Forgotten

by Jennifer Sucevic

  Totally annoying.

  Narrowing those gorgeous eyes of his, half his mouth lifts into a smile. My breath catches again. How can that possibly be just as devastating as the full blown smile he’s already treated me to?

  I almost have to shake my head just to clear it of the spell he’s weaving around me.

  “No?” His head tilts just a bit to the side as he continues watching me. There’s just a hint of a smirk hovering around the edges of his lips.

  “No.” Forcing myself to hold strong against all this gorgeousness crammed into one irresistible package, I repeat slowly before elaborating, “I wasn’t going to answer you.”

  Brows drawing slowly together, he blinks his eyes as if I’m some sort of strange specimen smeared across a microscope slide. “What’s your name?”

  Hastily I shake my head.

  Nope. We are definitely not going to play this game. There is absolutely no way in hell I’m getting dragged into some quasi-friendship with this guy. That would be a mistake of epic proportions. I can already feel it.

  If, and that’s a really big if, I have a type, this guy is it. Therefor he must be avoided at all costs. That would be the smartest thing to do and I’m all about being smart. I refuse to fuck up my life any more than I already have.

  His brows, which are thick but not overly caterpillar-like, hike up his forehead in disbelief. “So, let me get this straight- you won’t tell me what Alex did to upset you and you won’t give me your name?” Once again laughter brims in his rich deep voice as he shakes his head.

  The slow scald of a blush burns its way across my cheeks. Nervously my eyes dart around the crammed, dimly lit room one last time hoping that Brooklyn will magically appear so I can just grab her and bolt, but that apparently isn’t meant to be.

  Because there hasn’t been a Brooklyn sighting in at least twenty minutes.

  “I’m not upset.” But I’m definitely getting there. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the gigantic ass who groped me and everything to do with the gorgeous, tawny eyed, dimpled Adonis who won’t leave me alone.

  “But you did sic those three girls on him, right?” He nods his head to the left and my eyes naturally slide in that direction. We’re both able to see the incredibly tall and brawny Alex along with the three girls who are still in the process of tearing him a new one. Actually, focusing on that for a moment lightens my mood considerably because you can just tell those girls have totally committed themselves to their mission. It’s doubtful that Alex will be going anywhere for a quite a while. And if he does somehow manage to escape their clutches, they’ll probably follow him, picking up even more girls along the way.

  Technically speaking, I only pulled one girl into our conversation. That being said, I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of a proud moment for me. I’m seriously hoping that Alex has learned his ass grabbing lesson tonight.

  “He got what he deserved.”

  I’m going to think of that whole incident as a public service to all the women who attend Western University.

  You’re welcome.

  Not to be thrown off course, he persists. “So just tell me what he did to deserve it.” He looks genuinely interested. But still…

  I narrow my eyes because this little back and forth is exactly what I didn’t want to get sucked into.

  Hmm… ignoring him didn’t work.

  Bitchiness hasn’t deterred him either.

  Maybe if I just give him the answers he’s after, he’ll get bored and wander off in search of easier prey.

  Huffing out an aggravated breath, I finally mumble, “He grabbed my ass.”

  Those golden eyes darken as his mouth sinks into a deep frown. “I’m sorry he did that to you. I think Alex is pretty wasted.”

  The edges of my lips instantly pull down into a scowl. “Being drunk isn’t a legitimate excuse for sexually harassing me. What he did was wrong.” I stab a finger in Alex’s direction. “That dude got what he deserved. Actually, he’s lucky I didn’t knock his teeth out.”

  Eyes flaring, he quickly holds up both hands. “I never claimed it was an acceptable justification for touching you.” He looks seriously put out that I think he’s making excuses for his meathead friend. But I don’t care. I want him gone. His very presence unnerves me. And I don’t like it.

  So even though I know he means well, I carry on with my plan to drive him away. “Actually,” I cut in, “that’s exactly what you said.”

