I was starting to feel like I might have to change tack and find a way of approaching Lez, when I turned and caught him coming from the other side of the dome, his eyes set on me. I wasn’t confused by the look he gave either. He wasn’t smiling or smirking. It was intense, as though he’d somehow singled me out, stalking me like prey.
Keep your cool, Ty, I told myself more than once.
He didn’t approach straight away. He grabbed a glass of white wine off the tray of a waiter who passed by him, then sidled up beside me.
“You haven’t had much of your glass,” he said, studying my drink.
“Oh, yeah, I’m just trying to take all this in.”
“You here by yourself?” His brows pulled together.
“Friends. They’re making their way around.”
He sized me up, and Kyle must have done a damn good job lining me up with his type, because the way he assessed me, it was total interest in everything he took in. As he started chatting me up, Liam popped on my earpiece: “Doing good, doing good. I’m right here.”
Hearing his voice helped me relax.
He and Kyle and Tara started discussing the details of what was about to go down with their target. I only picked up on the fact that he was already in his box, next to Tara’s.
“Ty, tell him you like his eyes,” Tara said.
Lez was rambling on about trying to find parking, so it seemed like an odd opportunity to say that, but I trusted her more than myself with this.
“I like your eyes,” I said, and he froze.
The way he looked at my lips and then at me, sort of puzzled, made me think Tara might have put me in jeopardy of being discovered. Clearly, I’d fucked this up.
“Tell him,” she went on, “you wish there was somewhere more private where you guys could talk without all this noise.”
“I kind of wish there was somewhere more private we could go. This is kind of noisy,” I said.
“Don’t improvise on me, Ty,” Tara scolded, but Lez smirked.
“I think I might have a place. Let me see what I can do. Stay put. What was your name?”
“Blake.”
“I’ll be right back, Blake.”
The way he was so cool and collected, if I hadn’t known he was a total asshole working in a place like this, if I’d run into this guy before I’d met Liam, I would’ve totally fucked him.
“Good job,” Tara affirmed as he walked away.
“Maybe a little too good,” Liam said, groaning.
“Now, now, no jealousy between partners,” Kyle teased.
I kept searching around for Kyle, but without any luck.
“Okay, guys,” Tara said. “Cut it out. On the clock.”
Mick joined in, “It’s all about the games. It’s the only thing that makes it worth it.”
“He’s talking to two of his guys,” Tara relayed. From her box, she had a bird’s-eye view of the space. “Looks like they’re coming with him. Wait, not like that.”
I chuckled.
I was shaking—fucking trembling. This was something out of a movie or TV show, not my fucking life.
