Change of Heart - By S.E. Edwards Page 0,65

effort to ingratiate himself to me.

Were it not for the alcohol hitting my bloodstream, I probably would have laughed, too. Instead, I decide to humor him.

“If there are sharks around,” I say, “then what does that make you?”

He laughs as he slides smoothly into Rich’s spot. His hand doesn’t leave my back. “My dear,” he confides, “I am the biggest one of all.”

I find myself grinning at his remark. I bring the straw to my lips and take a sip to give myself time to look him over. He’s got a good face, I decide, if somewhat ordinary. I can tell from his body that he takes care of himself. His manner is cool and confident. His words are clear, and his eyes are sharp, which means he didn’t rely on liquid courage to come talk to me. That’s a big plus in my book.

The man reaches up and touches a strand of hair beside my face. The warmth of the back of his hand against my cheek sends an unexpected thrill through me. “You know,” he says, “I would not ordinarily say something like this, but your hair…” he pauses to meet my gaze, “…and your eyes… remind me very much of a girl I loved a long time ago. The only one I have ever been able to love.”

“What a shame to have loved only once,” I play along. This might be the biggest bullshit I’ve ever heard, but sometimes it’s fun to pretend. “She must have broken your heart quite badly for you to refuse to allow anyone else in.”

His expression fills with sorrow. “She hurt me, it’s true,” he chokes. His hand shifts a fraction of an inch to brush lightly against my cheek. “But I would do it all again if it gave me the chance to meet someone as beautiful as you.”

This time, I can’t hold in my laughter. The man looks completely taken aback. “Does that ever work?” I ask, trying not to choke on my drink.

He recovers quickly, and grins easily at me. “You tell me. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried such an elaborate approach.” He lifts his hand to his forehead in a gesture of exaggerated sorrow. “Woe is me! I am in possession of a broken heart, and only your love can make it whole again!” He brings his hand down, smiles, and winks. “Et cetera, et cetera.”

I laugh. Not at him, but with him. I like his sense of humor. And he’s got the confidence to back it up. “What’s your name?” I ask. “I’m P—”

“What the hell is going on here?”

I spin around to find Rich glaring at the man I had been talking to. He looks just about ready to kill him. That means I’ve pissed him off. Good. It’s no more than he deserves for pushing me away so crudely back at Amanda’s garage.

“Oh, hello, Rich,” I say, my voice all dewy innocence. “I was just having a pleasant conversation with a new friend. This is…”

“Kevin,” the man says casually, holding out a hand toward Rich. “Nice to meet you, bro.”

“Kevin,” Rich snarls. He ignores the outstretched arm. “I’m going to give you three seconds to get away from Penelope.”

“Penelope?” Kevin asks. “That’s her name?” He looks over at me. “Is this guy your boyfriend?”

I look at Rich. I can see the angry tightness in his jaw and neck. “No,” I say, tossing my hair and leaning toward Kevin. “No, he’s not.”

Kevin smiles sweetly at Rich. “You’re not. So, I can see no reason why you should tell me whether or not I can speak to her. Unless the lady objects to my company…?” he trails off and I shake my head. “No? Good. In that case, I’ll stay right here. Oh, but there’s a group of girls who just walked in. Maybe you can try your luck over there.”

Kevin turns to me, dismissing Rich completely.

“Kevin,” Rich says coldly. “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. Get. Away. From. Her.”

Kevin shakes his head, irritated. He turns back to Rich. “You just don’t get it, do you, bro? You may have been talking to Penelope before, but you left her alone and blew your chance. Now, why don’t you just fuck off and find somebody else to bother?”

I didn’t think it was possible for Rich’s face to become any harder. But it just does. He looks like he wants to kill Kevin, skin him, and defile his body in the worst possible way. “Listen to