Page 28 of A Bond with the Dark

“Yes,” he smiles. “I haven’t been back in a long time, though.”

“What do you do for work?” I ask, my interest in this dark stranger growing thicker with every syllable he speaks.

“I am a data analyst for a software engineering company.”

“Oh, nice,” I respond, sipping my water.

“And you’re here in the Denver area?” Claire asks, tonguing the thin black straw of her rum and coke into her mouth and sucking.

He shifts in his seat, his black shirt tight around his biceps. “I work in LoDo, but live in Windsor.”

“Dang, commuting to Denver daily must be rough, huh?” I ask.

“It’s not too bad,” he tells me, his straight white teeth glimmering. “I work nights, so I leave to work after rush hour is over, and I get home before it starts.”

“Yeah, that would make it better, I guess,” I concede, adjusting my seat so our knees are touching.

“Where are you from, and what do you do?” Leaning toward me more, he offers me a smile.

My heart flutters. His dark eyes look lethal, but then again, they are as poignant as a ballet dancer.

“I’m from here. Born and raised. And I’m in customer relations for a technology firm.”

“In Denver?”

“No, in Fort Collins.”

“Ah, so not far from me.” The way his smile dispenses with this information and his posture hold assignment, like there’s something he intends to do and now is in range to do it.

“Nope, not far,” I reply, his green eyes like gunmetal, quick-witted, sharp,and lethal.“I bought a house north of there a few years back since it was cheaper to buy there than to rent in Fort Collins.”

“Homeowner, huh?” His brows kick up in intrigue. “Boss bitch.”

A nervous laugh fights its way off my lips as I play with the condensation on the glass.

He leans in. “And are you single?”

The words, those lips—sensual yet commanding. “Yes. Divorced. With a child. Single mom.”

“Oh, okay, cool. Independent, strong single mother lady. I like that,” he states and waves the waiter over. “What would you like to drink? It’s on me.”

“Oh, I don’t drink. But thanks.”

“You drink no liquids whatsoever?” he says teasingly.

“Well, I drink virgin daiquiris.”

“There you go. I’ll take a Bourbon, top shelf, rocks, and this fine woman will take a virgin strawberry daiquiri.”

The waiter nods and scampers off.

I peek over at the girls. They are talking amongst themselves, probably realizing I’m smitten with this gorgeous dark stranger who seems interested in only me and are allowing me to flirt with him. Either that, or they’re too drunk to realize anything else happening around them.

“So, no booze then?” he asks, shifting his weight to face me better.

“Nope. I gave it up a year and a half ago.”

“Any reason you care to disclose with a handsome stranger?” He winks behind the smile.

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