Shades of Gray - Maya Banks Page 0,3
I’ll drink you under the table?”
Her brows went up. “You did not just challenge me.”
He gave her a smug smile. “I believe I did. First round’s on me.”
“They’re all on you since this is your idea.”
“Okay, but I’m guessing you can’t get past three.”
“Blah, blah. I’m hearing a lot of talk and no action.”
Cole held up his hand again and the waitress walked up to the table.
“Can you set us up with some shots?” He turned to P.J. “You got anything against tequila?”
“I’ve only got something against bad tequila. Don’t cheap out on me, Cole. You better get the good stuff.”
“You heard the lady,” Cole drawled. “Give us a setup of the best tequila you have.”
The waitress looked dubious but she nodded and headed in the direction of the bar.
P.J. studied him from underneath her eyelashes. Despite her initial annoyance, Cole was intriguing her. What was he doing here? And why? She could swear he was flirting with her, and the weird thing was, it was a rather delicious sensation.
A guy like Cole wouldn’t have to look far to get laid. No way he came all the way to Denver just for a piece of ass.
“So who were the clowns giving you a hard time?” he asked, breaking the silence.
P.J. grimaced. “Just some people I used to know. A long time ago.”
“Apparently they aren’t as taken with your charm as I am.”
She sputtered and choked on her laughter. She missed the camaraderie and constant ribbing when she was away from her team. It used to be like that on the S.W.A.T. team before Derek had to fuck it all up. P.J. had been certain she’d never find another position that was better than the early days with S.W.A.T. when she’d still been riding high on landing the gig as a female and had been wrapped up in her relationship with Derek.
But she’d been wrong. Going to KGI had opened her eyes to what loyalty to the team and one another was all about. The men she worked for were deeply honorable, but she’d always been careful to keep her distance. Especially from Cole. After Derek, she’d sworn off ever getting involved with someone she worked with.
The waitress returned, carrying a long board that had ten shot glasses. She set it on the table, took Cole’s credit card and then looked at them both as if to say have at it.
Cole picked up one glass, handed it to P.J. and then took another for himself. Then he held it up in a toast.
“To another successful mission.”
P.J. could drink to that. She tipped her shot glass against his and then they both downed the alcohol.
She nearly coughed as fire burned down her throat. Hell, it had been a good while since she’d had anything stronger than beer. She’d sworn off the hard stuff after her stint with S.W.A.T. and the aftermath of her leaving the unit.
She brought her glass down on the table with a thump and then stared challengingly at Cole. He grinned in return and then scooped up another glass. She leaned forward to take her own, but this time they were a bit slower to down them.
The music seemed to grow louder and the smoke got thicker. Her eyes watered, whether from the tequila or the smoke she wasn’t sure. Cole was right about one thing. This was a sucky place to spend her first evening back home.
“What do you say we finish up our five shots and head to my place?” she said before she could change her mind.
She couldn’t believe she’d taken the plunge after being so set on never allowing this sort of thing to happen. Chalk it up to the alcohol or her shitty evening. Either reason constituted one mistake, right? She just knew she suddenly didn’t want to be alone.
He frowned, and her heart sank. She hadn’t read him right at all, and now she was going to make a giant fool of herself. She was already preparing to excuse the invitation away with casual indifference when he spoke.
“If we’re going back to your place, one or both of us needs to stop drinking now. How about I get us a bottle and we’ll finish up there.”
She let out a sigh of relief that she hadn’t even realized had welled up in her chest. She stood, pushing back from the table.
“You get the bottle. I’ll meet you in the parking lot. You can follow me back to my place.”
* * *
COLE went to the