As the bartender nodded and began mixing her drink, Susan's mind raced. She was playing a dangerous game with Leo, and she knew it. But every time she thought she was ready to walk away, something pulled her back. Maybe it was the fear of what would happen to Samuel. Maybe it was something else. Something about him.
The bartender placed her drink in front of her, and Susan took a long sip, the alcohol burning its way down her throat. The buzz settled into her veins, calming her nerves for a brief moment. But the tension was still there, lingering just beneath the surface. And deep down, she knew it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
__________
Leo hadn't expected Susan to take him up on his offer, not with how furious she'd been when she stormed out of the lounge. But as he watched her from the shadows, standing there at the top of the stairs, he noticed something flicker in her. Her steps faltered, and instead of heading straight for the door like she had intended, she veered toward the bar.
A slow, predatory smile spread across his face.
Interesting.
She had said she wouldn't drink with him, not even if he was the last man on earth, but here she was. Sitting at his bar, ordering herself a cocktail. He hadn't moved at first, letting the moment stretch out as he observed her from the dimly lit lounge, but something about the way she sat there, tension coiled so tightly in her frame, made him move. The truth was, there was something about Susan that got under his skin. Maybe it was the defiance in her eyes when she challenged him, or the way her anger sparked a fire in the space between them. He couldn't quite place it, but he was drawn to her in a way that didn't make sense.
And Leo wasn't a man used to things not making sense.
He moved silently toward the stairs, his gaze fixed on her. She hadn't noticed him yet—too busy drowning her frustration in the drink. He took his time descending, and when he was behind her, just close enough to make her feel his presence, he spoke.
"I see you changed your mind, huh?"
Susan jumped, startled, her glass jerking in her hand. She barely stopped the drink from spilling, her breath catching as she turned to see him standing there, a mixture of surprise and something else—something she wasn't ready to admit—flashing in her eyes.
"You scared the hell out of me!" she snapped, setting her drink down on the bar, trying to regain her composure.
Leo slid onto the stool beside her, his movement slow and deliberate, every inch of his posture relaxed as if he had all the time in the world. He watched her closely, enjoying how she fidgeted, how her hands tightened around her glass as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
"Didn't mean to startle you," he said smoothly, though the smirk on his face suggested otherwise. "But I couldn't help noticing you at the bar… after you said you wouldn't drink with me."
Susan stiffened, her expression hardening as she turned away from him, focusing on her drink instead. "I'm drinking alone," she said pointedly, though her voice had lost some of its bite. "This is a bar anyways,"
Leo chuckled softly, the sound deep and rich. "Is that so?" He leaned forward slightly, close enough that his presence brushed against her, but not enough to crowd her. "Funny how I'm sitting here with you, though."
Susan shot him a look, her eyes flashing with irritation. "That's only because you don't listen. I said I didn't want to drink with you."
Leo's smirk widened, enjoying her stubbornness. "And yet, here I am. Guess we don't always get what we want," he said, gesturing to the bartender. "Two glasses of bourbon," he added, ignoring the way Susan bristled beside him.
She shook her head in disbelief. "You really don't know how to take a hint, do you?"
"Oh, I take hints," Leo replied, his voice low, almost teasing. "I just choose which ones to ignore."
The bartender placed two glasses in front of them, and Leo took one, raising it slightly as if in toast. "To business," he said, his eyes locking with hers. "And whatever else comes with it."
Susan narrowed her eyes at him. Did he really think she was going to sit here and toast with him? After everything he'd done? Rolling her eyes at him, she looked away, ignoring him so he placed his glass back on the counter.
For a few beats, silence settled between them, the tension thick but unspoken. Leo watched her over the rim of his glass, every movement she made only fueling the pull he felt toward her. She was different, and he liked it. She didn't cower under the weight of his presence like so many others. No, she challenged him, defied him—and he couldn't deny how much he wanted her. "You're overthinking everything, Suzy," he told her. "That's your problem—You worry too much. Relax, and maybe we can do something to get rid of all that tension inside you,"
Her cheeks flamed. "There's no tension inside me. WE won't be doing anything to get rid of anything, thank you very much, and my name is Susan." Only her family and close friends ever used that affectionate shortening of her given name.
"Of course it is," he humored. "But I'm sure that when a man makes love to you he calls you Suzy,"
"How dare you, you—you pirate, you!" She was breathing heavily in her agitation, at once mortified at the lapse in temper.
Leo grinned, his brows raised. "So that's how I appear to you, is it?" he said sarcastically, and clutched at his chest dramatically. "Susan, you wound me!"
She surprised herself. She had stopped reading those swashbuckling novels years ago, and yet one look at Leo and they all came flooding back to her as he epitomized every fantasy she had ever had of a dark, arrogant pirate invading her life. But this was real life for goodness' sake, and Leo Spencer had been nothing but bad news since the moment he came into her life.
She finished her drink and drew herself frostily up to her full height. "Good night, Leo. I think I've had enough of you for one night,"
There was an air of bored calculation about him, as if her words were never in doubt, her reluctance only perfunctory. One lean hand moved up to caress her cheek with his knuckles. "I don't believe you have, Suzy," he murmured throatily.
She moved her head back from that caress, her hair moving in a shimmering curtain. "I have to go," she said abruptly.
He gave a regretful grimace for her determination to leave. "Fine. Goodnight, Suzy,"