“Is it short for Cassandra?” He asks.
“Mhm. I’m named after my great-grandmother. She died before I was born. But my mom said when I was born, I was the spitting image of her as a baby, so they named me after her.” What the fuck Cassie, shut up. He doesn’t want to know about your dead great-grandmother. Why do you word vomit when there is a cute guy near you? OK, to be fair, this guy was more than cute. Alec was hot! He was at least 6 foot 2, jet black hair, and his eyes were like a seafoam green with emerald flecks. I don’t think I have ever seen eyes that color. They were stunning.
“It’s a beautiful name. Suitable for such a beautiful woman. Can I buy you a drink?” He has still yet to let go of my hand. And for some reason, I don’t seem to care right now. Between the up in the air interest from Theo and the very, very confusing shit that just happened with Lucian, I am enjoying this stranger’s company.
“Thank you. I.” The bartender cuts me off by setting down my shot. “I already ordered one but thank you.”
He pulls me closer to whisper in my ear.
“What’s a beautiful woman like yourself doing at the bar alone? Isn’t that your boyfriend?” His sultry voice has me biting my lip to trap the moan. He gestures his head back toward the table where Lucian is and releases my hand when he locks eyes with Lucian.
Oh fuck, Lucian looks pissed.
“Lucian? No, he is not my boyfriend. We are best friends, though. He is actually my dungeon master.”
“Ah, so you do play D&D.”
“Yep, hence being at this bar.” I gesture around.
“So, is this your first time at Nat20?”
“Yep. I was waiting for my friend to get back into town. We promised we would come together. It is pretty cool. I love all the cosplay they do here. How about you?”
“I’ve come a couple of times before. It’s fun when they do game nights here on Thursdays. You will have to join me sometime.” His smile could light up the room!
“Oh, maybe. That does sound fun. So, are you a dungeon master, too?” I ask.
He smirks at me as he takes a sip of his drink. “You could say that.”
Oh God, was he like Theo? I quickly pick up my forgotten shot and shoot it down.
“So, since you are here with your dungeon master and not boyfriend, can I assume you are single?”
“Ugh... It is kind of complicated. Should have that figured out by this weekend.” He takes my hand again, gently tracing circles with his thumb. His hands are so warm and smooth. Thoughts of what those hands could do cause me to blush. “But why don’t I give you my number, and you can let me know when the next game night here is? Maybe I can join you.”
He hands me his phone, then places his hand on my lower back, pulling me closer. I finish typing my number in, double-checking that it is correct. I can be a bit dyslexic sometimes. I hand him back his phone as he bends back down to my ear again.
“It was great meeting you tonight, Cassandra.” The way my name slides off his tongue. I can only imagine how good it would sound while moaning it. “Maybe I can show you how good of a dungeon master I can be. Once you get things figured out, that is.” Yep, he definitely seems like a Dom.
Before I can delve into that fantasy, my arm is grabbed, and I am pulled away from Alec’s warm embrace.
“Lucian, what the hell?” I try to yank my arm from his grasp, but he is holding on too firmly.
“Your food is getting cold. Let’s go.” He tries to pull me along. Alec smirks and it makes Lucian even more irritable.
“Lucian, was it? Sorry, we were just talking. I guess you can steal her back now.” He breaks the death stare with Lucian and turns back toward me. “I’ll text you later, Cassandra; better get going before your food gets cold.” He spares Lucian one more glance before tipping his drink to me.
“Maybe we can grab a drink soon. Nice meeting you.” I barely get the sentences out as I am dragged back toward our table. Well, that was fucking embarrassing.
“Lucian! What the hell was that? Since when are you so rude?” I slide back into the booth, so irritated that I have lost my appetite.
“I was saving you, Cassandra.” He says my name, and it oozes sarcasm, mocking how Alec said it. “Guys like him are nothing but trouble. You are too sweet and innocent to get wrapped up with a guy like him. I won’t allow that to happen.” I can’t help but internally laugh at that last part.
“Ok, number one, Who the fuck are you to tell me who I can and can’t be with. Number two, we literally were just talking about D&D and how they do game nights here once a week. Trivia and that sort of shit. It wasn’t like we were talking about getting a room or anything. That was so embarrassing how you behaved. Like a fucking neanderthal.”
Lucian scoffs and begins to eat his burger. Our server returns and I order another Patrón margarita with an extra shot. I glance back toward the bar, and Alec is still there. His eyes find mine, and he lifts his glass and tips his head. Maybe breaking things off with Theo will be for the best. Obviously, the relationship isn’t going anywhere, and Alec does seem fun. I’ll know after this weekend.
10. Lucian
