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Then again, Adrian had never been normal. He’d learned to accept his own idiosyncrasies, for the most part. He saw nothing wrong with holding out for a man who accepted him as he was.
The fact that his mind went straight to a man who’d been dead for over one hundred years strengthened Adrian’s resolve. He would go to this damned party, and he’d have fun if it killed him.
Thus decided, Adrian pushed all thoughts of the next night to the back of his mind, along with those of Greg, Lyndon and men in general. He had plenty of schoolwork to keep his brain occupied. At least physics never made him feel awkward, or sick with dread, or aching with unfulfilled need. Equations for his paper started clicking into place in his head, and he entered the dining hall with a smile on his face.
~ * ~
    Thirty-something hours later, Adrian sat wedged between a giggling sorority girl and the unexpectedly suave Scotty on Sigma Pi Sigma’s stylish brown leather sofa, nursing a whiskey and soda and wondering why he’d ever thought this was a good idea.
    Not that the party was objectionable, exactly, or the company less than engaging. In fact, Adrian had met more people in the past hour and a half than he had in the entire three years he’d been at Chapel Hill, and most of those people had been quite friendly.
    Some more than others , he thought as Scotty slid close enough to press their bodies together . Adrian eased another inch to his left, enough to put some space between them. If he had to move again, he’d end up plastered against the girl sitting next to him, but he didn’t know what else to do. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t be rude to anyone tonight. However, as Sean always told him, he didn’t possess the tact gene. So how was he supposed to extract himself from this situation?
    “So. Adrian.” Scotty twisted his upper body toward Adrian. His arm rested along the back of the sofa behind Adrian in a move a little too casual to be real. “How do you feel about Thai food?”
Adrian stared into Scotty’s big, dark, admittedly sexy eyes. They held the same hunger Greg’s had that morning at Groome Castle. For a moment, Adrian’s neck tingled with the memory of Greg’s lips on his skin. He swallowed. “Thai? It’s all right.”
“Mmm.” Scotty’s fingertips traced the curve of Adrian’s shoulder in a slow caress that made Adrian’s skin spark. He bit back a moan, remembering the slide of Greg’s hand over the small of his back. “How about Thai food in bed?”
The breath froze in Adrian’s lungs. “What?”
“Come on, you heard me.” Dipping his head, Scotty planted a light, openmouthed kiss on Adrian’s neck. “I have leftover Pad Thai from Penang in my fridge. Let’s heat it up and have a private party in my room, huh?” His hand slid up Adrian’s thigh, dangerously close to the rising hardness in his jeans. “I’d love to wind some of those noodles around your cock and suck ’em off.”
The heat simmering in Adrian’s belly vanished like fog in the sunshine. Shoving Scotty’s hand away, he jumped to his feet. “That sounds very, um, interesting, but I have to go.”
“Hey, wait.” Scotty grabbed his wrist, the movie-star smile still in place. “You’re not really leaving, are you?”
“Yeah. It’s late, and I have an early class tomorrow.” Adrian tried to pull his arm free and frowned when Scotty’s grip tightened. “I’m serious, Scotty. Let go.”
Scotty’s brows drew together. “But… You want it. I know when a man’s turned on, and you are .”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Sorry, but I was thinking of someone else? As much as he valued the truth, Adrian couldn’t bring himself to be that harsh.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Sighing, Scotty opened his hand. “Man. So close, and yet so far.”
A smile tugged at Adrian’s mouth. “That’s just not my thing.”
Scotty’s eyebrows went up. “Noodles?”
“One-night stands.”
“Ah.”
Silence