Page 6 of The Bourbon Bride

First of all, he’s aman, not some boy my age who would want to mingle with a stupid deb, which is another reason debuting was dumb.

Second, I don’t know the first thing about tying a man in knots in any capacity other than the fantasies that take shadowy shape in my champagne and bourbon-drenched brain.

Third, well, I don’t recall much about the third point I’m trying to make on my own behalf, on account of that delicious Underworld Spirits bourbon.

Hayes is right, it was much more fortifying than the champagne I have been sipping all evening.

A light hanging on a chain above us clicks on to illuminate a short, nondescript hallway with several doors behind the tall, solidly built man who blocks the way. I blink rapidly as my eyes adjust to the bright light after my time in the dark garden.

Hayes faces me, his hand lowering slowly from the chain as I stare up at him. Good Lord, he’s handsome. His dark hair is short on the sides, long and brushed back on top. His tan skin is smooth save for the rough brush of stubble along his jaw and the hint of thin lines perched at the corners of his eyes. He wears his expensive black suit and crisp white shirt like it was made for him, which it probably was, and boy does it look good on his body.

I sigh, not even able to stop the sound from escaping my lips. He’s so far out of my league I might as well sit my butt back on the bench.

“I like hearing you laugh.” He looks away, clearing his throat as if the admission was accidental and he can’t recall how it slipped out.

“Silly debutantes have nothing better to do than laugh,” I joke.

“Don’t do that,” he says, his eyes flashing with flecks of gold as the light finally allows me to see they’re such a deep green I’d mistake them for brown from another foot away.

“Make jokes?” I cross my arms and stare at him, wondering if he’s judging me for my faux pas now. So much of our interaction has been effortless, comfortable, and if I just messed that up, I’ll die of embarrassment.

“Discredit yourself. You’re hardly a silly debutante despite the reasons you’re here tonight. You’ve got a brain and a purpose beyond being beautiful and rich, so don’t make jokes at your own expense.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” I choke out a laugh as the words that were supposed to stay in my head come out of my mouth and embarrassment creeps into my cheeks.Great. Now I’m spilling secrets right along with him.

“Your beauty is obvious,” he evades. “What you do with it is more important.”

I feel my lips twitch into a smile. “Did you get that from a motivational quote? People don’t really talk like that with strangers.”

He sighs deeply, his eyes closing as he tips his head to the ceiling.

I’m probably annoying him to the point he wants to get rid of me. How sad to know I can’t even keep a man like him captivated when I actually want to. I really like watching his Adam’s apple move as he swallows and will be quite disappointed when he asks me to go away again. He’s already offered to take me back to the party, so I’m probably on his last nerve at this point.

He surprises me by gesturing across the hall. “Come with me,” he says instead of telling me to get lost. Hope floats to my awareness. He’s letting me stay.

He pulls open a door and flicks a light switch as I follow him into a gorgeous office. The lights of Savannah and a sliver of the river can be seen through the large window across from us. A cognac-colored leather Chesterfield sofa and two club chairs are situated in a corner, making an enticing bid at my attention as I imagine curling up with one of the books from the wall of industrial pipe and rustic wood bookshelves. A large mahogany desk and chair take up a portion of the remaining space. The faint hint of cigar smoke lingers without staleness, and I wonder about the quality of the cigars and the ventilation system involved in making that happen. The cigars Daddy smokes can sometimes grow stagnant in his library and Mama threatens to leave him each time she catches a stubbed-out stogie in a crystal ashtray inside the house.

“Is this your office?” I ask to break the silence that stretches with my inspection of the office.

He settles onto the sofa, his elbows resting on his thighs with hands clasped between his knees casually. His eyes meet mine and I suck in a breath at the intensity. They are deep jungle green and smolder with his attention.

“The one I keep in Savannah, yes.” His voice is a deep purr that washes over me with his gaze. I shiver and look away from the intensity.

I walk around the office, looking at the books on his shelves and running my fingertips along the shiny desk to give myself something to do that hides my fascination. “Where do you live? No one seems to know where you stay when you’re in town.”

He smiles, his features softening with the movement, and my stomach dips like I’ve gone down a rollercoaster. Good gracious, he is handsome.

“You’re quite curious about me, aren’t you?”

I pretend to be interested in a cut crystal bowl filled with tarnished silver coins that look ancient so I can avoid his gaze in my embarrassment. I pick up a coin, turning it to see barely discernible profiles and raised designs. They could be Greek obols, but I’m not familiar enough to know that for sure. I set the coin back into the bowl.

“You’re just an enigma, I guess. It’s rare someone shows up and has no desire to play nice with the people who run this town. I like that you didn’t try to worm your way into society or toe the line the way they were expecting.” My crush on Hayes is becoming more apparent as I willingly admit I’m curious about him just like that.Do better, dang it!

He nods. “A word of unsolicited advice. Don’t do what’s expected. And never let them make you feel less than.”

I lift my chin at him and stay silent. I hope he doesn’t question how often I’ve done just that. It wouldn’t be pretty to admit that’s what I default to.

He motions me closer, and I eagerly take a seat on the sofa near him.

---