His face was even more captivating than his muscular form. His eyes were an entrancing shade of blue, and his face was all masculine angles from the ridge of his brows, the high cheekbones, and the square of his jaw. His lips were seemingly drawn into what appeared to be a permanent half-smirk, and I gulped as I waited to find out exactly why he’d sat down across from me.
“This is going to sound like a line,” he said.
He had an English accent that made me go unexpectedly weak at the knees. I’d never known that I found British accents sexy, but apparently I did. That movement of his lips was potent to me, and I felt something resonate within my core like the echo of a drum.
“And the reason it’s going to sound like a line is because it is a line,” he continued. “I thought it was best to get that out of the way upfront—save any misunderstandings about my intentions.”
“Okay.” I smiled and nodded. Usually I would’ve said a polite ‘no thank you’, but I had to admit, this was a good opener. Oh, and the fact that the guy was utterly gorgeous certainly didn’t hurt….
“Let’s hear the line,” I added.
“You mean that wasn’t good enough?”
I laughed and shook my head. “You said there was going to be a line and you prepared me for it, so now you have to deliver.”
The man locked his sapphire blue eyes with mine. “You are, without question, the most beautiful woman in this bar, probably in this city, possibly in the world, and I would very much like it if you would join me for a drink. If for no other reason than the fact that I will be able to tell people that I drank with the most beautiful girl in this bar, probably in this city, possibly in the world.”
I found it hard to tear my gaze away from his eyes, but I did my best to seem nonchalant. “It’s not a very original line, but you did deliver it well. I think the accent helps.”
Speaking of the accent, it had just registered with me that it was rather posh, which struck me as strange for a man who had tattoos twisting up his arms. Then again, these days a lot of people had tattoos; people from many walks of life. I suppose it wasn’t that odd.
The man smiled back, blue eyes twinkling with irresistible wickedness. “I may not be original, but I always deliver.”
I’d never thought that a smile could be sexual, but I felt the need to use birth control before allowing this man to smile at me again. I bit my lip and instantly hated myself for doing something so coyly girlish. “I still don’t know. I’m not convinced that your intentions are honorable.”
“They’re not.” The smile seemed to smoke. “They are utterly despicable.”
Perhaps it was his sexy accent, or perhaps it was the way in which he enunciated the word ‘despicable’, but the whole sentence seemed to be actually sticky with sexual promise, as if it had been glazed in honey and pheromones.
“I guess a drink couldn’t hurt.”
The man’s smile broadened. “Every great night starts with that sentence. I’m Drew Ellis, by the way.”
“I’m Keira.”
“Believe it or not, I had a childhood cat named Keira,” he said.
I arched one eyebrow. “You had a cat named Keira?”
He nodded, looking ever-so-slightly embarrassed. “Yes, I used to watch this awful cartoon with my brother when we were much younger, and one of my favorite characters was named Keira. My mother got us a cat one day, and my brother wanted to call her Mittens—how original—but I insisted on Keira.”
I smiled. “That’s cute. So is Keira still your favorite character, then?”
“Hmm…no, I think I’ve actually just found a new favorite Keira.”
“Oh, come on…that was so lame,” I said with a grin.
He held his hands up in mock defeat. “Yes, it was. Now let’s get that drink I mentioned earlier so I can embarrass myself even more without having to remember it in the morning.”
I laughed and followed him across the room, and after he’d bought us both a drink from the bar, he led me to the most secluded booth in the place, out of the gaze of prying eyes and somewhat in the shadows. It made me a little nervous about what he might be planning, especially since he’d been quite upfront about his intentions being ‘despicable’. Even the memory of him saying that word made thrilling tremors run up and down my spine…mostly down. And yet I also found myself thinking that I was safe with him. For a bar predator, he was extraordinarily polite and well-spoken. Of course, bad people could have good manners (just look at Hannibal Lecter) and the English accent did enhance it (just look at Severus Snape), but there was something about Drew that made me feel safe.