Hit her? Good Lord! “Just get your butt outside, Crystal.” He started to push her toward the door and found his face pressed against a beefy chest covered in a sweaty T-shirt that announced that its owner was A Hard Driving Man.

“The little lady wants hands off, jerkface.”

Sebastian looked up into Eddie’s wide smile. Mel was sniffling beside him, really laying it on. Hoping for more even ground, Sebastian rose from the stool so that he and the knight errant were eye-to-eye.

“Mind your own business.”

Eddie knocked him back on the stool with one blow. Sebastian was certain he was going to feel the imprint of the heel of that sledgehammer hand on his chest for years to come.

“You want I should take him out and mess him up, sweetheart?”

Mel dried her lashes and seemed to consider it. She hesitated just long enough to make Sebastian sweat. “No.” She laid a trembling hand on Eddie’s arm. “He ain’t worth it.” Fluttering, she turned her admiring face up to his. “You’re awfully nice. There’re hardly any gentlemen left in this world a girl can count on.”

“Why don’t you come on and sit down at my table?” He put a tree-trunk arm around her waist. “I’ll buy you a drink and you can take a load off.”

“That’s real sweet.”

She sauntered off with him. Wanting to put on a good show, Sebastian made as if to follow them. One of the contestants at the pool table grinned and slapped a cue on his palm. Suitably warned, Sebastian skulked down to the end of the bar and nursed his beer.

*  *  *

She made him wait an hour and a half. He couldn’t even order a second beer without breaking his cover and was enduring nasty looks from the bartender as he nibbled on peanuts and made the last half inch of his drink last forever.

He’d just about had it. His idea of a good time was not sitting in a smelly bar watching some sumo wrestler paw the woman he’d come with. Even if he didn’t have any emotional investment. And even, he thought darkly, if that woman giggled with every appearance of enjoyment every time one of those ham-size hands rubbed her leg.

It would serve her right if he just strolled out, caught himself a cab, and left her to it.

In Mel’s opinion, everything was going just fine. Fine and dandy. Sir Eddie, as she called him—much to his delight—was getting slowly and steadily drunk. Not pie-eyed, just nice and vulnerable. And he was doing plenty of talking. Men just loved to brag to an eager woman—especially when they were juiced.

He’d just come into a nice chunk of change, so Eddie said. And maybe she’d like to help him spend a little of it.