Almost Like Love(6)

“Absolutely. I’m here to find a bad boy. Trouble with a capital T. A sex god who’s great in bed and has no other redeeming qualities. Someone completely different from my—”

She stopped. There was no need to let him in on the other half of her rotten day. The last thing she needed was whatever passed as pity or sympathy from Ian Hart.

Unfortunately, Simone hadn’t gotten that memo.

“Someone different from her fiancé,” she finished helpfully. “He broke off their engagement today, the asshole. Between that and losing her job, Kate needed a good time tonight. So here we are.”

Kate steeled herself to meet Ian’s eyes, and there it was: pity. But for some reason, she wasn’t as irritated by the expression as she’d expected to be. It made him look almost human. Like his calcified heart was experiencing an actual emotion.

“Jesus. I’m sorry, Kate. That really sucks.”

He rubbed a hand across his jaw, which drew Kate’s attention to the stubble there. A woman who kissed that face would have whisker burn for days. Every time she looked in the mirror, she’d think of him.

He slid his hands into his pockets. “Okay, so you didn’t have a run-of-the-mill bad day. I get that. But you still shouldn’t do something you’ll regret tonight. Especially when you’ve been drinking.”

She forced herself to focus on his words and not his mouth. It was much easier to hate him that way. “Wow. How condescending, Hart. Maybe if you try really hard you could be even more paternalistic.”

The sympathy in his eyes was replaced by irritation, an expression she was much more used to seeing when Ian looked at her.

“You are the most annoying woman alive. You know that? For once, can’t you just—”

“Hey, man, what are you doing here?”

Comic Book Guy—Arthur—had come back from the bathroom. He didn’t look particularly pleased to see Ian.

“He’s here to rescue me,” Kate told him. “He’s afraid you’re going to take advantage of me in my drunken state.”

Ian glared at her before turning to Arthur. “I don’t think you’re going to take advantage of her. But I know this woman, and she’s not in great shape right now. She lost her job and her fiancé today. She’s vulnerable.”

The son of a bitch. “I lost my job because of you.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, that’s it. I’m going to do it. I’ve always wanted to, and now I am.”

Ian looked at her again. “Do what?”

“Punch you in the face.”

Of course she wouldn’t really hit him—probably. She just meant to threaten him with her Red Sonja fist of fury.

But Simone grabbed her arm as she raised it. “Whoa there, cowgirl. I know we’re supposed to be cutting loose tonight, but let’s not get arrested for assault this early, okay? Let’s save that for the wee hours.”

“Spoilsport,” Kate grumbled.

Still, she supposed her friend had a point. Ian was just the kind of guy who’d call the cops on her for taking a swing at him.

She folded her arms again. “Okay, fine. Here’s what’s going to happen. Arthur’s going to give me his number, because I’d like to get together with him sometime to talk about comic books. Then the two of you are going back to wherever you came from so I can get on with my mission.”

Ian had his poker face on. “Finding a bad boy, you mean.”

“That’s right.”

Arthur looked from one of them to the other. “Kate may or may not be drunk, but I definitely am. Too drunk to follow this conversation, anyway. But I like the part about us getting together sometime,” he added with a quick grin, fishing a business card out of his wallet and handing it to her. “My cell number’s on the back. Call me anytime.”

He clapped Ian on the shoulder. “See you back at the table, buddy.”

Kate watched him go. “He seems like a real player,” she said sarcastically. “A seducer of thousands. Thank God you were here to save me.”

The muscles in Ian’s jaw tightened, and he didn’t say anything for a moment. She wondered if he was counting to ten.

“Just tell me this, Kate. What are you really looking for tonight?”

“I told you. A bad boy.”

Once again, Simone stepped into the breach. “Specifically, she wants a guy with tattoos and piercings and bad news written all over him. She’s going to use him for sex and then dump him ruthlessly. Also, she’s going to take him to this nightmare wedding we’re both in, so she can make her cheating ex eat his heart out. He’s going to be there with his new girlfriend.”