Take a Chance on Me(6)

Laughter shook his chest, drawing several surprised glances from his patrons. He always liked a woman who cut him no slack. A rarity. A challenge. It had been far too long since he’d felt the surge of challenge. Hell, it had been a long time since he’d felt the surge of anything. “Hey, I thought it was better than”—he lowered his voice to sleazy—“‘Baby, are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all night.’”

With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God, it’s awful. Is that what I’ve been missing?”

“I’m just getting started.”

Lashes lifted to the ceiling. “Deliver me from hell.”

“Damn, you’re hard on a man’s ego, Princess.”

“Somehow I doubt that, Slick.”

Amused, he grimaced. “Slick, huh? I’m thinking that’s not a compliment.”

“You don’t need compliments.” She waved a hand over him. “Look at you, all gorgeous. I bet you don’t even have to try.”

With a grin, he pushed the brown bowl closer. “Have another pretzel.”

Auburn brows drawing together, she flashed him a flirtatious scowl. “You don’t even have the decency to deny it.”

The more they talked, the harder it was to keep the smile off his face. The long-dormant muscles started to ache. “Now, why would I go and do that?”

“Because that’s what you do.” She grabbed another pretzel and popped it in her mouth. “That’s the rule: when someone gives you a compliment, you deny.”

“No, that’s what women do.” He placed his palms on the bar. “If I denied it, you’d accuse me of fishing.”

“True. You’re smart and insightful, too? That hardly seems fair.” She pointed to the ceiling. “Somebody up there likes you.”

That was definitely a matter of opinion, but he teased her right back. “At least you know I didn’t earn my degree on my back.”

“Where’d you go to law school?” She gave him a crooked half-grin. “Some obscure school in the Caribbean?”

“Nope. Not even close.”

She scrutinized him, looking him up and down with exaggerated care. “One of those infomercial Internet deals?” She straightened on the stool and cleared her throat. “You too can chase ambulances in thirty amazing days.”

Goddamn, she was cute. He wanted to eat her up in only the very best way. Any last remnants of conscience about her sitting in her wedding dress evaporated. He chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t think very highly of me, do you?”

“That’s the problem, I do. Now I’ve got to find your tragic flaw.”

“I have plenty of flaws.” A list too long to count, actually. Flaws a good girl like her might not be able to overlook. “But my law degree doesn’t happen to be one of them.”

“I know.” Her tone excited, she guessed, “You were a Navy SEAL who earned your law degree at night after a long day of special ops?”

Damn, his polish must be long gone. “Where in the hell did that come from?”

“Romance novels,” she said, the duh clearer than if she’d spoken it out loud.

“Not even close.”

She blew out a breath and threw up her hands. “Fine, I give up.”

He grinned. “I went to Harvard.”

The loud burst of laughter had the barflies startling in her direction. “You’re kidding.”

“’Fraid not.” That she found the idea preposterous both amused and irked him. There’d been a time when anything less would have been a surprise. “I guess now’s not the time to tell you I graduated in the top five percent of my class.” Shit. What was wrong with him? How was she getting him to talk about things he’d refused to even think about?


“Let me get this straight.” She tapped her manicured index finger on the bar. “You graduated from Harvard at the top of your class?”

“Yep.”

“Did you have a job in Chicago?”

“I did.”

“As a lawyer?”

He nodded, refusing to say more.

Confusion was etched in the corners of her mouth. “But you left that behind, for this?”

“That about sums it up.” He tried to make the words light, casual. Some of his enjoyment dimmed as he remembered those days when the whole world had stretched before him, ripe with possibilities. It reminded him why he’d chosen to stay numb instead of joining the land of the living.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

She studied him for fifteen long seconds. Head tilted to one side, lips pursed in concentration. Suddenly, her face brightened and she waved a hand through the air. “Never mind, you don’t have to answer. After all, who am I to question crazy decisions?” She pulled at the skirt of her wedding dress, the pristine white ruined by smudges of dirt and a long ragged tear. “I climbed out of a church window and in less than twelve hours I’m shamelessly flirting with the first guy I happen across.”

“Life’s got an interesting sense of humor.” He was relaxing now that she’d decided to drop the subject.

A long, put-upon sigh. “Isn’t that the truth? Clearly, I’m being tested.”