I choke on my drink.“Are youshittingme?”
He shakes his head. “Ever since that night, you’ve become known as the ‘untouchable girl.’ No man in this town is game to sit next to you, let alone dance with you, after the warning Isaac issued.”
My mouth gapes more and more with every word he speaks, and my earlier anger rushes back to the surface. “So if I wanted to find a dance partner right now, I'd be rejected? Is that what you're telling me?”
His lips twist before he nods. “They're too scared to go against a man like Isaac.”
“Then why are you telling me this? Aren’t you scared Isaac will find out?” I take another sip of my cocktail, needing something to calm the anger building like an out-of-control wildfire in my gut.
He chuckles. “I’ve just finished my doctorate and am moving to California in the new year. This is my last shift here.”
I slant my head to the side and cock my brow. “So, do you have a dance partner for when the clock strikes twelve?” My tone is full of wittiness since the cocktails are mixing nicely with the earlier chardonnays.
He chuckles again. “You're gorgeous, but I’m not that stupid. Even living on the other side of the country won’t stop Isaac from hunting me down.”
I huff and roll my eyes.
“But I’m brave enough to ignore his rules on how many drinks you can have.”
“He has rules on that as well?” My tone is lower since anger has placed a firm grip around my throat.
He nods and smirks. “But don’t worry, baby girl, I’ve got you covered,” he says with a cheeky wink as he refills my cocktail glass.
“Thank you…”
“Dante,” he fills in. After wiping off the condensation from his hand down his black-waisted apron, he offers it to me to shake.
Everything Dante said was true. For two hours straight, I’ve been propositioning men to dance. I’ve gone from eighteen-year-old boys whose faces are covered in pimples, to older, creepy looking men who are only hitting the club scene to secure a piece of eye candy for the night. Every time I’ve asked them to dance, they readily agree—until recognition dawns at to why I appear familiar.
Cate has been in hysterics watching my failed attempts at securing a dance partner, but mercifully, for the past half an hour, her attention has been rapt on a handsome young man sporting a large cowboy hat. Well, he was wearing a cowboy hat. She knocked it off when weaving her fingers through his hair.
“No luck?” Dante chuckles while he places another cocktail in front of me.
“No. Anyone would swear I was asking them to donate a kidney instead of requesting a dance.”
I take a sizable gulp of my cocktail, wanting to wash away the images of Isaac and Ophelia that have been filtering through my mind nonstop since last night. By keeping my brain hazed with the buzz of alcohol, I can momentarily forget the cluster-fuck hampering my heart.
Once I’ve finished my latest cocktail at a record-setting pace, I place the empty glass onto the counter.
“Can I buy you another?”
My pupils dilate as my surprised gaze shoots to Dante. He purses his lips before roaming his eyes over the mysterious stranger standing next to me. When he nods in approval, I slant my head to the side. My eyes bulge when I'm met with a man whose strikingly handsome good looks arenearlyas stellar as Isaac’s. His sandy blond hair is a little overdue for a trim, and his eyes are light brown. His jaw is strong and defined, and his nose is perfectly straight. If I had to guess his age, I'd say late twenties.
My heart flutters a little faster when he smiles at my avid assessment of his face and body. His smile is so big, two small dimples adorn his cheeks. “Umm… that will be great.” I gesture for him to sit in the spare seat next to me.
He does before ordering another Sex on the Beach for me and a scotch on the rocks for himself from Dante. I stare at him peculiarly, trying to fathom why he's so much braver than any other man here tonight.
“Do you come here often?” I interrogate while sipping on my newly replenished cocktail since my head is spinning.
He takes a mouthful of his scotch before turning his gaze to me. “No, I'm here on business.”
My brows arch as I take another sip of my drink.Now I understand why he's so brave.“Do you come to Ravenshoe often?”
“No, this is my first time here.”
“Do you want to dance?” I query brazenly.
He smiles a panty-drenching smirk. “Sure.”
