I shrug. “Save me a seat.”
I can hear them cussing me out as I saunter toward my new point of interest. She notices me as I get closer, and I flash my most charming smile. She returns the sentiment but with an arched eyebrow.
“It’s unnatural for a beautiful woman like you to be without company. I’m Ethan, can I get you another drink?”
She looks down at her empty glass and then back up at me. A little smirk escapes her luscious and moist lips. Then, surprisingly, she put out her hand for me to take.
“I’ll have a strawberry margarita.” She flashes a dazzling smile that makes my heart race. “And I’m Jade.”
I chuckle lowly. “You’re not a shy woman at all.”
She giggles. “That’s because I already had something to drink. Alcohol gives someone a lot of confidence.”
“I agree.” I pause to order our drinks. “But even without it, I already knew you weren’t going to reject me.”
“Really? What made you so sure? What if I wanted to be left alone?”
“Let’s just say I have good intuition.” I cock an eyebrow. “And you haven’t tried to send me away yet, so I guess I was right.”
A smile tugs on the corners of her lips.
The bartender sets our drinks in front of us. A bourbon on the rocks for me and her strawberry margarita. The damn thing is nearly the size of my hand, but she looks quite happy with it.
“Does every guy in LA act like this?” she asks after a moment.
I act confused. “What do you mean?”
“You know, like they’re in a bar scene in a romance movie.”
“Not sure what you mean,” I say, smiling.
“I’m sure.”
Her hazel eyes shine with mischief as she stares directly at me while she drinks. It prompts me to lean against the counter, closing the distance between us. She doesn’t move away from me.
“You know I’m still curious why you were sitting all by yourself. Is it safe to guess you’re single?” I muse.
“You guessed correctly. And for future reference, sitting alone at the bar doesn’t mean someone is single.”
I shrug. “Noted. But all that matters to me is that no one’s waiting for you at home. Not that it would make any difference.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Before I answer, my eyes fall on her lips. I notice a droplet of her drink streaking down to her chin. Without thinking, I wipe it away with my thumb.
She freezes, staring at me with wide eyes. We watch each other for a moment before I let my hand drop, returning to my drink.
“So, are you here by yourself?” she asks.
I shake my head. “I’m here with my friends. We were actually looking for a table when I saw you.”
“Won’t they be mad that you ditched them?”
“Don’t worry. They’ll be understanding once they notice who caught my attention.”
“You have a way with words, Ethan.”
“Oh yeah?”