My head jerked back as I met a piercing stare.
He was tall. Not just tall —massive.
Broad shoulders stretched the seams of his faded black shirt, and every inch of visible skin was inked. Tattoos crawled up his neck and wrapped around the hand that was holding a lowball glass.
At first, it felt strange to be watched so openly.
But then — somewhere between the rust-colored hair slicked back from his face, the short-trimmed beard framing a maddening smirk, and the glint of rings and chains that somehow worked on him — I found myself oddly impressed by this dude’s massive set of balls.
Most people would’ve looked away once they got caught staring, but not him. He met my gaze head-on, calm and unbothered.
Brazen.
Like he’d been doing this sort of thing his whole life. Like he knew I wouldn’t look away, either.
It should’ve been obnoxious. Guys like that usually were.
But instead of cocky, he looked … comfortable. Hazel eyes held mine steadily and unreadably. The corner of his mouth curved as if he knew a joke I didn’t.
Then he raised his glass in a slow, deliberate toast.
Huh.
My eyebrows lifted before I could stop them. That casual confidence did…somethingto me.
A strange tingle unfurled in my stomach — sharp, unwelcome, and far too interesting. I felt my spine straighten instinctively, the familiar urge to smooth myself over, to stay composed.
To stay above it.
I didn’t lift my can in return. Didn’t smile. Didn’t give him anything back. Still, he didn’t look away. He just smiled wider, as if he already knew I’d cracked.
He wasn’t here alone. On the contrary — his group was so large that they had not only taken over one of the main booths but were also spread out around it. One of his friends said something to him, and he still didn’t look away.
Okay, admittedly, neither did I… but he started it.
He answered the other dude and then nodded in my direction, causing a few heads to turn toward me. Some of them were familiar, and I wasn’t sure yet if this was a good thing or not.
The dude who had been watching me started to push away from the wall, but a hand on his chest stopped him. Craig, the captain of the football team, looked intently at the guy and said something that seemed rather insistent, his face serious.
I tore my eyes away from them because I’d been looking over there too long anyway. Instead, I turned back to the bar, drained the can, and decided a cocktail wouldn’t hurt.
Just as I was about to hand the bartender my card, a large body appeared beside me.
“Put it on my tab, Eli.”
Disappointment jolted through me unexpectedly as I realized it wasn’t the man I was expecting.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I know, but I thought it might soften you up a bit because I have a favor to ask you.” Craig’s voice sounded a bit resigned, almost exasperated. I wondered what this was all about.
“Well, go ahead. What can I do for you?” I asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Look, I know David—”
“I’m going to stop you right there because David means nothing to me anymore. Never again, as far as I’m concerned.” He probably wanted to organize a party or something with David’s fraternity.
I had expected his face to fall or for him to scuttle away with a half-hearted apology. Instead, his eyes suddenly lit up.
