DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(116)

Maybe Jacob was right. Maybe I was paranoid. But, as the saying goes, just because I was paranoid didn’t mean someone wasn’t out to get me. Or, in this case, my device.

I downed half my drink in one swallow, then stood.

“I think I deserve a treat,” I said.

Jacob’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything as I wandered over to the dark beauty at the bar.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

It wasn’t the most original line and not one I might have used under other circumstances, but it seemed appropriate here. She looked up, a soft smile parting her full lips nicely. She had amazing blue eyes that seemed to look through me for a moment. But then they settled politely on my face.

“That’s nice of you,” she said, her voice just the right kind of husky, “but I just received a fresh one.”

“Then can I buy the next?”

A soft laugh, her eyes moving over me in a way similar to the way the waitress had looked at me, but with a little less raw hunger. This lady was subtler. More of a lady.

“How much do you think I drink?”

“I don’t judge.”

She laughed again as she turned back to the bar, lifting the clearly full glass of red wine to her lips. “You’re funny,” she said, as though she was surprised by that.

“If you think that’s funny, you should get to know me a little better. I can be an absolute riot.”

“I was actually just on my way out the door.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” I said, pressing a hand to my chest. “You’ll break my heart.”

She turned my direction again, but her eyes moved to the table where Jacob waited alone.

“It looked to me like you already had some company.”

“Him?” I glanced over my shoulder. “That’s just my brother.”

“Brother?” She studied Jacob a minute, then focused on me again. “You don’t look that much alike.”

“It’s an interesting story. If you want to hear it, you should come join us.”

I bowed, making a show of it that caught the attention of a couple of other people around the bar. A group of women laughed, one of them saying, “What a gentleman.” A group of guys on the other side just shook their heads, clearly deciding it was a failed come on. I wasn’t so sure. If I hadn’t gotten her attention, I’d surely gotten the attention of a couple of the other women.

I wouldn’t be going home alone tonight.

I walked back over to Jacob’s table and threw myself into my chair like a petulant child.

“Strike out?”

I shrugged. “Can’t win them all.”

Jacob pushed a fresh vodka and cranberry juice toward me. “The waitress is a sure thing, I think. She brought this over a moment ago and said it was on the house.”

“That was nice of her.”

“I don’t know how you get all this attention. You and your ugly mug…”

I just sipped at my drink, not rising to the bait. Jacob had teased me about my looks almost from the moment we met, claiming the only reason women found me interesting was that they felt pity for me. It was a running joke. I think the truth ran more in the realm of jealousy, but I’d never bothered to explore that idea. No point in causing tension.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jacob muttered.

“What?”

I looked up, and the dark beauty from the bar was coming our way. And beauty…damn, she was beautiful. A little petite for my taste, but she had curves that didn’t stop. Full breasts, a tight little waist, round hips. She was the kind of girl guys drooled over in high school and stabbed each other in the back for as adults. And that dark hair against her fair skin, and those blue eyes… It was a combination that made me want to simply stare at her for hours and hours.

“She’s gorgeous,” Jacob whispered.

I just nodded.

I stood and pulled out a chair for her. She slid her hand over her ass, collecting her skirt so that it wouldn’t get terribly wrinkled as she sat on it. Then she leaned forward slightly and held a polite hand to Jacob.

“Adrienne.”

“Jacob,” he said, hesitating just a second before taking her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jacob.”

He inclined his head, a little color rising on his face.

“I’m Lucien, by the way,” I said as I took a seat next to her.

“Lucien. That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s French. My mother grew up in France.”

“Oh, wow. That’s impressive.”

“Her father was in the military. They were stationed there until she was a teenager. Then she ended up in New Jersey for a while.”

“Talk about culture shock.”

Jacob snorted. “She does. All the time.”

“Ignore him,” I said, leaning a little closer to the dark beauty. “He’s in a foul mood.”

“Oh? Bad day?”

“No. He’s just like that all the time.”

Surprise made her eyes round. And then she laughed a little, her eyes sliding over Jacob as she did. “Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t listen to him,” Jacob said. “He’s just trying to impress you.”