That broke the spell. I lowered my arms and stepped back. “I’m sitting over here.” I turned and headed to the table.
Perky Waitress showed up immediately after we took our seats. “What can I get you?” she asked him.
“Grain Belt, if you’ve got it on tap.”
“Coming right up.”
As soon as she was gone, he set his elbows on the table and invaded my space. “As much as I’d like to call you Hot Lips”—he grinned—“what’s your name?”
Just then Vance and Tommy walked by—each with an arm draped over one of the women from the back room. Vance said, “See ya ’round, Amelia.”
Crap. Of course karma, that vicious bitch, had ensured that I had to start this conversation with my new hot crush with the fact that I’d lied to those guys about my name. That’d go over well. Then he’d wonder what else I lied about and this would be over before it began.
“So . . . Amelia,” he said, sounding pleased he’d overheard my name.
Surely at some point I could explain and we’d have a great laugh about it, right? So I went with it. “Yes?”
“What’s your last name?”
“Carlson. And you are . . . ?”
“Walker Lund.” His gaze roamed over my face. “Seems we’re both of Scandinavian descent.”
“You seem surprised. Because I’m not a six-foot-tall, rail-thin blonde with cheekbones that could cut glass and piercing blue eyes?”
He lifted a brow. “You got something against tall blonds with blue eyes?”
Then I realized how snappish my retort had come across. “Sorry. No. I find tall, blue-eyed blonds incredibly attractive.” I flashed him a quick smile. “Especially the bearded variety. I’ve been overlooked and occasionally dumped because I’m not a blonde temptress, so it’s a knee-jerk reaction.”
“You’re plenty tempting, trust me. And don’t pretend you aren’t aware that any guy in this bar would change places with me in a heartbeat.”
“Because I marched up to you and kissed you like it was my right?”
“I ain’t gonna lie—that was one hot ‘Hello, baby. I wanna eat you alive’ kind of kiss. It’s especially sexy when you’ve got wide-eyed innocence. Yet that mouth of yours . . .” His gaze dropped to my lips. “It’s the stuff fantasies are made of. Plus, you’ve got great hair and a fantastic ass.”
“When were you looking at my ass?”
“As soon as your back was turned. I really wished your table had been farther away.”
Oddly flattering.
“So, sweetheart, why don’t you come clean about why you really kissed me?”
“You want the long version?”
He shook his head. “I don’t care just as long as it’s the no-bullshit version.”
The words tumbled out of me in a rush. “My friend dragged me here and within an hour she’d hooked the interest of a really hot rugby player and left with him. As I lamented my crappy day and the sad state of my life lately, my ex-boyfriend showed up with his new girlfriend. And through a very awkward conversation, I learned that he’d been with her before we broke up. So in trying to not look pathetic because I was sitting alone, I lied and said I was waiting for a date.”
Walker assessed me with scary detachment for several long moments before he spoke. “So that knockout kiss was all for show to make your dickhead ex jealous?”
“No.” I glanced down at my hands. “I mean, yes, I had a plan of sorts, but when you walked in—”
“When I walked in . . . what?” he said testily.
“My plan vanished. I wasn’t thinking about my jerk of an ex at all because I was entirely focused on you.” As embarrassing as that was to admit, I met his gaze again.
“Is your ex still here, watching us now?”
“I have no idea.”
He frowned as if he didn’t believe me.
“Look. I didn’t come up with the date idea to make him jealous. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to make sure he knew that I’d moved on. I moved on the day I found out he was cheating on me. And to hear that he’d been cheating on me longer than I’d been aware of? I considered kneeing him in the nuts and using her fake boobs as speed punching bags. But then I figured even a dive bar like this would frown on that behavior. And the person I’d call to bail me out of jail was on a date with a rugby player.” Somehow I managed to stop the blast of words and took a breath.
Walker let loose a robust laugh that was as charming as it was sexy.
The waitress returned with his beer.
He tried to pay but I waved him off and sent our server on her way. He held his mug up for a toast. “To giving in to overwhelming urges. You made this crap day a hundred times better.”