by Fine, L. J.
“What kinds of books do you read?” She was thankful that he glossed over the part about her attendance at the fights not being forced anymore. She didn’t even know why she brought it up. Though she suspected he knew the reasoning behind her weekly appearances, so he didn’t feel it fit their current conversation. It was new information he was after, for some reason.
“All kinds. Mostly urban fantasy, thought.” Then she added in anticipation of his next question. “I like them because they take place in what’s supposed to be our world but it’s like a magical parallel universe, where just about anything can happen. Much more interesting than my life.”
She left out the other genre that dominated her e-reader right next to the urban fantasies. In the last three months she had become fascinated by erotic romance. Just because she had put her libido on a strict hold didn’t mean that she stopped herself from fantasizing. To be honest, though, she hadn’t had any good fantasy material until Tyler, so she had kind of avoided that section of the bookstore. Now all the heroes of those novels somehow resembled him, even if they weren’t described that way. But no way in hell she would share this information with him.
“Yeah, I get that,” he said with a thoughtful expression. “Now that I think about it, that’s probably why I read them too.”
Now this was new information, wholly unexpected, just like everything else about him.
For her, reading was a much-needed escape. It took her away from her almost unbearable mundane existence and most importantly, diverted her from painful memories that liked to creep up on her when she let her guard down. Instead she liked to exist in a world where the fantastic could happen, the lines between good and evil were clear and happy endings prevailed.
She watched him through lowered lashes as she took a sip of her mocha, wondering what he felt he needed to escape from.
“Did you go to college?” The question came out of left field and she winced, trying to resist moving down the thought path that this line of questioning would inevitably tug her toward.
Taking a minute to regulate her breathing, she took another sip of coffee before she answered. “Yes, for a while.”
She hoped he didn’t want her to elaborate. They really should have hammered out the rules of this inquisition before she allowed it to continue. She should have implemented a firm out clause for touchy subjects.
It must have been obvious that she didn’t want to talk about it because he changed the subject yet again. “What kind of music do you like?”
And so it went for the next fifteen minutes. He fired off questions that had no obvious correlation to each other in a seemingly genuine effort to get to know her. Or at least to get the small things out of the way first. Out of the way for what she didn’t know but she got the distinct impression that he was building up to something.
A quick glance at the clock on the wall above the register told her that she only had a few minutes left of her break. She didn’t want to leave this odd conversation with no further knowledge as to who Tyler Serano really was. It would be such a shame to have their acquaintance based on the dull facts of her life. It was his turn.
So she cut off his last question. “Okay, it’s time for me to get to know a little about you.”
“Damn. I thought I could keep you talking your whole break.”
“You almost did. I only have five minutes left.” She laughed.
“So close.” He groaned, then flashed a grin. “What do you wanna know?”
She picked at the cardboard sleeve around her now-empty coffee cup. She didn’t know when she would get to talk to him like this again, so she wanted to make this a good question. There were so many things about him she wanted to know. She hoarded any information she could find on him, so she supposed that her question didn’t have to be deep or soul-searching. She had to start somewhere. “You said that reading was your third-favorite thing to do. What are the top two?”
He quirked a brow then considered her for a moment. “You really wanna know?”
She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
Once again he assessed her for a few moments before finally coming to some sort of conclusion. “All right. The first two are fighting and fucking. Not necessarily in that order.”
For the second time in an hour, his bluntness had her sputtering and she knew that her eyes were the size of the moon.
He leaned forward with a concerned frown. “Breathe, Mina, and please remember that you asked.”
Finally she snapped her mouth shut and cleared her throat. “You’re right, I did ask. I guess I just didn’t expect you to be so forthright.”
Spreading his hands wide he grinned. “Despite your inability to comprehend my so-called duality, I’m a pretty straightforward guy. What you see is what you get. So I guess I should warn you if you really don’t wanna know the answer to something, you probably just shouldn’t ask.”
“Good to know for future reference.” She was almost certain, though, that there was no future involving the two of them. “And on that jarring note, I have to go back to work.”
They stood together and he held the door to the coffee shop open for her as they exited. A ghost of a smile hovered over her lips as she shook her head and politely said thank you. He smirked down at her, seemingly knowing what she was thinking but didn’t comment.
“Thanks for the coffee,” she said as they stood in front of the bookstore.
“Anytime.”
This conversation felt like déjà vu but she had to savor any and all time spent with him. She found herself lingering again, unwilling to leave his presence.
Again he pushed at her to go. “You better get in there before you get fired,” he said. “I’ll see you around, Mina.”
He walked away, leaving her to reenter the store in bemusement. What had been the point of that odd encounter? She didn’t care what he claimed - the man was a conundrum. Well, she thought with a sigh, she more than likely satisfied his random curiosity and whatever interest he had in her to begin with had no doubt faded into the back of his mind.
