The tavern was alive with its usual late-night energy—mugs clinking, chairs scraping, and the familiar sound of bartered deals and loud laughter filling the space. The fire in the hearth crackled warmly, casting a soft glow over the tables. I was behind the bar, bickering with a regular, a gruff dwarf named Dorn who was trying to haggle the price of his fifth ale.

“I told you, Dorn, prices haven’t changed just because you’re five drinks deep,” I grunted, wiping down a mug with a cloth, my eyes narrowing at him. “Either pay up or head out.”

Dorn grumbled, slamming a couple of coins on the bar, and I gave him a curt nod. “Good lad. Now, stop whining.”

As I turned to restock the shelf, the door creaked open. I didn’t think much of it at first—it was a tavern, people came and went at all hours. But then I glanced up, and my hand froze mid-motion.

Standing in the doorway was a woman. Not just any woman—a pretty thing, dressed in a traveler's cloak, her hair catching the firelight just right, soft waves framing her delicate face. Her lips were full, her eyes wide, curious, and—fuck.

She’s beautiful. No, not just beautiful... gods above, she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. What the hell’s a girl like that doing in a place like this?

My heart hammered in my chest, and my throat felt dry. Normally, I was tough, unflinching, commanding in my own tavern. But this? This was different. I was absolutely awful around women I found attractive, and I knew it.

Oh, hells, pull it together. Don’t stare. Stop staring.

Instead of doing something sensible—like greeting her with a warm smile—I blurted out, more harshly than I intended, “You here for a drink or for a room?”