Page 1 of With a Grain of Salt

Prologue

Claire

“Is that right?” I ask Hux, a regular here at the bar, as I wipe the bar top in front of him.

His smile is big and inviting, but the curly blond hair and the bright green eyes aren’t something I usually go for. I’m more of a dark-and-dangerous girl, getting my thrills from the bad boy rather than the star quarterback, boy-next-door kind of guy, and this man has hometown hero written all over him.

“A solid one hundred,” he repeats. “How many people can say that?”

Say it? Nearly every soldier that walks into this place.

It actually being true is a whole other story.

Laughter meets my ears, but I do my best not to look to my right. I know what I’ll find, and I know exactly why my ex, Kent, chose this bar over every other one in town. His feelings are hurt. His pride took a hit when I broke up with him last week. He couldn’t understand why his cheating was actually a problem for me.

I lock my eyes on the man smiling back at me. I can see myself getting lost in a man like him for a few hours, but the cockiness would never work for me long term.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a soldier who made a perfect score on their ASVAB.”

His smile grows wider, and I know that grin has gotten this man out of a lot of trouble and into a lot of beds.

“So I was thinking,” he says, leaning in closer.

“Hold that thought, Casanova,” I tell him before walking down the bar to greet another customer.

I slap down napkins when I approach the couple, waiting for them to get their mouths off each other so I can take their drink order.

When I look back over my shoulder, I see something or someone has grabbed Hux's attention across the bar.

I’ve seen him in here before. I’ve seen that smile and know how easily he wields it to get his way. Women trip over themselves when he points it in their direction. I’d like to say that I’m immune, but I know I’m not.

It’s less than five minutes before I’m standing in front of Hux again.

“You live on base?” I ask, because his answer determines where we end up tonight.

He nods. “Will that be a problem for you?”

“Are you out of training yet?”

He shakes his head, a challenge in his eyes.

He says a lot with his eyes. If I were a certain type of girl who frequents the bars near the bases, I’d never give him a chance. A soldier not even out of training yet doesn’t make a lot of money and there’s no shortage of women around this town looking for a man who has the ability to take care of her.

“Are you good in bed? That’s what I’m looking for,” I tell him, getting right to the point.

“Nothing more?”

I shake my head.

“You’re sure?” he asks, angling his head in the direction of Kent and the woman he’s all over tonight. “That’s your ex, right?”

I lick my dry lips, not sure how I feel about this guy having paid more attention to me on his trips in here than I realized. I don’t like feeling like the one under the microscope. It's my job to pay attention to everyone and it's their job to drink.

My smile grows wider. I might’ve actually met my match with this man.

“One night of great sex, and maybe a little in-your-face flirting,” I say, knowing he’ll easily catch my drift.

His smile never falters, and that mischievous glint in his eyes is somehow familiar because I’ve seen it directed at so many others. The man isn’t exactly collecting notches in his bedpost, but he has perfected his charm.

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