Sera had slept in later than she'd planned, and now she was in a rush. She had to do research for her history report before meeting Kathleen and Danielle for lunch. Kathleen had still been sound asleep when she'd left the room; Sera silently envied her lackadaisical lifestyle, and carefree attitude. For once, she wished that she could be more like Kathleen, and still be buried beneath her blankets.

She shrugged off thoughts of Kathleen sleeping comfortably as she climbed the stairs to the library. She walked through the maze of hallways until she came to another set of stairs and climbed them. There were only a handful of people in the large room. Most students were still sleeping off Friday night, and it was only the truly uptight ones, like her, that were here.

She smiled at the librarian, who was used to seeing her, and headed for the back. The history books took up the last twelve rows, and she lost herself within them. Pulling down an armful of books on the bubonic plague, she headed for the beanbag chair in the corner. Slipping into the comfy chair, she opened one of the books, and began to read.

"How's the book?"

She started and jerked back as someone slid onto the bag beside her. Her eyes widened in amazement as Liam smiled at her and leaned over her shoulder to look at the pages. Instantly her heartbeat sped up as she gazed at his bent head. "Interesting topic to read first thing on a Saturday morning."

"I always like a reality check in the morning," she said, smiling happily and still a little dazed by his sudden presence. "What are you doing here?"

He sprawled out, crossing his long legs in front of him as he placed his hands behind his head. "I thought I'd prowl for good looking girls who come to the library at ten o'clock on a Saturday morning."

"You must be disappointed then."

He grinned as he touched a strand of her hair. "Nah, I think I've found one."

She smiled shyly as she leaned back in the bag. "Do you have a report to do?"

He laughed and dropped his arm around her shoulders. "Oh no, I don't make it a habit to come to the library. I went to your room to see if you would like to go to breakfast. A very disgruntled, barely discernible, and extremely sleepy Kathleen informed me, and I quote, "Are you nuts? Mumble, mumble, mumble, nine thirty, mumble, mumble, mumble. She's probably in the library, she's nuts. Like you!" and slammed the door in my face."

Sera laughed. "You woke Kathleen up? That's never good!"

"So I noticed. I won't do it again."

His hand ran over her hair. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift into his caress. To her surprise, she didn't feel any revulsion. She hadn't felt it last night, well at least not the revulsion, but she had attributed that to the alcohol in her system. She was even more amazed to realize that her lack of fear had nothing to do with the fact that they were in the safe confines of the library, but everything to do with him. She could have stayed there forever.

"Don't let me interrupt you," he whispered, laying his chin against her head. "Continue reading."

"I can't read; you're distracting me."

"Should I leave?"

That was the last thing that she wanted to happen. "No."

He rubbed his hand along her hair and tilted the book so that he could see it too. "Then we'll read it together. Nothing like a little death to start the day off right."

She chuckled and looked down at the book, but she couldn't seem to focus on the words. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, and her body tingled everywhere that it touched against his. "You know what?" he whispered in her ear. "You're distracting me too."

She turned to look at him. His eyes were a volatile green as they burned into hers. She shivered in excitement as he leaned down and kissed her. Instantly, she began to melt into his warm embrace, and the pressure of his lips against hers. His tongue brushed against her lips, and she instinctively opened her mouth to his soft caress. He entered her mouth unhurriedly; gently stroking her tongue as he sent sparks of passion throughout her whole body. He carefully pressed her back, gradually lowering himself over her, and enclosing her within the warmth of his embrace.

Something deep inside of her began to stir as she encircled her arms around his back. She felt as if she was losing control, as if there was no one in the world but them, and the profound emotions he arose in her. His kisses became deeper, more urgent. She met each of his thrusts eagerly, her fingers curling into his back as her whole body responded to his.

"Uh hum." Sera jumped and Liam quickly moved aside. She sat up to find Ms. Krinkle, the librarian, staring at them disapprovingly. "I think it would be better if you checked those books out Sera."

"I'm sorry Ms. Krinkle," she mumbled. She scooped up the books as her face burned with embarrassment. "I'll do that right now."

