Page 11 of Forever Only Once

I had no idea why I’d said that.

Cross tilted his head and looked at me. When the waitress came and asked for his drink order, he looked up at her for a second and then directed his gaze back to me.

“I’d love a beer if you have any,” Cross said.

“We have over two dozen on tap.”

“A lager. You choose. And thank you.”

The waitress went off, probably a little sad that Cross hadn’t even truly looked at her. And then I wondered what the hell I was getting myself into.

“So, I take it you’re staying?” I asked bravely.

“Why not? This is a fun new story, right?”

His words echoed the man’s from the other day, and I swallowed hard. “Maybe.”

“What did I say?” Cross asked, leaning forward.

“Nothing.”

“No, tell me.”

I didn’t know why, but I continued. “I ran into a man on the street a couple of days ago, and he grabbed me. Said it was funny and could be a cute story that we could tell our children. And then he wouldn’t let go, and it was a thing.”

Cross’s eyes narrowed and darkened. “Are you okay?” I nodded, rubbing my elbows. Cross’s gaze moved to follow the action, and his jaw tightened even further. “You sure?” Cross asked, his voice careful.

“I am. He ran away after I threatened him. I probably should have actually hurt him, but I was a little stunned.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m sorry that happened. And I apologize for bringing it back to the forefront of your thoughts. I can go. Seriously. We can cancel that beer, or I can just drink it at the bar and then head home.”

I leaned forward, shaking my head. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t know why I didn’t, but I was tired of being so scared to act all the time. I’d lived my life like that for far too long as it was.

“No. Seriously, I’m fine. And you know what, why not? We’ll have a drink and maybe dinner so I can actually drive home after a whole glass full of vodka. We’ll just pretend this isn’t weird.”

Cross grinned then, looking sexy as hell, and I wondered how exactly this had happened.

“You know what? After my day, why not?”

“Are you going to tell me about your day?”

Cross smiled. “I think I will.”

I tried to pretend that his smile did nothing to me. After all, I was on a date with a man I didn’t know. But was it really a date? Or simply a dinner between two strangers. Honestly, how different would this be from how it would have been with Stavros?

Stavros would have been a stranger, too, although Paris likely would have made sure she knew a little bit about him beforehand. In fact, I was pretty sure my friend had a dossier on the man, as well as any others that might end up in this blind date game we were playing.

So, I tried not to think about the way Cross smiled at me, or the way it heated my skin, made the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and made my stomach clench.

Because it was just a smile.

Even the devil had a pretty face.

And that devil could look at you, and you would never know that he was lying. That he was danger and sin wrapped up in a pristine bundle of muscle and soft skin and a beard that made his face look just a touch dangerous.

I didn’t believe in thinking of a smile as more than what it was—a way to lower defenses. But I wouldn’t let that happen.

Today was just a random set of events that meant nothing. However, they had led me onto this new road where I was somehow at dinner with a nice man in a public place. And I was safe, at least as safe as I could be, knowing what was out there.