Heartless Hunk - Ann Omasta Page 0,2

my head down and bolted for the men’s room.

On my way, I couldn’t keep from glancing at her table. Sure enough, the redhead and her dark-haired companion were both gawking at me––obviously having heard the entire exchange.

Fuck. Now my chances of winning over the woman of my dreams were less than zero.

3

Violet

Soraya had suggested nearly every reasonably attractive man in the entire restaurant, but none of them seemed right. I knew the truth was that no one would ever seem right, but I didn’t have the heart to admit that to her. Instead, I shot down each one as she brought him up.

It wasn’t long until she became exasperated with my excuses. Huffing out a breath, she said, “They can’t all be too short, too young, too slick, too grungy, or too gay.”

I latched on to that last one because it was the easiest one to defend. Angling my head towards the man in question, I said, “He is totally flirting with his waiter.”

The man in question did me a solid by grazing his fingers along the waiter’s hand when he left the bill.

“See?” I asked.

Soraya chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. But you can’t tell me there’s not a single man in here that you deem to be fuckable.”

I cringed backward and scrunched up my face in distaste. “Is that even a word?”

“Sure,” she defended the term. “It means acceptable to fuck or fuck-worthy.”

“Yeah, I got that.” I smiled at my outrageous friend.

Never one to back down, she went on. “It’s in the dictionary. You can look it up.”

I knew she was full of shit, but decided not to call her out on it. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll take your word for it.”

Deciding I needed a break from man-hunting, I said, “I’m heading to the ladies’ room. Be right back.”

“Flirt with someone on your way,” Soraya suggested, but I ignored her.

As I walked to the restroom, I locked eyes with the only man in the entire place that I found to be sexually attractive––although I would never admit to Soraya the surge of lust I’d experienced when I noticed him getting read the riot act. Of course, my traitorous body would choose the only male in the room who was most definitely a consummate player. Women didn’t usually throw drinks at nice guys.

He was almost back to his table when we passed. His penetrating gaze put me off balance––literally. I was horrified when one of my spiked heels landed off-kilter, and I stumbled forward. In dashing hero style, the man lunged forward to catch me and keep me from falling.

His arms had a strong grasp around my shoulders as he steadied me on my feet. My skin burned beneath his touch, despite the layer of clothing between us.

“Oh!” I startled as I stared up into his mesmerizing blue eyes. After fluttering my lashes several times as I tried to regain my wits, I finally said, “Guess I’d better lay off the margaritas.”

“I’m happy to catch you anytime,” he offered, gracing me with a wide, white smile that indicated no judgment regarding my overindulgence admission.

Unsure what else to say, I offered him a quick, “Thanks,” before continuing my trek to the restroom. Once there, I splashed some cool water on my face in an attempt to regain my senses. I patted my face dry with a paper towel, then leaned in to stare at the mirror.

Who was this woman looking back at me that had lost her breath over a stranger in a bar?

Shaking my head to clear it, I reminded myself that I was a logical and rational being. I did not fall head over heels––literally or figuratively––for random strangers. I loved Dylan, and I always would. He was the love of my life, and I would be wise to remember that.

After deciding to go back to the table and claim being tired to Soraya, I realized that, if I hurried, I could be at my apartment and snuggled into bed in my jammies with a tawdry romance novel pulled up on my e-reader within twenty minutes.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I purposely took the long way back to our table, in order to avoid having to pass back by the handsome stranger.

After plopping into my seat, I opened my mouth to say I was ready to head out, but Soraya spoke before I had a chance. “What was that?!? Did I just see you fall into the arms of the Heartless