Lover Eternal: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward Page A

too. A deep, resonant drawl.
     
"Hi, yourself."
     
The man's tone sharpened. "You are not Mary."
     
Mary tensed. Oh, no .
     
"I'll be anyone you want"
     
"I'm looking for Mary Luce."
     
Oh… shit.
     
Mary cleared her throat, wishing she were anywhere else, anyone else. "I'm… ah, I'm Mary."
     
The man turned around. As vivid, teal blue eyes bored into her, his big body stiffened.
     
Mary looked down quickly, jabbing the straw into her water.
     
Not what you were expecting, am I ? she thought
     
As silence stretched out clearly he was searching for a socially acceptable excuse to cut and run.
     
God, how could Bella have humiliated her like this?
     
Rhage stopped breathing and just took the human in. Oh, she was lovely. Nothing he'd expected, but lovely nonetheless.
    Her skin was pale and smooth, like fine ivory stationery. The bones of her face were equally delicate, her jaw a grace-ful arch running from her ears to her chin, her cheeks high and tinted with a natural blush. Her neck was long and slender, like her hands and probably her legs. Her deep brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
    She wore no makeup, he couldn't detect any perfume, and the only jewelry she had on was a pair of tiny pearl earrings. Her off-white sweater was bulky and loose, and he was willing to bet her pants were also baggy.
There was absolutely nothing about her that courted notice. She wasn't anything like the females he went for. And she held his attention like a marching band.
     
"Hello, Mary," he said softly.
    He was hoping she would look back up at him, because he hadn't been able to catch enough of her eyes. And he couldn't wait to hear her voice again. The two words she'd spoken had been so quiet and not nearly enough.
He stuck his hand out, itching to touch her. "I'm Hal."
     
She let his palm hang between them as she reached for her purse and started to scootch her way out of the booth.
     
He planted himself in her path. "Where are you going?"
     
"Look, it's okay. I won't tell Bella. We'll just pretend we had dinner."
     
Rhage closed his eyes and tuned out the background noise so he could absorb the sound of her voice. His body stirred and calmed, weaved a little.
     
And then he realized what she'd said.
     
"Why would we lie? We are going to have dinner together."
     
Her lips tightened, but at least she stopped trying to escape.
     
When he was sure she wasn't going to bolt, he sat down and tried to get his legs to fit under the table. As she looked at him, he stopped shifting his knees around.
     
Dear God . Her eyes didn't match the gentle lilt of her voice at all. They belonged to a warrior.
     
Gunmetal gray, surrounded by lashes the color of her hair, they were grave, serious, reminding him of males who had fought and survived battle. They were staggeringly beautiful in their strength.
     
His voice vibrated. "I am 50 going to… have dinner with you."
     
Those eyes flared and then narrowed. "Have you always done charity work?"
     
"Excuse me?"
     
A waitress came over and slowly put down a glass of water in front of him. He could smell the female's lusty response to his face and his body and it annoyed him.
     
"Hi, I'm Amber," she said. "What can I get you to drink?"
     
"Water is fine. Mary, do you want anything else?"
     
"No, thanks."
     
The waitress stepped a little closer to him. "Can I tell you about our specials?" "All right"
     
As the list went on and on, Rhage didn't look away from Mary. She was hiding her eyes from him, damn it.
     
The waitress cleared her throat. A couple of times. "You sure I can't get you a beer? Or maybe something with a little more kick? How about a shot—"
     
"We're fine, and you can come back later for the order. Thanks."
     
Amber took the hint.
     
When they were alone, Mary said, "Really, let's just end—"
     
"Have I given you any indication that I don't want to eat with you?"
     
She put a hand on top of the menu in front of her, tracing the picture of a plate