Page 3 of Pursuit of Honor

“Can I get one of your pomegranate cocktails, please?” the redhead asked the bartender.

“Finally, something original!” a woman behind the redhead exclaimed.

That was when Law actually noticed that there were two women accompanying the redhead. They also had red hair. A trait so unusual that he figured they were related. Sisters probably based on the resemblance. All of them were beautiful, but none of them captured his eye the way the redhead at the counter did.

While she seemed open, with her loose red curls and slight smile, the other two looked the furthest thing from approachable. One redhead was sporting a razor-sharp bob cut and a wedding ring, while the other wore a severe bun and the most unpleasant look on her face.

The redhead with the curls shook her head and laughed. A beautiful sound that made his heart race. “We’re celebrating so might as well go big, right?”

Law felt the urge to listen in on the rest of the conversation just so he could hear the melody of her voice again, but he also didn’t want to act like a deranged stalker, so he took another gulp of beer. He didn’t know this woman. Projecting his loneliness onto her wasn’t right, and with his luck, she likely had a boyfriend anyway. Still, even though he had to tear his gaze from her, Law was aware of every move she made. From the graceful way she accepted her drink to the bounce of her curls as she turned to head back to the other redheads.

As she moved away, Law’s gaze landed on her again, this time the sway of her hips catching his attention. Now was his chance to say something to her to her—but what? He couldn’t just ask for her number on the spot. He’d come across like a jackass and he only had one chance to make a first impression.

Suddenly, he knew exactly what he wanted to say to her. But it was too late. The redhead with the curls walked right past him, and within a split second, she vanished into the crowd.

Chapter 2

“That guy at the bar is checking you out,” her oldest sister Brooklyn whispered to her.

Piper Ryan was already sliding into her chair. But her sister’s words caught her so off guard, that she froze for a second, almost giving away the emotions she’d been hiding for the past twenty minutes. Swallowing hard, Piper forced herself to move again, sitting down and casually, setting her pomegranate cocktail on the table.

“What guy?” Piper asked nonchalantly.

“The guy in the Navy uniform,” Brooklyn replied.

Reaching for her cocktail, she took a sip, desperately hoping to hide the heated blush currently rising in her cheeks. Piper was only playing dumb. She knew perfectly well that one of the guys in uniform had glanced her way. She’d caught him staring when she and her sisters had gone to the bar counter to order their drinks. But even though she’d noticed him apparently checking her out, she couldn’t get annoyed because she’d been doing the same thing. Typically, Piper wasn’t all that impressed by men in uniform. After all, her father was a retired Marine. And while they didn’t get too many active duty military men here in Sweetwater Cove, Piper had grown up having a military dad, traveling all over the country while she mostly stayed behind with her mom and her sisters here in Sunrise Bay. A man in uniform wasn’t enough to turn her head. But this guy seemed different from the unyielding Marines in her father’s generation, not to mention he wasn’t like the other swaggering sailors around him at the bar counter.

He was intense, to be sure, with steely-gray eyes, a square jaw, and a hard expression on his face. Military men could be intense. Or they puffed out their chests a little too much, thinking way too highly of themselves. Yet, despite him boldly looking right at her, this stranger didn’t seem to be irritatingly cocky, as if he was God’s gift. Instead, there was a subtle confidence that intrigued her. The steely intensity in his eyes hadn’t put her off as he’d stared at her. His gaze wasn’t menacing or sleazy. When their eyes met, it felt more like he was trying to study her. Trying to take her in and actually see the real her, not just her physical attributes. Appreciation sparked behind the flint gray of his eyes, tempered by curiosity. As if he was propelled by a desire to know who she was, rather than what he could get out of her.

“Which guy in the naval uniform?” Piper finally asked after taking several sips of her tart drink. “There are four of them.”

Brooklyn craned her neck, trying to peer through the crowd that was blocking the bar. “Short cropped blond hair, broad shoulders. All those guys are gorgeous, but the blond is the hottest guy here. There’s no way you missed him.”

“Well, the crowd’s blocking him now, so I can’t see,” Piper said, putting her glass back down. “Are you sure he wasn’t looking at you, Brooklyn? Or you, Sage?”

Her older sisters had always been the beautiful ones, getting most of the attention from men, even though they were both in relationships. Brooklyn almost always wore her red hair tied back, emphasizing her enviable cheekbones, while Sage maintained a stylishly short bob cut that made her stand out in a crowd. Piper was frumpy by comparison in her usual jeans and top, sporting the same curly hairstyle she had all her life. Her older sisters put a lot of effort into the way they presented themselves. Both of them having high-powered jobs in law and finance meant that there were expectations they had to meet. Which they did, effortlessly. Meanwhile, Piper was the Ryan family misfit. Instead of going into a respectable field that her parents could be proud of, she’d stuck to her guns and followed her passion—art. Pottery, ceramics, sculpture. Anything she could fashion with clay. That was why she put minimal effort into her attire. All of her creativity went into her artwork.

“Nope, he wasn’t checking me out,” Brooklyn said firmly from her place beside her.

Across the table Sage shook her head. “No, I don’t think he noticed me either. He only had eyes for you, Piper.”

The heat rose in her cheeks again. Clearing her throat, Piper fiddled with the stem of her cocktail glass. “I doubt he meant anything by it. I was next to him, he glanced at me. That’s all.”

“So you did catch him staring,” Brooklyn said, sounding pleased with herself.

“See, even you can’t deny it.” Sage smiled. “Sparks were definitely flying.”

Piper bit back a heavy sigh. Her sisters had been encouraging her to date more. Put herself out there. Yet, they weren’t willing to accept that no matter how much Piper wanted a boyfriend, she was utterly hopeless at the whole dating game. While other women could flirt easily or pick up on when a guy was checking them out, Piper remained totally oblivious. She was a hopeless case with zero chance of finding Mr. Right with the same ease that other women did. That ease had always baffled her. How did her sisters know when a look was more than just a casual glance? And how could they be so sure that they weren’t reading too much into minor gestures? Because even though Piper had been the one staring with barely contained interest, the appreciation in the sailor’s eyes might have been her imagination. A sign that this was a one-sided crush at best. Why would he give her a second look when her beautiful sisters were right there? All the other guys in the bar had been looking at Brooklyn and Sage, just like always.

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves, guys. We noticed each other’s existence,” Piper said. “That’s not the basis of a relationship.”

“Hate to say it but, you’re right,” Brooklyn replied in agreement. “Cute as he is, sailors are the worst candidates for romance.”

“True.” Sage took a delicate sip of her martini. “They just go shore to shore having random hookups. There’s no commitment there. He’ll have a one-night stand and then, he’s off.”

“Well...” Piper swallowed hard when she realized that her sisters were giving her expectant looks. Both of them seemed to want to know what she was thinking. If she agreed with them, they’d think she was finally taking their advice. If she didn’t, well, they’d argue their point until she gave in. The usual dynamic among the Ryan sisters.

“Well, we don’t know that for certain,” Piper said, knowing immediately how flimsy her remark was in the face of her older sisters’ wisdom.