‘And I’ll have one, too,’ said a lazy voice beside her.
Alice spun to her left and was surprised to find a man sitting on the stool right next to her. When had he arrived?
He smiled. Slowly. It was a smile that started at his eyes—light blue, clever and good-humoured—and took its time reaching his mouth. With the same lack of haste he let his gaze linger on her and he didn’t try to hide the fact that he liked what he saw.
Something about his eyes and the very male way he was checking her out made her stomach feel ridiculously weightless—as if she’d suddenly toppled over the edge of a cliff.
‘Hi,’ the stranger said.
Alice had no experience of meeting men in bars; her ex-husband had been her first boyfriend and she’d married him before she was out of her teens. If only she could think of some smart, metro-chick response.
‘Hi, yourself,’ she replied.
At a guess, he was in his mid-thirties. He had dark brown hair with just the faintest hint of silver at the temples and a longish face. A strong face. He was lean and suntanned and dressed in chinos and an open-necked white shirt with long sleeves rolled back.
‘You seem to be drinking alone,’ he said. ‘It’s not a healthy habit.’
Alice felt compelled to defend herself. ‘It’s not actually a habit. This is a one-off experience.’
He accepted this with a slight nod. ‘Are you having fun?’
‘The best.’ She straightened her shoulders. ‘What about you?’
‘I prefer the company of others.’
‘But you’re on your own tonight.’
‘Ah, yes,’ he admitted and he sent her another slow smile. ‘But then, I have an excellent excuse.’
She drew a deep breath, aware that a kind of game had begun and the ball was in her court. ‘You just got out of jail?’
His eyes widened slightly and then he chuckled. ‘In a manner of speaking. I’ve escaped from Sydney. I only arrived in town today and I don’t know anyone.’ His blue gaze held hers for breathtaking seconds. ‘Yet.’
OK. Now was the point when she should give this guy the brush-off. But their drinks arrived. And before she could pay, her neighbour pushed several bills across the bar.
‘My shout,’ he said.
She was about to protest.
But she changed her mind. Why the heck shouldn’t she test her wings on a little light flirtation? She was thirty—and for the first time in her adult life she was out on the town as a free agent; two good reasons to let a rather nice-looking guy chat her up in a bar.
If he wanted to.
And if she decided she wanted to let him.
‘So, what’s your excuse for drinking alone?’ he asked her.
‘Aliens abducted my friends.’
One dark eyebrow lifted. ‘How unfortunate for them.’
‘Yes. I guess they’ll wake up in the morning with their memories wiped clean.’
He grinned. ‘It’s happened to a few of my mates after a night on the town.’
Picking up her drink, Alice took a slow sip. ‘What do you think of the cocktail?’ She tried to feel detached as she watched the movements of his lips while he tasted his drink.
‘Not bad.’
‘Have you had one of these before?’
‘No.’ He held his glass to the light and gave the contents a swirl before taking a longer sip. And then he flashed her a wicked smile. ‘This is my very first Orgasm.’
She almost choked, gasped for breath. A cloud of steam rose through her and she tried to ignore it. Stay cool, Alice. Lifting her glass, she offered him a shaky salute. ‘Don’t drink too fast, then.’
And just as she wondered if she was getting out of her depth, she was rescued by a voice calling from across the bar.
‘Hey, Alice—happy birthday!’
It was a guy who worked in the same building as she did. He must have seen the banner the girls had strung in the foyer this morning. She didn’t know him very well, so she gave him a quick wave and hoped he wouldn’t come over. The conversation with this stranger was bordering on crazy, but she didn’t want to be interrupted. Maybe it was the cocktails, but she was feeling a weird but wonderful sense of connection with him.
‘Happy birthday, Alice?’ the stranger asked, and he frowned sharply. ‘Is it really your birthday?’
Oh, man. He looked upset. Was it because he’d realised she was a dead-set loser, abandoned by everyone on her birthday? She’d been hoping to come across as a very together urban goddess.
‘I have a thing about birthdays,’ she said, quickly. ‘I never celebrate them. What are birthdays, after all? Here today, gone tomorrow. I mean, why make a big fuss about turning—oops!’
‘Fair enough,’ he said more equably. ‘Although I’ve always thought that turning oops was something of a milestone.’ Again his eyes held hers and they twinkled with such obvious amusement that she fancied she must have imagined that earlier frown.
‘There’s something to be said for making the most of any reason to celebrate,’ he added.
She raised her glass. ‘I’m celebrating.’ But she didn’t drink. She suspected she’d already had enough and set the glass down again. ‘This conversation is getting a little lopsided.’ She needed to change the subject before she got herself into trouble. ‘You already know my name and my date of birth and I don’t know the first thing about you.’
‘What would you like to know?’
Are you married? He wasn’t wearing a ring but that didn’t mean a darn thing. ‘Your name?’
‘Liam. And if you’re worried about an equal exchange of information, I’m thirty-six, or perhaps I should say oops plus six,’ he added with a smile. ‘And…’ He paused.
‘And?’ She tried unsuccessfully to keep the curiosity out of her voice.
‘It’s my birthday today, too.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘Not at all.’ He pulled a wallet from his back trouser pocket and flipped it open on the bar. And there was his driver’s licence. Conway, Liam Cooper. And sure enough, his date of birth was the fifth of September.
Alice frowned suddenly. Liam Cooper Conway. Where had she heard that name? Liam Conway. Mr Conway. Dr Conway. Professor Conway. Inspector Conway?
No…she was dreaming. She’d never met him before. Besides, he said he was from Sydney. He had a New South Wales driver’s licence and he’d already told her he’d just arrived in town.
‘Anything else you’d like to know?’ he asked.
She thought about this and was only a little shocked to realise this meeting might lose its gloss if she learned too much about this man. She shook her head. Right now Liam Conway was an intriguing Man of Mystery, a figure of limitless potential. He could be anything…
What seemed more important than boring details like his occupation was the fact that he shared her birthday! Her star sign. My God, they were almost soul mates. She rewarded him with her warmest smile. ‘Happy birthday, Liam Conway.’
‘Thank you.’ He returned his wallet to his pocket and lifted his glass. ‘Are you going to finish your drink?’
‘I’m not sure