Page 34 of Scarred Ruin

“Alright. Now you’re talking my language. I adore crab of any kind. Softshell. Blue. King. Anything.”

“You don’t mind cracking shells and getting Old Bay all over your fingers?”

I held up both hands, wiggling all ten digits in front of him. “All you need is a mallet, a tin bucket for shells, a stack of napkins, island music like Jimmy Buffett, and the ocean breeze.”

He nodded in a seeming gesture of respect. “What about your dinner companion?”

In shrugging, I realized I enjoyed the game because it seemed so fresh and so real.

And so unexpected.

The rumors in the office were flying now that he’d made two appearances, most of which I’d been unwilling to listen to. However, the grandiose stories about how many men he’d killed with his bare hands had made their way into my office.

Instead of being incensed or nervous, dozens of questions had pooled in the back of my mind. Maybe I’d have an opportunity to ask them later.

“The perfect dinner companion would be intelligent, witty, a good listener, a man who knows his island music, a guy who can keep his dick in his pants, and for good measure, handsome to boot.”

“Do you usually have men flirt with other women when they’re out with you?”

“Oh, you might be surprised.”

“Muzhchiny, nedootsenivayushchiye krasivuyu zhenshchinu, obrecheny na neudachu.”

“You do so love keeping me at a disadvantage. I guess I’ll need to brush up on my Russian.” He opened the door, guiding me inside.

There was no conversation with the hostess, only a quiet recognition I happened to notice in her eyes.

“Perhaps I’ll become your teacher. But I’ll spare you the lesson for tonight. I said men who undervalue a beautiful woman are destined for failure.”

“Quite the compliment.”

“And very much the truth.”

As we walked through the crowded open-air restaurant, there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t paying close attention, a couple of men raising their beer bottles.

And every woman looked at me with daggers in their eyes.

It was obvious he’d been here before, even a bartender waving as we passed. When we were led outside, I half expected he’d had the deck seating emptied. I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong.

While the table wasn’t without the pristine location, there was nothing fancy about the setting. Unless you’d call the waves of colors dancing across the sky fancy. As soon as I was seated, I turned my head toward the ocean.

“Dos Equis?” he asked even before our waitress approached.

“Mexican beer?”

“Aren’t you being a little hypocritical?” He leaned over the table, amused at my question.

To which I had to laugh sheepishly. “I guess I am. That’s perfect.”

“You heard what the lovely lady prefers, Marsha.” He tipped his head toward the girl.

“Yes, sir. Your favorite. Would you like a few minutes before you order?”

He had a way of challenging me with nothing more than a slight clenching of his jaw. I shrugged nonchalantly, the gesture delighting him. His eyes never left mine, provoking me in a way that left me hungering for more.

“I think we’ll take the crab feast,” he told her.

“With everything?” Marsha pushed.