Page 4 of Liberating Mia
As if feeling the weight of her stare, the man looked up, straight at her. For a moment, he just gazed at her. And then he smiled and took her breath away. The man was devastatingly handsome, but when he smiled? Dear god, he was positively lethal. He studied her for long moments, and Mia could feel her heart pounding just from his gaze. With another panty-dropping grin revealing a dimple in his left cheek, he stood.
Tall and well-muscled, he held himself with a confident ease she envied. Not once had he looked away from her. While maintaining eye contact, he folded the newspaper neatly, dropping it onto the table, and sauntered toward her.
Chapter Four
Finn was bored. He had a whole lot of hours on his hands and nothing to do with them. As he sat reading the evening paper, he wondered if his being here was just a wild goose chase or if his informant had actually gotten him solid intel this time. He was staking out a warehouse down on Cape Town harbor at midnight. Unfortunately, that was still hours away.
Used to being away from home on assignment and being a natural loner, he enjoyed his own company. But tonight, he was feeling restless. Maybe it was the nature of this evening’s work – this case made his skin crawl. Whatever it was, Finn felt out of sorts.
Suddenly, Finn felt a familiar prickle on the back of his neck that signaled he was being watched. Slowly, he let his gaze wander around the room looking for the source without lifting his head to make it obvious he was searching.
He noticed a beautiful woman sitting at the bar facing him. He lifted his head to get a better look at her. He felt the impact of her gaze slam through him when they made eye contact. She was, quite possibly, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And she was looking at him as if she wished he would join her at the bar.
The idea appealed to him, far more than going back to the room to watch some mind-numbing television. Who knew? If he played his cards right, he might find some entertainment that would keep him occupied for the next few hours. Smiling, Finn picked up his drink and made his way toward the beauty.
“Evening, Sugar. Mind if I join you?”
She smiled shyly at him and gestured to the chair next to her. “Make yourself at home.”
“So, at the risk of sounding clichéd, what’s a gorgeous lady like you doing all alone in a hotel bar?” Finn asked.
“I was passing through town on my way to visit family when my car broke down. How about you?”
“Here on business for a few days,” Finn replied. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “An Espresso Martini would be great.”
Finn ordered their drinks and settled back to chat up his new companion.
As he opened his mouth to ask her name, the beautiful stranger turned to him and said, “I’ve got an unusual request.”
“Ok, shoot. Let’s hear it then,” Finn replied. To his utter delight, she blushed.
He watched as she swallowed, as if gathering the courage to say what was on her mind.
“I know this is going to sound really bizarre, but I have always fantasized about meeting a stranger and just talking without the usual information exchange. Just idle chitchat, nothing more substantial. Just to be anonymous for a moment in time. Are you game?”
Finn studied her for a long moment, trying to decide what her story was. The ingrained agent in him said there was more to this tale than met the eye. She was definitely running from something. The question was, what exactly was it?
When she started to squirm under his scrutiny, he realized he’d yet to answer her. “Well now, that certainly sounds interesting. I guess I’m game if you are.”
Gracing him with another of those sweetly hesitant smiles, she lifted her glass to toast him. They sat chatting at the bar until their drinks were finished, but Finn wasn’t ready for her to leave.
“I know it’s still fairly early in the evening, but I was wondering if you would have dinner with me in the hotel dining room?” Finn asked.
She considered a moment and then replied, “That would be lovely, thank you.”
He slid off his chair and stood with his hand at her back, guiding her from the chair and across the room.
At the entrance to the dining room, they were greeted by the hostess, and he requested a table for two out of the path of foot traffic. Some habits ran deep. Seated in a quiet corner, they placed their order.
Finn leaned toward his mystery lady, and asked, “So tell me something about you that you wouldn’t normally share with someone who knows you yet remains within the realm of anonymity.”
‘Um, actually, I have something I’d like to ask you.”
Again, much to his delight, she blushed and ducked her head. “Come on, Sugar, you got me intrigued now. What could possibly be so bad that you’re blushing? Which I find utterly charming, by the way.”
“Promise you won’t laugh or make fun of me!”
