Page 30 of Love and Order

An hour later, she chugged her water and wondered if Finn was looking for her at the bar. Throughout the entire class, she was distracted by his flirty green eyes that kept popping into her mind. He’d gotten under her skin with his friendship comment, and she had to admit she was curious about him.

After cooling down, she decided to go for one beer and prove to him she wasn’t a complete loner. Maybe to prove to herself that she wasn’t antisocial, just selective about the company she kept.

Chapter Eight

Hailey

Walking into thecrowded Irish pub, she started to feel nervous that she’d played herself. Finn’s group wasn’t easy to spot because every man in the bar looked like a current or former Navy SEAL. There were plenty of women in the bar too, but the testosterone was high.

“Hello there, young lady. Are you looking for someone in particular?” a large man in scrubs, with a beard and a scar over his right eye asked with a friendly smile. He was carrying four beers in his massive hands. Her hesitation must have shown on her face, because he smiled bigger.

“Finn Maguire,” she said, doubtful he’d know where in the crowd Finn would be. But his face lit up more, if that was possible.

“Follow me, he’s back here.” He moved forward, “make a hole,” he bellowed, and people did.

She followed, unsure it was the smart thing to do but recognized the SEAL trident tattooed along his forearm and decided to have some faith. A rare occurrence for her. A path spread like Moses parting the Red Sea but quickly closed behind her.

Suddenly, he stopped short.

“Maguire, I found someone of yours,” the large man said as he set down the beers on the high-top table at the rear of the pub.

Warmth spread up her chest at the thought of belonging to Finn. Clearing her throat, she stepped to the side of the large man and found several clean-cut men who all looked like fitness models staring back at her. Finn was talking to someone on the other side of the table, but his eyes sparkled and his kissable lips spread in a huge smile when he spotted her.

“You changed your mind,” Finn said, leaning over the table to pluck up one of the fresh beers and hand it to her. “Beer?” he asked, but she heard several of the other men grumble.

“Gentlemen, respect Finn’s ability to elevate our sophistication with a lady’s presence, please,” the large man with the beard said and winked at her.

Accepting the beer, Hailey took a sip of the cold IPA and was at a loss on what to say.

“Guys, this is my friend Hailey. These are the guys,” Finn said, still grinning ear to ear.

There was a round of hellos while Finn muscled his way through the others around the table to stand next to her.

“You’re just in time,” he said close to her ear.

“For what?” she asked just as someone rang a large brass bell hanging over the bar seven times.

The crowded bar grew completely quiet, and the music stopped.

The bartender read off several names, then everyone held up their glasses and in unison said, “to the brotherhood,” before taking a long sip from their drinks. She followed Finn’s lead.

“Those are the names of SEALs who died this year,” Finn explained.

“Only five,” she whispered. “I mean, that’s horrible, but your profession seems inherently dangerous.”

“Every hour, they read several names,” he said.

“Oh.”

“So, Hailey, how’d a nice girl like you get tangled up with Maguire?” the bearded man asked.

“Who said I was nice?” she fired back.

The men listening laughed, and embarrassment from the implication of her words made her want to unzip her lightweight but long-sleeve sweatshirt. The bar was packed, so it was already warm, and standing so close to Finn with his friends’ eyes on her left her feeling the heat.

“Fair point. Then I have to ask, are you hoping to corrupt our golden boy? Because I’ll warn you it’s impossible. I’ve tried,” the bearded man said.

Finn grimaced and took another sip of his beer.

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