“What’s your name?”
I tilted my head, meeting his gaze in the glass behind the bar. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d like to know the name of the woman I’m fucking tonight.”
The corners of my lips tipped up. I loved straightforward people, however . . . something about Charming rubbed me the wrong way.
“Awfully confident,” I mused, grabbing my drink from the bartender.
My gaze was pulled to the side by some invisible force. I should have known it was him. It was always him. Allister was headed to a table where two other men in black suits stood together, talking. But, as though he’d felt my presence just as I had his, he glanced over and caught my gaze.
I realized what was wrong with Charming. His blue eyes were dull and cloudy.
Not piercing and deep enough to drown in.
Lovely. I’d let the disgustingly handsome fed ruin an entire eye color for me.
Allister’s attention moved to the man beside me. His gaze narrowed and flickered with loathing before he looked away.
My heart rate slowed at his strange reaction, but I quickly pushed the feeling down. I didn’t like to think about the fed. Every time I did, an edginess came over me, leaving a hollow and uncertain sensation in my chest.
I’d seen him a few times since he’d taken me to Ace’s last year. Our relationship had picked up on the same note it’d always been on. However, it was as if he had never taken care of me that night. He was different, radiating a tension that touched my skin each time I stood by him. His responses were dryer, his tone harsher, and he’d often walk off and leave me standing alone, like my mere presence agitated him. It annoyed me.
“So . . . you gonna tell me your name?”
“Guess,” I finally said to Charming, turning my attention to him.
“Hmm.” His gaze lit with the challenge. “It’s elegant and beautiful, just like you.”
I rolled my eyes at his flattery, but I made him guess for another ten minutes until I finished my drink and needed to use the restroom.
Just as I was about to pass the men’s room, the door opened, and I came face-to-face with Allister. Oddly, my heart stalled, stealing some oxygen from my lungs.
“Hello, Officer.”
He didn’t say a word as his gaze bit through my skin.
“Okay then,” I said. “You have a lovely night.”
I tried to pass him, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. It’d been a long time since we’d played any game, and anticipation buzzed in my veins.
“What are you doing with Knox?” His voice was low and smooth, and I could feel it in my toes.
I frowned. “Who’s Knox?”
“The man you’ve been flirting with for the last fifteen minutes,” he snapped.
“Well, you’ve just answered your own question, haven’t you, Officer? Flirting.”
My smile faltered as he took a sudden step forward, forcing my back to hit the wall. A breath of air escaped me. His arms came up on either side of me, caging me in. He was so close my entire body hummed beneath the surface.
“I’m sure the Bureau doesn’t approve of this kind of behavior,” I breathed.
He was distracted, his gaze beside my head, where a lock of my hair brushed his hand. He pulled it through his fingers, and the small amount of pressure on my scalp tightened between my legs.