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“You pansy wankers,” I say as they push past me. Now, what am I going to do? I avoid looking at the bar.
“Can I help you?” a gruff voice asks from behind me.
I turn and see shocking blue eyes staring at me from the other table.
“Oh! No, but thank you. It was just a silly wager the girls over there dared me to do.” I move to walk away, but his next words stop me.
“I might still be able to help. What was the wager?”
I open my mouth to decline again, but he speaks before I can.
“Look, angel, I’m only in town for the rest of the day; when are you going to get another chance? So tell me.” He leans back in his chair, his long legs stretched out under the table, and his big arms on display through the short-sleeved shirt strained to its max. I fidget for a moment, moving from foot to foot, as I try to remember how to speak.
You can do this, he’s just a man in his mid-twenties. That’s close enough to my age. There’s nothing to be afraid of…so talk!
I suddenly realize my silence, not to mention the fact I’m just standing here staring at him, has passed into the awkward stage; so I force myself to stand taller and push my chest out slightly, then I clear my throat.
“All right. I wagered those gents a tenner they couldn’t do a shot of American whiskey with me without coughing,” I tell the hot stranger, and feel my breasts grow heavy with need when that sexy mouth of his shoots me a lopsided grin, a dimple appearing on his left cheek.
“Angel, how about we double it, two shots each, and I’ll do it with you?” he asks as he leans forward again, his grin widening, the dimple showing more. His straight white teeth, firm kissable lips, and a five o’clock shadow just adds to the bad boy air he gives off.
If he’s going to give me a nickname, two can play that game. I’m certain he’s military, judging by his haircut and commanding presence, so I decide to give him a name related to that.
“You’re on, soldier boy.” I tilt my chin at him in challenge.
“My name’s…”
“How about we just stick to angel and soldier boy and forget names?” I suggest. I know I’ll probably never see him again, and though it will be fun to have this moment with him, I would rather not have his actual name haunting me. The nicknames will be bad enough.
“How about you call me Lieutenant and I’ll call you Angel?”
“Okay, Lieutenant. Come on then.”
I watch as he pulls those long legs back, then stands up in front of me. I don’t feel the urge to step back, being five foot I’ve been around tall men all my life, so I’m not intimidated by them. However, he isn’t as tall as my dad or brother. I can see the confusion on his face, which I figure is due to my lack of reaction to his six one height.
“You’re not the biggest guy I’ve seen,” I say as I turn back toward the bar. My friends are watching me, and I need to play this off. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant.”
“Lead the way, Angel,” he says from behind me.
His hand rests on my lower back and the tingles I get from his touch causes the hair to rise on my arms and neck. I’ve never reacted to a man like this before. I manage to make it to the bar without tripping and falling on my face.
“Oi, Patrick, line up two shots each of Maya’s favorites,” I call out to the barman. Maya currently lives in Boston where she’s attending school, but still comes to spend summers and holidays with me. She’s a whiskey drinker when she’s here, though back in the States she still isn’t quite old enough to legally drink yet.
“When’s our Maya girl coming back?” Patrick asks as he pours the shots.
“She’ll be here next week, but for only two weeks this time. She’s been really busy at uni and doing that crazy Krav Manga thing.”
Patrick’s aware I’ll be leaving Royal Holloway, but I’m sure he also knows Maya and I will come up this way at least once before she leaves.
“Do you mean Krav Maga?” Lieutenant asks with a sexy grin.
I scrunch up my nose at his correction. Damn it! I said it wrong again. Maya always laughs at me whenever I forget what it’s called. “Yes, that’s what she does. She wants to kill people with her bare hands.” I wink at him and hope he finds me to be cute instead of a daft cow.
“You know, Krav Maga is very effective to know, especially for a woman.” He laughs at me, and my heart drops. His laugh is husky and makes my thighs clench.
Lovely! He does think I’m stupid.
“Maya’s been studying”—I pause—“Krav Maga since she could walk.”
