More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [17]
She would be damned if she let him wreck her night.
Chapter 6
He was drowning in a sea of estrogen, Aidan thought as he sipped on the beer he had ordered. Picking up the long-neck bottle, he took another slug as he tried not to look stupid surrounded by the dozens of women packed into the club. He’d obviously made a major gaffe.
Either Elizabeth was gay—and he couldn’t believe that his radar was that off—or he’d stumbled into what was clearly intended to be a ladies’-only club.
No wonder the bouncer, a rather burly woman he recalled seeing on the docks, had given him an odd and unfriendly glance as he had paid the admission fee.
He shook his head at his own stupidity and his failure to reconnoiter the location. He also wondered how he would ever approach Elizabeth without seeming all stalkery. Best that he not—
“Following me?” she said and leaned one elbow on the surface of the bar as she signaled with a wave of her hand for the bartender.
Busted. He looked up at her and faked disinterest. With a shrug, he said, “Heard the band from out on the street. They sounded pretty good. Decided to see what was up.”
A furrow appeared between her brows as she considered him. “Judging from your choice of music the other day, female bands of the indie persuasion are possibly your type. Although the black biker jacket screams hard-rock guy to me.”
He gave another indifferent shrug and tossed back a slug of the beer again. “I’m a man of eclectic tastes. And you?”
She crossed her arms after finally sliding onto the bar stool beside him. Signals definitely mixed, he thought. “The same. Men generally stay away on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s an unwritten rule.”
Chuckling, he swiveled his head back and forth as if to check her statement and teased, “Well, color me stupid. I hadn’t noticed.”
She surprised him by laughing. When the waiter brought her drink—a glass of red wine—she laid some money on the bar and said, “Gotta go.”
With a cool nod and another sip of his beer, he replied, “See ya.”
Elizabeth strolled back to her table, making sure to add what she hoped was an enticing little sway to her walk, certain that he was watching no matter his attempts to seem disinterested.
Or maybe it was totally egotistical of her to think Aidan was here because of her. Maybe he really had just been looking for some good music, although there were a few other clubs in Leonia that offered entertainment on the weekends. Some of them were probably more suitable for someone like Aidan.
As she sat at the table with her friends, Natalie inclined her head in the direction of the bar. “Brave man.”
Elizabeth settled into her seat and picked up her glass of merlot. Peering over the edge of it at her friend, she replied, “Either brave or stupid.”
Natalie narrowed her eyes as she considered Aidan once again. “Doesn’t strike me as the stupid type.”
“He’s yummy,” added Samantha, shooting a glance over her shoulder.
Wanting to downplay his presence, Elizabeth tried to act cool. “If you like that kind of man.”
“Girl, what woman doesn’t go for that whole bad-boy routine?” Kate hooted with a nudge to Elizabeth’s shoulder.
She held up her hand as if to be counted. “Me, for one. Bad boys don’t linger and I’ve had enough of people leaving in my life.”
Her comment cast a pall over what had been a fun gathering. She immediately regretted it, heartfelt as the comment had been. Attempting to regain that earlier lightheartedness, she said, “Although I have seen him in a bathing suit. A rather brief Speedo to be exact. There’s not an inch of him that needs manscaping.”
Natalie nearly spat out her drink. As it was, she gave a noisy snort. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
Elizabeth looked over to where Aidan was sitting, arms spread across the bar, long-neck bottle dangling lazily from one hand. As their gazes met, he smiled and picked up his bottle as if in a toast.
She mimicked his actions, earning a round of snickers from all her friends.
“Right, not interested. Tell us