“I don’t want nothin’ to eat,” he slurred. “I heard the customers here love you. I can see why. What’s not to love about that tight little ass of yours? Gia, that’s your name, right?”
The smile I’d plastered on fell. When my strategy of killing them with kindness didn’t work, a blunter approach never failed.
“Gianna, actually. Only my friends call me Gia,” I pointed out, making it clear he was very much not my friend. When I tried to pull my hand away again, he only squeezed tighter. I took in his glassy eyes and a chill raced down my spine. He most likely started drinking well before he wandered into Teddy’s and he was giving me a serious case of the creeps. “Sir, please let go of me.”
“What if I don’t wanna?” he sneered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben jump from his chair. Before he could get to the creepy guy, another man with dark, wavy hair abruptly stood up. He’d been quietly sitting two stools down and I’d nearly forgotten he was even there. The dark-haired man grabbed the drunk guy by the front of his scruffy t-shirt and spun him around. Everything happened so fast yet it unfolded like a slow-motion video replay at the same time.
“The lady said let go of her,” the man growled.
Startled, my very drunk customer swayed slightly as he put both hands up in the air.
“What the fuck, man! I was only jokin’ around with her.”
“Take your jokes elsewhere. They aren’t funny here.”
I saw Ben slowly moving toward the two men, braced for a potential fight. Teddy wasn’t far behind him, both looking like mountain lions stalking their prey.
“You heard the man. Take your jokes elsewhere,” Ben reiterated, stepping between the two men in an attempt to defuse things in a non-violent way. The entire situation was bizarre. Altercations like this just didn’t happen at Teddy’s Tavern.
His glazed eyes landed sluggishly on each of the men surrounding him. Then he looked at me, scowled, and took a step back.
“Alright, alright. I get your point. I’m goin’,” he said. Without another word, he not-so-gracefully sauntered out of the tavern, defiantly tipping over every empty chair he passed on his way to the door.
“Asshole,” Natalia muttered.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered like that. It’s instinct I guess,” said the dark-haired man. I turned my attention back to him and watched as he pulled out his wallet to flash a shiny badge at me. Apparently, my rescuer wasn’t just a nice guy—he was a cop too.
I shook my head and rubbed my wrist.
“No, it’s okay. I’m just glad he left before things escalated. Um… thank you for your help,” I said with a small shrug. “How about a drink? On the house,” I offered.
“Maybe another time. I need to get going,” he said. Reaching into the pocket of the leather tri-fold wallet, he tossed a fifty on the table. “That piece of shit didn’t pay for his drinks but that should cover it. Enjoy the rest of your night, Gianna.”
I paused at the way my name sounded coming from his lips. I knew he must have heard my conversation with the drunk guy, but there was just something about the way it rolled off his tongue that made me flush. I took another look at my rescuer. He was attractive—very attractive actually. With all the commotion, I hadn’t taken a moment to appreciate his sculpted cheekbones and full mouth. He appeared older than me but still had a youthful look that made me think he wasn’t more than thirty. His eyes were a deep brown, nearly matching the dark waves on his head. His crisp white shirt stretched over the wide span of his shoulders, tapering down to tuck into the trim waistline of his khaki pants.
He flashed a crooked grin, completely captivating me. Whether he knew it or not, he was charming—but not in an obvious sort of way. When he started to walk away, I impulsively called out to him.
“Wait! I don’t know your name!”
He glanced over his shoulder and afforded me another sexy, crooked smile.
“It’s Ethan. Ethan Walker. Maybe I’ll see you around, Gianna.”
Then… he left.
As soon as the tavern door closed behind him, Natalia pounced.
“Gia, oh my God! That guy was fucking gorgeous! And he’s clearly into you!”
“Nat!” Teddy hissed. “Keep your voice down. There are still customers here.”
“Sorry,” she whispered and grabbed my arm. “Gianna Valentini! For crying out loud! He’s a hot cop! You need to go after him. You’d be crazy if you didn’t.”
“Go after him? And say what?” I asked, the flush I felt a few moments before deepening.
“I don’t know. Ask him out for coffee or something!”
I stared at her, then looked back at the front door. He was probably long gone by now.
But if he wasn’t…
I hadn’t dated in over four years. College wasn’t the only thing I missed out on when my mother got sick—dating was another. Her illness didn’t allow me any time. As a result, I was probably the most inexperienced twenty-four-year-old on the planet. I had no idea how to ask a guy out. Well, maybe I did, but I was incredibly rusty.
Natalia was persistent, shoving me in the direction of the door with repeated statements about how this would be good for me. Perhaps she was right and I should go after him. I needed to start moving forward with my life. Life is about the living after all. Finally, I turned my head toward Natalia and grinned.
“Wish me luck!”
“Luck!” I heard her say as I hurried to catch up with him.
I pushed open the front door of the tavern and looked around. A few cars whizzed by, breaking through the silent night air. Other than that, all was quiet. He was nowhere to be found. My shoulders slumped, awash with disappointment at missing my chance at a possible real date in years.
I huffed out a frustrated breath. I was being ridiculous. For all I knew, the guy was married. Maybe that was why he turned down the drink I’d offered. I never once thought to check his hand for a ring. If he was interested in me like Natalia thought, surely he would have stuck around to talk. As I was about to turn around to go back inside, I spotted a familiar form climbing into a late-model BMW parked down the street.
It was him.
“Ethan!”
He paused and looked up, a slow grin spreading across his beautiful features. I hurried across the street, trying not to appear too terribly obvious.
Just play it cool. You can do this.
“Hey,” he greeted as I approached.
“Hey,” I repeated like a freaking parrot. This was going to be harder than I thought. “So, um… I feel like I owe you for what happened back there. What do you say? Want to grab a cup of coffee sometime?”
Ethan’s sexy grin widened, although he didn’t answer right away. The grin was a good sign, despite the fact his hesitation made my insides twist with apprehension. I was practically bouncing on my toes waiting for him to answer. After what felt like forever, but was probably more like three seconds, he responded.
“Okay, I’ll go for coffee, but only on one condition.”
“What’s the condition?” My brow furrowed in confusion.
“I get to call you Gia.”