training grounds for the toughest sons of guns around, I was used to seeing prime specimens of masculinity on display. A little muscle and a nice butt were nothing new to me.
What was new, however, was the devil-may-care smirk on this guy’s handsome face and the way he didn’t appear at all fazed by having just busted into a superior officer’s party. There was a momentary flare of surprise that disrupted the supreme confidence he was exuding, but it disappeared so fast I doubted many people would have caught it.
Short, light brown hair stuck up in all directions. It had to have been styled that way, but it didn’t look it. It was more like he’d driven here with a window open or had messed it up when it had still been damp.
I remembered reading an article for class once about which features scientifically made for the most appealing faces. The researchers found the most attractive males were characterized by several defining attributes, all of which this guy seemed to possess in spades.
There was the square, defined jaw, a strong brow with heavy, straight eyebrows. Oval-shaped eyes framed by thick, long eyelashes. He had a prominent chin and a slim, mid-length nose. Lips that were neither full nor too thin.
He even had a dimple in one of his cheeks. Dimples hadn’t been part of the study, but they should have been. I sure as hell found them insanely attractive.
A lot of the men at the party had opted for formal wear. Some were in uniform and others in suits, but this guy was in dark-wash jeans with a black button-down shirt. The top two buttons were open and he had rolled his sleeves past muscular forearms to just below his elbows.
I would have pegged him as a SEAL even if I hadn’t been where I was. There was something about the way they moved, the very energy they radiated that was unmistakable if you’d been around them all your life like I had.
There were also those muscles. They were a dead giveaway by themselves around these parts. These guys’ bodies were in a league of their own, and this guy was right at the top of that league.
As I watched them move to the side of the room to join another table, I smiled at the guy behind the first one. Although still clearly a SEAL, he was much more awkward than his friend. Everything about him appeared white: his hair, his eyebrows, his pale skin. Only his red cheeks and green eyes seemed to have color. He flipped his hand up to give a wave, then stumbled after the hot one.
Dad let out a huffy-sounding sigh, and I heard him grumble something before he bowed his head again. His friend, Chris, another retired sailor man, resumed his prayer but sounded significantly more rushed and annoyed than he had before.
Once the prayer ended, Chris came back to his seat on Dad’s other side and the two of them murmured furiously about something. I assumed about the two guys who had come in late. Haley was seated at a different table, so I didn’t have company while having my meal.
Dad was busy with Chris and then with all the other guests seated with us, so I had plenty of time to people-watch. As they finished eating, many of the younger guests converged on the bar. Hot Guy and his friends included.
After dabbing my mouth with the cloth napkin, I rested my cutlery on my plate and pushed my chair back.
Dad paused mid-conversation to frown at me. “Where are you going?”
“Just to the bar. Can I bring you something?”
He shook his head before inclining it at the full drink beside his plate. “I’m fine. Thank you, darling. Don’t get into any trouble out there.”
“I won’t.” Instead of pointing out that it was his party and as such, probably one of the safest places I’d ever been, I smiled and stood up.
Haley was on the other side of the room, her hands flying around animatedly as she spoke to a cute guy sitting next to her. I was tempted to join them, but I didn’t want to cock block her, so I drifted over to the bar by myself.
Perhaps I’d get two extra drinks and take them over there. It was possible Haley’s table-mate knew Hot Guy, and I was definitely interested in getting to know him. He’d slipped out of my field of vision before I’d left our table, but—