  Those thick brows of his jerk together as he shakes his head. “But it’s not what I meant. I just wanted you to know that he drank a few too many and isn’t using good judgment. Alex is a pretty harmless guy. But yeah, I guess he thought you were pretty and was looking for a way to approach you.”

  This conversation has gone from bad to worse. My mouth literally falls open. “So you’re actually telling me,” I say with a shitload of disbelief, “that this is my fault because he thinks I’m pretty?”

  Is this guy for real?

  His eyes widen at the insinuation. “No,” he finally snaps with just a bit of heat, “that’s not what I meant at all.” Looking frustrated, he quickly runs a hand through his messy brown hair.

  I’m momentarily distracted by those rich chocolate colored strands of his. Yep, totally dangerous.

  “But that’s what you just said.” Thankfully this conversation is going exactly where I need it to- right down the tubes. Like I said before- gorgeous guy, total asshole behavior. Guess I’m not as far off the mark as I’d originally suspected. But this is exactly what I want. For him to expose himself as a douche and for me to move on without so much as a second thought.

  So why does him doing exactly what I want leave me with a feeling of disappointment sitting in the pit of my belly? I force that thought away before I’m able to examine it too closely.

  Looking exasperated, which yeah, is a totally adorable look on him as well, he finally snaps, “Damn it, I know that’s what I said. All I wanted to do was apologize for Alex pissing you off.” He actually glares at me… with those amazing golden eyes of his. “I’m apologizing on behalf of my friend. That’s it. Okay?”

  Not knowing what else to do, I shrug my shoulders. “Fine. Apology accepted.” It’s definitely time to leave. If this guy has any self-preservation skills what so ever, he’ll let me go about my business without trying to detain me again. “Bye.” Turning, I give him a half wave, before continuing to search through the thick press of bodies for my roommate.

  Make that my former roommate…

  “Hold up!”

  Christ Almighty!

  All I want to do is shake this guy loose. Can he seriously not take a hint? I’m not interested! I don’t want to be interested. I don’t need the distraction. And he’s definitely a distraction.

  “I need to find Brooklyn so I can get the hell out of here,” I mutter to myself.

  “What?” His breath feathers along the back of my neck making goosebumps ripple across my arms. I grit my teeth trying to suppress my body’s natural reaction to him.

  With heat flaring in my narrowed eyes, I careen towards him for a third time. “Are you following me?” My gaze locks on his. As annoyed as I am right now, I still find him completely dreamy. Which only exacerbates all those feelings of frustration and annoyance that are roiling through me right now.

  “Um… yes?”

  He sounds none too sure. His eyes continue to hold mine and even though I don’t want him melting the thick sheath of ice protecting me, he kind of is.

  Inhaling a deep breath before blowing it slowly out, I try to calm the raging mess inside me once and for all. “Look, you seem like a nice guy.” Well, as nice of a guy as I’m going find at an ass grabbing kegger. “But this isn’t going to happen.”

  His thick brows instantly slide together and it’s kind of… argh, adorable. Aw hell, it’s completely adorable. Damn him for being completely gorgeous and adorable. That is such a lethal combination. I’m sure he has all the girls at Western
swooning at his feet.

  But I’m not one of those girls.

  “What’s not going to happen?” His utter confusion only adds to his adorableness.

  Seriously… I cannot catch a break here.

  Slowly I point my finger between the pair of us. I have to stifle a groan because he’s so damn close. And yes, I probably should have known he would smell completely amazing. Like the ocean on a perfectly sunny day with just a hint of a breeze. I want to inhale a great big breath of him but I don’t. I don’t dare because he’s much too dangerous for the likes of me.

  “This.”

  “I just want to know your name,” he replies quietly as if he actually means the words. And I can’t deny that a very teeny tiny part within me wants to tell him.

  Holding firm against all that cuteness packaged neatly in front of me, I force myself to give him a long patronizing look. “Right.” I stretch the word out for a good five seconds before adding an exaggerated eye roll. “Sure you do.” Then I go in for the kill. “Look, I’m not going to fuck you. Not tonight or tomorrow night or ever.” Instead, I point to all the scantily clad girls that surround us. Of which there are many. “There are a lot easier marks around here than me. Go find one of them to play with.”

