Prologue

Fallon Parker had done it.

Even with all the negativity from her parents and sister about leaving home to go to school out west, she had done it. Fallon had completed her first year at Stanford University. Yeah, she had gained the dreaded freshmen fifteen, but it didn’t matter.

She had done it.

Without anyone’s help — not her parents, her sister, her friends — she had kept her 4.0 grade point average.

Yeah, she was feeling pretty awesome.

On cloud nine, Fallon jumped into her Charger and drove down to San Jose to meet her friends. They were all going out to celebrate and she couldn’t be more excited about the fake ID in her purse. Fallon had been such a good girl her freshman year, but now she was a sophomore and she was gonna live this summer. Fallon was on a mission.

Get drunk, find a guy, and hook up.

Maybe not sex, but at least make out some. Other than that it was simple really, and Allison, her roommate, had said that the Trails Pub was the place to do all three.

After parking her car beside Allison’s, Fallon headed inside.

“ID please,” said a big black man standing as high as a giant who, according to his nametag, was named Pinky. Fallon had no clue what was so pinky about him, but she had learned quickly that in California, ya kinda just go with it. Fallon smiled nervously as she opened her clutch and pulled out the ID she had made. “Thanks Amanda, have a nice night,” Pinky said with a grin as he handed her back her ID.

Fallon looked confused but then remembered her name was Amanda on the ID. “Why thank you so much, have a nice night yourself.”

Pinky smiled again as Fallon made her way into the bar. She spotted Allison with Hannah and Kristin, the girls from the dorm across the hall from hers, at a corner booth by the bar and she made her way to them with a big grin on her face.

The Trails Pub was packed wall to wall with every type of person imaginable. As Fallon made her way towards her friends, she noticed guys glancing her way with appreciative looks on their faces. She smiled confidently, knowing the short jean skirt and dark red tank that matched her boots was a great combination for man-catching.

“Damn Fal, looking good!” Allison said when Fallon reached their table. Hannah and Kristin smiled and waved as Fallon sat down. They weren’t used to sexy Fallon; the Fallon they knew, walked around campus in sweats all of the time.

That was freshmen Fallon, sophomore Fallon was sexy.

“Thank you, thank you,” Fallon gushed as she looked around the bar.

“A round of shots, Teagan!”

The bartender smiled over at the girls before very efficiently pouring four shots and handing the drinks to a waitress to bring to them. The waitress laid each shot in front of the girls, and they picked them up, bringing the glasses to the middle for a toast.

“Here’s to the first of four years done!” Allison exclaimed as all three girls joined in with her, clanking their glasses together and taking the shot quickly.

It burned down Fallon’s throat. She wasn’t sure what the awful liquid was, but Lord it was disgusting. Fallon looked off to the side, seeing that there were some good looking men in the bar that night. Fallon was giddy with excitement at trying to pick one up ─ she was so used to keeping to herself over the past year and was ready to branch out.

As Fallon’s eyes skimmed the bar, they met with a pair of smoking gray ones. Fallon blinked twice as her eyes were held hostage by his. He was gorgeous. Shaggy dark brown hair framed his face, and his nose was wide but fit his face perfectly. His lips were thin, she noticed as he brought his bottom lip in between his teeth. He had a very ‘boy next door’ kind of look to him but with an edge. A dangerous edge, Fallon decided as he slowly stood. He was tall with big arms, one covered in tribal tattoos, the other bare. His eyes never left hers as he went around the bar, away from the table of equally huge guys, to lean against the bar as he watched her.

He was just staring at her like he didn’t care who noticed or if it rude. It was as if he saw what he wanted and he was waiting to pounce. It was the craziest thing ever!

“Jeez, that dude is staring at you hard Fal,” Hannah said.

“Like really hard,” Kristin said.

Fallon looked back at her friends, but only for a second before looking back at the dangerous guy at the bar. He was wearing a nice tailored suit; he had left his jacket as the table, and the shirt was a masculine pale green that was rolled up to his elbow showing off his tattoos. The first couple buttons of his shirt were open, and she could see that there was writing on his chest. She wondered what it said, and she wondered why his friends were wearing the same thing.

Who were these guys?

“Go talk to him Fal!” Allison yelled, “He’s flipping hot!”

He sure was.

“I don’t know,” Fallon said nervously, as the thoughts from the ‘freshman Fallon’ intruded her mind. What if he was some guy with the mob or something? He’s was muscular and dark and sexy and…mmm…

“Don’t be a puss! Go!” Allison said, interrupting Fallon’s thoughts.

Fallon looked back at the guy, and then looked back at Allison. She nodded before slowly getting up and making her way towards him. As she sauntered towards him like a girl on a mission, his face broke into a grin so wide that she was blinded by his straight white teeth. He had dark hair dusting his chin. He looked rugged, lustful. Fallon didn’t say anything as she leaned against the bar, feeling him rake his eyes over her body before returning to her face.