I slide onto a stool at the bar, drop my folder, and flag the bartender.
“Vodka soda,” I say. “Heavy on the vodka. Light on the judging.”
He chuckles and starts pouring.
I let my head fall forward onto the polished wood. “Ruby,” I mutter to myself, “why do you always get the weird ones? Why can’t you ever interview someone normal? Like a firefighter who likes puppies?”
A voice beside me says, “You don’t strike me as someone who wants normal.”
I lift my head.
And blink.
And blink again.
Sweet mother of sin.
The man next to me looks like the universe took every fantasy I’ve ever joked about and layered them into one maddening creature.
He’s tall and broad. His dark hair is a controlled mess. He has a strong jaw, and his shirt is unbuttoned just enough to show a solid, tanned chest. His sleeves are rolled to his forearms like he knows exactly how dangerous veins are to women.
His eyes are the killer, though; they are stormy, intense, and focused on me like he’s reading every thought in my head.
“Sorry,” I say, clearing my throat. “Were you talking to me?”
“No,” he says. “I was talking to the vodka.” His lips quirk. “I was definitely talking to you.”
Oh, he’s trouble. Gorgeous, smooth-voiced trouble.
I try to play it cool, but I can feel my cheeks heating. “I’m actually very normal, painfully normal, so normal in fact, I could be a spokesperson for it.”
“You believe that,” he says, “but your eyes say otherwise.”
“My eyes say ‘I’m tired and need more alcohol.’”
He laughs softly. It’s deep, rich, and vibrating right under my skin. “You’re having a rough day?”
“I’m having a Valentine’s Day,” I correct him. “There’s a difference.”
“I can imagine.”
“You really can’t.”
His gaze drops to my folder. “What’s that? Work?”
“Work,” I say. “Annoying, persistent, and possibly cursed work.”
“Cursed?”
“It involves men.”
He grins as if I’ve entertained him. “I like your honesty.”
“Thanks, I practice in the mirror every day.”
The bartender sets my drink down. Mystery man signals for one of his own without looking away from me.
“You celebrating something?” he asks.
