His shades are now off.
And his mesmerizing titanium colored eyes are locked on mine.
Eyes that look somewhat familiar, but I just can't quite place where I've seen them before.
"He left?" Are the only two words he gruffly asks. His tone suggesting that we've known each other all of our lives, or that he has the right to ask me anything he wants.
"Umm, no."
"So then where's your date?"
Coworker not date, but there's no need to expound on that touchy subject with a total stranger.
"He's getting the car."
Wait–why I am answering this guy's questions?
"Short dinner," he observes with that same pompous grin across his face I saw when he first entered the restaurant.
"I didn't like my meal."
"He's all wrong for you, you know."
"What are you talking about?" I ask incredulously.
This guy has some nerve. Jason was barely out of the door before he came barreling over here crashing my dinner. No manners. No class. The only thing he has going for him are his looks. Too bad he totally knows it.
"I said he's completely wrong for you. Too short. Too inattentive. Too full of himself. And he took his eyes off of you. Big mistake."
"Too full of himself, huh? Unlike you?"
"Yeah, but I've got the goods to back it up," he says with a completely straight face.
"Ha. Ha." I roll my eyes.
"Do I amuse you, Miss ..."
"White."
"First name?"
This guy is a pure player.
"There's no need for first names is there? I mean I am on a date with another man."
"A very bad date. One that you clearly need rescuing from. Probably why you took it upon yourself to bail yourself out of it. There's nothing wrong with your dinner. You just want to go home."
"Are you calling me a liar, Mr.–"
"Stevenson," he replies with an amused look. "And yes, I'm calling you a liar. If short dude believes that you didn't like your food versus his less than entertaining company, then let's add one more thing to my list of reasons of why he's not the man for you. Too stupid."
I can see through the restaurant's front windowpane when Jason finally pulls up in his sleek, silver, S-class Mercedes Benz. A classically beautiful car for a very sophisticated man. A man that I shouldn't keep waiting. A guy who's always been a gentleman. A man whom perhaps if I bide my time, will end up seeing me for more than just a sweet girl at work who needs mentoring.
"Well it was nice chatting with you, Mr. Stevenson, but my boyfriend just pulled up," I say proudly.
"He's not going to even come back inside and escort you to the car? A car he apparently is using to overcompensate for something," he chuckles.
Boy he's gorgeous when he laughs.
Walk away, Sabrina.
"Believe it or not, this isn't the turn of the century. I'm a grown woman, and I don't need a guardian to escort me five feet to a car."
"You've got me there, Miss White. You are very much a grown woman in all the places that matter." His eyes rake over my body with slow deliberation.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, sir, and believe me when I say that I'm using that term rather loosely. You walked in here tonight with your oversized bodyguards and your darkly tinted sunglasses at eight o'clock at night as if you're someone important, but trust me when I say, that I know what important men look like, and you aren't it. You're trying way too hard. Not to mention that it whiffs of desperation that you're approaching a woman who is currently involved with another man. So have a nice life, all right?"
After my fantastically delivered admonishment, I stand up forgetting that I had placed my clutch handbag on my lap, and it drops to the floor with a thud. The entire contents inside splattering across the floor and underneath the table. Totally embarrassing.
"Would it be too turn of the century of me to help you pick up the mess you've made before my desperate ass goes on to have a nice life?" the stranger asks in a manner that's dripping with sarcasm.
I don't particularly want to, but I nod reluctantly in acceptance of his offer, because my very tapered pencil skirt fits way too snugly for me to comfortably bend and maneuver myself underneath the table in any sort of graceful way.
"Thanks," I try saying with as much sincerity as I can muster.
As he squats down to retrieve my things (super tampon included), I can't help but take a closer look at him in a most obvious way that almost makes me redden in embarrassment.
This close up there's no denying that he's a giant wall of muscle and masculinity. Larger than any other man I've ever known. But it's his swagger, his personality, his energy–which fills the restaurant in a much larger way than even the circumference of his body. It's no wonder why all eyes are on him.
I wasn't ever the type to attract the big, beautiful, confident types like him. I tend to attract the intellectual ones who are vertically impaired and riddled with insecurities. Neither type being a reliable pick for a girl like me. I like predictable. A safe bet.
I think that may be why I've liked Jason for so long. Jason is safe. Not a giant, but definitely taller than me. Intellectual but not nerdy. Confident but not cocky. And most importantly, certifiably single. There's no ex-wife or a baby momma. Which means no mess and very little risk. All statistics that a math geek like me can buy into.
I don't even have to talk to this Stevenson guy for more than three minutes to already know that he is the complete opposite of safe. He is probably everything my parents were always afraid would come knocking on their door looking to ravage their only daughter.
First of all, look at him.
I'm looking for someone to snuggle at night, not smother me. In fact he's so huge that there's no real way he's even going to be able to fit under the table to pick up my things. Although now I see that he doesn't even have to. His arms are so long that he can maneuver them easily under the table and reach for whatever's under there without too much awkward bending. It's actually kind of impressive.
And speaking of his arms.
Holy hell.
His arms are huge. The wingspan of his hands alone makes them look like they could easily smack someone into next week. His biceps are thick and muscular. Chiseled and strong. And my favorite part of a man's upper body, especially this man's body, are his forearms. Both are roped and strong and adorned with what looks like many sessions worth of intricate tribal ink. I've always liked tattoos from afar. They're not something I'd ever have the nerve to do, but I think they are beautiful. Especially when they adorn a man who's built like a tank.
