Top Priority (The Game 1)

His accent was different. Not my part of the South.

I took a step to the side and noticed the tattoo on his bicep. I’d know that symbol anywhere. A simple chain with two dog tags was tangled in metallic wings that could only belong to the Air Force.

He was military.

Perhaps the mountain man had noticed something too, because he puffed out his chest some more before he walked away with his brothers and sister.

I released a heavy breath and rubbed a hand over my mouth.

The Air Force guy turned around to face me with a mild smirk.

He was strikingly sexy and had the most gorgeous green eyes. Warm, bordering on hazel. I cleared my throat and averted my gaze, remembering I was in enemy territory here. It wasn’t a bar with a Pride flag in the window in DC; it was a hole-in-the-wall in Richmond.

“Thank you for interceding, sir.” I held out my hand.

“Uh-huh. No worries,” he drawled and shook my hand. I wouldn’t have expected anything other than the firm handshake he gave me. “You look like you’ve had a day.”

“And a half,” I replied.

He nodded at the bar. “You can join me in the opposite direction of the Richmond Royalty.”

A chuckle slipped out, and I followed him to the bar where we could share a corner.

The wall behind the bar was packed with bottles and a menu written in chalk. My stomach decided on a big rack of baby back ribs with mashed potatoes and collard greens.

After giving my order to the bartender, I turned to my nameless companion and asked if he was hungry. “I’m buying,” I added.

He squinted up at the menu and scratched his bicep absently. “Is the gravy any good, ma’am?”

The lady behind the bar rocked flannel and a wrinkled, motherly grin. “Goes back three generations, and no complaints so far.”

My company for the evening grinned right back. God, his smile was incredible. There was no doubt about it; he was drowning in women who wanted him. Men too. I’d be first in line.

“Sounds better than the finest Yelp review. I’ll have a number six, thanks,” he said. It was half a chicken with biscuits and gravy. It definitely sounded good. “Oh, can I get a side of mac and cheese too?”

“Of course, sugar. Beers for both’a y’all?”

We nodded. I wanted a Corona, and he wanted the same he’d ordered before. It came in a glass.

When the lady left, I slumped back in my seat a bit and removed my tie. I couldn’t pretend to be comfortable in my clothes anymore. Wet goddamn clothes. I ran a hand through my hair too, hoping to make it a little less disheveled.

Laughter came from the dart board corner, and a bad country song was playing.

It truly was a country-lovin’ place. Now that I wasn’t facing a throwdown and I was away from the storm, I could better take in the surroundings. Posters graced the paneled walls. Country singers and ranches and cattle auctions… Lamps hung low over the tables, and smoke danced in the light.

“Nice place, innit?”

I couldn’t respond truthfully without sounding rude, so I merely smiled politely. Then I went for introductions. “I’m Lucas, by the way. Lucas West.”

He took a swig of his beer. “Colt.”TwoColt jerked his chin at my shirt. “You’re just passin’ through, I assume.”

“Yes. I’m on my way home to DC after a week in Atlanta. What about you?”

“Passin’ through too.” He nodded. “My folks just moved to Norfolk.”

Ah. “So, you’re not supposed to be at Langley at oh-six-hundred tomorrow or something,” I joked. Langley was near Norfolk, I was pretty sure.

His mouth twitched. “Day after tomorrow, and it’s fourteen-hundred.”

I laughed. “Really? Good guess on my part.”

He snorted. “Sure. Airman passing through Richmond, and Langley being one of the biggest bases around…”

Okay, so he was going to be difficult about it. “Perhaps you know this. Is it true that guys in the Air Force are arrogant and cocky as hell?”

Colt offered an infectious grin. “Well, our women too.”

“Great.” I should drop it. He’d been kind enough to save my hide earlier. I’d buy him dinner, and then we’d part ways. I wasn’t going to push his buttons or tell him I didn’t like arrogance. It was an unflattering trait.

I chugged half my beer instead.

In a couple hours, I’d be in a hotel room. I could play nice until then.

“So what do you do in the Air Force?” I asked.

“Help keep the country safe.”

Sweet Jesus.

“You should see the look on your face,” he laughed. “I’m just fuckin’ with you, man. I’m a pilot.”

“Of course you are.” I shook my head, torn between amusement and wanting to smack him. “The cockiest of them all.”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. He carried himself in a special way. He came off young in his manners, yet there was structure the military had given him, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He was older than me. Not by very many years, but it was noticeable.