not.”
She almost slapped a hand to her forehead. There really were people this stupid in the world. She picked up her drink and glanced around the bar. Since it was right across from her building, she felt comfortable having a few and crossing the street to go home. No need for anyone to drive her anywhere.
She sipped the last of her drink and noticed heads turning toward a corner. Two women sat in front of her table, so she couldn’t make out what was going on. Music played and people talked through the noise.
She hadn’t bothered to come to this bar in years since Monica got married and had her kids. It wasn’t the same without someone to have fun with. Most of the time she stayed home. When she did go out, it was usually with her neighbor Cassie who was traveling on business that week.
A couple waitresses stopped close to her chair. “Did you see him?” Her question was directed at the other server about to take a tray from her. “Not yet. I’ll check him out now.”
“He’s fucking gorgeous. Big and muscular. I think he’s some kind of movie actor or something. The eyes on him are beautiful. They glow this gorgeous gold that made me stand there like an idiot for a while.”
That description sounded way too much like Karel. She scoped the bar, searching to see if he was there. Her attention rushed to the corner that had been blocked before. Sure enough, there he sat, a drink in one hand and his gaze firmly set on her.
“Do you want to go somewhere less crowded?” Gerard asked, intent clear in his eyes.
Not tonight, buddy. “No. I’m good here,” she lied. She’d been dying to go home before, but now that she saw Karel, her attention had been drawn to his table. “I need to go to the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”
FIVE
Karel watched her go. The one who belonged to him. Gerri had said human women didn’t appreciate being spoken about that way, but he couldn’t help it. She. Was. His. Not a single doubt existed in his mind that Liv was the one. He traveled from Aurora on an urgent mission and the first woman he met was his mate.
Mine.
She glanced at him, her gaze curious and puzzled. She entered a ladies restroom, her wide hips swinging in a primal calling that made his beast growl. The man she’d been sitting with ordered more drinks. Karel clenched his jaw. He hated that she was sitting with someone else, giving her company to another when he was low on time and wanted to meet her. She should be with him, letting him get to know her, giving him her time.
“Can I get you anything, handsome?” a waitress asked, pulling his attention from the man to her. She leaned forward, the neckline of her shirt pressing tightly against her tits, pushing them up to display more. “If you’re feeling lonely,” she said softly, placing a hand over his on the table, “I get off at eleven.”
The scent of desperation and lust clung to the waitress. He’d done enough language and custom analysis of earth people to know how they worked, especially in North America. From what he deduced of the waitress, she wanted sex and he wasn’t interested.
“I’m fine, thanks,” he grumbled. Besides, if he wanted female company, the only one he wanted in his bed was Liv.
The waitress pouted and shifted from foot to foot. Her heels had to hurt. He didn’t understand how women wore anything that looked like a torture device. With her movement, he got a glance of the man with his Liv.
From his seat, the man appeared to drop something into Liv’s drink. He glanced around as if to make sure nobody caught him. That told Karel whatever he put in her glass wasn’t good. It was a few minutes before his beautiful woman came out of the ladies room, her fingers pushing long shiny strands of hair over her shoulder.
Her lush figure became a beacon to his eyes. Karel couldn’t look away from her. Her hips swayed with every step. Her short dress flattered her waist and ass. The cold glass in his hand