Although why that would matter, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have been thinking about going anywhere near him.
But fuck it, I had a thing for cute puppies and I was single, lonely, bored, and bordering on vaguely self-destructive. And if he wanted to tell me to sod off, he would. I had no doubt about that.
Besides, it wasn’t like I was going to do anything. I had guests. Nosy guests. Guests who would absolutely give me shit for not returning with drinks, although maybe they’d forgive me if they saw Danny. Shane did have a thing for men in rugby shorts.
That would be the thing heactuallygave me shit for, especially since I’d told him I didn’t care about the players. And yet here I was, planning to corner one in a bar because he couldn’t stop watching me.
Fuck, that sounded creepier than I’d thought it would.
“No, there isn’t a bar up here,” Eric said from above me. “Are you okay to get another round? Shane wants another espresso martini, please, and I’ll have an old fashioned.”
“Sure, I can get those,” I said, shooting him a smile and draining the last of my first martini. “Back in a minute.”
I wound my way back through the room, casually aiming for the end of the bar, sliding in amongst the crowd and stepping around a couple of people until I found myself next to Danny. I put my empty glass down, barely glancing at him and pretending I didn’t know he was there as I tried to catch the attention of oneof the bartenders. But since it was so busy, I knew I’d be waiting a while.
“Piña colada?” asked a dark-haired woman, her hair slicked back into a high ponytail, as she looked between Danny and me with a tall glass in hand. There was a large wedge of pineapple on the edge with a cocktail cherry resting on top of the drink’s creamy surface.
“Er, that’s mine,” Danny said almost sheepishly, lifting his hand slightly. The woman smiled and put it down in front of him, then looked at me.
“Give me two seconds, and I’ll be right with you.”
“No rush,” I said as she scooped up my empty and strode off down the bar. I tilted my head and smiled at Danny, who was frowning at the glass like he expected it to bite him. “That looks good. I haven’t had a piña colada in years.”
“I’ve never had one before,” he said, picking up the cherry and tossing it into his mouth, pulling the stem until it popped free. And for a second I wondered if I should tell him I could tie knots in cherry stems with my tongue.
Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell had come over me?
“What do you usually drink?”
“Whatever’s on tap. But, er, I’m doing this thing where I try new stuff. See how I like it. And, I don’t know, it sounded pretty good.”
“They usually are. And they’re stronger than what you get on tap too. People make fun of cocktails, but they’re the fastest way to get you wasted.”
Danny grinned cheekily, his eyes sparkling. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Of course I am,” I said with a smirk. “You should try them on the next team night out. Or do something like a cocktail-making class.”
“Not sure we could do that with all of us, but I know some of them wouldn’t come. So yeah, maybe. Could be fun.”
I nodded and gave a cursory glance around. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“Er, yeah,” Danny said, but the way he said it meant I didn’t quite believe him. “Been out with Charlie shopping for engagement rings and he wanted to nip up to look in the window of another jeweller a bit further up the hill.”
“You didn’t fancy going with him?”
“Nah, I’ve spent my whole day looking at rings and I’m done. Plus I don’t think he’ll actually buy anything. He’s too scared about getting it wrong.”
“It’s a difficult decision,” I said, trying not to let the memories of picking out Reed’s engagement ring take over. I let out a slow breath and let them wash over me, passing me by like a wave on the beach as the bartender appeared as promised. Ordering our drinks was a good distraction, and I could feel Danny’s eyes on me as I tapped my phone on the card reader to pay. Usually I’d have asked if someone could bring them upstairs, but I wanted to see where this would go. If only for my own amusement.
“What about you? I’m not judging, but I’m guessing those drinks aren’t all for you? But if they are, then have fun,” Danny said as he picked up his drink, still eyeing it with vague suspicion.
“Not just for me. I’m here with some friends. They’ve gone to find seats upstairs while I order more drinks.”
“Smart, that’ll save you getting up again so soon. Although it sucks there’s not a bar upstairs too. You’d think there would be with so many people.”
“Definitely a design flaw.”
“Maybe there’s, like, a QR code on the table where you can order them,” Danny said, lifting the glass to his lips, hismoustache brushing over the top of it as he took a small sip. The corner of his mouth curled in delight and he immediately took another, and when he put the glass down, I noticed some of the creamy coconut concoction clinging to his top lip.
