Chapter 3. The Sexy Stranger

Sofie’s POV

“Thanks,” I muttered to the waitress as she placed the glass of margarita on the bar counter.

It was my fourth drink that night, and although I was starting to get drunk and see double, I didn’t stop.

I wanted to drink my frustration and sadness away, even if that meant drinking myself into a stupor and waking up with a terrible hangover tomorrow.

My fuzzy vision trailed to a man who had Alexander’s burly physique and whose hand looped around a pretty lady’s waist. Instantly, I shuddered as thoughts of the older man flashed through my head.

I had no idea what I was going to do.

I was sure rejecting Alexander’s proposal had definitely gotten me into more trouble with my parents.

I knew my parents wouldn’t stop until they pushed me to the point where I would have no choice but to accept the old man’s proposal.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

But I would also have no place to stay once my parents kicked me out.

My best friend, Amy Dumas, was the only person I could stay with, but the problem was that she wasn’t even in town at the moment.

“Fuck me,” I cursed under my breath as I downed the rest of my drink.

The alcohol had now fully kicked in, and my head felt light.

“Gladly, princess,” a man’s voice came from beside me, making me giggle drunkenly.

I tilted my head sideways to see who the man was.

To be honest, he was quite good-looking and looked young, but the weird smirk on his face made him look like the Joker.

As I thought of his resemblance to the fictional character, I had a sudden urge to burst out laughing—and I did.

I laughed so hard that I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, stupidly pointing at the man whose smirk had vanished.

In place of the smirk, he now had an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

I calmed down from my crazy laughing fit, wiping away my tears with my thumb and looking at the man.

“Care to enlighten me about the cause of your amusement?” he asked, his irritated look softening.

“Nothing. I—I just remembered something funny,” I slurred, shrugging drunkenly.

He grinned. “So, I would like to take you up on your offer. I’ll gladly fuck you, kitten.” The Joker-like smirk was back on his face, but this time around, I wasn’t amused—I was pissed off.

“No, thank you, and I don’t appreciate the offer either,” I drawled, drunkenly tapping my fingers on the bar counter.

“You’ve got a feisty little mouth on you, don’t you?” he asked, his voice tinged with mild annoyance.

I just waved him off and turned back to my empty glass.

I was really going to blow my meager salary on alcohol.

“I want another glass of this,” I said to no one in particular, my hand dangling weightlessly in the air.

“Let me buy you a glass of wine. By the way, I’m Kieran. And you?” The man’s voice buzzed in my ears, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance before turning toward him.

“I thought we were done talking. Why are you still here?” I asked, shaking my head drunkenly at him.

He shrugged. “Well, I’m not done with you. Your glass is empty, and I was just being generous.” He reached to pour the wine into my glass, and I smacked his arm.

“I don’t want it! Don’t you understand English? I don’t want your stupid wine, and I most certainly don’t want you. Just leave me alone, please!” I yelled at him with the last bit of my patience.

I watched his expression change from amused to perplexed, and then to angry before he mumbled something incoherent.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I watched him stand up.

“Let’s talk in private. My car is parked over there. I promise it won’t take long.” I felt his hot, irritating breath on the back of my neck, and I clenched my teeth angrily.

If I were in the right state of mind, I would have slapped him across the face, but at that moment, I was physically helpless and could only rely on my sharp tongue.

“I don’t want to speak with you. We don’t have anything to discuss. Please leave me alone. Go home,” I said as politely as I could, and to my utter relief, I felt him step away.

Then, I felt a harsh grip on my wrist, and when I looked up, my eyes met Kieran’s dark, angry eyes.

He smirked wickedly at me. “If I’m going home, then you’re coming home with me,” he whispered.

“Let me go,” I said weakly, trying to pull away from him.

Freeing my arm from his vice-like grip proved futile as he effortlessly dragged me up from the stool, ignoring me when I pinched him.

“This won’t take long. Before you know it, we’ll be done,” Kieran said. I shook my head, hot tears now spilling down my face.

“Please, leave me alone,” I whimpered.

“She’s not interested in you. Let her go. Can’t you see that you’re hurting her?” I heard a deep baritone voice boom from behind me, and Kieran instantly released my wrist.

My wrist was sore and red.

I spun around to see who the powerful voice belonged to, and my mouth dropped in awe as I took in the man’s tall, commanding figure.

I felt like an insect next to his imposing height.

Even through my drunken haze, I could still make out his handsome features: a sharp nose, thin pink lips, piercing gray eyes, and jet-black hair with a sexy undercut.

The man looked unreal.

There was no way a person could look as perfect and gorgeous as he did in just a black dress shirt and black slacks.

No fucking way.

The way his defined muscles flexed as he stood with his hands on his hips made me shudder with desire.

“And who the hell are you?” Kieran barked.

What I didn’t expect was for the man to pull me closer, gaze into my eyes, and then glare at the pervert. “Her fiancé. Now fuck off, you perverted bastard,” he snarled before leading me back to the bar counter.

“Are you even real? I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as you,” I blurted out as he helped me onto a barstool before taking a seat next to me.

“I—uh, thanks?” he said, his tone sounding somewhere between a question and a statement.

The more I stared at the gorgeous man, the more my drunken haze began to morph into pure attraction.

“I should have thanked you first. Thanks for saving me from that guy.”

He nodded. “You don’t have to, but you’re welcome.”

“How can I thank you? Do you want a bottle of whiskey? You look like you only drink the expensive stuff, and I really don’t have the money for that. If you don’t mind, could you settle for a cheap bottle?” I rambled. The man chuckled—a deep, rich sound that sent a thrill of desire straight through me.

“Thanks for the offer, but you don’t have to. I’m fine,” he said.

“You don’t want the whiskey? Is it too cheap for you?”

The man shook his head. “Of course not. I already had some earlier, and I still have to drive home.”

I nodded, and silence fell between us for a moment. Then, a sudden surge of boldness overcame me. I slid off my stool, stepped between his legs, and cupped his face in my hands.

I expected him to slap my hands away, but he didn’t, even though he looked completely baffled.

“I love your eyes. They’re so pretty,” I slurred. The man’s face relaxed into a smile.

“Thanks,” he said.

What do they taste like? I thought, staring at his lips.

The urge to feel his lips against mine burned within me.

I swallowed hard as our foreheads touched and his eyes darkened.

Ignoring all logic and throwing caution to the wind, I kissed him.