There was no denying this beautiful stranger affected me.
But even sitting there talking with him was reckless. “She’d probably say go for it. I’d say you’re wasting your time.”
Almost chuckling, he rubbed one of those massive hands over his defined jaw, grin growing wide behind it. “I promise you . . . I’d make sure it wouldn’t come close to being a waste of your time. I’d make good use of every second.”
The other thing I didn’t like about his arrogant, pretentious kind? They were also presumptuous. They thought they could reach out and take whatever they wanted without it costing them anything. Without a thought toward what it might cost you.
Ignoring the attraction that blazed at my insides, I rode on the offense and inched in a fraction. My words dropped to the hiss of a breath. “Do I look like the kind of girl who follows a complete stranger out of a bar? You might be on the prowl, but I’m here to celebrate with my friend. Give her my time, because she pretty much gives me all of hers. And honestly, I’m kind of tired of the idea that a man can just snap his fingers and a woman will start peeling off her panties.”
He jerked back, intense blue eyes going dark. Like the sun setting on Bora Bora, tossing its turquoise waters in a glittering black. As if he were shocked by the rejection and liked it at the same time.
Or maybe he was just envisioning exactly what that might look like, because his gaze was tracing down, over my skirt, and to my ridiculously high heels I’d had to crawl to the back of my closet to find.
Slowly, he dragged those darkened eyes back up to my face. A flush pulled across my chest as he went.
His tongue licked out to run along his bottom lip while I sat there watching the flip.
The way his entire demeanor shifted into something playful and casual.
“Well then, as much as I love the idea of you peeling off your panties, you can see I’m not over here snapping my fingers. You just looked like you were having a horrible time, and I thought maybe I could rectify the situation.”
“Which I can only imagine included the two of us ditching our clothes.” I wanted it to come off as hard. Confident. Instead, it sent a rush to heat my face.
Ducking down, I bit my lip, cursing myself under my breath. I was so absolutely terrible at this. So out of my element. That alone was enough to remind me I didn’t belong there.
At a bar where all the rules changed.
Chuckling under his breath, he stood, towering over me. I shivered when he leaned down, his words just a whisper at my temple. “If that was what you wanted? Me to wrap you up and steal you away from here? I’d be a fool to pass up the chance. You’re wound up so tight, I’d spend the entire night undoing you. Time and again. But I would never ask you to do something you aren’t comfortable with.”
His response took me by surprise, and when he straightened, I was a shaky mess. The man cast me a smile and pointed at the full wine glass. “If you get the inclination, drink up. Let go. Just for a little while.” He looked around the bar. “I get the feeling you deserve it more than any one of us.”
Something gentle swam through the depths of those icy eyes, and my chest tightened in an almost painful way.
Kindness.
I saw it there, hiding underneath something so powerful I didn’t have the strength to fathom it.
“Thank you,” I said.
He dipped his head and turned away without another word.
I tried not to watch when he strode back across the bar. But I couldn’t help the furtive peeks, enthralled by the way the man weaved through the high-top tables.
All causal ease and confidence.
He got right back to living it up with his group of friends, instantly laughing as if he hadn’t missed a beat, slinging an arm around a big guy’s shoulders as if they’d been friends forever.
At the yank on my arm, I jerked to find Jenna standing there.
Brown eyes wide and intrigued, her voice was laced with the scandal. “Who was that tall drink of deliciousness? Good lord, if I knew what this bar was serving up . . .”
I shook myself out of the daze the man had me in and forced myself back down to reality. “He was nothin’ but a train wreck avoided.”
“Oh, come on, Hope.” She flung my arm all around with the plea. “You promised me you’d have a good time. One night, remember?”
Peering up at her, I worried my lip. “I’m sorry. Last thing I want is to be a downer on your party. But you know I have to be careful.”