The Heir (Gentlemen Rogues 1)

It was pinned on me. He cocked his head as if asking what I was doing. His half smile deepening to show a hint of a dimple.

He'd seen me watching him, watching me, as if I was going to go over there and talk to him. He must be used to that. Given the VIP booth and the expensive but understated clothing, he was absolutely used to that. He understood power and expected to wield it. Well, he was going to be disappointed.

My dance partner must have seen the direction of my gaze because he angled his body to block my view. And then he tried to start talking to me. "So, uh, you and your mate, you come here often?"

I blinked up at him in surprise, not sure I’d heard correctly. "Sorry, what did you say?"

I glanced at Tabs and the way she was snogging the other bloke, and I figured they’d be off to shag soon.

He reached his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck. "You’ve been acting a bit stuck up. You’re not talking to me.”

Was he serious? Maybe it was time to get another drink. "I'm just dancing. That's all."

"Do you want to sit down somewhere and talk?"

Talking was absolutely the last thing I wanted to do. "No, I'm just going to continue dancing. You go ahead though if you're tired."

He frowned. "Well, you know, I thought we'd get to know each other better. Come on, we'll get some privacy."

I shook my head. "No. I'm good."

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re a bloody tease, practically showing me your arse. But now when I want to go somewhere and actually, I don't know, buy you a drink and talk to you, you're blowing me off?"

I forced my tone to be neutral and unemotional. "I want you to hear me very clearly, whatever the hell your name is, and understand me. No is a full sentence. I'm not interested. Find someone else who is." Then I very deliberately turned my back on him. All the while, during our little conversational exchange, our bodies had rotated so the bloke in the booth could see us. Except when I looked back over, he was gone.

My dancing partner shook his head and scowled, but he didn’t leave. I prayed he didn’t become a problem.

Not that I couldn't handle a problem, but problems were messy. I executed another quick turn and was disappointed to find my man in the booth still gone. I couldn't explain the sinking feeling I had in my stomach, the wash of disappointment and the prickle of sadness that he wasn't there. I told myself it was just disappointment because it had felt nice. I’d liked the way he looked at me. Finally, blond bloke sulked off. Good riddance. But Tabs had dragged his mate to our booth, so I couldn’t go back there.

"You handled him easily enough."

I startled and turned slowly because I knew without a doubt who was behind me. When I glanced up at him, he quirked his lips in a smile. "I saw you watching me."

I lifted my brow. "You were watching me first."

"Are you sure? Or did I merely return your very direct stare."

I laughed. "Are you shitting me? You were giving off serious creeper vibes. I almost walked over to give you a pair of binoculars."

"My eyesight is excellent. Luckily, I did not need them. It was easy enough to spot the most striking woman in the room.”

I rolled my eyes. "Is there a reason you're staring at me?"

He gave me a broader smile then, and my stomach flipped, and the awareness changed into something else. A crackling electric tension. He was even more beautiful up close. His eyes were a startling, silvery, gray with thick, sooty lashes. His jawline and cheekbones screamed for their own magazine cover. And his lips... Well, they had a slightly swollen quality that suggested they might have recently been kissed.

He was the kind of handsome you see in magazines and movies, not the kind of handsome you see walking around romancing all the people.

He was also tall. Enormous actually. I was five foot eight, and he towered over me, so much so that I had to tilt my chin very deliberately to meet that silvery gaze. His eyes were so vibrant. To top off the Greek god façade, he had a cleft in his chin. It really wasn't fair. Under normal circumstances, I would not have stood a chance.

But tequila was bringing out my sass. "You do think highly of yourself, don't you?"

The grin was back, and I saw another flash of dimple. Oh, hell. This bloke was the kind of beautiful you only dream about.

He shook his head. "Everyone should know what they’re working with, as I'm sure you do."

I laughed. "Oh, flattery. You know, under normal circumstances, it would get you somewhere."

He cocked his head. "Flattery is not going to get me anywhere?"