Though the smile never wavered, something in her eyes told him this was more than some gutsy woman trying to score a date with the man of the hour. There was potency, a seriousness that belied her flirtatious tone.
He narrowed his eyes. “Do you know me?” He wondered if she heard the urgency beneath his words?
She blinked, surprise flickering in her eyes. They weren’t purely brown as he’d originally thought. A band of amber circled her iris, almost like a sunburst. “Of course,” she said, tossing her auburn hair. “You’re Cade Shepherd.”
“No, I… Never mind.” He turned away from her, walking over to the locker where he’d left his things. It was too much to hope that this woman actually knew him. Anything he thought he’d read in her eyes was just wishful thinking.
She watched him without a word as he finished toweling off and dressing. In the mirror he caught a flash of uncertainty on her face.
Rethinking your little game, princess?
By the time he finished packing up his gear, she had her confidence back.
“So how ’bout it, handsome? Let me help you celebrate your win.”
Cade was on the verge of blowing her off. Just leaving her here and going on about his business. Then he looked at her again and was caught, as he had been in the ring. What was it about this woman? If he walked away from her now, he’d probably never get another shot to find out.
He let his lips curve in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
Chapter 3
Le Loup Garou. The sign glowed neon bright above the shuttered windows.
Embry wondered if it was designed to appeal to curious tourists who came to the Crescent City in search of myth and legend, then decided it probably wasn’t. They weren’t in the French Quarter and nowhere near Bourbon Street. This was a neighborhood place, tucked between a darkened law office and a building with space for lease.
Cade pulled open the paneled door. Blues, rich and soulful, spilled out to color the night. “After you,” he gestured.
Moving in a way that she hoped resembled a slow, deliberate, Watch Me walk, Embry moved past him, feeling his eyes on her as she stepped through the tiny vestibule and into the light and sounds of the bar. She blinked a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust. The walls were exposed brick, dominated by a mirror behind a long, polished bar. Black and white photographs in cypress wood frames drew the eye here and there. On the wall opposite the bar, a jumbo flat screen TV played a recap of what she recognized as another fight that had been on tonight’s ticket.
“Hey! Hail the conquerin’ hero!”
Embry shifted her gaze to the bartender who held some bottle aloft by the neck in salute to Cade, who’d stepped up beside her.
With a grin and a flourish, Cade made a mocking bow to the tune of applause from most of the patrons present. “Another title won! Y’all know what that means?” He pointed his finger toward the audience.
“Hot wings!” came the resounding chorus.
“On me!”
Embry felt her lips quirk as he placed a hand on the small of her back to navigate her toward the bar. “Isn’t a round of drinks more traditional?”
“Yeah but Mick’s place makes the best damned hot wings in the city, and I’m always starving after a fight.”
“I already put da order in to Jeanette,” said the bartender, sliding a mug the length of the bar to a waiting hand.
“How’s business tonight, my man?” asked Cade bumping fists with the other man.
“Always good on fight night.” Mick’s eyes moved over to Embry. “And who’s dis lovely lady?”
“Mick, Embry. Embry, Micajah Guidry, owner of this fine establishment.”
When the bartender offered his hand, Embry took it, surprised when he raised it to his lips in a gallant kiss. “Either da prizes have gotten way better dis season, or your taste has improved considerable.”
“Pay no attention to him, Embry. I assure you—”
She didn’t hear whatever comeback Cade made. Her amusement faded as she saw Mick’s nostrils flare, inhaling her scent. For a moment his eyes glowed, flicking to hers in appraisal.
Son of a bitch, she thought, fighting to control her own flare of alarm. The bastard certainly had a sense of humor. Only a wolf-shifter would think naming a bar Le Loup Garou and hiding in plain sight was funny.