Of all the things William imagined on his way over to the pub, he never thought he’d walk in to see his date tucked behind a corner table, her brow lightly furrowed as she pored over a book. Her brown curls spilled across her bare shoulders, the way she was angled making her breasts so fucking inviting that the whole tent-in-the-pants thing was starting to become a bloody serious issue all over again.

Actually, the sight of her made William stand there like a complete tool before a couple of glances from the other patrons got his feet moving. He veered over to the bar to pass on his order for a single malt scotch, then made his way through the throng of people milling around the high tables dominating the center of the space. He paused again, briefly this time, just to take in the view.

A dream. It had to be.

After all the times life had fucked him over, William had stopped believing that there was anything really good about it. People pushed through their existence, making up false happiness through too many hours spent in pubs—which, in his case, more often than not turned sour the instant he started downing his drinks just to forget how bloody irritated he was by the company around him. By the fact that he knew he should be enjoying a quiet night at home, but couldn’t because Trisha would be there, finding yet another thing to fight over.

Yeah, watching someone enjoy a book in the middle of a pub was a dream. Especially when he’d already caught a glimpse of the brilliant person behind it.

“Good evening, Lily.”

“Evening, William.” She smiled up at him, a blush creeping up her cheeks, and closed the novel. Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness.

Oh, hell…

He didn’t think it was possible for the woman to make him more aroused, but there she was, reading his absolute favorite book. If it weren’t for that flicker of rational thought he stubbornly held on to, he would have gotten down on one knee and proposed right on the spot.

As it was, he merely shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the chair set opposite Lily’s bench.

“I won’t bite,” she said sweetly, arching an eyebrow. “Unless you prefer to keep your back to a full room rather than sit here with me in plain sight.”

He didn’t. He was one of those people who felt trapped far too quickly unless he had a view of the space, however small. But cozying up next to her on that bench… Well, it made him seriously consider braving a faint spell of anxiety just to keep him from getting arrested for indecent exposure. Randy old man.

He swallowed. Ah, to hell with it…

“If you don’t mind.”

Lily shot him a look that made it perfectly clear just how much she didn’t. He slid into the empty spot next to her, their knees brushing lightly.

For long moments, neither of them said a thing, and that suited William just fine. After all, he was a bit preoccupied with taking deep, measured breaths and fighting the impulse to stare at the hem of Lily’s dress. He’d accidentally witnessed how it clung to her shapely thighs, and it was impossible to block out the visual now.

Fuck, he always did have a weakness for smooth, black tights.

“Good choice of book,” he said just to divert his attention.

So much for using silence to control himself. He needed something, anything to keep his mind—and mouth—occupied with something that wasn’t Lily Summers’s bloody brilliant body. His cock, however, didn’t get the memo.

He placed one hand across his lap to cover up his erection.

“It’s been on my TBR list forever.” She tapped her fingers against the cover, then absentmindedly caressed the thick spine. A bloody erotic gesture if there was any. “I heard a few bad reviews, so I’ve been putting it off for ages.”

“And were they right?” he asked cautiously, hoping to god she wouldn’t rip it apart.

Her entrancing green eyes widened. “Shit, no. To be completely honest, for a while there, I was so immersed I almost forgot who I was meeting.”

Perfect, perfect woman.

William leaned a little closer. A mischievous smile tugged on the corners of his lips as he brushed one of those curls back off her shoulder, her skin smooth beneath his touch.

“Should I be jealous?”

Lily’s laugh was low and husky, and for what felt like the millionth time, he regretted choosing a public venue instead of just asking her over to his place for a drink.

No. That’s precisely why you picked the bar.

He sighed inwardly. Sometimes, he really was the biggest thorn in his own chivalrous side.

“Well…” Lily pursed her lips, the glimmer in her eyes growing brighter. “I guess that depends on how thoroughly you charm me, Mr. Charleston.”

William told himself he wouldn’t have done it if it hadn’t been for the invitation in her voice. And maybe he would have actually believed the lie if he could bring himself to care.

Dropping his hand onto that damned, titillating thigh, he leaned over and kissed her.