Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
He spoke into the phone: “Excuse me a bit.” I could hear the other person talking, but he ended the call and put his phone into his pocket. “Hello.”
He was looking me up and down, looking like a bored cat who had come across a mouse and had a new toy to play with.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your phone—”
“On the contrary, thank you very much.” He came down a few more steps. “I needed an excuse to get off the call.”
I shifted backward, giving him space—or myself space—as he continued until he was on the step right above, looking down. “I was looking for the bathroom.”
“These are the stairs.” His voice was a low baritone croon, and he was still doing the eye thing where he wasn’t just assessing me, but he was reading my soul, and he was enjoying whatever he was reading. If I were a character in a book, I might’ve likened him to a vampire. I almost started laughing because how ridiculous was I? Getting nervous with this guy, who it was very apparent was in a whole different tax bracket than me. But normal me wouldn’t have cared. Normal me wouldn’t have stuck around this long either.
I nodded as he stepped down, facing me directly. “I realized. There’s a sign that said ‘bathrooms’ and pointed in here. I came in, not remembering the doors lock behind you.”
“Right.” He still had that smile, his eyes sparking up. “Because if you read the sign on the door, it would’ve said ‘emergency exit only.’ And that it locks.”
I refused to flush for this guy. Nope. But the back of my neck did get heated. A little bit.
“Yeah. My mistake.” My tone was cool, and I was giving him the look to back off.
That seemed to amuse him even more. “What’s your name?”
I bristled. “None of your business, how about that?”
His eyes went to smoldering. This guy wasn’t normal. “Sass.” His tone went soft. “I like it.”
That made me bristle even more. “Excuse me?” I shifted back, getting in a stance as I automatically started thinking how to handle him if he made a move.
As if reading my mind, or feeling the air shift, he drew back. The smoldering effect lessened, but just a little. It was still there. I was still amusing him, and I didn’t know how I felt about that either. “You have no idea who I am.”
I frowned. “That gets you off or something?”
His grin turned inward, showing off a dimple.
God. The dimple. What female didn’t have a thing for a cheek dimple? That wasn’t fair. Some of my bristling eased up.
He chuckled, still in that baritone, and it was sensual too. “Apparently it does with you. Trust me. I’m just as shocked as you seem to be.” His eyes sharpened. “Are you here with someone?”
I straightened out of the fighting stance I’d assumed and relaxed, only slightly. “My roommate.”
Another spark of interest in those eyes of his. “Is your roommate a significant other? Or just a roommate?”
Damn. He was direct, and fast about it.
If I’d been at the bar and in the mood for a one-nighter, this conversation would have a whole different ending. I liked guys who were direct. A lot.
“She’s my best friend.” I saw the next question forming, so I added, “And she’s straight.”
His head lowered, those eyes of his softening. “And you? Who are you into?”
My throat swelled up. I didn’t know why, but I felt entranced by him.
He took a step closer, slowly.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away, and I couldn’t take a step back. I didn’t want to.
A part of me was railing at myself, in the back of my head, but my heart was pounding, and my throat was still swollen. My body was heating, and an ache was forming between my legs.
This man, what was he doing to me?
This reaction didn’t happen to me, ever.
“Who are you into, Miss . . . ?” His head cocked to the side, like he could lure me into answering him.
I wanted to do just that too.
My lips parted from surprise, but then his eyes shifted to my shirt, and everything changed. Abruptly.
He’d been seductive and coaxing. And then nothing. Frigid cold.
I even shivered, feeling his withdrawal though he hadn’t moved a muscle.
I followed his eyes down to my sternum. My badge was sticking out from my jacket, but when I looked back up, I sucked in my breath. His eyes were on me, and they were not friendly. They were hostile. All that flirting was gone in an instant.
“You a cop?” His tone was flat, cutting.
“I’m a parole officer.”
His phone started ringing again, and he fished it out of his pocket. Without saying a word to me, he hit accept and turned to go back up the stairs. “Hey. Hold one moment. I’m heading for the door. Open it for me.”