His brow furrowed for a moment, and he studied her. “That’s good for me, then. If you’re sober, I know you’re genuinely interested. That means I can keep you up late.” He winked.
Her thoughts ground to a halt, before spinning up at high speed and diving into the analytical. Was that meant to be innuendo? The wink said he was teasing. Or being seductive. Was he making conversation and nothing more? What was she supposed to say next?
The way he looked her over, attention lingering on her chest and then her lips, sent heat flooding across her skin. “You’re new to this.” His eyes flashed with amusement.
Her thoughts stalled, and she growled at herself. This was ridiculous. She knew how to be assertive. It had taken her a while to learn, but as a contract software developer who was frequently assigned to work for companies who didn’t want her there, she’d learned how to walk that line between aggressive and friendly. “No, I’m not. I pick up confident, attractive guys all the time.”
“I like it.” His gaze was back on hers. Up close, his eyes weren’t simply blue; they were cool and clear, like warm ice. “I’m curious. You’re an attractive woman, who’s made more eye contact with your phone tonight than with any person here. You’re drinking alone in the middle of a bar full of sharks. Are you one of them, or looking to land one?”
She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted by the shark comparison. His tone didn’t imply he was being rude. It didn’t matter. She was stepping outside of her comfort zone, and he didn’t have to be a brilliant conversationalist to be a one-night stand. The thought left a bitter aftertaste that she tried to ignore. “Neither. I’m supposed to be celebrating with a friend, but she couldn’t make it.”
“She doesn’t sound like a great friend.”
Cynthia would do anything for her. “She’s the best, but sometimes work has to come first. What about you? You’re obviously on the prowl. Are you showing off your fin or looking for guppies?” This was good. She’d keep him from stealing the conversation away.
He grinned. “Who? Me? What about me sayspredatory?”
“Besides the toothy, devour-me smile?” Damn it. Despite the voice insisting he didn’t need to be anything besides attractive to be an option, she was as interested in what lay below the surface as the package it came in. Pretty paper shredded easily.
“Yes. Besides that.”
“Everything.”
“That’s not super specific.” He trailed a finger up her arm.
She lingered on the warmth of his touch, and the goosebumps he left behind. “In that case, I’m too polite to say.”
“Except that you led with the observation, which means your tongue’s not completely tied. Maybe I’m not a shark. What if I’m a complex book with enough pages no one will ever read them all?”
“Most people are.” Or rather, most people preferred to think they were. The banter with him moved at a nice clip, and she liked that she had to think to keep up. Maybe he’d be one of the few who was that complex.
“I bet you’re curious about my book’s contents,” he said.
“I’m still trying to decide if there are enough to make it worth my time.”
“Ouch. But that’s fair. Still, I think you’ve already started to compile a history for me, as well as everyone else you’ve watched tonight, and you want to know if you’re right.”
How was she supposed to react to that? His words were confrontational, but his tone and posture were flirty. She let her mouth keep running without permission; it was doing all right thus far. “Because I know you’re on the hunt tonight? I don’t need a complete history to guess that. It’s the same kind of observant as me reading the neon sign in the window and knowing they serve Bud Light here.”
“If I’m that obvious, you tell me—am I showing off my fin, or am I looking for guppies? And what does that make you?”
“Still looking for more of those pages you mentioned.” The back and forth was fun, but not if it didn’t move beyond the fish analogies.
“You’re right.” He didn’t reach for her, but the shift in his tone was enough to make her pause. “I tend to grab hold of an idea and run with it, but it’s clear the whole shark thing isn’t doing it for you. Let’s start over.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not the way this works. You don’t get to find one woman and try every bad line you know on her until she caves.”
“I’m not here to pick someone up. That’s not a line; I promise. I saw you, and I couldn’t help myself. Apparently in more ways than one.”
That was flattering. It might be another line, despite his assurance, but it sounded genuine enough to draw her back into the conversation. “Whyareyou here, then?”
“I was supposed to meet a friend, too, but something came up.” He leaned back enough to draw his gaze over her again, this time lingering on her face.
“That’s convenient. I tell you a story, then you parrot it back to me and spin it as unique, simultaneously convincing me we have something in common and that you’re different from everyone else in here.”
“Nope. I’m not unique.” He nodded around the room. “Like every other suit here—and byhereI mean the valley, not the bar—I own a tech startup. We wrote an app.”
His reply was rooted in the harsh reality of living in a town whereeveryonehad written an app. That he didn’t mind admitting it made her smile. The release relaxed her.