“Something like that,” I said absently. He turned to pour my draft, and I shook my head quickly. “How about a vodka, soda with a lime, please.”
“Sure thing.” He looked at me oddly, as if he wasn’t seeing the same person. That made two of us. After taking two very big sips of my drink, my eyes wandered to the stage. Aiden was sitting on a stool playing guitar, surrounded by eager women. As soon as I drank in his black, long sleeved, cuffed shirt, dark jeans, and motorcycle boots, my eyes shot up to his face. He was staring dead at me as he sang. I smiled and drained my drink, letting the hard liquor soothe my nerves.
I could think of worse reasons to overindulge, but I decided enough was enough and kept my eyes on him. I wasn’t some teenage girl with a crush.
I was Nina fucking Scott, whoever that might have been.
When he had done a complete number on the women in front of him, he approached me where I sat at the bar without hesitation, grabbing the beer Dave offered.
“Nina,” he said as he appraised me before taking a sip. “I vow to be a perfect gentlemen, but your dress tells me to act otherwise.”
“Is that a compliment?” I asked with a grin.
“Well, you had to have seen what you look like before you left the house,” he said, leaning in close. He smelled like heaven: a heady mix of clean man, his own special s
cent. My body responded instantly though I had been trained over the last few years to hide it well. “What are your intentions with me?” he asked in a whisper.
I leaned back, taking in the soft platinum, spiky tips of his hair, his scruffy chin, and perfect lips before losing myself in the intensity of his eyes. This man was walking sex.
“You assume too much,” I said coyly, tilting my head and staring at the stool beside me. He shook his head quickly.
“Drink up, we aren’t staying.” He motioned to Dave who nodded. I reached into my purse to grab some money, and Aiden put his hands on mine. “Don’t insult me.” The feel of his hands had me jerking my head to look up at him. He was much closer now, and I felt my sex twitch.
For fuck’s sake!
“Okay,” I replied softly. His answering smile had me trying my best to not slide off the stool.
“Okay.” He leaned in closer. “That was most definitely a compliment on your dress. And to think you had me at jeans and a t-shirt.” He leaned back as my lips parted. His eyes brightened with my smile, and I realized he was still holding my hands resting on my purse. He pulled one close to his face and kissed it softly, caressing it with both of his before setting it back down.
“Let’s go.” He gestured as I stood up.
We walked to the Tides hotel and were immediately seated in the restaurant, BLU. I was sure he thought this was impressive to me, and I played the part as we both ordered without difficulty.
“So, Dave said you were on vacation. Where are you from?”
Aha! He thought I was just some tourist he could have a fling with. Perfect!
“And if you lie to me right now, I’ll know it,” he said quickly.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“Your area code is 843, Nina. It’s a Charleston area code,” he said, watching my reaction carefully.
Shit.
“So, I guess the question is,” he said, gripping his beer, “why did you lie to my bartender?”
“I…” I looked down at my napkin, folding it over and over, then braved a look back at him. He frowned, stilling my hands.
“I lied,” I said, meeting his fiery gaze across the table.
“Okay,” he said, lifting the last part of the word and awaiting further explanation.
“The reason is completely ridiculous,” I said, grabbing my wine and taking a sip. “I just…for one day wanted to be someone else, that’s all. God, it sounds sad, doesn’t it? Anyway, I never planned on coming back to your bar.”
“But you did for me,” he said with a confident smile. “I like that, little liar.” He dropped the subject then, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. I stared at him, my own curiosity getting the best of me.
“Why are you singing in a bar?” I asked, then apologized quickly when I realized how demeaning the question came across. “I mean, not that there is anything wrong with it. It’s just that you could be on a real stage somewhere. You could be really successful at it.” He smirked before taking a bite of his perfectly cooked steak as I awaited his reply.