Unable to bear looking at Liam, she hurried down the long row of books. She walked up to the counter, handed over her college ID, and waited impatiently as a student worker checked her out. She turned to leave and realized that Liam had disappeared. A sense of loss enveloped her, but she was in too much of a rush, and too humiliated, to think about it. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as she could.

She burst through the doors, grateful for the cool air that helped to ease the burning in her cheeks as she turned to head back to her dorm. Liam was sitting on a bench by the doors, a huge grin on his face. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, adding an air of sensuality to him that was both thrilling, and disturbing.

"Glad you think it's funny."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." He stood and began to walk beside her.

"It's my fault."

"You were quite content until I showed up."

"It's all right."

Her head was spinning with the overwhelming confusion she felt. She had never lost control like that. Although she enjoyed it, she was also angry at herself for it. She knew better than to let herself get wrapped up with someone, knew better than to believe that she could trust someone. But she couldn't seem to stop herself when it came to him. She needed to get away from him so that she could try to sort out her confusing emotions.

"Have you talked to Michelle today?" he inquired.

"No, why?"

"We had a little chat last night after I left."

"Really?" she inquired innocently. "About what?"

"She apologized about the way that she acted."

"That was nice of her," she said more casually than she felt.

"I suppose."

Sera looked up at him. "You really don't like her, do you?"

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather bomber jacket. "No, I don't."

She wasn't paying any attention to where they were going until she realized that they were at the frat house. The lawn was littered with trash, empty beer cans, bottles, and plastic cups. The front door was open and two kegs had been tossed onto the sidewalk. "Looks amazing," she commented dryly.

"The cleanup crew will be by later."

"Cleanup crew?"

"We paid some guys to come by at twelve to clean up the yard and first floor."

"I hope you paid them a lot." She wouldn't like to be the one that had to clean up this mess.

He chuckled and took hold of her hand. Sera almost jerked away as a bolt of electricity sizzled through her. "Are you going to come in?"

She stared at the trashed house as she tried to calm her racing heart. Just moments ago she had wanted to get away from him, now she would like nothing more than to go in there with him. "I don't know if I should."

"You won't get into trouble. Girls are allowed in here," he teased.

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?" he inquired.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she turned to look at him. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew that he was staring intently at her. "I don't think I can control myself around you," she blurted before she could stop herself. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she hated herself for saying them, and wished that she could kick herself in the ass.

He gently took hold of her arm. "Come on, I won't bite."

"Liam, that's not it, I mean... oh I don't know what I mean," she finished lamely.

His hand on her chin was soothing as he lifted her face. The sunglasses were now resting on top of his head, his eyes were intense, but there was a tenderness in them that touched her and melted some of her reserve. "I know what you mean Sera. It will be all right, I promise."

The last of her defenses crumbled at his words and she followed him into the house. More beer bottles, cups, and piles of garbage were tossed across the floors, and the stairs. The furniture was scattered around the house, holes had been punched into some of the walls, and the entire place reeked of beer, and something even less pleasant that she didn't want to identify. She picked her way carefully around the trash, and the guy passed out at the top of the stairs.

At the second floor hallway the trail of trash continued to flow. A few people were lying on the floor, but all of the doors were firmly closed. They moved around the clutter as he led her to another set of stairs. The stairway was gloomy, but unlike the others it was completely clean, making it obvious that the party hadn't been allowed to spread past the second floor. Stepping out of the stairwell on the third floor, he led her to the third door on the right.

She hesitated before stepping inside. A full size bed was pushed against the right wall with a black comforter spread over it. A small nightstand was next to it with a lamp and an alarm clock perched on top. There was a desk in the corner with a computer and phone. On the other side of the desk was a small green recliner. There was a small wooden entertainment center against the wall by the door. A TV and DVD player were set up on it.

"Have a seat," he told her.

She set her books on his desk and stood next to it, she was a little too nervous to sit down. He smiled at her wryly and walked over to the closet. Opening the door, he knelt down in front of a small refrigerator. "Want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

He pulled out a bottle of water and shut the door. He turned to stare at her as he leaned against the door. She began to feel incredibly uncomfortable, and foolish. She shouldn't be here. She didn't belong here. And she had no idea what he expected of her. Swallowing heavily, she fully realized the situation that she had just put herself in. She looked toward the door. It was only ten feet away, but it seemed like miles. Would she be able to make it there in time if something happened? Her gaze darted back to him anxiously. He was still staring at her, but he was frowning, and his eyes were questioning as they studied her.

