“You her boyfriend or something?” Bar Buddy asks, cocking a brow as he takes a sip of his beer.
That attitude is all it takes to tighten the air surrounding us. My quiet savior seems to widen before my eyes, or maybe I’ve had too much to drink… Because I swear, if I touch him right now, the sheer amount of static buildup would knock me off my stool.
“Something,” the savior agrees.
The weight of that one word is a threat. We all know it. Bar Buddy holds his hands up as if he doesn’t want any trouble, muttering under his breath before disappearing into the crowd.
My savior rolls his shoulders before turning in my direction, and my breath catches as I meet his intense green gaze.
It’s him.
The one from weeks ago.
My silent stare-down across a crowded bar that made me forget how to breathe because it felt like a physical touch…
Now he’s here.
Real.
Close enough to touch.
I want to touch him.
If a single shared glance can make my knees weak… What else is this man capable of?
“Are you okay?” he asks, voice steady as he searches my face.
“I am now,” I manage, fighting the urge to reach out and flatten my hands against his chest.
His mouth twitches in an almost smile. “You don’t sound convinced.”
“I don’t get convinced that easily,” I reply. Then I bite my fucking lip to shut my mouth before I say something about how easily he could convince me if he doesn’t stop looking at me.
I hope this isn’t the business Roo is here to conduct… Because if we have to kill him, I’m keeping his eyes as a memento. Maybe I can put them in resin and tuck them away on the bookshelf in my bedroom.
“Is that a warning or a challenge?” he asks, amusement tinting his question as he hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “I can go find him and see if he’s still interested in talking to you…”
“Mmm,” I hum, tilting my head like I’m thinking about the options he just gave me and not how to pickle eyeballs for a keepsake. “Depend. Which one makes you stay right here?”
This way, I can… keep my eye on him.
Smooth, Eris.
It’s time to stop drinking.
My answer earns me a genuine smile this time, the slow tilt of his lips such a dangerous thing to witness right now.
“Both.” He glances around the bar, then back at me. “He’s gone, though. You can breathe again.”
“I wasn’t holding my breath.”
“Sure about that?”
I shrug. “I’ve had worse.”
“Yeah?” His eyes drag over my face, studying me once more. “You don’t look like someone who letsworsestick around too long.”
“I don’t.” My voice softens just a little. “But sometimes they try.”