  That being said, I spin back around but don’t get very far. Surprised by the sudden grip on my upper arm, he swings me back around. His brows are scrunched together and low over his eyes as he glares. Sounding irritated, he bites out, “I’m not interested in getting laid for Christ’s sake and it’s a pretty shitty assumption on your part for thinking it.”

  With widened eyes, I freeze beneath his touch as my heart jackhammers painfully. A sudden release of adrenaline careens through my veins. Sweat pops out across my brow as my chest instantly tightens.

  Even though his grip isn’t biting, it has every cell within my body seizing up with panic.

  I don’t like being touched. Or grabbed. Or manhandled.

  In all honesty, I’d been nice to Alex. I’d let him off easy. But this… this isn’t okay. I don’t even realize that I’m baring my teeth until I’m already doing it. When my words finally tumble out, they’re nothing more than an angry hiss from between tightly clenched lips. I can’t stop the fine tremble that slides its way through my now taut body.

  “Take your damn hand off me!”

  Eyes flaring wide, he immediately drops my arm as if I’ve burned him with the heat of my words. Silently we stare at each other for a long painful heartbeat… or maybe it’s more like twenty. The rowdy laughter and pulsing music surrounding us fades into the background as our eyes hold. My ragged breath hitches as I suck in a great big gulp of oxygen before forcing it slowly out.

  Even though he’s dropped my arm, I’m still gripped by a tidal wave of anxiety as it crashes over me, threatening to drag me under. The slight trembling turns into bone shaking tremors. My chest feels like it is being squeezed by a vise.

  I can’t breathe.

  I have to… I have to get out of here.

  In another moment I’ll be choking on my panic. I can feel the familiar tendrils coiling inside me. The last thing I need is to lose my shit in front of all these drunken strangers.

  Without another word, I spin on my heels before frantically shoving my way through the thick press of bodies until I find myself at the front door. Staggering outside into the brisk night air, I inhale deep gulps of fresh oxygen as I stumble my way down the sidewalk like some drunken idiot. I need to put as much distance between me and that god awful party as I can. Even though I try desperately to settle the frantic thoughts rolling through my head, it’s impossible.

  It’s way too late to rein in all my out-of-control emotions.

  Bending over, I promptly vomit my dinner onto someone’s overgrown front yard. The only bright side I can find in this mess is that my pile of puke probably won’t be the only one gracing the lawn come morning.

  Sneak Peek

  Confessions of a Heartbreaker

  Available Now!

  Chapter One

  "Yo, Parker, where you'd disappear to, dude?"

  I hear Max holler at me from outside on the darkened patio. There's a sly smile plastered across his face because he knows exactly where I've been for the last hour. And who I've been up to it with...

  Shaking my head, I flash him a grin but don't say a word. Natalie Cosgrove is all snuggled up against the side of me. My arm is casually slung over her shoulders as we make our way through the thick crowd of juniors and seniors to the keg in the backyard. Being the gentleman that I am, I top off Natalie's cup before filling my own.

  Yep, that girl has definitely earned it tonight.

  Just as we're about to join Max and a few of the other guys from the football team I pause, turning towards Natalie. Without any warning I lean down, giving her a long deep kiss on her soft lips. She stares up at me with a flushed face and satisfied eyes.

  Don't ever let it be said that I don't aim to please...

  "That was pretty damn awesome," I murmur. My fingers gently stroke the side of her face. It's a practiced move. I'm gearing up to send Natalie on her merry little way.

  She blushes, her lips bowing up at the corners. "It was, Parker."

  Her hot pink colored talons trail lightly over the t-shirt covering my chest. They linger for a moment or two as she turns her big baby blue eyes up at me. She has great eyes. Well, actually, Natalie has a great everything.