Sera swallowed nervously as her hands began to tremble. He straightened away from the door and walked across the room to sit on the bed. "Do you want to go to a party tonight?" he inquired.

"Where?"

"The Phi Beta house."

Her gaze involuntarily shot back to the door. She swallowed heavily as she forced herself to calm down. He was doing nothing wrong, nothing at all. She was acting like an idiot, and if she didn't stop he was going to notice. The thought mortified her brain into action. "How did you manage to get into the frat house so soon?" she asked in a desperate attempt to distract herself.

He smiled and she had the distinct impression that he knew what she was trying to do. "I was in the same frat at my old college. Before I transferred I arranged it so I'd be able to move in here right away. Besides, I've known Mike, Jack, and Doug since we were kids."

"Mike's a good guy, not so good at math though."

"He never has been," he agreed. "Jack and Doug are good guys too."

She had seen them at parties over the years, even shared a couple of classes with them, but she'd never really spoken to them. Although, they were among the few frat guys who had never really bothered her, or stared at her like she was a piece of meat. They had always been polite, but distant. To her, that alone made them likable. "I don't really know them," she admitted. "Where did you go to school before?"

"Buffalo."

"What made you move to Massachusetts?"

He twirled the water in his elegant fingers. A shudder tore through her as she recalled those fingers on her body. She tore her gaze away from them and forced herself to look at him. Again, there was a knowing gleam in his eyes as he smiled at her. "I grew up near here, and I thought it was time to come home again. I know a couple of guys in this house, and Phi Beta, from high school."

"Then why did you go all the way to Buffalo?"

"Wanted a change in scenery, something new, but I'm not a big fan of the cold, and after last winter I decided to come back."

She raised an eyebrow. "This isn't exactly Florida."

He laughed and placed the water bottle on the floor. "No it's not, but it's also not as cold, or snowy as it is up there." He smiled warmly as he slid back on the bed and leaned against the wall. "What about you Sera?"

"What about me?" she asked warily.

"Why are you at this school?"

She sat on the corner of the desk. She tried not to show him how uncomfortable the question made her so she forced herself not to bite her lip as she met his inquisitive stare. "It was far enough away so that I could live at school, but close enough to my family so that I could go home on vacations. Plus, this is a good school."

"Good reasons. Did you know anyone here?"

"No, but that was the point. I was looking for a new beginning, a chance to start my own life, and make new friends. I like the way things have turned out."

It was only a little lie there was no reason to feel bad for it, she told herself. "That's good. Why don't you date?"

She blinked at the abrupt change of topic. Her hands automatically clenched upon the desk. "Excuse me?"

"Why don't you date? All the guys around here say that you've never dated anyone on campus."

"You asked about me?" She couldn't keep the alarm out of her voice.

He watched her with an amused gleam in his eyes. For a second she was reminded of a panther studying its prey, unfortunately she seemed to be the prey. She swallowed heavily as apprehension began to prickle its way up her spine. "Just a little."

Sera had to fight against the violent shaking that threatened to overtake her. "What did they say about me?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "It was nothing bad. They just said that you didn't date anyone, that you never had, and not to waste my time. So, why haven't you gone out with anyone else?"

Some of the tension eased from her, and she found herself able to breathe regularly again. Then his words caught her attention. Her brow furrowed as she stared at him questioningly. Why hadn't she gone out with anyone else? Were they going out? Her heart did a hopeful flip-flop, but she buried it.

"Nobody ever asked me," she replied, "while they were sober anyway."

"That's because they didn't have the courage unless they were drunk."

"What about you then?"

He grinned cockily. "I don't need alcohol."

"Conceited," she commented dryly.

"Far from it. Not having the courage to do something just means that you lose out on it. If you get rejected, so what, at least you tried. Besides, it isn't the end of the world."

