Page 2 of Protected By the Billionaire Ex-SEAL

“Okay, then…ma’am, I’ll have a cranberry cocktail, a cheeseburger, fries, and extra bacon on the burger, please.”

“Make that two, please. But a beer instead of a cocktail for me.” I nod at the female bartender, who nods back and walks away.

“Now that you mention it, a beer sounds nice.”

“You got it. I’m Christian, by the way. Thirty-three years old. Ex-military. I retired last year. I own a business in California.” At her eyebrow raise, I shrug. “In case you’re uncomfortable with strangers.”

“Oh.” She pauses, then nods, accepting my explanation. “So, you’re here for business?”

“Pretty much. You?”

She mulls over it for maybe two seconds before she clears her throat. “Raven. Teacher. I’m thirty. Kind of here for business, too.”

“Your eyes are as blue as the deepest, bluest ocean. I could sink into them.”

Our gazes meet as Mr. Rizz goes at it again, still wooing the same woman. A twinkle enters Raven’s eyes, and I read it as a signal that it’s okay to sidle closer so I can lower my voice.

“I would use the same pickup line, but your eyes aren’t blue.”

Her lips quirk, and my gaze is drawn there.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. They’re amber. I can’t tell if they’re leaning more on copper or gold, and I don’t want to be a pervert who stares at them too much.”

“Actually, nobody really notices my eyes. They’re too busy staring at my…” She smiles flirtatiously.

Goddamn. If this is flirting, this is the kind of flirting I’m on board with.

“You have green eyes. Like the forest. They’re really deep and striking. I bet all the women tell you that,” she continues.

“Your lips are so full. I just want to bite into them,” Mr. Rizz says.

My eyes widen. So do hers, then her mouth thins in an effort not to laugh. But her shoulders are already shaking, so I sit up straighter, blocking her from the view of others, and let her lean her head against my shoulder.

It’s light contact, but the electric charge that thrums through me feels pleasant. Addictive. When she pulls back and looks up at me, her face is inches from mine.

“I noticed your eyes,” I whisper, looking down at her. All it would take is for me to tip my head forward to catch her lips. “But your lips…”

I flick my eyes down at them, and she bites her bottom lip softly in reaction. I nearly groan before realizing we’re still in a very public place.

I lean back a bit and grin. “I like that you noticed my eyes first.”

“What makes you think I didn’t notice your body first?”

I raise my brows in mock offense. “Preposterous. When I have these deep, striking eyes?”

“But also the body of a?—”

“Your body’s sculpted by the gods. Every inch is just so soft, decadent, and beautiful,” the man at the bar continues.

Her mouth drops open, but it’s me who’s fighting back a laugh this time. When I’m about to snap, she reaches for my hand and squeezes it to steady me.

I give her a challenging look.

“I dare you to top that.”

She leans in, her mouth brushing my ear. “Your body…is going to feel amazing on top of mine.”

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