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“Because,” he waved his hand towards me, “if I had you in my bed, I certainly wouldn’t take you halfway around the globe and leave you to wander by yourself. Any man in his right mind would never let you out of his sight.”
I caught Takk out of the corner of my eye, reminding me that I could never technically be out of Leo’s sight with his errand boy over there. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”
He motioned for the waitress to bring us another round. “I assure you, I mean no offense. I’m simply saying that a man who knows a woman intimately…especially a woman like you, would want her by his side at all times. He wouldn’t want to be without her presence.”
“Maybe he’s tied up with work.”
“No work is that important.” Ouch! I couldn’t help but feel a little pain in my chest when I thought about Leo’s reason for dismissing me earlier. “Tell me, Karli. Is he, or is he not, your lover?”
“Why do you want to know?” I countered.
“Because I’d like to know if I have a chance of filling that role.”
“Oh.” I was caught off guard by his reply and needed a moment to collect my thoughts. “No.”
“No, he’s not your lover?” he clarified. “Or no, I don’t have a shot?”
I smiled. He certainly was charming; I had to give him that. “Both.”
He laughed. “Pity for both of us. Would you still do me the honor of sharing some conversation?”
“Sure.” Why the hell not, I thought. Leo was ignoring me, Takk refused to sit with me. It was certainly less pathetic than drinking alone.
He raised his glass for a toast. “To conversation.”
“To conversation,” I echoed as our glasses clinked together.
I had learned that Connor was not only quite the charmer, but he was also an astute businessman. At one point, I had asked him why he was in the Temple Bar area so often, since that was where we kept meeting. He stated that he was in real estate and owned several buildings within a three block radius. He often came to the area to check on his tenants or perform maintenance inspections. My belly was warmed by the alcohol and I started to lose sight of why I was really in Dublin. I pretended that we were just two people in a bar getting to know one another; something I saw on any given night at work. A girl and a boy…nothing more complicated than that. I was so sick of all this doomsday shit that had been looming over my head. I wanted the escape, i
f only for a few hours. He was certainly an attractive man, making it much easier to do so.
Sometime later, Takk approached our table. “Fun’s over. It’s time to go.”
Connor stood up, hackles raised. “Are you with this man?”
“No,” I replied.
“Yes,” Takk growled at the same time.
Connor raised an eyebrow in question. “Which is it? Yes or no?”
I sighed as I grabbed my purse and got up from the table. “Technically…yes.”
“I see.” He grabbed my hand and brushed his lips against my skin. “It’s been lovely talking with you, Karli. Perhaps we’ll run into each other again?”
“Don’t count on it,” Takk said gruffly.
Connor smirked as if Takk’s hostility amused him. “My, what an incredible perfume you have on; I didn’t notice it before. May I ask what fragrance you’re wearing?”
Huh? “I’m not wearing any. Maybe you smell my bodywash. It’s some floral scent.”
He considered that for a moment. “Yes…maybe that’s it.” He made sure to knock Takk’s shoulder with his own as he started walking away. What was it with guys and the shoulder clip?
“Watch it, asshole,” Takk warned.
Connor’s smile was full force this time. “My apologies, wolf.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Have a good evening, my beautiful American.”
I blushed. “Um…yep. You too.”
