Page 5 of Kiss of Deceit

I chuckled, used to being asked that when people found out what I went to school for. And I was good at it. Figuring people out made me more confident about being in public. Everyone was suspicious, which made creating relationships with people difficult.

“Please, Dani,” Miles pressed, leaning his forearms on the table. “I’m curious what you can guess about me.”

“It’s not guessing,” I told him before taking another sip of soda. The others around the table spoke up, urging me to do it.

“Next round is on me if you can figure me out,” Miles promised, giving me a wink.

I took a deep breath, my eyes staying on him. “You told me you were from Florida. You’re a surfer and lived everyday wearing shorts and flipflops. You’re outgoing and social, but not a partier. You’re not married, and you don’t have a girlfriend, but you’re looking for a woman to settle down with. The internship you’re here for is at the medical clinic, not as a doctor, but as a nurse or nurse practitioner. You have no interest in professional sports and would rather be reading a book than watching a game.”

Miles stared at me in surprise before he let out a laugh. “How the hell did you figure all that out?”

I raised an eyebrow in response, staying silent. It was all in the details, and I was always watching and filing away the information from people around me. Like how there was a game on the TV above the bar, and Miles hadn’t looked at it once. Or how he had a stack of books in his bag on the bus. One of thosebeing about medical practices. How uncomfortable he was in a suit and had a deep tan from spending most of his time outside.

I watched Miles, my guard going up when he scooted his chair closer to mine, and he leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I guess my interest in you hasn’t gone unnoticed since you figured out I’m not married.”

“You’re clearly not shy either,” I muttered, pulling away from him. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no interest in finding love while I’m here.”

His grin faltered for a split second before he recovered. “How about we start as friends, then?”

“Sure,” I answered quietly, my heart starting to pound. I pushed my chair back to stand up. “I’m going to get a drink.”

“Let me. I told you I’d get the next round.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

I hurried away before Miles could argue and headed toward the corner of the bar counter. The woman who had been serving drinks all night was on the other side of the bar, busy with customers, and I blew out a breath, attempting to calm down. It had been forever since I’d been in a setting like this. It helped that no one here knew of my past, but I’d kept to myself for so long that interacting with others on a social level had me on edge.

My chest panged with sadness. Miles and everyone else here were excited and happy, which was something I couldn’t share. I couldn’t even remember the last time I was excited about something. Every time I tried, my memories would take me hostage and drown out the new experiences I craved. I just wanted tofeel. Maybe I could use this year to do that.

A shadow fell over the bar, and I kept my head down, digging in my pocket, and pulling out the only five-dollar bill I had.

I set the cash down on the counter. “Give me the strongest drink that this can buy please?—”

My words caught in my throat when I lifted my gaze to see the person in front of me was not the woman I’d been expecting. I met his green eyes first, and the blank stare he was giving me felt like I was looking in a mirror. His black hair was longer on top than on the sides, and short stubble was on his jaw as if he didn’t shave this morning. His nose was slightly crooked, making me guess it had been broken at least once. My stare drifted down to his crossed arms to see his skin covered with colorful tattoos. A frown that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his full lips, deepened when I looked at his face again.

A foreign emotion stole my breath when a flush traveled under my skin, my stomach fluttering in a way I’d never experienced before. No man had ever elicited such a physical reaction from me. He was hot, there was no denying that. In a dangerous I-should-seriously-stay-away-from-him kind of way.

“Dark or clear?” he grated out, his piercing stare staying on me.

“What?” I sputtered out, silently cursing myself for losing my head over a guy. I cleared my throat, straightening my spine as he pressed his palms on the ledge of the counter, and leaned closer.

“The liquor. Do you want clear or dark?” he asked, looking as if he couldn’t care less what I answered.

“Clear.”

He eyed the crumpled five-dollar bill for a moment before his scrutinizing stare fell back on me. “That’s all the money you have.”

I bristled at his words, wondering if he was watching when I was digging through my pockets. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. “That’s none of your business.”

“It is when I won’t get a tip,” he stated. “Which means I should make you a drink worth three dollars, so I get to keep two.”

My jaw dropped at his words. “Excuse me.”

“It’s rude not to tip your bartender.”

A laugh escaped me. “Tips are optional.”

I had two more dollars in my pocket that I planned on using for a tip, but this asshole wasn’t getting it now. Even if he was the only person who had ever made my heart stutter from just looking at him.