It's only when Tom reappears to place a steaming plate of bangers and mash down in front of her that she lifts her head.
“Enjoy, Rory.” Tom sounds almost loud in the relative quiet of the bar.
The blonde smiles softly at him, making the barman pinken right to the tips of his ears, the flush rivalling the red of his lopsided Santa hat. “You're the sweetest.”
The soft American twang in her tone is noticeable immediately, piquing my interest even further as Steven places my tumbler of Macallan before me.
“Thanks, Steve.”
My eyes don't leave the blonde—Rory—as she begins to eat her food slowly, mesmerised every time the fork disappears between her red lips. I watch shamelessly, entranced for close to thirty minutes as I nurse my glass of amber liquid. Despite myself, I can’t help but smile slightly every time she giggles at whatever she's looking at.
When she's eaten the last bite, she gently places her knife and fork back on the plate before delicately dabbing the sides of her mouth with a napkin.
Tom scoops up the plate with a wink as he mumbles something I can't quite make out, and her laughter once again fills the bar.
“I couldn't eat another bite.” She leans back, patting her stomach. “I'm bursting at the seams.”
Before I'm capable of conscious thought, I'm on my feet, loping directly toward the bar, needing to be closer. I stop several bar stools away when I eventually reach my destination.
“Same again, sir?”
Steve drops a napkin before me, regarding me with questioning eyes. I nod almost curtly and clear my throat as he plucks a fresh tumbler from the shelf.
What the fuck are you doing, idiot?
Instead of walking back to my seat, I slide onto a bar stool and steeple my fingers beneath my chin. I watch Steve begin to prepare my drink, Tom polish some glasses, and several other customers meander out of the bar as I do everything in my power to avoid angling my head to the left.
But my eyes are parched for another taste of her and scant moments after planting my ass on the stool, I cave, twisting about to find laughter-filled sparkling blue eyes watching me.
She arches an eyebrow gracefully. “Do you make a point of watching women eat their dinner whilst reading their smut, or is it just me who's been afforded the privilege?”
I wince internally.
Caught rotten, fucking idiot.
Her playful tone and twitching lips openly contradict her words, and I cock my head to one side, throwing caution to the wind when I decide to own it. Black pupils ringed by the bluest of blue eyes dilate when my face breaks out in what I've been told is a panty-melting grin.
“You look familiar, that’s all... Did we go to school together?”
Soft waves swish around her face when she shakes her head before tucking her hair behind one ear. Her eyes dance merrily as they hold mine until I wink, laying it on thick.
“That's strange. Because I could’veswornwe had chemistry.”
Her lips twitch almost imperceptibly as she brings her index finger to her chin and taps it as though in thought before she deadpans. “I knew you had yourionme.”
In a move that’s utterly out of character, I burst out laughing and earn strange glances from everyone within ear’s reach, right as a peal of melodic laughter escapes from between her lipsuntil we're both doubled over. Suddenly, between the call from Miranda and a handful of words exchanged with this woman, the Same Shit, Different Day Club is looking a lot less shit.
I barely manage a nod of gratitude for a disturbed-looking Steve as he deposits my Macallan on the bar before my gaze returns to a smiling Rory.
Suddenly, she hops down from her stool and strides around the bar until she's standing by the seat next to me. Her eyes never once drop from mine, and she grins brightly as she extends a petite, well-manicured hand.
“I haven't laughed like that in forever, so you've at least earned my name.” Our fingers glide over one another’s when my hand engulfs hers, and the simple touch sends a jolt of electricity up my arm that radiates through my chest. Her skin is soft, warm, and I find myself holding on for a beat longer than necessary, my thumb brushing unconsciously across her knuckles before I force myself to let go.
“I’m Rory.”
When I pump my arm slowly up and down, I can feel my smile reach my eyes—a response usually only Hollie elicits from me—as they greedily absorb her beautiful face.
From across the room, this woman effortlessly drew my attention, but it's the depth in her eyes that holds it now. We're close enough that I can see flecks of darker blue ringing her pupils. I could almost count the barely-there freckles dusting her nose.My eyes flicker between hers as mutual attraction fills the air around us. When her delicately sweet vanilla fragrance mixed with something like cinnamon reaches my nostrils, I inhale sharply, feeling my cock stir to life for the first time in longer than I’d care to admit.
