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“I macked on you. Felt you up a little. Oh!” His eyes went wide as he pointed at her. “Give me your panties.”

“Listen, you little freak of nature,” she snarled. “You need to think twice before you open your mouth and—”

“Issues?” Hayden knew that voice.Alex.

She relaxed marginally. “Nope, not a one.” She watched as Winston scurried off and huddled in a corner with his hobbit friends. “Please tell me they shift into maggots so I can step on them later.”

“I wish, babe.” Alex laughed. His shoulder-length black hair was held in place by a leather thong, and he wore his workout clothes as though he’d come straight from football practice. “So, what did Winston ask of you?”

“He wanted me to agree to, and I’m quoting him here, him macking on me, along with feeling me up, and the coup de grace, he wanted my freaking panties.”

Alex growled, and his eyes turned an eerie shadow of gold. “That little bastard. I told Hill to keep his mutts in line, but he’s too busy banging some out-of-towner chick no one likes.”

“Chill. It’s all good. He’s still a virgin, and I’m now in better company. So, which fraternity are you representing?” She followed him to the giant punch bowl near the back door.

“Lambda Alpha Pi. You?”

“Sigma, Epsilon Xi. Bell is my partner. Who is yours?” She accepted a glass of punch from him.

“I’m not sure. My VP had to pull out of the games. Poor grades on his last set of exams. But, I’ve been assured I’ll have a replacement.” He pointed to the cup in her hand. “Remember to go easy on those. You’ll need a clear head tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah,” Hayden said. “I know.”

By her second cup of the Hawaiian Mambo, she forgot all about Wins-what's-his-face. She felt footloose and fancy-free.Screw Nico. Screw that dumb jock, Hill.She didn’t need any of them. “Alex,” she murmured, “have sex with me.”

“Whoa,” he muttered, embarrassment tingeing his words as he took her cup away. “Where the hell did that come from, Hayden?”

“I don’t want to die only having sex once,” she answered. “So, let’s do it. I like you. You like me. You have boy parts. I have girl parts. It’ll work out fine. We’ll bump uglies and go our separate ways.” She tilted her head to the side. “We’ll have fun.”

“I don’t know,” he hedged. “I heard you’re supposed to have a mate around here somewhere.”

“Pfft. Nico? Nope.” She waved him off. “He doesn’t want me.” In the distance, she heard a low, menacing growl. She turned her head to the side and caught a glimpse of the man who tore her heart apart. “Speak of the devil. Gotta go.”

She moved through the room and exited via the side door. The cool night air hit her like a ton of bricks, and she sobered a little.Shit should have brought a coat.The early fall crispness bit at her exposed flesh and made her shiver.Damn him for showing up like that. He’s not supposed to be here. He should have stayed home where he belonged.

“Don’t run from me, Hayden.” The hard edge to Nico’s voice made her inner bitch want to roll over and expose herself to her mate.

“You lost the chance to tell me what to do when you slept with some random chick.” Anger warred with grief and an all-consuming lust. A maelstrom of emotions crashing through her, adding to her already buzzed state. She trembled. Her finger twitched. She wanted to run them through the silky tresses of his hair. Scratch her nails down his back while he….No, don’t even go there. He means nothing to you. Never will.

“The sweet scent of your arousal says otherwise, little wolf.” He took a step toward her, holding his hand out in placation.

“If I’m aroused, it’s not because of you,” she spat. “It’s all for Alex.” Lies. All lies, but she didn’t dare give him an inch. Because, if she did, he’d take a mile, and she was afraid of what would happen to her.You know exactly what would happen. You’d forgive him. You’d wonder when he’d cheat on you again, and inevitably you’d be alone.

“You never could tell a lie very well.” Amusement laced his voice. “You look good, little wolf.” He advanced, still keeping his hands in plain sight. “I’ve missed you.”

Her feet stayed rooted in their spot. Her mind said run. Her heart said stay, listen to what he had to say. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.” She turned from him and took a step, only to hear him growl once more. “Growling? Am I so far beneath you now, that you’re reduced to growling at me when you don’t get your way?”

He sighed. “No. I’m sorry. I’m trying to say I’m sorry, and you’re not giving me a chance.”

She snorted. “You don’t deserve anything from me. You lost yourchance, as you say when you fucked some stranger."

“You were a little girl!” he growled. “I should have never taken advantage of you when I did.”

“Let's get something straight, Nico. You didn't take advantage of me. I came to you of my own free will. I consented to having sex with you. You came inside me three times." She pushed into his personal space and growled. "You marked me, asshole. In a place, you didn't think I'd see. We had six weeks. I’d have turned eighteen and we could have gone public! But, you needed to fuck so bad, you couldn’t wait six weeks for me or, better yet, invited me over to your place so we could mate?” Her body vibrated with rage, cooling the desire coursing through her.

“I know!” He closed the distance between them and loomed over her. “Don’t you think I realized all my hopes and dreams were right at the tips of my fingers and were gone in a second because of what happened? I screwed up. I hurt you. I get it. I always have.”

“Then I’m going to say this one more time, Nico. We’re through. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear you. I don’t want anything to do with you.” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as tears burned in the corners of her eyes. “Leave me alone. I don’t love you. I never loved you.”