She admired him for a courage that she could never have. "So, how did you know that it wasn't the alcohol in me last night?"

"I didn't. That's why I came by so early, I figured you might still be drunk." He grinned charmingly, and she felt the rest of her anxiety beginning to melt away.

"I didn't have that much to drink last night."

"No, but you never know how you're going to feel about someone the next morning."

"Oh and how did you feel about me?"

"Very good," he said with a small smile. "Sit down," He patted the bed beside him.

She eyed him guardedly. She knew that if she got close to that bed, and him, her thoughts and emotions would get all tangled up again. But she desperately wanted to get close to him, to touch him, and to have him touch her. Besides, she didn't think he would hurt her. He could have done that last night if it was what he'd intended. She bit on her lip nervously as she released the desk and made her way to sit down beside him.

"Come on," he said and pulled her toward the head of the bed. "Lie down, you look tired."

She went rigid beneath his touch. Her eyes flew to his as memories suddenly assailed her. She found she couldn't breathe or even move. He slowly moved his hands away from her, and she was finally able to breathe again. His gaze was intense as he searched her face. Sera lowered her lashes before he could read too much in her eyes.

"It's okay," he said.

She fought back the tears that threatened to fall. She had worked diligently to rid herself of her dread of men, and although she had gotten better, she still couldn't control some of her instinctive, involuntary reactions. She hated herself for it, hated herself for the weakness, and hated the fact that he had witnessed it.

He slid his jacket off and lay down on the bed to give her some space. He didn't touch her, didn't force her to lie down. No matter how much he wanted to hold her, he restrained himself from grabbing her. Her back was rigid as she sat on the bed; small shivers racked her delicate spine. A raging anger suddenly tore through him. Something had happened to her, someone had hurt her. His hands clenched at the thought and he had to take a deep breath to steady himself.

He never felt like this; never let his anger reach such a point. It was dangerous when it did; he was dangerous. But the idea of anyone harming her was pushing him toward a perilous edge. He didn't understand why he was unable to resist this girl, why she got to him in a way that no one else ever had.

"You're safe with me Sera," he said kindly.

She lifted her lashes to look at him. He could see the tears that shimmered in her eyes, the self-loathing that filled them. Those tears touched something inside of him, something savage and protective. He was tempted to pull her into his arms, and shield her from the rest of the world, but he knew that if he tried to touch her now she would bolt like a frightened rabbit, and never come back. That wasn't an option.

She bit into her bottom lip, straightened her back in determination, and scooted back on the bed. She lay down beside him, forcing herself not to tremble as he wrapped his arms around her. She hated herself enough for letting him see her weakness without making it worse by shaking like a leaf in his embrace. He drew her closer so that her head rested upon his chest.

She found herself relaxing. He had given her no reason to fear him; it was unfair of her to do so. His warm body, steadily beating heart, and enticing aroma served to comfort and relax her even further. She stifled a yawn as she melted beneath his soothing touch.

"I can't stay long," she whispered, trying to keep her eyes open. "I'm supposed to meet Kathleen for lunch."

"Okay, just rest for awhile."

He kissed the top of her head, and her eyes started to close. Liam remained staring at the ceiling long after she had drifted off to sleep. He couldn't quell the protective drive swelling through him as she lay trustingly in his embrace.

His body craved and responded to her in a way that it never had to anyone else. But it was more than just his body that yearned for her. She was so warm, caring, and delicately fragile that he couldn't resist her. In the library he had only planned to say hi, and to see her, but he had lost himself in her dazzling warmth.

He couldn't seem to get enough of touching her, of holding her. It was a treacherous game that he was playing; one that he was sure to lose. She had been hurt once before, and he could bring her nothing but more sorrow. It was against the rules, rules that he had made for the safety of all of them.

Sera stirred a little, her hand twitched upon his chest. He clasped hold of it and ran his fingers along her silky skin and delicate bones. Bones that could so easily be broken. His body tensed at the thought. He was losing his mind, he knew that, but he didn't particularly care. He kissed the top of her head. Rules be damned, sanity be damned.

He didn't really know her, but for some reason, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to let her go.