“I showed you my tricks,” he said. “Do you have any to show me?”
“Lord,” she laughed. “Uh, let’s see. No.”
“Aw, come on. You didn’t even think about it.”
“Don’t have to.” She pointed at him with a paper umbrella. “The only skill I have is convincing people they need something they don’t.”
“I bet you’re the best at it.”
Her face colored, and she bit into a smile. “Yeah. I’m pretty good.”
“You were working today, then? This is your business attire, I take it?”
“Exactly. This is my salesgirl getup.”
“Yeah.” He let his gaze linger on her smooth, toned legs for a beat. “You definitely don’t hear no a lot.”
“What about you? How often do you hear no?” She batted her eyelashes.
There was something suggestive there. The conversation had taken a turn, and they weren’t talking about work anymore.
“In order to hear no or yes, I’d have to try more.”
“Whatever.” Viv rolled her eyes.
He stayed serious. “When I go out, it’s usually on my own. I’m not the most social person.”
True, and true. While he did date here and there, and he was a human man who needed an itch scratched every once in a while, he’d always held off on getting close to anyone.
Ryder was his closest friend, and while the two of them would put their lives on the line for each other, there was also an impermanence to the whole thing. The kind that was caused by the understanding that their relationship and lives, good as they were, could end in the blink of an eye.
“Bars are good places to be for someone like me,” he said.
She blinked, quiet. Nothing had to be said. She got the meaning there.
Markus drained the last of his drink. “Where else is there to go around here?” he asked.
“Umm…” Her eyes shifted to the side. “My place?”
“Your place?”
“Yeah.” Viv sipped her drink. “I don’t think anyplace else is gonna be open.”
“That would be lovely.” A grin stretched his lips. “Where is your place?”
“Only a few blocks away. I walked here. Also, I don’t know if this helps convince you or not, but I have a pool table.”
“Damn. In that case, you might not be able to get rid of me.”
Viv giggled. “I’m rusty. You’re gonna win.”
“We’ll see. Something tells me you’re full of surprises.”
He dropped some cash on the table. She’d finished her drink as well, so they stood and made their way to the door.
The balmy night wrapped around them, a humid blanket, even with the breeze coming off the ocean. Some people might have found the air suffocating, but to him, it meant comfort. It meant home.
He’d planned on offering to drive, but once they stepped foot outside and began walking, it felt too good. In silence, they crossed the parking lot and continued down the sidewalk.
His car would be okay in the back parking lot overnight. He’d left it there a few times before; Stan was fine with it.
Their footsteps beat a gentle rhythm against the pavement, and even though Markus couldn’t wait to get to Viv’s place, he also didn’t want the walk to end.
Was it normal to feel this comfortable in silence around someone you’d just met?
He couldn’t say. A lot about his life had never seemed normal.
All he knew for sure was that the moment felt good. And he never wanted it to stop.
Chapter 4
Viv
Viv’s hands shook as she fished her keys from her purse and opened up the apartment. It wasn’t anxiety making her tremble. Rather, excitement.
How ironic that she’d been sitting at the grill thinking about how she wanted to meet a nice, handsome man, and a minute later, exactly that walked up to her!
It had been a while since she’d flirted, and she’d felt rusty, but Markus’ presence pushed her to try as hard as she could. With his jet-black hair, dark brown eyes, and buff physique, he’d floored her at “hello.”
Oh, and the smile. Couldn’t forget that. The man had dimples that would make a cherub jealous. Though they were a sharp contrast to his angular jaw, there was something perfect about it.
“Here it is. Home sweet home.” She pushed open the door into the living room and hit the lights.
It had taken her a good while, but a few years before, she’d perfected the art of never being at home and yet keeping her place in order. Minimalism: that’s what it really came down to.
The less she owned, the less there was to clean and organize. It made all the travel and dawn-to-dusk days possible. Other than the pool table, the living room contained a couch, a TV, and a coffee table. The living room walls held a few frames of her mom and Veronica’s family, but other than the abstract painting in the bedroom, that did it for decorations.
Oh, and the potted plants in the kitchen and near her bed? Definitely fake.
“Nice place.” Markus stepped into the living room, hands in his pockets.
She stole a moment to admire his backside. “Thanks. I’m not here much, so I like to keep it simple. Want some wine?”
“Sure.” He went to the window that faced the ocean and looked out.
“Make yourself comfy. Be right back.”
In the kitchen, she pulled out one of the nicer bottles of red she’d been saving for a special occasion. Since this seemed as good as any other, bye-bye went the cork.
With the full glasses in hand, she joined Markus in the living room. He still stood at the window.
“Here you go.” Their hands grazed as she handed his wine over.
“Thanks. Cheers.”
Eyes locked, they touched wine glasses. Viv took her first sip, heart pounding in the base of her throat.
“Pool?” he asked.
“Huh?” She blinked. “Yeah. We have one downstairs. It’s closed, though.”
But she would totally break the rules and sneak in for him.
“No.” With a laugh, he nodded his head at the pool table in the center of the room.
“Oh my God.” Viv buried her face in her palm. “That was weird. I was, uh, not thinking straight.”
Distracted was more like it.
“Let’s play.” Setting her wine glass down on the coffee table, she picked up a pool stick.
Markus stood on the other side of the table, a nearly unavoidable presence in the quiet apartment.
“You play this a lot?”
“When I first got it.” She set up the balls. “Not much the last couple years. If my sister and her family come to visit, then sure. Got a coin?”
Markus dug in his pants’ pocket. “Sure do.”
“Heads,” she called as he flipped the quarter.
Catching the coin in his hand, he squinted his eyes at it.
“What?” she asked.
“Hm,” was all he answered with.
“What?”
She put the stick down and made her way around the table.
“What do you think this is?” he asked.
“Huh?” She stopped next to him and looked at the quarter in his palm. “It’s tails.”