And I can’t help but stare.
He offers his hand. “Beck.”
“Maddy…” I narrow my gaze at his strong fingers. “Strong hands.”
He smirks, dropping. “I’d love to show you just how strong.”
My jaw drops, and I let out the most embarrassing giggle. “Oh my god, that wassocheesy. Please tell me that’s not a line you use to get women.”
“Nope.” His grin is immediate and wide. “But I’ve never had a woman comment on my hands before. I dig it.”
I feel a spark ignite in my core, and I immediately push it down. “Fair enough. How was your night?” I ask, and realize I don’t care about the answer, but I want to keep talking to him.
I just want to see his mouth move.
He lifts his glass. “Mediocre scotch, dry chicken, and a table full of people who talked about crypto. So, basically your typical business meeting.”
I snort into my drink, nearly choking. “Why crypto? Are you a tech guy?” I survey the designer black suit he has on, unsure of how to read him.
All I see is…rich.
He leans in, elbows on the bar. “They tried to get me to buy a timeshare in an imaginary building. But no, I’m not atechguy.” He leans back, his eyes doing a quick sweep over me.
And I’m immediately insecure.
“Sorry for the, uh, mess.” I gesture at my face. “It’s been a day.”
Beck’s gaze lingers, but in a way that’s almost warm, as if he just finds me interesting. “It looks good on you, actually,” he says, his gaze softening.
That makes me weirdly self-conscious, so I look down at the bar. “I think I’m allergic to weddings,” I stupidly sputter. “Or maybe just to happy endings. I don’t know.”
He taps the edge of my glass with his. “Happy endings are overrated. I prefer a good plot twist.”
I laugh, and it comes out almost normal. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
He shrugs. “Try me.”
I don’t, of course. Because I am not going to dump my broken heart on a stranger, no matter how spectacular his jawline is. So instead, I change the subject. “You want to play a game?”
He perks up. “Great avoidant tactic, Maddy, but okay.”
I point at the nearest table. “Okay, I’ll bet you five dollars you can’t guess which couple at that table is cheating.”
He doesn’t even hesitate. “The blonde in the blue dress is fucking the guy two seats down, but she’s here with the one next to her. He keeps checking her phone when she’s not looking.”
I turn to see if he’s right, and sure enough, the three are practically a soap opera.
I can’t hide my surprise. “That was disturbingly fast.”
He smirks. “I notice patterns.”
“Is that what you do? For a living?”
He chuckles, resting his chin in his hand. “Something like that.”
“You must be a detective.”
“No,” he snorts, shaking his head. “Absolutely not.”
