Ketch raised his beer in salute but didn’t smile. They were probably barely twenty-one, five years younger than he was. He was too old to fit in with students who graduated from high school a few years ago. Or maybe he’d seen too much of life to talk about nothing.

“You want to dance?” the tall blonde nearest him asked.

“With all three of you?” Ketch noticed her makeup more than her face.

“Why not?” The blonde with curly hair said, “You look big enough to take us all on.”

The third girl didn’t say a word, but she looked at him like she was hungry and he was the entrée.

Before Ketch could answer, Wynn jumped in. “We’ll dance with you ladies.” When Ketch frowned, WW added, “How about I take these two and you take the tall one, Kincaid?”

Wynn pulled the shorter two out onto the dance floor. His dance moves reminded Ketch of an out-of-control garden hose. Makeup-girl acted like she was dancing by herself, but the curly-headed one started trying to teach Wynn. He looked ecstatic and tried to follow every move.

Ketch didn’t want to dance, but he couldn’t very well just stand there. He knew he’d embarrass the third girl if he walked away, so he took her hand. “One dance. That’s all. I’m here to drink tonight.”

“OK,” she answered as if she’d lost all interest in him. Or maybe she decided to start playing hard to get.

Ketch didn’t care either way. His boots made dancing impossible, so he just held on to her and swayed. She locked her fingers behind his neck, leaned back and closed her eyes.

Holding this stranger felt awkward. Mixed feelings rumbled through him. He had no interest in any woman right now. Now that Crystal had dropped him, he hated the whole gender.

The tall blonde seemed to forget about him. He might as well have been a pole she was hanging on to.

Maybe he should sleep with this wayward sorority girl first, then swear off the entire female side of humanity. He could act nice. Pay her a few compliments. Offer to take her home. Hell, he could tell her he thought he was falling in love. Lots of guys slept with women they didn’t know. He could do that. What did it matter? The whole love thing was all a lie anyway.

Ketch had never done a one-night stand. Not in the army. Not in school. He’d met Crystal the second week of boot camp. They’d been friends for a few years before they’d started dating and sleeping together. He always thought, even from the first, that he was her makeover project, but he’d believed she’d loved him too.

Hell, he almost said aloud. He wouldn’t know love if it body-slammed him to the floor.