Page 5 of Ruthless Creatures

A crackle of something like electricity runs down my spine.

His shoulders are massive.He’smassive. Sitting down he lookedbig, but upright he’s a giant. He’s got to be at least six four. Five. Six, I don’t know, but he’s ridiculously tall. A Viking.

I could never be described as petite, but this guy makes me feel positively dainty.

He smells like the tasting notes on an expensive cabernet: leather, cigar smoke, a hint of forest floor.

I’m sure my heart is beating so hard because I nearly just fell on my ass.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”Why am I apologizing? He’s the one who was standing right outside the damn bathroom door.

He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t let go of my arm, either, or crack a smile. We stand in silence, neither of us moving, until it becomes obvious that he has no intention of getting out of my way.

I lift my brows and give him a look. “Excuse me, please.”

He tilts his head. Even without being able to see his eyes, I can tell how closely he’s examining me.

Just as it’s about to get weird, he drops his hand from my arm. Without another word, he pushes through the men’s room door and disappears inside.

Unnerved, I stand frowning at the closed door for a moment before heading back to Sloane. I find her with a glass of white wine in hand and another waiting for me.

“Your pirate just hit the restroom,” I say, sliding into my chair. “If you’re fast, you can catch him on the way out for a quickie in a dark corner of the hallway before he takes you back to theBlack Pearlfor more ravagement.”

She takes a big swig of her wine. “You mean ravishment. And he’s not interested.”

“How do you know?”

She purses her lips. “He flat-out told me.”

I’m shocked. This is unprecedented. “No!”

“Yes. I sidled up to him with my best Jessica Rabbit sashay, stuck the girls in his face, and asked him if he’d like to buy me a drink. His response? ‘Not interested.’ And he didn’t even look at me!”

Shaking my head, I take a sip of my wine. “Well, it’s settled. He’s gay.”

“My gaydar says he’s straight as an arrow, babe, but thanks for that vote of support.”

“Married, then.”

“Pfft. Not a chance. He’s totally undomesticated.”

I think of the way he smelled when I crashed into him outside the restroom, the musk of pure sexual pheromones coming off him in waves, and decide she’s probably right.

A lion roaming the Serengeti doesn’t have a wife. He’s too busy hunting for something to sink his fangs into.

The waiter arrives to take our order. When he leaves, Sloane and I spend a few minutes chitchatting about nothing of importance, until she asks me how things are going with Chris.

“Oh. Him. Um…”

She gives me a disapproving stare. “You didn’t.”

“Before you start pointing fingers,hebroke up withme.”

“I’m not sure if you realize this, but a man expects to eventually have sex with the woman he’s dating.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. I can’t help it if my vadge closed up shop.”

“If you don’t get a dick up in that hot pocket soon, it’s gonna grow over. You’ll never be able to have sex again.”