Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
I swallowed past a sudden tightness in my throat. “Sorry. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”
When I finally gathered the courage to look at him again, his head was cocked to one side, and his expression had softened. “You… you are into men, right? I guess I shouldn’t assume, but I thought I was getting a good vibe—”
“I don’t make a habit of taking drunk strangers home with me, no matter who they are,” I said. “That’s all.”
“Wait. You’re actually serious,” he said, a sense of wonderment in his voice. “You don’t know who I am?”
I cut a glance across the room before turning to look back at him. I sucked in a deep breath. “Are you Red’s brother, or something? Are you on the local news? I don’t watch a lot of news, to be honest. If I don’t know who you are, it’s nothing personal—”
He was looking at me like I had just told him he’d won the damn lottery.
“Oh, I like you,” he purred, standing up from his stool and making no secret about looking me up and down.
My heart kicked in my chest. What the hell was going on? Why did he seem so happy that I didn’t know who he was?
As the guy stood up, he teetered. It happened in an instant. He knocked over his drink, spilling some sort of fancy martini all over the bartop and a stool. He fell to his knees, hiccuping again, swearing under his breath.
Was he swearing in French? Who the hell was this guy?
“Here, let’s get you up,” I said, immediately putting my beer back on the bar and dropping down to give him a hand. “Red? I think this gentleman is going to need a water and a cab home, immediately.”
“On it,” Red said.
“Theo, is everything alright?” Perry’s voice came, the kitchen door swinging open.
“Theo! Here, I’ll get you three water bottles in a bag, to go,” Sam said.
Theo.
So apparently everybody here knew his name, even though I was pretty sure I’d never heard of any crazy-hot guys named Theo around here before.
He looked up at me, little streaks of a ruddy-pink blush appearing on his cheeks. “I’m… a little bit drunk,” he finally admitted.
“No shit,” I told him. “Here. I’ll help you out to your cab.”
He scrunched up his face, his nose crinkling. “No cab. God, please, no cab. I can text my assistant and she’ll send a secure driver, if I—oh, shit, I forgot my phone died—”
Assistant?
Secure driver?
Maybe this guy was some sort of high-powered businessman?
“What’s wrong with a cab?” I asked.
He looked up at me. I was still crouched on the floor beside him.
His eyes looked pleading, now. Almost scared.
“I don’t want to be in a car with a stranger,” he said. “Please. Not a cab.”
Suddenly my suspicions dropped, and even though I couldn’t place why, I felt sorry for him. My heart softened. I saw fear in his face—real fear, that had a reason behind it.
But I could also tell, just from knowing this guy for a few minutes, that he wasn’t about to reveal any information to me.
“I understand. No cab,” I said. “But you sure as hell aren’t driving home like this.”
“God, no. Fuck,” he muttered, finally teetering to a standing position, leaning one hand against the bar. “Could I ask you to drive me? I promise I can pay very, very well.”
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You just looked at me like you’d rather die than get in a car with a stranger, and—”
“Yeah, sure, you’re a stranger,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “But you’re a stranger who doesn’t know who I am.”
I paused. “And that makes you trust me more?”
He let out a long breath. “Oh, God, yes.”
I tried to hide the smile that was playing at my lips.
This guy was inscrutable, and I was pretty sure he knew it. But his charm was undeniable.
“Come on, then,” I said, dropping a twenty on the bar and heading toward the front doors. Once I made it back to my truck, I turned, half expecting that he wouldn’t have followed me out at all.
But there he was, sauntering over slowly, a peacoat slung over his shoulder. His eyes darted around at first, as if he was making sure nobody was around, before he calmed down and looked up at me with big eyes. His face was cast in the faint glow of street lamps nearby, and he gently bit his lower lip as he watched me.
“Thank you,” he said simply. I could tell how grateful he was, and even though I had no clue why he was so wary of calling a cab, I was glad for the brief opportunity to help him out. “And I’m sorry for being so forward. You’re hot as fuck, and I’m lonely. And maybe a little desperate. I couldn’t help myself.”