“So what are you going to do, Autumn? Just stare at him all night?”
“Yes. I think that’s about all I can handle.”
“Well that’s just not acceptable and you know it.” To my horror, before I could protest, she grabbed my arm. Under the pretenses of leading me through some sort of line-dance, she began pulling me toward the bar.
Towards him.
She gave a fake cough. “I think I need to make a trip to the lady’s room. I’ll be back…eventually.” She winked and wiggled her eyebrows, and then disappeared around the corner, leaving me mere feet away from the handsome stranger, who was even more good-looking up close.
I stood there, not knowing whether I wanted to kill Elise or thank her; I supposed it would depend on how the rest of the night went.
My heart pounding, I slowly approached the bar, coming to a stop at the guy’s side, all the while trying to pretend he wasn’t the reason I was there in the first place. Yet, I could feel the flush coming over my face as I felt him watching me.
Lord knows I didn’t need another drink, but now that I was at the bar, I had no choice but to order one.
I decided to just order something light to sip slowly. The bartender was busy with other customers though, so I had a bit of a wait before me.
In my periphery, I saw the handsome stranger gradually sliding closer to me. Unable to resist, I glanced sideways at him. My knees almost buckled.
Tall with broad shoulders, he had the body of a god. His hair was short and black, creating a stunning contrast to his bright blue eyes. A tattoo peeked from under the sleeve of his shirt.
“Hello,” he said, his voice smooth as butter.
“Hi…”
A slow smirk spread across his face and in that instant, I knew he was the finest man I had ever seen. And judging from the cockiness lurking beneath his expression, he knew precisely the effect he was having on me.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Autumn.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Autumn. I’m Brady. Can I buy you a drink?”
I stretched out my hand, letting him take it in his. He raised it to his lips and kissed it with incredibly soft lips.
“Sure,” I said, somewhat breathless already.
CHAPTER 3
Brady
I’d expected the night to be a dull and uneventful, but I knew that was about to change the very moment I laid eyes on her.
The week had been long and tiring, and even though clubbing wasn’t really my thing, I needed a distraction. I figured a few drinks and a couple of women would be enough to alleviate some stress before I went home, but after spotting her, I knew that she alone was what I needed for the night.
I was pleased to see she didn’t have a man with her; she had come to the club with a friend—a hot and feisty redhead. I saw them both when they first walked through the door, and although they both were attractive, she was the one I immediately wanted. Her flowing raven-black hair and those deep brown eyes gave her an exotic look that I just couldn’t turn away from.
I was surprised she hadn’t sensed me staring sooner, but I guess that was a good thing. I didn’t want her thinking I was some kind of creep, especially after seeing the way she had shut down that other guy. I was glad to see she could handle herself though, otherwise I would have had to intervene, and I didn’t feel like fighting tonight. Being a Savage Soldier, I typically had to get my hands dirty far more than I wanted to.
When she finally noticed me though, I could tell the attraction was mutual.
As she stood beside me at the bar, trying to play nonchalant, I knew it was time to make my move. I offered to buy her a drink, and after a brief pause, she accepted my offer.
“So—are you from around here?” I asked as she sipped her strawberry daiquiri from a straw. Her lips curved into a flirtatious smile when she caught me staring at them.
Damn, those lips wrapped around my cock would be better than that straw…
She shook her head. “No. I guess you can say I’m here for business, sort of.”