“Mind if I have a seat?” asks a deep, sexy voice that sends goosebumps up along my arm. I almost close my eyes as my pussy clenches with need.
I turn to look up into the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, and my breath catches in my throat. Now that he’s up close, I can see he’s even more handsome than he looked from across the bar, if that’s even possible. His features are perfectly chiseled, with a strong jawline, sharp cheekbones and a cleft in his chin. The way his dark hair hangs down just above his eyes makes him look all the more enigmatic.
I can see the tattoo on his arm clearly now. It’s a serpent, and it’s a beautiful piece of art. It wraps around his arm in a tight coil. The rest of the sleeve is jam-packed with a combination of scrolls and intricate designs, with layers of colors that blend seamlessly. I find my eyes focusing on all the detail and wondering how long it took. Hours, no, days. And holy hell, it must’ve hurt.
Katie turns in her seat and smiles up at the stranger, acting as if she hasn’t just held me hostage. “Not at all, Mr….?”
“Zane,” the handsome man supplies.
Fuck. Even his name is sexy. There’s no way I’m going to survive this. This is what I get for spending so much time away from men. The first one that gives me any attention is knocking me flat on my ass.
Katie beams and offers her hand. “Nice to meet you, Zane. I’m Katie, and this is my friend Madeline.”
I lean over and whisper in Katie’s ear, “I am SO going to kill you for this.”
Zane quickly shakes Katie’s hand and then offers me his. I stare at it for a moment like it’s a snake before taking it. The minute our hands touch, I feel a jolt of electricity go up my arm. Seriously, it’s like a thousand volts just shot through my body and I swear my hair must be sticking up like I just stuck my finger in a power outlet. I wanna pull away, but I can’t. I’m paralyzed.
“Nice to meet you, Madeline,” Zane says in that deep, throaty voice of his, shaking my hand, unaware that his touch is doing some serious things to my body. After a moment, he lets go of my hand and I feel a twinge of disappointment.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I manage, but I’m barely audible over the music and I’m sure Zane doesn’t hear me. He doesn’t seem to care though, and his eyes continue to burn into me.
Katie suddenly jumps off her stool. “I was just telling Maddy here that I needed to take a tinkle.” She motions at the packed bar. “You can have my seat until I get back.” Oh. My. God. She did not just say tinkle. Kill me now.
Before I can object, Katie takes off like a speed demon, leaving me all alone with Zane.
Katie, you are dead, I send telepathically, wishing bad luck on my best friend for her treachery.
Zane nods at Katie’s seat. “You mind?” I catch a whiff of alcohol on his breath. Whiskey. I don’t drink whiskey. Personally, I hate it. But the faint smell of it on his breath combined with his unique, masculine smell makes me want to lean into him.
Do you even have to ask?
I’m actually kind of surprised by Zane’s manners, considering that he looks like a fellow who takes what he wants without asking.
Not trusting myself to speak, I shake my head. Zane grins and sits down next to me. Being this close to him, I feel my body temperature rise. I almost feel like I need a fan.
Not noticing my discomfort, Zane signals the bartender, but the man who poured my earlier drink nods to the female bartender. She’s a slim brunette with big tits. She’s in the middle of serving some guy a drink, but I swear she puts on speed boots to get over to us.
“What will it be, honey?” she rasps breathlessly, looking like she’s ready to bend over right then and there and let Zane fuck her in front of the entire crowd. Suddenly I’m wishing the other bartender were here, and not this bimbo.
I start to look away to give them some fucking privacy, but Zane doesn’t pay her an ounce of attention and replies, “A cosmo for my lady friend here.”
What the hell? I wonder. Is he a mind reader, too?
“Nothing for you, Zane?” she asks, putting emphasis on his name. I’m reading her loud and clear, but if Zane is, he isn’t showing it.
“Nah,” he says, putting a hand on my barstool, a little too close to my ass. “Just my girl’s drink.” My girl’s? I feel a blush rise up my chest and into my cheeks. I have to admit, being called his girl feels nice. But I’m quick to push those emotions down.
The bartender looks at me for a second with disdain, and then she looks back at Zane and winks. “One cosmo, coming right up.” She sashays off to the mixer, swinging her hips with every step.
I decide to ignore both his hand and claim on me and instead I gape at Zane with shock when she’s gone. “How the hell did you know I liked cosmos?”
Zane grins, a boyish grin that makes my inner voice scream at me to run away now before it’s too late. “I’m good at reading women.” His eyes seem to say, ‘That’s not the only thing I’m good at, either.’ And I believe it.
“Can you read my horoscope, too?” I ask playfully. You know, the one that says that if I don’t get away from you now, I’m in serious trouble?
“Huh?” he asks and I almost laugh.
Instead I smile and toy with the empty glass in front of me, running my fingers down the stem and leaning into the bar. I shake my head and say, “Nothing.”
The brunette's back in a flash with my drink. “Anything else, handsome?” She’s trying hard to get Zane’s attention, practically sticking her tits in his face. But he only has eyes for me.
“Nah, that’s all.” He tries to give her a tip, but she pushes it away.
“It’s on the house,” she purrs as another patron calls for her service. She leaves with a wink, saying, “If you need anything else, just holler. It’s always my pleasure to please.”
I’m not absolutely certain, but I’m pretty sure Miss Minx was letting Zane know that she's down to fuck whenever he's ready.
“Do you get that all the time?” I have to ask, even though I already know the answer. He’s fucking hot. Of course he does.
Zane shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I’m used to it.” He stares at me. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Yep. He’s a mind reader.
Shaking my head, I take a sip of my cosmo. I’m impressed. It’s actually really good. I half-wonder if she spit in it though, just to spite me. “No, actually. Katie and I are new in town. We move into our new place tomorrow.”
Zane looks very interested. “Oh yeah? Where at?”
Alarm bells go off in my head. Don’t tell him where. I don’t know why I don’t want to tell Zane where I’ll be living. It’s not like he would stalk me considering he can have any woman he wants.
“1212 Candyland Road,” I lie. And the drink must be hitting me, because that is a horrible street name to think up. This town isn’t that big. He’s gonna know.
Zane makes a face. “Candyland Road? I’ve lived here all my life and never heard of that street.”
I gesture vaguely and take another sip. “It’s near the edge of town.”
“Oh, okay.” From his demeanor, I can tell Zane knows I’m bullshitting, but he doesn’t press the issue. He gives me a grin and leans forward, looking like my lie was more amusing than anything else.