All the Right Moves(6)

Well, that was a headache Cassie didn’t need. But Lisa was right. Tommy was fine with enlisted men and retirees, welcomed them, actually. But officers? He had no use for the whole lot of them. He wasn’t necessarily confrontational, but he could make things uncomfortable.

Refusing to watch Lisa approach the dark-haired guy, Cassie kept her head down, making drinks, realizing too late she’d poured an extra tequila shot. A new doctor who’d worked in the E.R. at the hospital had started coming in a month ago. She’d only seen him a few times and he sure was easy on the eyes. But this pilot...he was something.

Still, she didn’t go for the Jon Hamm types with the perfect movie-star looks, all cool and suave. As soon as they opened their mouths you had to wonder how their ego had fit through the door. Not all of them, but enough. Then again those types didn’t go for her, either, so it all worked out.

“He wants a scotch. Neat.” Smiling, Lisa loaded her tray. “Five bucks says he leaves after two sips.”

“I’m so broke I can’t afford to bet a quarter. Did you warn him this isn’t a scotch kind of place?”

“Uh-uh. I didn’t want him to leave that fast.” Lisa picked up her tray and left to deliver the drinks.

Cassie dried her hands, then grabbed the bottle of scotch off the shelf. The only reason it wasn’t dusty was because she kept a clean bar. She reached for a glass, unscrewed the bottle, then sighed. Recapping it, she walked over to the man, who was leaning back and watching her.

Up close he was even more dazzling. Dark, almost black hair. Tan skin. Some combination of eyebrows and jawline and mouth that made looking at him a sensual experience even if you didn’t want it to be. But she didn’t like the intense way he tracked her with those damn sexy eyes, so he lost a couple of points.

She held up the bottle so he could see the label. “This is all we have.”

“Okay,” he said with a slight frown.

“Are you familiar with the brand?”

“No.”

“It probably sucks.”

His laugh was short, surprised. “I’ll take my chances.”

Cassie hated returning points to the plus column but to be fair, the humor in his expression made him look even hotter. “Just remember I warned you,” she said, turning back to get the glass and to pull herself together. She hadn’t expected him to be such a good sport.

Lisa returned to pick up Tommy’s beer. “What was that?” she asked under her breath.

“I gave him an out on the scotch but he passed.” She poured a generous portion. If he could stomach the stuff, he deserved the extra booze. “You can take it over to him.”

“No, go ahead. You seem to be doing just fine with him.”

“Right.” The only reason she didn’t roll her eyes was because he was still watching her. What did he think she was going to do, spit in his drink? “Do me a favor. Don’t go overboard giving Tommy a hard time. I don’t want to deal with one of his moods today.”

Lisa went toward the back, and Cassie took the scotch to the flyboy at the other end of the bar. She almost forgot to set down a cocktail napkin because she didn’t bother for most of their customers. They generally ignored them once they picked up their drink.

“Here you go.” She set the glass on the plain white paper square. “That’ll be three bucks.”

“Can I start a tab?”

“Really?”

“I’ll give you a credit card if you’re worried I’ll run out on you.” That damn smile... How many tight spots had it gotten him out of?

“I’d try the scotch first,” she said, leaning back and folding her arms across her chest. She couldn’t have worn a worse T-shirt. Faded, too snug, it had some geeky cartoon character on the front. But it was a freebie and that fit into her clothes budget just fine.

He took a sip, not a cautious one, either. He blinked, swallowed, then slowly nodded, his gaze staying on the amber liquid.

She grinned, got that weird feeling someone was watching her and caught Gordon’s eye from across the room. A quick glare told him to mind his own business, but the customers at the two other occupied tables were keeping tabs, too, so it didn’t matter.

Cassie straightened, but it wasn’t as if she were doing anything wrong. She was friendly with all her customers. “Well?”

Clearing his throat, he slid the glass toward her. “I think I’ll take a beer.”