I spun toward the voice, nearly losing my balance when I saw who its owner was. None other than Hot Guy himself.
“It’s an open bar,” I replied, proud to have managed a non-stuttered response when faced with the richest Cognac-brown eyes I’d ever seen. They were hypnotizing whorls of autumnal red and light earthy brown.
When he grinned at my comeback, they lit up and almost seemed to glow in the warm amber light inside the lodge. The dimple I’d noticed earlier popped, joined by its twin in the other cheek.
“In that case, I’ll get you two.” He had the kind of voice powerful enough to send chills through my body. It also drew me in and wrapped me up in it, vibrating with quiet command even while his tone was light and flirty.
Oh, dear God. If I listened to him for long enough, I would need dry panties. Looking at him at the same time would prove downright disastrous for the ones I was wearing. But that didn’t mean I would pass up the opportunity to do both.
“Well, if you’re going to be getting them, I guess I’d better get the good stuff.” I made a show of looking at what was on offer behind the bar, tapping the side of my mouth like I was deep in thought about the decision. “I’ll have a Cognac and a beer.”
Hot Guy’s eyes widened along with his grin. “Cognac, huh? Since this is a special occasion, I suppose I should have one of those as well. You sure you want to pair it with beer?”
“Yep. I’m classy like that.” I gave him a smile but cringed inwardly. Shit. I don’t drink Cognac.
I’d been inspired by the color of his eyes, but I was only just starting to realize that meant I’d actually have to drink the stuff now. Good thing I would have that beer as a chaser.
“I’m Lincoln,” he said, flashing me those ridiculous dimples.
I swallowed past several dry spots in my throat at the sight of them. My brain scrambled for a second before I remembered he was waiting for my name. “Sofia. It’s nice to meet you.”
Nice to meet you? How boring. But I’d gotten words out. That counted in a situation like this.
“Nice to meet you, too, Sofia,” Lincoln said, somehow making my name sound like sex on his tongue. “Let me get our drinks. I’ll be right back.”
The crowd parted when he moved forward to get to the bar. It was an almost imperceptible movement of people. He didn’t have to shoulder, shove, or do the “excuse me” shimmy. People just seemed to shift on their feet at the exact moment he needed them to.
More than a few of the women around batted their eyelashes at him, but if he noticed them, he didn’t let on. I was having trouble controlling my own eyelashes, though. I couldn’t blame them for having the same problem.
His shirt clung to the curves of his shoulders and stretched between the blades. It wasn’t tucked in but hung about midway down what appeared to be an incredibly toned ass. Unfortunately, his jeans didn’t hug it enough to be able to tell for sure. They did that sexy hanging from the hips thing that taunted and tantalized but never revealed more.
As he got to the front, a couple of guys approached him. He got several hand-clasping high-fives, then chatted while he waited for our drinks. At one point, he threw his head back and let out a roar of laughter. The sound rolled through the crowd like thunder before the first summer storm, deep and full of dark promise.
A shiver of anticipation traveled down my spine. This was exactly the kind of guy I needed after the semester I’d had. It helped that he wasn’t as serious as some of the other SEALs I’d met. He looked like the kind of guy I’d actually be able to have some fun with before—well, having fun with him.
Lincoln appeared back at my side, holding up the drinks he’d gotten for us. “Want to go out on the balcony to talk?”
“Yeah, it’s difficult to hear anyone over the sounds of smooth jazz,” I joked as I accepted the glass and bottle he handed over.
His shoulders jumped once as he chuckled. “Don’t forget the intrusive sound of ass-kissing.”
I looked around us, noticing for the first time that there certainly seemed to be a lot of that going around.