He eyed my hand for so long I didn’t think he would take it. Then he wrapped his fingers around mine and gave me an aggressive squeeze, his thumb brushing along my skin seductively. His fingers migrated to my wrist and gave me another subtle squeeze before he pulled away. “That’s debatable.”
I wanted to question the odd response but didn’t. This guy didn’t deserve any presumptions from me—not after the first one I made. “I’m so sorry about the other night—”
“Don’t apologize.” His voice was exactly the same as before, but it somehow sounded like a command. He turned to Christopher then nodded in my direction. “Your girlfriend has quite the hand on her.”
“Girlfriend?” Christopher blurted. “Yuck.” He shook his head vigorously then held his palm over my face. “God, no.”
I narrowed my eyes at the insult before I turned back to the man I’d aggressively knocked around. His eyes were on me once again, but now the look was different. He stared at me so hard I thought I may melt under the heat of his gaze. Now the mood completely shifted, coming off calm then intense just a second later.
“She’s single and ready to mingle.” Christopher gave me a rough pat on the back. “Ro, this guy is handsome and pretty damn polite to put up with your bullshit. Go for it. I’m gonna hit the bar.” He gave me another pat before he nodded to my visitor. “Nice meeting you.”
He didn’t watch Christopher walk away. His eyes were on me the entire time. It didn’t seem like they would move anytime soon—or ever again.
I was mortified by what Christopher said, but I didn’t show it. “Ignore him. He’s just quirky.”
“Who is he?”
“My brother.”
He slid his hands into his pockets and stepped closer to me, closer than any stranger should be. But somehow, he filled the space like he owned it. His powerful jaw was sterner up close, and I wondered how his facial hair would feel against my palm as it slid across his cheek. His eyes were blue, but they sparkled with icy fire. “I don’t see the similarities.”
Because there aren’t any. “We kind of adopted each other.” I didn’t want to get into my past life. That would take all night, and I doubted a stranger would want to hear about it. I was surprised I’d even told him that much. Normally, I would make some kind of joke when someone made a similar comment.
He must have understood further prying wasn’t appreciated because he dropped the subject.
“We both know you know my name. So what’s yours?”
His eyes quickly glanced at my lips like he wanted to watch them move as I spoke.
A gentle ripple moved through my spine and up my neck. All the tiny hairs on my body stood on end, and my nipples hardened to the edge of daggers. With a simple look, he made my body hum with life, desperate for physical affection. I couldn’t remember the last date I had, and I couldn’t remember the last man I was this attracted to. But of course, I fucked that up when I slapped him.
Good job, Rome.
He kept his soft lips firmly pressed together like he didn’t want to answer. “Calloway Owens.”
My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I recognized that name because it was prestigious in the charity world. The founder and director of the biggest nonprofit in Manhattan was standing right in front of me—and I slapped him. “Of course you are…” Now I was even more embarrassed than before. Why couldn’t he just be a nobody? I was going to receive my first award from the academy, and I was taking it from the man I assaulted. I’d never met him in person and didn’t know what he looked like. All I ever heard were rumors about how fine he was. But that name was unmistakable.
The corner of his mouth rose in a small smile. His eyes lit up the same way, amused. He came closer to me, the distance between us so short he could kiss me—if he actually wanted to. “Your secret is safe with me.” When he lowered his voice, his sexy tone washed across my skin like a perfect bubble bath. It relaxed me but excited me at the same time. Was he trying to be sexy? Or was he just that good at it?
“You’re a lot nicer to me than I was to you.” If some guy slapped me in a bar, I’d kick his ass—in front of everyone. I definitely wouldn’t have held back and remained patient. This guy had the steadiness of a god.
“Trust me, I’m not a nice guy.”
I didn’t have a clue what that meant, but it scorched my body all the same. His warm breath fell across my face, and I could smell his cologne—subtle and masculine. Or maybe that was just him. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.