  "Maybe later we can meet up again." Her eyelashes flutter against the paleness of her cheeks before her eyes meet mine.

  That's one of the things I like about Natalie. She's subtle, not pushy. I'm definitely not into pushy chicks.

  But still...

  I smile even though I'm not totally feeling what she's putting out there. "Yeah, maybe, we'll see." I glance over at my teammates feeling impatient to join them... without Natalie. "Listen, babe, I'm going to hang with the guys for a while." Before she can think of a way to detain me, I smack a quick kiss on her full lips and take off.

  As I weave my way through the crowd, I take a great big gulp of beer in relief. Damn that feels good going down.

  Max turns just as I approach. His eyes trail behind me before slowly traveling up and down Natalie's hot little body. His perusal of her doesn't bother me. It's not like we're together. Not really. Anyway, Max likes to live vicariously through me. He just has to do it when Emily's not around because if she ever caught him looking at another girl, she'd more than likely cut off his balls before ramming them down his throat.

  "Damn, that girl is fine."

  I glance over Max's shoulder and give a subtle cough. "Oh- hi, Emily."

  Eyes wide, mouth gaping open, Max spins around.

  Only to find open space.

  I can't help but laugh because the look on his face is completely priceless.

  "You're such an ass, Montgomery." He elbows me in the ribs.

  It only makes me laugh harder. "Yeah, I know but I'm okay with that." And I am.

  "You know Em would kill me if she heard me talking about Natalie."

  I nod taking another swallow of my beer. "I do know that which is why your expression was so freaking comical."

  "You really are an ass."

  Max shakes his head before his eyes once again land on Natalie. Apparently he's not quite done gawking and talking about her. Which is funny because I'm completely done talking about her. Tipping his beer back, he takes a swig.

  "Not sure why you aren't tapping that on a regular basis."

  "Because regular basis equates to girlfriend and I don't do those."

  Max rolls his eyes. He doesn't get why I'm so adamantly against having one. I can't decide if it's because he legitimately enjoys being in a committed relationship and therefore wants me to experience the same joy as well. Or if misery loves company and he's looking for someone to keep him company. I'm leaning towards the misery-loves-company explanation because Max and Emily are totally psycho crazy together. I'm not even kidd
ing. His on-again off-again on-again off-again carousel of a relationship with her is enough to put anyone off having a girlfriend.

  Like ever.

  They're constantly fighting and making up. I never know from one day to the next if they're together or not.

  Who needs, or better yet, wants all that drama?

  I sure as hell don't.

  I'm going to let you in on a little secret I've discovered about the girls at this school- they genuinely seem to thrive on the gossip, he-said-she-said BS, constant backstabbing, and petty arguments. Oh, and then there's my personal favorite- defriending. Actually, I've met girls from other schools and they're just as bad. So, yeah, I'm totally not into having one of those for my very own.

  No, thanks.

  I glance over my shoulder as I take another gulp of my beer. Natalie's found her way over to a large group of scantily clad giggling girls.

  I don't get it. It's October and it's cold. They can't possibly be warm standing around outside like that.

  For just a moment, I study them. Sometimes it feels like I'm an anthropologist observing the social interactions of some strange primitive culture. If you watch carefully enough, you'll start to understand the social hierarchy and dynamics of the group. It doesn't take long to figure out who the highest and lowest members are. And then they all stand around flipping their hair, rolling their eyes, and laughing obnoxiously.

  Through careful observations, I've come to realize that this is an attempt to gain attention from the male species that surround them. The only thing worse than that is when they start drinking, get depressed, and then bawl because the guy they like doesn't like them in return. Ugh. I've been on the flip side of that one way too many times. It sucks.

  Now don't get me wrong, I love girls. Clearly I do but I just don't have much use for all the crap that comes with them. Outside of the physical, I find them completely exhausting.

  Natalie must sense my gaze because she suddenly glances in our direction. Ignoring Max, she meets my eyes before giving me a coy little smile and wave. My lips lift in return before I salute her with my red cup.