* * * *

The club was new and you could tell it by the number of people packed into it by the time we arrived. The guys with me piled in behind me as we approached the bouncer at the front of the long line.

"Finn. My man. What's up, brother?" The large meat-head guarding the front door extended his hand and I shook it. His father was a good friend of my old man's. It paid to know people.

"Hey, Jeff. Any way we cannot stand in this line? I left my jacket at home and my boy Jared here is down for his bachelor party." I tugged Jared up to the front with me, the poor bastard already too drunk to stand.

Jeff chuckled and opened the door. "Only for you. You know it's the ladies who usually get this treatment."

I moved back and shuffled the five other guys in the door before me. "Well, I've been with most of them. That count?"

"Lucky bastard. Get inside before I change my mind." He patted my back as I walked in and took a quick inventory of the room. Large dance floor to the left, bar to the right, very few seats, loud, sexy music, and pulsating lights.

Yep. It's officially a night club.

Brian snagged the only remaining table in the place, and I glanced toward the bar before looking back at the guys.

"What are we having? Bucket of beers?"

The all grunted their replies and I walked off, not caring much what they wanted. I was buying the first round, and it was going to be the cheap stuff. It was the quickest way to get someone else to pick up the tab for the rest of the night. I had no shame and certainly wasn't spending my last dime on a bunch of drunk guys.

"You're not spending it on a woman either," I grumbled to myself and stopped by the bar before turning around and catching the eyes of a pair of twins who were having far too much fun dancing together.

The thinner of the two motioned for me to join them and I politely declined. Some guys were good with more than one woman, but not me. I was too much of a selfish bastard. I wanted to leave the girl I was with panting for more.

"Whatcha having, buddy?" The bartender pushed a bowl of peanuts in front of me and smiled.

"Bucket of your cheapest beers. My friends are already tanked."

"Sucks." He laughed and I nodded in agreement before tempting myself by looking back out to the dance floor.

A pretty blond next to them with her back to me caught my attention as I waited for our drinks. The way she rolled her hips left her ass jiggling subtly in her tight skirt and I couldn't help but watch attentively. She needed a man up behind her, taking the brunt of her movements.

I sucked in a deep breath and turned to pay the guy before carrying my bucket back to the table. Better for me to steer clear of the dance floor. I had a few moves of my own and didn't need to be pulling them out if I were planning on going home alone, which I was.

"The cheap beer? You bastard." Brian pushed at my shoulder, and drank half the bottle he grabbed. "Actually, that's not bad. Reminds me of high school."

"Which was a long time ago." I lifted to my toes and scanned the crowd again for the blond. A smile touched my mouth and my pulse sped up. "No fucking way."

Chloe.

"What's up?" Brian pushed his hand against my shoulder as he lifted to his toes. "You see someone we know?"

"Someone I wanna know." I turned and took a beer from the buckets, draining it in a few gulps and walking out to the dance floor. I dropped the empty bottle in the trashcan and slid past the twins. "Excuse me, ladies."

Chloe kept her back to me as I moved up and slid my hands over her hips, pulling her back a little and rocking against her. I pressed my face against the back of her hair and moved in tandem with her, breathing in slowly to taint my lungs with her scent.

Her fingers dug into the back of my thighs and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

I pushed my luck a little and ran my hand over her stomach, spaying my fingers and pressing backward to lock her against my body. She would know without a doubt that the man behind her was turned on, but most guys in a club were. The smell of sex was everywhere and inhibitions were usually left at the door.

She pulled away a little before glancing over her shoulder as if ready to warn me.

"Hi, baby." I smiled.

She spun in my arms and slid her hands up my chest and over my shoulders before licking at her mouth seductively.

"Have we met?" Her voice was soft and sensual. She was playing the same game she did the day before, but I couldn't care less.

She moved down, rubbing herself against me as her eyes closed.

I gripped the back of her head as the music turned into a beat with a pulsing throb that had the crowd locked into seduction. "So beautiful."

"Me or you?" She opened her eyes and the light caught her perfectly, leaving her to look like something out of my wildest fantasy.

"You, honey. You." I moved down and pressed my lips to the side of her neck, kissing softly until I reached her ear. "You didn't let me give you my number, Chloe."

"Oh, so you do know my name." She stopped dancing and turned, leaving her face so close to mine that I could feel the warmth of her breath on my lips. She was the seductress here, and I was holding on for dear life. Every cell in my body screamed for me to seal the deal and kiss her - hard.

"Of course I do. How could I forget?" I glanced down at her mouth and moved in for the kiss as she spun away from me.

"Not interested, playboy. Find someone else."

I didn't realize how much I wanted her until she moved to the center of the floor, dancing with her friends and leaving me to watch. My breathing was off kilter, and for the first time in my long life, I yearned for something that I couldn't have: her.

After forcing myself off the dance floor, I rejoined my friends and let out a long sigh.

"The girl of my dreams is on that dance floor." I ran my fingers through my hair and found her, not quite sure I had it in me not to go back after her and throw her over my shoulder like the caveman I was starting to feel like.

"Go get her, man!" One of the guys yelled and lifted his beer. "You're Finn Fucking Warner. You get any girl you want."

I looked over at him and laughed as they all hit there bottles together.

Any girl but the one I suddenly want. Karma's a bitch.

"What are you waiting for, dude? Go get her." Brian patted my back. "The blond who was pressed to the front of you, right?"

"Yeah," I responded a little more breathlessly than I wanted.

"She's all yours dude. Finest chick in this bar. Go show us how it's done." He pushed at my shoulder and I nodded, walking back toward her with determination.

Enough with the games. I didn't have much time with her as it was.

Chapter 9

Chloe

"Oh my goodness. Who the hell was that?" Cindy moved up beside me, sliding her arms around my neck and forcing me to lock gazes with her.

"No clue. He was cute though, huh?" I played it off and tried like hell not to follow after Finn. He was bad news and though I couldn't stop thinking about him, nothing was going to become of us. It was silly to lead him on anyway. He would just move on to someone else. Guys like him always did.

"Cute? He's the sexiest thing I've seen in a long time." Cindy shuffled us toward the edge of the floor. "You don't know him?"

"Nope." I shrugged and turned to find him watching me with an intensity that left me wanting to throw caution to the wind and give myself to him for a night, but it wasn't my style. It was a good thing I wasn't drinking. Nothing good could come of it.