Chapter 5 5.

"You just broke your tail light."

"Stating the obvious much. I heard the stupid thing break."

That was the only line my tipsy self could come up with, and to top things off, I was mildly irritated. So instead of getting out of the car to assess the damage, I leaned forward on the steering wheel and sighed in resignation.

"Feisty." Mr. Mysterious held his hands up and took a step back. He grinned at me and I didn't know what to make of it.

A series of crow's feet appeared on the corner of his eyes and I almost collapsed just by looking at him. His brooding demeanour was long gone, a total one-eighty from the solemn man sitting in the bar earlier.

He was casually dressed in jeans with rips in them and a long button down white shirt that showed off his muscles to perfection, paired with expensive looking shoes. I caught a glimpsed of a silver chain hanging around his neck before noticing the sleeve of tattoos that decorated both his forearms where he had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to right below his elbow.

I always had mixed feelings about tattoos, but they were oddly sexy on him. Super hot actually. He was getting hotter by the minute while I probably looked like something the cat might drag in, dishevelled and scraggly. I ran a hand through my hair in a pathetic effort to tame my unruly curls.

"Are you going to help me or what?" I asked, a lot more boldly than I normally would under normal circumstances. "Or do you just plan to laugh at the poor drunk girl?"

"None of the above. My car is parked in front of you, but I'm not ready to leave quite yet. I think I enjoy watching you squirm." His eyes glinted with mischief and I found myself liking him already.

I tried to glare at him, but it probably looked like I was smirking. "So you're the stupid driver. Where did you learn to park like that?"

"Where did you learn to drive like that? Besides, you're the one who parked behind me. I was here first."

I laughed and felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "I'm usually a superb driver."

"I beg to differ." He pointed at my tail light and a small smiled tugged on the corner of his lips. He took another step back and the smile turned into a grimace.

I immediately noticed a slight glitch in his movement. It wasn't super obvious, but his jaw tightened as if he was in pain.

"I... I should go," I said, eyeing him warily.

I was in a dark alley with a tattooed stranger and even though I didn't feel threatened by him in any way, it was getting late. It wasn't smart to keep talking to him like this. I might just do something reckless and take him home with me after all. Especially if he kept looking at me like that. Those green eyes were truly captivating.

Why did he have to look so damn fine? He was like a walking sex demigod, an all powerful sex machine. I wasn't into ogling random men in dark alleys, but Mr. Mysterious was in a whole other category by himself. A lot of women were against being objectified, and the same went for some men, but I couldn't help myself, not when he looked like he was the last hamburger in the desert.

He nodded, but didn't make any moves toward his car. "You forgot to take the rest of your wine with you. The bartender came back looking for you, but you were gone."

"With good reason. I don't usually drink like this." I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. My goodness, I sounded so much like a wimp.

"So why did you?"

Right, why had I? Cheating ex-boyfriend. And of course, can't forget, all the Annas in the world. Cheers bitch!

"It's personal."

He got this serious look on his face and for moment it appeared like he was somewhere else. Somewhere far away from New Orleans and the dark alley we were in.

"I understand," he said. "Been there, done that."

I looked down at his feet and back up, trying to figure him out. Something about him screamed army. It wasn't his hair, no buzz cut there. His dark hair was overgrown and a scruffy beard covered his jaw. It was in his stance and in his eyes. He looked and dressed young, but at the same time I got this older vibe from him. The silver chain around his neck was most likely a military identification tag if I wasn't mistaken. The imprint under his white shirt was similar in shape and size to a dog tag.

"Is that why you didn't drink your wine?" I asked. Since he'd asked me a similar question about my drinking, I figured it was okay to do.

He smiled again, but it didn't quite reach his eyes this time. "You're an observant one."

"I'm a painter. I notice the details that most people don't."

I peered into the darkness, trying to get a better look at him. Even with the limited lighting his eyes didn't cease to captivate me. The curve of his lips reminded me of Cupid's bow, so kissable. His strong jaw, broad forehead and chiselled cheekbones all belonged on Adonis. His eyes, so clear, yet giving nothing away, was the color of fresh leaves in spring time or the scales of an alligator, a predator.