He only hesitated for a moment before crossing the street instead of turning up it. There was a brew pub on the next block. They could go there first.
She looked up at him. “Are you having second thoughts?”
He had to smile. He wasn’t, but she was smart, she’d picked up on his hesitation.
He caught hold of her hand and brought it up to his lips. “No way. I was just figuring out that since you’re a lady, I should treat you as such.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You know, buy you a drink. Get to know each other better.”
She laughed. “You need a shot of Dutch courage? Sure, let’s go get a drink.”
She was tough. He had to give her that. Part of him wanted to tell her that he’d only been thinking of her. But it wasn’t true. He didn’t need a drink, but he did want to get to know her better before he undressed her and got to know that body.
When they got to the bar, he was pleased but not surprised to find an empty booth in the back—it was only mid-afternoon. He waited for her to take a seat and then slid in beside her.
She gave him a puzzled look, no doubt having expected him to sit opposite. He rested his hand on her thigh and winked. “What? You thought I was going to keep my distance?” He slid his hand a little higher and was pleased to see a hint of pink on her cheeks. “I told you. I want to get to know you better first.”
He turned when the server appeared behind him. “What can I get you, guys?”
Ryan looked at Leanne, wondering what a girl like her would order.
“A Jack Daniels, please.”
“Neat?”
She nodded.
“Make that two,” said Ryan.
Once the guy had gone, he smiled at her. “Are you a whiskey kind of girl or are you the one in need of a shot of Dutch courage?”
She laughed. “I’m a whiskey kind of girl—though, generally speaking, I don’t do shots. I prefer to take my time and savor.”
He let his gaze rove over her before he answered. “Good to know. Me, too.”
She shifted away from him and leaned back against the wall. “What else do I need to know about you, Mr. Ryan Brady?”
He raised an eyebrow. This was where things got difficult. Women always wanted to know your story, and he didn’t like to tell. Why hadn’t he just taken her straight back to his place? “What do you want to know, Miss Leanne Miller?”
She smiled. “Well, that’s good. You know my name, at least.”
He nodded. “I do. And I don’t mind admitting that I also know that you’re a law student …”
The server came back and set their drinks down.
“You’re taking this cryptography class because you’re interested in IP law.”
“Correct.” She smiled. “And you’re not an anything student. You’re only here for the cryppie class.”
He smiled back at her. “So, Dan wasn’t kidding when he said he was sick of us asking him about each other?”
She chuckled. “Apparently not. And there I was thinking I’d only dropped the occasional innocent question here and there.”
Ryan took a sip of his whiskey. “If it’s any consolation, Dan’s a lot more perceptive than he makes out.” He gave her a rueful smile. “I thought I’d been subtle, too. And I’m a master at getting information out of people without them knowing it.”
Damn. Why had he said that? Her smile looked more hesitant now.
“Why’s that?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Probably just a hangover from the way I grew up.”
That seemed to satisfy her. And it wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie. She sipped her whiskey. “And what do you do at the bank that has you needing to take a cryptography class?”
He chuckled. “Security?”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, duh! I figured that much … so, what don’t you want to tell me?”
He shrugged. “Either it’s boring as hell or it’s top secret and I’d have to shoot you if I told you. You decide.”
She laughed. “I think it’s probably the former, but I’ll choose to believe the latter.” To his surprise, she rested her hand on his thigh. “It’s sexier.”
If only she knew. He knocked back the rest of his drink.
“Are you in a hurry all of a sudden? I thought we were here for a few—or have you decided that you’d better seal the deal now before I figure out that you’re just a boring banker who happens to work out a lot?”
He had to laugh. “I’m in no hurry.” He caught the server’s eye and held up two fingers before turning back to Leanne. “Are you?”
He had to close his eyes when her hand moved farther up his leg. His cock begged to differ with his assertion that he wasn’t in a hurry. She shook her head. “I’m all yours until the morning.”
He shook his head firmly. “You’re all mine until Monday; you just haven’t agreed out loud yet.”
The way she smiled told him he was right.
~ ~ ~
Shivers chased each other down her spine. He was probably right. The odds of her spending the whole weekend with him were going up every time he opened his mouth. She liked him! She shouldn’t. She’d already told him that whatever this was—whatever they were doing here—it was only going to be about sex. No strings. No attachments. She was the one who’d spelled it out. She had no business getting butterflies when he said her name. No business being so pleased to hear that he’d been asking Dan about her.
He was looking at her now. The server came and set four more drinks down. Ryan didn’t even acknowledge him. He kept looking at Leanne, looking into her eyes as if he could really see her, see who she was not just the front that she presented to the world.
“You know I’m right.”
It took her a second to even remember what he might be right about. Oh, spending the weekend with him. She pursed her lips, then nodded slowly before finishing the rest of her drink.
“So, are you going to tell me your story, Leanne Miller?”
Her heart thudded to a halt. What the fuck? He wanted to know who she really was? No. He was just making conversation. He wanted to get to know her well enough that them going back to his place and ripping each other’s clothes off wouldn’t feel quite so sordid as it would if they’d gone straight there. She gave him the smile—the one that made guys feel as though she was flattered by their interest. “There’s not much to tell. You know most of it anyway. I come from humble beginnings. I’m smart and I work hard. I’m going to be an IP lawyer and make shit tons of money. How about you?”
She was disappointed when he didn’t smile and start talking about himself. That was what he was supposed to do. That was what guys did. They only ever asked you questions so that you’d ask them the same thing. Then they rattled on about themselves for a while. Ryan didn’t.