PROLOGUE

WYATT

EARLY OCTOBER

I have been bamboozled.

Hart did me dirty.

I take a swig of my beer, staring down the man who invited me to the party . He's sitting in the living room with his girlfriend, Lauren, on his lap—whispering in her ear and making her blush.

"Party at the girls' dorm," Hart said. "You in?"

It's like he doesn't even know me. Of course I was in.

"Hmpf. Party, my ass," I mutter to myself. I should have known better. Hart thinks having three people in a room at any given time constitutes a party. There are five of us here. It's me, two of my roommates, Koa and Hart, and their girlfriends, Sydney and Lauren.

Sydney ain't really Koa's girlfriend but he sure is looking at her right now like he wishes she was.

Let the record state, this ain't no party. This is a double date and I'm the fifth fucking wheel .

"Wyatt?" Sydney asks, getting my attention. I lift my eyes from my beer bottle and wait for her to finish pulling a hot pan out of the oven. "Can you go get Charlie and Wren for me? They were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago with wine."

"I reckon," I say with a sigh. Standing up from my seat at the table, I drain the rest of my beer.

I could slip out of here. Find something or someone more interesting to occupy my attention for the night. There has to be someone roaming the halls looking for a good time. Someone else who also needs to escape and forget life and responsibilities for an hour or so.

"Thanks. Charlie's more likely to stop messing around and come over if you ask her," Syd says with a sly grin. This girl is always trying to play matchmaker. Now that Lauren and Hart are together, she's moved on to me or maybe this Charlie girl. She should worry about her own love life. I'm doing fine on my own.

"Which dorm is theirs?" I ask with my hand on the doorknob.

"Right across the hall. You'll see their names on the door." How convenient . "And wine. Don't forget the wine," she says. I salute her and open the door.

The empty hallway is not looking very promising. A few girls walk by, but they have their arms full of books and are likely heading out for a study group. No thank you. Hard pass.

Not the distraction I'm looking for tonight. I need something a little stronger to take my mind off what really holds me hostage, and preferably an activity where clothes are optional.

I glance at the sign beside their door. ‘ Charlie and Wren ' is written in perfectly formed letters. It's so neat, you might think it's been typed up on a computer and printed.

I'm seconds from knocking on the door when the most heavenly voice starts floating through the air. Stepping into the middle of the hall, I swivel my head left and right, trying to locate the source. Then I realize it is coming from the dorm room in front of me.

The words filter through the wood door and splinter something deep inside of me. There's this strange feeling slippin' under my skin, slitherin' around like a rattlesnake waiting to strike.

I know once I knock on their door I'll be greeted with silence again. I don't want her to stop, but I have to know who that voice belongs to.

Resting my hand against the door frame, I tap the door a few times. As I suspected, the singing stops almost immediately.

After a few moments, the door opens to reveal a pretty redhead with sparkling emerald eyes. I don't shy away from checking her out. My eyes roam over her body taking in the lush curves of her hips and chest.

"Can I help you?" she asks with a curl to her lips that tells me she knows exactly how she can help me .

"Yes, darlin', I think you can. Your presence has been requested across the hall." I gesture toward Sydney and Lauren's place. "Along with your roommate and a bottle of wine."

"Right, game night." She turns on her heel and walks toward the kitchen. "Wren isn't here. She's uh…at the library." This must be Charlie then.

"You're here alone?" My question makes her pause.

"Mmhmm."

Charlie is my mystery voice.

I follow her, even though she didn't invite me in. Their living room is neat and orderly. If it weren't for a few pictures on the wall and side table, you wouldn't think anyone even lived here. I've never seen a dorm room this neat before. And I've been in quite a few dorm rooms.

She stands in front of the open fridge searching for something. When she bends over to reach the back, I have to swallow a groan. Her ass looks incredible in the black, skin-hugging dress she's wearing.

"I guess it will just be the two of us then," I say, taking a step closer.

Her hand freezes on whatever she's been looking for and pulls it out of the fridge. The wine. The night is looking up. I can be persuaded to stick around and play a few games of charades if it means time with this girl, and a bottle of wine.

"Tempting." Her eyes roam from the tip of my boots to the backward hat on the top of my head, clearly checking me out. "But I have a date." She shoves the wine into my chest. "Here take this. Tell Sydney and Lauren I'm sorry. "

She shoos me towards the door. This is the first time I've been kicked out of a girl's dorm room. Usually I'm the one rushing to exit the room before my jeans are even zipped up all the way.

"I'll see you around," I tell her while showcasing my best panty-dropping smile. The one that makes my dimples pop. The one that's going to have her thinking about me tonight instead of whoever she's on a date with.

Her cheeks blush as her tongue flicks over her lip. "Maybe." She wraps her hand around the doorknob and gracefully pulls it open, ushering me further out the door.

I stop short, causing her to bump into me before she can close the door in my face. "No maybes about it," I say, my voice huskier than usual. I briefly enjoy the blanket of pink that covers her chest before walking back across the hall.

Always leave them wanting more . That's what my oldest brother Ford told me when I started taking an interest in girls.

My mind doesn't stop thinking about Charlie's voice for the rest of the night. I attempt to distract myself by messing with Sydney during a game of trivia. It's fun to rile her up by answering questions wrong on purpose. She's as competitive as her brother Nash. I know I'm doing a good job at making her mad when Koa tells me to lay off, officially ending my good time.

When Hart reaches his limit of socializing and kicks us out so he can have Lauren to himself, I don't complain.

Back at home, laying on my bed, my eyes drift closed. The song Charlie was singing plays over and over in my mind. It's like she was singing that song for me because the words hit me hard—whatever makes me happy? Whatever I want? Those things can't be found here at Newhouse.

I scrub my hand down my face. I know I won't be able to shake it loose until I have her. I only need her one time to get her voice out of my head. I can't have her reminding me everyday that I'm miserable and not where I want to be.

Get ready Charlie, I'm coming for you.