Page 1 of French Martini

ONE

Oakley

Ten minutesto midnight and I can’t take my eyes off of Lowen as he moves efficiently around the bar making sure all the patrons have what they need. He finally gave in to Ridley and Bane a couple of hours ago and indulged in a few celebratory shots, and it’s nice to see him let loose a little.

If I had any balls at all I would march over there and tell him I haven’t stopped thinking about him since the minute I laid eyes on him. He’s the exact opposite of any man I’ve ever dated, and maybe that’s the allure. A couple of decades of failed relationships made me realize maybe I needed to try something different. Too bad I set my sights on a guy who would rather chew off his foot than date.

“Want to dance, Big Bear?” I turn to my left to see an adorable man, about chest high on me, swaying on his feet with barely open eyes. He plants his hand on my chest, squeezing my pec as he attempts to wiggle his eyebrows. “I need to be kissed at midnight, and you look delicious.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Just a bit. I know what I’m doing.” He slinks a little closer. “And if you play your cards right, I could be doing you in less than fifteen minutes.”

I snort a laugh and look around for his friends. “Who’d you come with?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

He’s all over me now, as much as he can be at his height, so I put my hands on his shoulders in a gentle attempt to shove him away. “I don’t take advantage.”

“I’m offering. Come on. One little kiss at midnight, you big gorgeous bear?”

“Excuse me.” Lowen’s terse voice cuts through the music and voices. “You’ve got your hands all over my plans for the evening.”

My eyes practically shoot out of my head, but I stay silent. The twink sizes Lowen up, then pops his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.

“Outplayed. Well done, sir.”

He pats my chest and slinks off to the bar.

Lowen smiles softly. “You looked like you needed to be rescued.”

“I did. Thanks. He was persistent.”

“New Year’s Eve does that to people.”

“Yeah.” I glance over at the bar. “Damn, he’s still watching us.”

“Guess we should dance then.”

Lowen takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor, and I follow, barely able to process what’s happening. Like Lowen said, it must be the atmosphere.

Some loud song with a heavy beat is playing, but Lowen wraps his arms around my neck like it’s a slow song. He looks incredible, as he normally does, but he’s turned it up tonight with dark eyeliner around his sapphire blue eyes and a light pink gloss on his full lips. His thick, sandy brown hair is alwaysperfectly in place, but tonight there’s a tendril that’s fallen onto his forehead. I’m tempted to brush it away, but I don’t want to push my luck.

The mood shifts when Ridley climbs onto the bar top and yells that the countdown is starting. Lowen’s eyes briefly shift in his direction, then turn back to me as his cheeks flush pink.

“Did you have anyone to kiss at midnight last year?”

Shaking my head, I answer, “Nope. You?”

“No. I was still in Paris, hiding out from the media.”

“I can’t imagine what that would be like. Strangers giving a fuck about your personal life.”

He huffs. “It’s annoying. The breakup was messy and the gossips couldn’t get enough.”

I won’t admit that I spent hours looking him up and I know all about how things went down with his marriage. “At least no one cares here in Willow Bay.”

A slight smile pulls at his lips. “I love it. I feel almost like myself again.”

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