"Lumberjack?" I loved me some sexy lumberjack… "He’s probably not looking for someone like me."
"He would be lucky to have you." Jeff tapped my foot under the table, clearly enjoying himself. "You should go talk to him. He's obviously interested."
I kinda wanted to. It had been way too long since I'd let myself relax enough to be vulnerable with someone. But that was the problem. I couldn't just hook up with someone and hope they wanted to hang out and cuddle afterward. It never worked that way.
"I’m good, but you should totally take a shot. I’m sure he’d love that." Jeff and I were both similar in builds, but I was more boy-next-door and he was a punk-anarchist in eyeliner. For as close as we were, we couldn’t be more opposite in appearance.
"Bruh!” Jeff wasn’t gonna give up so easily. “Come on. You don't have to marry the dude. Just go say hi."
But before I could think of a reasonable excuse, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it, expecting maybe a customer email.
It was Jeff. The man sitting two feet away from me.Sorry, man. Can't make it tonight. Emergency at work. Rain check?
I stared at the screen and then looked up at him, confused and questioning reality. "Did you just cancel on me…" I looked at my phone again to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. "While sitting right in front of me?"
"Technically, I cancelled ten minutes ago when I was on my way here." He was already standing up and slipping on his jacket with an unapologetic grin. "Sorry to flake, but I’m sure you’ll figure out how to salvage the night. By-eee."
"Jeff." I whisper-shouted as he started walking away. But he knew I wouldn’t make a scene.Bastard.
"Have fun!" He bolted for the door before I could stop him.
I was left sitting alone at the table with my Sprite and a growing pit in my belly.
My first instinct was to leave with him. That was the smart move. I could just go home, curl up in my jammies with Mr. Bees, and maybe even sneak a sippy cup of warm milk.
But I couldn’t resist a peek at the guy who had allegedly been looking at me, so I pretended to look for a server and spotted him almost immediately.
Jeff hadn't been exaggerating. The guy was gorgeous in that rugged, solid way that made my mouth go dry. With broad shoulders and strong hands wrapped around a beer bottle, his dark eyes instantly locked with mine across the room.
The sexy stranger smiled, and I might have whimpered just a bit.
It was warm and a little crooked, like he was genuinely happy I'd looked his way.
My cheeks heated at being caught checking him out, so I quickly turned back with my pulse hammering in my ears.
This was stupid. I didn't do random hookups, especially with someone who didn't explicitly know about my Little side. I had rules for a reason.
Just as I was about to get up and go home, a deep voice startled me from behind.
"Mind if I join you?"
I jumped and nearly flipped the table as the guy was suddenly standing next to my table with that same easy smile on his face. Up close he was even more handsome. Older than me by a few years and Daddy vibes pouring off of him that made me want tosit up straight and say yes, Daddy. "Oh, uh." I grabbed a napkin and wiped my suddenly sweaty hands. "Sure. Yeah."
He slid into Jeff's abandoned seat and held out his hand. "I'm Patrick."
"Allen." I shook his hand, surprised to find it was warm and calloused. I tried and failed not to think about what those hands might feel like on my skin.
He started with small talk that instantly got my guard down. Random topics like his work and my favorite snacks and the latest episode of a true crime drama we were both watching. I kept up my side of the conversation, but I was mostly focused on the way he looked at me. Like I was interesting and he really cared about what I had to say.
He leaned in when I spoke, with his head tilted slightly, giving me his full attention. It had been so long since someone looked at me like that I couldn’t help leaning in too.
I decided to have something stronger than soda, and when Patrick ordered an Old Fashioned, I got one too. As a lightweight, one drink was usually enough to knock me on my ass, so I rarely drank. But I had full trust in Patrick and decided to take Jeff’s advice and just have some fun.
When Patrick's knee brushed against mine under the table, I didn't pull away. And when his hand covered mine, I just looked up at him and smiled.
"Wanna get outta here?" Patrick's voice was low, meant just for me.
"Yeah." All my rules and boundaries were officially gone. I couldn’t even blame the liquor. It was 100% Patrick. "I would."
