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CHAPTER ONE
Once again, Lesley had been proven wrong, but this time, she was happy about it. She’d tried begging off of going out that evening, telling Stina and her new teammates that she was too tired. Fact was, she just didn’t want to expend the energy to put herself out there. And crowds? No, thanks. They’d refused to leave her alone about it, and after four days of pressure, she’d finally caved.
But despite her reclusive nature, she was having a great time. The Warehouse, a club that was a weird mix of cyber and dieselpunk in design, appealed to her aesthetics. Copper and brass pipes, ranging from thin tubes to thick ducts, snaked up and down the walls, weaving and intersecting with neon around the perimeter of the large space. The music ran from techno to metal to industrial and everything in between. The beats were hard and fast, and they made her pulse race, and her insides feel loose and liquid. Beer, she had to admit, helped a lot as well. The club featured nothing but local microbreweries, and they made some good stuff.
So did the view, she thought as she lifted the bottle to her lips and made eye contact with the dark-haired man by the pool tables. They’d been playing lookie games since she’d arrived, and she was intrigued. The cold brew slid down her throat easily, and she was tempted to raise it to her brow. Between the bodies moving around, and the looks from the mystery man, she was warm.
Stina nudged her. “Glad you came out now?”
Lesley shifted her gaze toward the woman sitting next to her. She grinned. “I am. Surprisingly.”
Stina laughed. “Doesn’t seem to hurt that you’ve got something to look at over there, either.”
“The view is nice.” Lesley was cautious. Tall, mysterious, and handsome was there with a petite redhead, and Lesley didn’t play those games. Something about their interaction, though, didn’t set off any alarms in her head. This was not a date.
“You could do more than look, you know,” Stina said. “You know he’s not a trainee.”
“No, he is not.” She watched as he lined up a shot on the pool table and smoothly sunk a bank shot. “Wonder where he works.”
“Go ask!”
Lesley laughed. “No. I’m good right here for now. Besides, he’s with someone.”
“Bah. They aren’t together together. They haven’t touched each other in that frisky kind of way at all.” Stina pointed her bottle toward him. “That man is a catch. You know it, and I know it.”
“And how do you know it?”
Stina gave her a pointed look. “Because you haven’t looked at anyone like that in, well, forever.”
“Now you’re just exaggerating.”
“Am I?” She leaned in and nudged Lesley. “I’m glad you came out. I just want to see you have some fun. He looks like fun.”
She was right, of course. It had been forever since anyone caught her attention. But she knew herself and knew she’d play things safe. It’s not like she was going to go home with him, and certainly not like she would be here enough to call herself a regular. Her record for going out was in the ballpark of five times a year, and that, as far as she was concerned, was three times too many. So, for this night, she’d enjoy the view and then go back to her life of quiet evenings at home with her books.
***
Antony had noticed her the second she walked in. She was tall. She moved with a fluid grace, in full control of her body. Dancer, maybe, and probably not of the stripper variety. Hell, he knew a bunch of them, and she’s one he would have remembered. Still, she looked a little familiar to him, but that meant little. He’d been in this town for a couple of years and spent a lot of time out and about. He could have run into her anywhere.
He felt a sharp jab in the side and flinched. “Ouch! The hell, Madden?” he yelped.
“Your shot, hero,” Charlie said. “Get your head out of your crotch and back in the game.”
“Jealous, much?” he shot back, grinning. He loved sparring with Charlie, verbally, and in their combatives training sessions on post. At one point, he considered taking it further, but decided that it wasn’t a good idea. Some chemistry was better left unexplored and neither of them were willing to screw up both their work relationship and friendship for something that would probably be a temporary thing. Add to that the baggage they both carried, and it was a recipe for disaster.
“Jealous of the guy who’s been all over?” Charlie fired back. “Hardly.”
Antony grinned and chuckled outwardly, but he felt a twinge inside. As close as he was to Charlie, she still didn’t know him as well as she thought. He built his reputation on a solid foundation of perception without proof and was content to let people believe what they wished when it came to his private life. It worked for him. He lined up his shot and sunk it into the left side pocket.
He walked around the table, knocking into Charlie’s shoulder as he passed. It was like smacking into a small brick wall. He chuckled and let her shove him a couple of steps out of his way. Across the room, the mystery woman sat, sipping at her beer.
He watched as her eyes scanned the room, stopping here and there. She passed over him, a little too fast, too unfocused. Trying too hard to act like she wasn’t seeking him out. It was charming. By her demeanor, she wasn’t a person who partied a lot. At least not in the club scene.
He smiled to himself. They’d been playing at this for well over an hour and he knew that he’d catch her eye as soon... ah yes, there she was. He stared at her, holding her captive with his gaze. He raised an eyebrow and smiled when she flushed at being caught so boldly. She averted her eyes, and he went back to his game. Better than being beaten by Charlie again.
He sunk the next shot and realized he had nothing lined up after that. Time to make a move off the table. He set up for the next shot, even though it was dicey. Bad English, and the ball swung wide. That was all Charlie needed to clean up the table and take more of his money.
“Thanks, hero,” she said. “I’ll even buy you a beer as a gesture of my good heart.”