"Here you go, Miss White."
He scoops up all of my things with one of his hands, while toying with me carefully using those two titanium saucers of his. Eyes that are confusing the hell out of my poor ovaries.
I've never been good at keeping a poker face, but there's no way this man needs to know how hot I think he is. I'm sure he already knows. So I bend my head slightly down in an attempt to avoid direct eye contact, as I accept the contents of my handbag and place everything back inside. He holds onto one thing though. One of my business cards.
"Sabrina White." He reads the card aloud while casually playing with it between two fingers. "That's a beautiful name for an equally beautiful woman."
I hate that the first thing that I do is start smiling after that lame line. Not a big smile, but a smile nonetheless.
His words are cliché.
His glare is obvious.
And I'm still grinning like a simpleton when I notice Jason sitting in his car, watching the two of us with a blank look across his face.
"Umm, my date is here. I have to go."
"Until next time, Sabrina White."
I watch as he slips my business card in his back pocket.
"I doubt it," I grin, although I'm somewhat flattered that he's choosing to hold onto my information, even though he and I both know that there will be no next
time. I mean he looks like he eats women for breakfast (literally) then sends them on their merry way with a pat on the ass and maybe a couple of bucks for an Uber car.
But I'm not going to lie. I purposefully walk towards the exit of the restaurant with a little sway in my step, just like the hostess did earlier, because I know that he's watching. Something tells me that he likes to watch. What the hell, right? I never do stuff like this, and I'll never see him again.
As I smooth my skirt down the sides of my hips and thighs, and carefully place one stiletto heel in front of the other, I can't help but look in the glass doors ahead of me. Just to make sure that stranger danger is still checking me out, and when I do, I catch his reflection.
His platinum pupils dancing.
Looking straight at me.
And his mouth grinning shamelessly at the view of my behind.
So I sway my hips a little harder. Then turn around and give him a small wave good-bye. One that I make sure Jason can't see. And it's at that moment that I see and feel what I've been waiting for all night, except it's from the stranger's eyes instead of Jason's.
Pure. Unadulterated. Heat.
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Book List
THE COUSINS SERIES
Cousins: An Alpha Bad Boy Romance (Book 1)
Cousins: An Alpha Bad Boy Romance (Book 2)
Cousins In Love: An Alpha Bad Boy Romance (Book 3)
Cousins Boxed Set (Limited Edition)
THE KING BROTHERS SERIES
Claimed By A King
Indebted To A King
Broken By A King
Promised To A King (Boxset Only)
King Brothers Boxed Set (Limited Edition)
STANDALONES
Gunslinger: A Sports Romance
Praise For Cousins
Everyone Loves The Cousins Series!
Have You Met Dirty Talking Alpha Roman Masterson Yet? Check Him Out Here
“Intense. Explosive. Panty Melting. Raw. Exposed. Angst. Multifaceted."
- Snuggled Up With My BFF
"Cover to cover, page by page every word was amazing. This author is amazing and her work is even more amazing. She really can get all the details and words to sound great together.Yes I want more and crave more I just couldn't get enough of Roman and Elizabeth. "
- Whispered Thoughts Book Blog
"As soon as I picked up book 1 I was addicted to this series. I couldn't wait for this one to come out! I absolutely love Roman and Elizabeth together!"
- Badass Betties Book Blog
"I definitely recommend this series to readers. Cousins was the first of its kind that I have read, and I was not disappointed. 5 Stars!"
- Booksessions
Cousins Book One
Meet Alpha Roman Masterson
Our passion is incredibly intense. The connection between us borders on the possessive. Our feelings are absolutely forbidden. We're cousins…The question now is…what the f*ck are we going to do about it?
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Cousins Book Two
See What Happens Next With Roman!
I made a mistake and had a taste of something sweet, something forbidden, something highly addictive. My cousin. It's no secret that I'm greedy, and I want more. Now I just have to convince her pretty ass that she does too.
Buy Forever or Borrow On Kindle Unlimited
Buy The Entire Series At A Discount
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Cousins In Love Book Three
Want to see how Roman’s story concludes?
They all think that I'm a phase. A fetish. A temporary fixture. But I love my cousin Elizabeth, and there isn't sh*t anyone can do to change or destroy that … even her.
Buy Forever or Borrow On Kindle Unlimited
Buy The Entire Series At A Discount
Add To Goodreads
About the Author
Hi, I'm Lisa Lang Blakeney. I grew up an only child gorging myself on daytime soaps, night time dramas, and romance novels. I write about strong alpha men and the smart women they seek to claim, and I tend to favor continuing storylines and series, although I will write a standalone novel when inspiration strikes.
I wrote my first novel Cousins because I enjoy stories that contain something a bit taboo, alpha men, lots of dirty language, and mature content … so be warned:) If this sounds like the types of novels you enjoy too, then I'm the writer for you.
I live in the great state of Pennsylvania and am married to an alpha male I met in college. We are the proud parents of 4 girls and 2 dogs. I LOVE talking to readers! So please connect with me via email or make sure to sign up for my VIP readers list to be notified first of new releases, teasers, giveaways, ARCs and more: http://LisaLangBlakeney.com/VIP
Stalk Me Please! I Like it:)
http://LisaLangBlakeney.com
[email protected]
The King Brothers Boxed Set Page 63
