"Right, well...get another ride. I'm ready to go." I moved from the bar and started for the door before someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the dance floor.

"Not until you tell me where I'm dropping these lovely girls off at." Finn tugged me toward him and caught me as I tripped over the edge of the dance floor.

"I'm not dancing with you. I'm going home," I barked at him and tried to pull back, but he held me tighter.

"You're not leaving me with this crazy bitch. I've sworn off women for a month because I need to remember how to breathe. If you leave her here I'll have no choice but to take her home or turn her over onto Brian. He's far too much of a gentleman to tell her no. Don't do that to him. Don't do it to me."

He smelled so good and the strength of his arms around me left me dizzy. "What? I'm not doing anything to anyone."

"Yeah, you are, and you know it." He moved us to the middle of the floor and slid his hands over the top of my ass, squeezing softly as I pressed my forehead to his shoulder and let out a groan.

"I need to go," I whispered roughly.

"Why are you running from me? I'm a good guy. I just want to see you again, Chloe. No commitment, no promises, just a date." His voice was gravelly and filled with untapped lust.

I wanted to drown in it, to be consumed by the heat I felt pulsing between us.

My relationship with Seth had been good, but not great. Warm, but not hot. This...this was intense and I could lose myself in the man holding me. Fear raced through me and I pulled back a little.

"I need to go. Spend the night with Cindy. She's a noncommittal kinda gal. You know..." I looked up at him and lost my breath for a minute, "No commitment. No promises. Just one night."

He released me and nodded. "Right. My kind of woman?"

"Perhaps. I don't know who you are, so figuring out what type of woman would force a man like you to settle down and cherish her seems impossible."

"That's cause it is." He shrugged and walked past me, leaving me standing there, feeling like shit for tearing him down. He wanted me and I wanted him, and yet I wasn't just pushing, but stabbing him with every arrow I could find. Why? It seemed so out of character for me, and yet I wasn't ready to stop punishing him for being whatever he was.

It was unfair and I was being an ass.

"Alright, have fun." I smiled and reached out to pull Cindy into a hug. "Call if you need me."

"Be careful on the ride home. I'll call on my way to the airport tomorrow." She snuggled up to Finn and he turned toward her, lifting her face and leaning down to kiss her in the way I'd give anything for a man to kiss me.

I turned and half jogged to the front door, not realizing that Brian was following me until I walked out into the frigid night air.

"Hey. Can I catch a ride home? Sorry to bother you with it, but we drove a big van and I'd rather not witness an orgy tonight." He chuckled.

"Of course. I don't know the town well, but if you can give me directions, I'm happy to drop you off." I lifted my hand and hit the key button, waiting for the SUV to light up. "Over here."

We walked to the car in silence. It wasn't until I had the heat on and had pulled from the parking lot that Brian broke the silence. It was a good thing he did. I was close to crying over witnessing a guy I'd just met and my best friend from high school kissing. I was an idiot and it didn't make sense, but my emotions were all over the place.

"I'm glad we got a chance to dance tonight. It was fun." He tugged at his seatbelt as if uncomfortable.

I needed to save him from making the mistake of asking me out. I wasn't sure if he was headed that way, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Mine were already hurt enough.

"Yeah, it was fun. I rarely go dancing because my boyfriend in Los Angeles gets so overly protective, but my buddies from high school came into town, and as you can see...there's no telling them no." I laughed and he let out a sigh of relief.

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Why?" I looked over at Brian and gave him the warmest smile I could muster, which wasn't saying much.

Having a boyfriend was a great lie. Maybe that way Brian didn’t feel terrible that I wasn’t going to sleep with him.

"Finn said you were the girl of his dreams. I was good with it until we got closer and I got a good look at you."

"What's that supposed to me?" I chuckled, unable to help myself.

"You're beautiful and would break his heart. I thought you would be like the other girl's he's dated, but you don't seem to be at all. You're the designated driver for shits sake." He snorted.

"He doesn't date girls. He sleeps with them and leaves them." I turned as he pointed to the house at the end of the street and gave me a few directions.

"How do you know that? You just met him tonight." Brian turned to me as I stopped in front of his house.

"Because he's a manwhore. My Dad's one too, and there are a million on campus with me." I shrugged. "Have a good night, Brian."

He got out of the SUV and paused. "He's just looking for love, Chloe. People do it in different ways. I do it through my success at work. You probably have a different thing or person you use to feel wanted. Finn uses the warmth of a woman. He's no different in what he's seeking, he just finds it in places that we don't."

I nodded and waited until he closed the door to .

It didn't matter than I shouldn't care that he was taking Cindy home. It did. A lot.

Chapter 10

Finn

"You going with me to church this morning?" My father's voice pulled me from sleep and scared the hell out of me.

I jerked up in the bed and looked around, making sure I was at my house like I thought I was.

"Yeah. Stop letting yourself in the damn door," I grumbled and got out of the bed before tugging on my jeans and walking out into the living room. "I could have had a girl in my bed."

"You almost always have a girl in your bed. I'd not be shocked by that. Seeing the same one more than once, now that would be heart stopping." My Dad put his hand on his chest and acting as if he were having a heart attack.

"Funny. It's not like the old days, where your ma and pa put up a dowry and set you up with the perfect woman." I glanced over my shoulder and smirked at him. "You want coffee?"

"No. I already had mine, and I'm telling you that sleeping around might leave you feeling good for a night, but you'll soon hate yourself." My father was dressed in a nice pair of slacks and a button down shirt with a tie that matched, but barely.

"I already do." I shrugged and filled up a coffee mug before walking back to my room. "Give me ten minutes."

"You need to shower. I'm sure you had fun last night. You look like a mess."

"You're mistaken, but thanks for giving a rat's ass." I shut the door to the bedroom and slipped out of my jeans. I should have needed a shower with the way Cindy was pawing at me and rubbing up against me on the way back to the hotel, but I couldn't see myself taking her to bed.

Shit, I couldn't see myself taking anyone but Chloe. It was disturbing.

I wasn't sure if Cindy would remember me dropping them off, but when they woke up all piled in one room with my friends I was sure recollection of the events from the night before would be theirs. I'd gotten all my friends and all of Chloe's friends into the hotel room Jared rented and locked the door on my way out.