So she was here to complain. Interesting. No one had ever complained before. This apartment complex was known for parties. Had she not known that when she moved in here?

I studied her face as she bit down on her bottom lip and looked ready to bolt. She thought she was going to make me mad. I was pretty damn sure that a girl who looked like her was incapable of making me mad. She gave off the “I need protecting” vibe in a big way. Add that to the heart-stopping face of hers, and she had a winning package deal to get away with all shit, even from me.

I stepped closer to her, which forced Green to move back some. Reaching down, I pulled one of her hands she was gripping so tightly into mine and ran my finger along the inside of her palm.

“Why don’t you come inside me with just for a few minutes? Meet some of your neighbors, and then when you’re ready to go, I think I have something that will help with the noise,” I told her as I kept my gaze locked with hers.

“I, uh, I’m not good with crowds,” she said with an apologetic tone.

I tugged on her hand until she was almost pressed against me. “I won’t leave your side, and I’m fucking amazing with crowds,” I replied with a wink to let her know I was serious.

“Don’t make her—” Green started to argue, but I cut him off.

“Not your business. Back off,” I warned him before sliding my hand around Blythe’s waist and walking her to the door.

Chapter Three

BLYTHE

I didn’t want to do this. Why had I come up here? Because I was tired and frustrated with the noise. That’s why. I had spent hours writing, then, when I got ready for bed, the noise had started up again. Did these people not need sleep? I just wanted to ask them to be a little quieter. I hadn’t wanted to be forced into staying at the party. I just wanted to go to bed.

“I really don’t want to do this,” I told Krit, who had his hand on my back and was firmly guiding me inside.

“Why not? They won’t bite you. I promise, because I won’t fucking let them,” The amusement in his voice bothered me. I wasn’t kidding. I didn’t want to go into this party.

“Please. I’m sorry I came up here. I will figure out how to sleep through this. Just let me leave.” I was ready to beg now. Whatever I needed to do to get away from this place. I could feel people staring at me. I hated that feeling. I knew what they were thinking. What they saw. I had come up here with my glasses on because I’d needed to see the computer screen, and my hair was in a mess on top of my head. My heart began to race. I had to get out of there.

“Shit, love, you’re shaking.” Krit’s voice was no longer amused. He stopped walking, and slipped his finger under my chin to tilt my head back. The frown on his face as he studied mine was new. He normally looked constantly amused.

“Come with me,” he said quietly, and reached down to take my hand. Then he walked down a hallway toward a closed door.

My panic escalated. That was a bedroom. I wasn’t going into a bedroom with him. I had to get away. I tried to tug my hand loose from his hold, but he threaded his fingers through mine and tightened his grip. No one had ever held my hand before. I stared down at his hand in mine and lost my train of thought for a moment.

It was a warm feeling having someone’s palm pressed against yours. His fingers laced with mine made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Like I was connected to someone. Had I ever felt that before? I wasn’t sure.

A door swung open, and Krit pulled me inside before closing it behind me.

“Don’t look so terrified. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to. Just wanted to get you away from the noise a minute so we could be alone and talk.”

“Talk?” I asked as his hand released mine. The cold lonely feeling was back. I clasped my hands in an attempt to hold the warmth there. I had liked that warmth.

“You confuse me. Most girls don’t confuse me. But you, little dancer, have me playing guessing games. Why is that?”

He called me little dancer again. I wasn’t a dancer. Not even close. But I liked that he had a special name for me. It made me feel like I belonged.

“I didn’t really get into a social scene growing up. Not very good at that. I don’t fit in.” I hated pointing that out to him. For some reason he didn’t seem to get that I didn’t fit in, and I hadn’t wanted to be the one to break the news to him.

Krit cocked an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Most people want to stand out.”

Stand out? That wasn’t what I meant. I shook my head. “No, that’s not … I mean, I don’t . .

. I’m not appealing to be around.” That probably made less sense. I wasn’t about to open up to this guy about what was wrong with me. If he didn’t see it, then good. I liked that.

Krit frowned and stared at me like I was insane. Great. Now he saw the real me. Whatever he had been missing, I had just pointed it out to him. Why hadn’t I kept my mouth shut?

“You really mean that,” he said in a low whisper as he continued to stare at me. “Who the fuck told you that?”

I shrugged and turned my gaze from his to study the bedroom we were in. I wasn’t going to answer his question. That was something no one needed to know.

The walls were a smoky gray color, and the ceiling was painted black. I wasn’t allowed to paint my walls, yet he had painted his. The large king-size bed in the middle of the room was a rumpled mess. An electric guitar sat in one corner, and in the other far corner was an acoustic guitar. I turned my focus to the posters on the walls. Two of them were of what I assumed were rock bands, and there were signatures on them. Then, of course, the other poster was of a naked blonde with really big—and hopefully fake—boobs, because they looked a lot like bowling balls. They couldn’t be real. The blonde was straddling a guitar, and the only thing keeping her private area covered were her hands gripping the guitar between her legs.

“I wonder if she ever wears panties,” I mumbled out loud before I could stop myself.

Krit’s laughter startled me, and I turned to see two very distinct dimples on his face. He didn’t look like the kind of guy who would have dimples, but wow, they did things for me. “I like to believe she doesn’t,” he replied, once he was through laughing.

“Where are you from?” Krit asked.

“A small town in South Carolina. You wouldn’t have heard of it,” I replied, feeling the sick knot in my stomach forming, the one that always came with memories of my life there.

“Are they blind in that small town I wouldn’t have heard of?” he asked with a softer tone to his voice.

I swung my gaze back to his and studied his expression. Was he teasing me again? “No,” I replied.

Krit frowned then slowly ran his thumb over his bottom lip several times. It was a fascinating thing to watch. He had really nice lips. I wondered how often he used them. I would assume he was very talented with those lips.

His hand fell away, and he took a step toward me. “Will you go in there and meet everyone for me? Maybe have a beer? Just try to relax and enjoy being in a crowd?” His voice had dropped to a smooth thick drawl. It was very hard to tell him no. “I just want you to ease into being social. Here it’s safe because I’ll make sure it’s safe. I won’t let anything happen to you or hurt you.”

In a few days school was starting, and I would need to be in lots of social situations. This was my new start. I wanted to be able to walk through a crowd without having a panic attack.

If Krit could help me, then maybe I should at least try.

“Okay,” I blurted before I could change my mind.

The pleased grin on his face was almost worth the fact I was going to have to face strangers who might not be as blind as he was about me. Someone was bound to see the bad in me. They always had before.