It didn’t stop her from fantasizing about him all through the remainder of her shift. Work had never flown by so fast.
Chapter Three
Mina awoke the next morning to discover that she had virtually no food in her apartment. She groaned, knowing that a trip to the grocery store was imminent. Thinking to put the chore off, she went to make coffee and discovered the canister empty which promptly changed her mind. That shit just wasn’t going to fly this morning so she haphazardly threw on some clothes and to the store she went.
Steadily marking off all the usual suspects on her grocery list, she made it about halfway through when she spotted a familiar dark head directly ahead of her in aisle five. For the third time that week, her heart jumped up into her throat. Although admittedly each time it seemed to get a little easier.
Tyler strode toward her like he was on a mission giving away the fact that he had been aware of her presence long before she of his. Damn this small town right alongside Tyler and his keen observational skills. Just once, she would like to be prepared before he was. And just once, she would like to look halfway decent when these chance meetings occurred. Sweatpants, a ratty old t-shirt, hair in a bun and no makeup did not put her in any condition to woo a man. Not that she was proficient at it anyway but her attire certainly didn’t help.
Then again, he wore a pair of dark sweatpants and a gray t-shirt but somehow on him it worked. In fact, anything he wore looked good on him. But there was something about the casual comfort, the way his pants rested low on his hips, how his shirt stretched across the broad expanse of his chest, the confidence in his stride. In a word, he looked edible.
And he was almost next to her so she forced herself to stop her mental ramblings and greet him before she made a fool of herself. “Okay, it’s official. You’re stalking me, aren’t you?”
His dark eyes glittered as his gaze dropped to her mou
th. He licked his lips and the sight of his pink tongue was like a direct caress to her clit. Involuntarily she shivered. “What if I was?”
At what must have been her stunned expression, he laughed. The warm, low sound just did something to her. Turned her insides into mush and had her nipples peaking.
“Honest to God, I was just walking past on the way to my car. I saw you in the window and thought I’d come say hi. Whatchu got in here?” He tugged the basket she held in her hands.
She tugged back before he pulled her off balance and she fell into him. “Nothing exciting. Just the essentials.”
“You know, you seriously need to start doing something about this platitudinous existence of yours, Mina.”
“There he goes again with the big words.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain her smile. Still, even though she had been the one to belabor the point, she wasn’t so sure she wanted him dwelling on the levels of boredom her life contained. Knowing him, he would probably try to find some way to fix that for her, and she had built her life like this by design.
He smirked. “Yeah, you know me and the thesaurus are good buddies. But I’m glad I ran into you. I was gonna have Chloe call you anyway. Are you doing anything tonight?”
A lump lodged in her throat right next to her barely beating heart. She didn’t know if her voice could make it through all those roadblocks, so she shook her head.
“I’m gonna be at Abel’s tonight around eight and I think you should come. Chloe and Brian will be there too.”
Mina had heard of Abel’s but had never been inside. Chloe talked about it enough, being that it was one of the only bars in town but she hadn’t been able to convince Mina to go. Going to the fights was one thing but she drew the line at hanging around in bars, those were even less her scene. Now that Tyler provided the added temptation, though, could she go? Should she go?
After their impromptu coffee break she had been sure that he had gotten his fill of her, that his goal in spending time with her had been accomplished. Why then was he asking her out now? And from his comment about Chloe, this invitation had been premeditated. What more could he possibly want with her? One thing she did know was that her presence in a bar would be all kinds of awkward.
He must have seen the warring indecision on her face because when he next spoke his tone was cajoling, deliberately low and persuasive. “As far as I can tell, you just need to loosen up and tonight will be the perfect opportunity for you to do that. Some part of you must want to branch out and try new things, otherwise you wouldn’t have started coming to the fights.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Between you and Chloe you’re on some sort of mission, aren’t you? To see how far out of my comfort zone I can be pushed.”
She immediately regretted her words when she saw that now familiar spark of curiosity light up his eyes. Inwardly she groaned. She really didn’t want to elaborate on just what Chloe’s mission statement was when it came to her.
“Chloe will be there so it’s not too far out of your comfort zone.” When she said nothing, just bit her lip and eyed him warily, he used that killer smile on her, upping the ante. “Come on, Mina. You’ll have fun. I promise.”
How was it possible that she found herself in this situation? The sexiest man she had ever seen had not only noticed her but was now standing in the middle of a grocery store all but begging her to have a drink with him. It went beyond surreal.
In spite of her aversion to social gatherings, she knew she would be mad as hell if she missed this new opportunity to spend time with him. And maybe she might even find out what it was he hoped to gain from this acquaintance, for she was sure they wanted very different things from each other.
Sighing, she acquiesced. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
The slow, sexy grin she got in response was almost enough to make her change her mind.
