Page 9 of The Getaway

He whips his head toward me, watching me with furrowed brows.

“Wh-what?” he eventually stammers.

There’s no point in me trying to backtrack now, so I clear my throat and meet his gaze head on.

“You seem uncomfortable, and I don’t want that to be because of me. So, would you like me to move?”

He’s shaking his head before I finish repeating my question. I raise a single brow, but when he doesn’t say anything in response, I shrug and face forward.

Just as I’m taking another sip of my drink, he speaks.

“You’re beautiful.”

His words cause the liquid in my mouth to go down the wrong pipe. I choke, coughing and fighting to catch my breath.

Once I regain my composure, I turn to him, not surprised this time to find him watching me. Traces of a smile fight at the corners of his lips and something akin to amusement shines in his blue eyes.

“Excuse me?” I ask incredulously, even though we both know I heard him clearly.

A full, wide smile breaks free.

Now that’s just not fair.

Not only is Muscle Man tall and built like a god, but he’s fucking handsome. Like, drop my panties with zero hesitation if he asked me to, level handsome.

Wrinkles crinkle at the corners of his light blue eyes and even his short, groomed beard can’t hide the dimples that peek out on his cheeks.

“I said,” he chuckles, eyes still on me. “You’re beautiful.”

“Are you always this forward?” I ask, sending up a silent plea that my cheeks are not as red as they currently feel.

Muscle Man huffs out a breath, shaking his head and failing to hide his grin behind the beer bottle.

“No, actually. Never.” He shrugs, taking a sip of the beer and glancing at me from the corner of his eye with a raised brow. “Would you like me to take it back?”

I don’t bother trying to hold back my smile and shake my head. Still ignoring his compliment, I twist on my stool to fully face him.

Studying him for a long moment, I think over what to say. Considering I had been in my last relationship for eight years, flirting feels foreign. But even I can’t deny the fact that I am very attracted to this man.

What’s the harm in flirting a little with a stranger?

“So, are you here with family… friends…” My eyes drop quickly to his left hand. “Girlfriend or fiancée?”

Chapter 4- Noah

Fuck. She’s breathtaking.

When I told her that she’s beautiful, it felt like I was lying. Beautiful is too simple of a word for the magnificent woman sitting beside me.

Even before I laid eyes on her, I could tell she was about to capture my full attention. Her melodic voice pierced straight through me, bringing something deep inside me to life.

And then I saw her.

I hadn’t actually decided to check her out. I simply didn’t want to be rude and turned to acknowledge the stranger that asked me a question. But that one quick glance made my body freeze while my pulse took off like a racehorse.

Red hair frames her delicate, soft face and hangs in waves down her back. A light blush highlights the faint freckles lining her cheeks and adorable nose. When she leaned forward to get the bartender’s attention, the dips and curves of her waist and hips stole mine.

It’s a test of my self-restraint to not blatantly ogle her like all the men around us are. All it took was a quick glance around us to learn that I wasn’t the only one entranced by her.

---