pool."
He laughs then leans on the railing, taking a large gulp of a drink that looks like urine. His body sways a little, but I don't take notice, thinking it was in time with the music. We're quiet for a while, just people-watching, and I'm in my own little world when two fingers gently curl under my chin. With a little pressure of his fingers, I turn to look at him. I suck in a breath at how close he is, his nose nearly touching mine.