Chapter Four
“Relax, Mina. If you held yourself any stiffer you’d probably shatter into a million pieces,” Chloe said, sliding a beer to Brian across the table at which they were seated. “And quit staring at the door while you’re at it. He’ll be here.”
Not wanting to enter the unknown abyss that was the mysterious inside of Abel’s by herself, Mina had asked Chloe and Brian for a ride. Just the thought of having to stand there and wait on her own in a crowd full of strangers bordered on giving her hives.
They got there around seven-thirty and quickly scouted out a table. Mina had been distractedly staring at the door ever since, too preoccupied with Tyler’s imminent arrival to notice much else about the place.
Her nerves felt like they were on fire, sending that pins-and-needles sensation coursing through her limbs and causing her to shake just ever-so-slightly. She wasn’t even really sure where all this anxiety came from. It wasn’t like she had never seen or spoken to Tyler before. More than likely it was the buildup. There had been hours since her encounter with him in the grocery store that morning in which to anticipate the coming evening.
And true to her nature she had agonized over it the whole time.
She had to admit to herself that the whole experience got to her, though, not just seeing Tyler again. The prospect of spending time in a bar brought back memories she would sooner forget. She had only been to one other bar one time and hadn’t set foot in any such establishment again since.
Shaking her head to expel those unwanted thoughts, she reminded herself that her life had changed since then. For starters, her current friends actually cared about her and didn’t use her to further their own ends. The thought made her smile at Chloe.
Chloe winked then asked, “Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?”
Mina had declined all offers of alcohol, even though Lord knew she could use the liquid courage right about now. But she was determined to do this clearheaded. Tyler had been right earlier when he said that she needed to loosen up and expand her horizons. No matter how hard it was, she wouldn’t let old wounds control her.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m just antsy. Distract me. Let’s talk about something else.”
Brian chuckled. “I really wish I knew what it was about him that got women all tied up in knots like this. I sure as fuck can’t see it.”
“That’s because you’ve been friends with him since you were twelve years old, baby.” Chloe linked her fingers with his. “And you’re a man.”
His eyebrows shot up. “And you’re complaining?”
“Not at all.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she licked her lips flirtatiously. He needed no further provocation and a second later his mouth covered hers.
While this was certainly a welcome change from their bickering over skanky women, their making out in front of her made Mina a little uncomfortable. She already felt like a third wheel around the two of them most of the time but this just made it worse.
“Jesus Christ, Brian, get a goddamn room.” Tyler laughed as he pulled out a chair and sat down next to Mina. Her body instantly went back on high alert. At least her friends’ grope session had done the trick. She had been sufficiently distracted and hadn’t seen Tyler enter the bar.
“That was an awful lot of blaspheming for one sentence, man.” Brian smirked when he came up for air.
“Yeah well, I think the Big Man will forgive me, given the circumstances.” Tyler turned all of his considerable attention on Mina. “You’re here,” he said in a much softer tone than the one he used with Brian. And was she mistaken or was the smile he threw her one born of satisfaction?
Sitting up straighter, she nodded. “Here I am.”
The smile broadened. “I’m glad. I’m gonna go get a beer. You want anything?”
Was he buying again? “I’m good, but thank you.”
He narrowed his eyes but said nothing as he left the table and approached the bar. She ate up his gait as he went, smiling and saying hello to various people along the way. It seemed as if he frequented this place. Either that or the same crowds that showed up to the fights
every week also spent a lot of time here.
Now that she knew where he was - safely on the other side of the room - she gave herself the opportunity to survey her surroundings. Indeed, there were a lot of the same faces she had seen surrounding the ring. Scantily clad amazons included. Grumbling to herself, Mina shrank down into her chair.
Abel’s was bigger on the inside than it appeared to be from the parking lot. The massive bar stood as the central focus of the room, dividing it into two sections. Tables just like the one she and her friends currently occupied took up the space to the left. A large dance floor and a DJ booth stood to the right. Having this small separation meant that they didn’t have to scream across the table to hear each other over the music.
Just as she had the thought, a popular song with a pounding rhythm started to play, drawing people onto the dance floor. Chloe gave Brian a meaningful look and with a sigh, he set his beer down and let her pull him out onto the dance floor, leaving Mina alone at the table.
Her solitude didn’t last long. Tyler came back, sat down beside her and with no preamble at all said, “I wanna know why you’re such a tight-ass.”
Affronted, her eyebrows arched toward her hairline and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not a tight-ass.”
He laughed. “Shit, girl, it was like pulling teeth to get you to come have a drink with me. And on my birthday no less.”
Shock raced through her, leaving her momentarily speechless. It was his birthday? Why in the world had he been so hell-bent on spending it with her? She could feel her forehead crinkle as she thought it out but it just didn’t compute. The more time she spent with him, the more of a conundrum he became.