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“I don’t know how you can drink that stuff,” I remark, making a face as the bartender turns away to get our drinks, “It tastes like paint thinner.”
“And when was the last time you poured a glass of paint thinner to compare?” Brendon asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Sometimes you don’t have to put something in your mouth to know what it’s going to taste like,” I reply.
Brendon laughs, and my face flames. “You know what I meant,” I protest, “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Speaking as a fellow guy, without a gutter to live in, our minds would be homeless,” pipes up the guy standing on Brendon’s other side.
Brendon and I both turn to the guy. He flashes us an apologetic smile. “Sorry, wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, just couldn’t help but overhear.”
“No worries,” I reply with a grin, “That was a good one.”
“Isn’t living in the gutter technically homeless anyway, though?” Brendon remarks.
“Eh, semantics,” the strange guy shrugs and laughs, offering a hand out to my boyfriend, “Chip Bailey,” he introduces himself.
Brendon takes the offered hand and shakes it. “Nice to meet you, I’m Brendon Foster and this is my girlfriend, Hazel Hughes.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Chip remarks as he moves his hand over for me to shake.
As I’m shaking his hand, I notice him giving me an up-and-down appraisal not unlike the one Brendon had given me earlier, and I feel heat rise to my face. I glance at Brendon and see his jaw tightening in annoyance, but then, to the surprise of both of us, he turns that same gaze on my boyfriend, drinking him in just as eagerly as he’d done me.
Admittedly, it’s not the first time I’ve seen someone else look at him like that, although normally it’s not quite so blatant. Women, men, I’ve definitely noticed other people checking him out, but I’ve never gotten equal interest like this.
“You guys are a lovely couple,” Chip remarks, his lips quirking into a smile that I can’t quite read.
It’s as if he knows he’s set us off-balance, and it amuses him. I take a moment to truly appraise him in return. He’s a little taller than Brendon, but while my partner is built a bit like a linebacker, broad and thickly muscled, Chip is more slender. The man is by no means a beanpole, though, and the button-down he’s wearing is tailored well enough to reveal a lean, sculpted frame below.
His hair is dark brown and carefully trimmed, his face clean-shaven. Those smirking lips seem to rest slightly crooked, making him look all the more mischievous, and laughing brown eyes compound the effect.
Overall, he’s attractive, and there’s an immediate charm about him that makes me both want to get to know him more and also makes me want to turn and run.
“How are you two liking the resort so far? I haven’t seen you around, so I’m guessing you haven’t been here long.”
“You guess correctly,” Brendon answers, “And so far, it’s amazing. How long have you been staying here?”
“Oh, about five years now,” Chip replies with a chuckle, “I teach dance classes for the resort.”
“Oh, really?” I lift my eyebrows in surprise, “I saw those on the website, I kind of wanted to try some of those.”
He nods. “Yep, I’m one of the two instructors, but the other girl is back home for Christmas, so it’s just me at the moment.”
“Well, I guess you’ll be seeing some more of us, then,” Brendon remarks, looping an arm around my shoulders and kissing my forehead.
Chip smiles. “Excellent, I look forward to it.”
“You uh, might want to keep your expectations low. Hazel’s a graceful butterfly and all, but I’ve been told by my mother, my sister, and at least one ex-girlfriend that I have two left feet,” Brendon laughs.
“I think they’re all being too harsh,” I counter, “You’re not that bad.”
“I mean, it’s three against one, and Eric hasn’t actually danced with me, but he watched and agreed with Carly.”
“I promise you, I’ve seen worse,” Chip assures us, “And remember, there’s no rules against alcohol before my class if you need a little liquid courage.”
“Well, that would explain why you’ve seen worse,” Brendon quips.
All three of us laugh. “I can’t disagree with you,” Chip admits, “It’s not unusual for most of my clients to have imbibed in more than ‘a little’.”
