Mark swallowed hard when the guy took his glass and prowled closer. The bar was empty near Mark, and so far, he’d projected enough of a vibe of not wanting to talk to anyone that people had stayed away. This one though…. Something in Mark’s chest trembled and his stomach clenched.
He watched as the stranger took his coat off and hung it on one of the hooks on the underside of the bar, next to Mark’s jacket.
He lifted his bottle to his lips, only to notice he’d emptied it. The guy gestured to the bartender, and in no time at all, she’d replaced his bottle with a new one.
“My treat,” the man said, grinning slightly. He pushed a tenner over the bar to the woman and told her to keep the change. “I’m Francis.”
Because politeness was ingrained in him, Mark willed his hand to not shake as he
