Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I shook my head. “Honestly, I just meant to be polite.” I shook my head and smiled as I confessed my mistake. “I inhaled through my nose instead of my mouth, and it went downhill from there.”
He offered a short laugh, shaking his head as he faced the bar again.
“Thanks for the drink,” I said in a raspy tone, ready to call it a day and go home after all that. I wasn’t really comfortable having this guy slip in like some jealous suitor, either. Not that he was that. At all.
“You okay there?” It was Full Beard from two stools over.
I leaned back behind Blue Flannel enough to catch his eye, and we exchanged smiles. “I lost a couple of years off my life, I think.”
His laugh was deep and hearty. He slapped the table lightly, the dark red hair on his arms glinting orange in the light. “It’s all right. I know CPR if you end up needin’ it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Thanks.”
He dipped his head. “I’m Ryan, by the way.”
“Christie.”
Ryan’s smile enhanced his features tenfold. His cheekbones rose, the lines on his face deepening and showing his true jawline. His auburn hair brought out the freckles in his cheeks, which were faint everywhere except right around his eyes.
“And I’m Mike,” Blue Flannel said. “Another drink?”
I almost smiled back but caught myself. “Another might kill me.”
Mike grinned. “I won’t let that happen.”
I struggled not to roll my eyes. “My hero,” I said sarcastically, though I didn’t think he noticed.
Ryan said something that I didn’t hear, so I started to lean over the bar to ask. Before I could, Mike lurched forward, reaching for the napkin he’d neglected earlier. “Looks like I’m stuck here tonight.”
My eyes widened. “You’re not the only one,” I said as I sat back on my stool, swiveling slightly. Several flights had been canceled, and sometimes airlines provided credits or something. Hotel stays, maybe. I wondered if I could talk my way into getting one. Then I wouldn’t have to go home. I could order a pizza or some Whataburger, maybe watch a movie, be my own woman for once. Or invite someone to share my room.
I blushed at the thought. I’d been thinking about that a lot lately. I hadn’t really thought about dating in years—I’d been so focused on school and work—but this was the second time in the last month that I’d been hit on, and it was making me wonder if that was part of nearing your thirties. Desperate times called for sticking yourself out there.
“You too, huh?” he asked.
I glanced at my glass, wondering if I should drink water for a while.
“You’re too pretty to be by yourself. No one’s with you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, rising to sit up straight. “I have an army waiting outside for me.”
The hungry glint in his eyes remained despite his posture, which stiffened as he waved his hands in front of him. “No, no. I don’t mean like that. I’m sorry. I just meant you’re taking a trip alone. Like to visit family? Or is it business? Are you a working woman?”
“What if it’s both?” I’d felt a flicker of chemistry for a moment, but now the spark was sputtering out. I wouldn’t ask him if he was a working man.
“Calm down. Calm down,” he said. “Look, I just wanted to tell you that you caught my eye, is all.”
“Thanks.”
He nodded and smiled again, settling back on his stool and leaning closer to me. I started to lean back, only to hit the backrest. “You’re pretty. I’ll bet you’re a lot prettier up close. Up real close …” The smooth tone gave me a weird feeling, and for some reason, I couldn’t find my voice. I opened and closed my mouth as if I’d eventually say something, but Mike’s smile grew as he seemed to peel off my clothes with his eyes, the penetrating gaze making me feel vulnerable and exposed.
“I think you are starting to annoy the lady, sir,” Ryan said. When Mike swiveled in his stool, Ryan pulled his hand back after getting his attention. “Might be best if you go back to the other side of the bar.”
“What?”
“Other side of the bar. Now.” The firm glare Ryan gave him made me shudder. Something was demanding about his green gaze that made my heart hitch, and I swallowed as Mike slowly rose to his feet, then took his drink back to the side of the bar, where he glared at Ryan from afar.
I started to smile at how easily a creeper was dismissed, but it fell away when Ryan met my gaze. Whatever superpower he had, I wanted it.
“Sorry. Maybe you like guys like that, and I’ll back off if you do, but he’s been eyeing you since you sat here. Fuckin’ disgusted me the way he talked to you just now.”