Page 70 of Wild Card 13

That somehow annoyed me. "You're terrible at hiding," I informed her.

Her gaze remained fixed on her drink. "Hello to you too."

I grinned.

There she was. The Lucy I remembered. Sharp enough to draw blood before the conversation even started.

"I expected at least a little panic."

"Why would I panic?"

"Because I'm incredibly charming."

That finally earned me a glance.

Fuck.

Big mistake.

Her eyes were still exactly the same.

Dark.

Smart.

Dangerous.

The kind of eyes that made a man think saying something stupid was worth the risk.

"You walked directly into a decorative ficus this morning."

I pointed at her. "That plant came out of nowhere."

"It was stationary."

"The jury is still out."

Her lips twitched. Just barely. And suddenly the entire day felt worth surviving.

The bartender appeared. I ordered a beer. Lucy took another sip of her drink. Neither of us spoke for a moment.

"What are you doing down here?" I finally asked.

She shrugged. "Thinking."

"Dangerous hobby."

"I know."

I studied her profile. The tension in her shoulders. The slight crease between her eyebrows. The way she kept staring at the window like the skyline had personally offended her. "Tough day?"

She let out a breath. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a sigh. "One donor tried to pitch me a cryptocurrency startup."

I winced. "Brutal."

"Another spent twenty minutes explaining hockey to me."

I laughed.