Cynthia doesn’t drink. She’s never told me the specifics, other than to say she’s allergic.
With a quick nod of thanks, she took the glass and sipped it, trying not to look like she was watching for someone, though I could see that she was definitely watching for someone. The blond stud muffin, perhaps? Now didn’t seem like a good time to ask. She was doing a two-faced thing where she was trying to look all casual, but at the same time seemed to be fuming about something.
“You guys are a couple?” Chuck was enjoying that little fantasy. “Oh, God. Two hot chicks. I’d love to see that.”
“You’ll have to use your imagination.” I smirked.
“All right, all right. Goin’ home. While I still got one,” he muttered.
“Can I call you a cab, Chuck?”
“Naw. Just gonna walk. Not far.” He dumped a wad of cash into the tip jar and made his way unsteadily toward the front door.
While following his progress across the crowded bar, I caught sight of Ryder and froze. Our eyes met and held. Instantly, my breathing went shallow, and my heart pounded faster. I felt the familiar flash of heat curling through my abdomen.
He was leaning back against the wall with his thick, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest, half-immersed in shadow. He was watching me with that fierce look, and it was like his energy reached out to me. Seemingly half-wild, with a lock of black hair falling across his forehead, he was in beat-up jeans and a black T-shirt that stretched across impressive pecs, which I absolutely remembered.
His eyes blazed a path across the room that felt like a physical touch.
That man was dangerous.
Moving bodies cut off my view of him, and I strained to look around them, but by the time I could see that piece of wall again, he was gone. I looked around the club and didn’t see him. I figured he must have left, since I couldn’t find a trace of him, but I still felt like he was watching me.
It took a while for my body to normalize again.
Shep was getting ready to go on the small platform stage by the dance floor, but he spotted us at the bar and came over to say hi. He’d always been a ladies’ man, but he had a thing for Cynthia in particular when he was sober and discriminating. Cynthia was sitting there looking like the next best thing to an ice-cream cone, so he put an arm around her shoulder and asked how she’d been doing. Here’s how that went:
“I’ve been great, but I’ve missed seeing you around,” she purred in this ultrasexy voice, her eyes looking all smiley and sleepy at the same time, and Shep’s cheeks went flush instantly. I could almost hear his erection ping to attention. (I’d never seen her turn on this vamp side. It was totally lethal. I would kill for a cheat sheet.)
“I’m so glad.” Shep squeezed her shoulder, his face looking warm, his soulful, half-baked eyes trying to look deeply into hers, though it was hard to take someone seriously when they were dressed like a grungy teenager and smelled just a little on the far side of ripe.
“You’re going to play tonight?” She ran a hand over his chest, leaving it there as he tried to breathe normally.
“Yeah. We’re starting in just a few.”
“I just love watching you play.” And that’s when I saw the sneaky side look she gave. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. She was that quick and seamless, but I turned my head to follow her gaze and saw that Adonis had somehow made his way to a bar stool just a short distance away and was gritting his teeth, watching the scene play out between Shep and Cyn. He did not like what he was seeing, if the muscle ticking in his cheek was anything to go by.