I turn back and watch as Carson walks across a wooden path before stopping a safe distance from me. His eyes scan over our surrounding area, and then he glances at the flowers in my hand.
Feeling a sudden need to explain why I’m standing in front of his home, I say, “I’m just exploring the area. I didn’t know there was a house up here.”
He nods, slightly tilting his head as his gaze locks with mine.
“I haven’t seen you around the village,” I say just to make conversation, and before I can stop myself, my feet begin to move in his direction. Slowly, I inch closer until only a couple of steps separate us.
My eyes drift over his features. It’s the first time I get to see him in the daylight, and he’s even more handsome than I remember. The scruff on his jaw is trimmed neatly, just like the short blond strands of his hair. A chain hangs around his neck, holding a blank tag.
“How have you been?” I ask to break the silence.
“Okay,” Carson murmurs, his voice so low it makes my stomach flutter. He tucks his hands into his pockets. “People don’t normally come up here.”
Ouch… again.
“Sorry. I kinda just stumbled across your home.” My eyes dart toward the house. “It’s beautiful.”
Like you.
On impulse, I lift my hand, offering him the wildflowers I picked. “Peace offering for trespassing.”
Carson begins to frown, making his features sharpen until he looks downright predatory.
I swallow hard on the nerves spinning in my stomach. “Or not?”
His movements are unhurried as he reaches his right hand out, and then he takes the flowers from me. Our fingers brush, heating me up and sending an icy chill through my body all at once.
Uhm… Wow.
Chapter 3
CARSON
I’ve been watching Hailey since I got back on Saturday. Mostly at night when she walks home after the bar closes.
For a moment, I was worried she somehow caught onto the fact I’m practically stalking her, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
My eyes are glued to the flowers, fragile in my grip. My skin tingles where we accidentally touched.
I feel uneasy, not knowing what to do next.
Act normal.
Hailey’s just a woman.
…Who gave me flowers.
Lifting my eyes, they meet her gray ones. She instantly smiles, the dimple peeking from her cheek. “Good. For a moment, I was worried you were angry.”
I shake my head.
“You’re really quiet.” The words pop from her as if she didn’t mean to say them.
A blush creeps up her neck, and she tucks her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. It makes her breasts strain against the cotton fabric of her shirt.
It’s not meant to look seductive. Hailey’s too nervous for that. It tells me she’s unaware of how beautiful and sexy she is, or she just doesn’t care what people think of her.
The past four days she’s all I’ve thought about, and being so close to her makes the need for more bleed through me.
I’ve been with a couple of women, or to put it bluntly, whores. One of the first lessons Alexei taught me was to never form relationships.
But now I’m faced with a problem I don’t have an answer to.
In front of me stands the most breathtaking creature with a bubbly personality that can rival the darkest pits of hell.
I want to step into her light. I want to taste her laughter. I want to touch her beauty.
But I don’t dare.
Not that I’d know how to go about it anyway. We’re worlds apart and complete opposites. I’m sure Hailey will run to the ends of the earth the second she finds out what I do for a living. She won’t be able to understand my world. Just like I struggle to understand hers.
Hailey’s eyes dart to my house before flitting back to me. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being quiet. I’m an extrovert. If you give me half a minute, I’ll talk your ear off.”
I wonder what she would talk about. I’d be able to listen to her for hours.
“So…” She swallows, and then nervousness tightens her features, “Are you an introvert?”
I nod. “I don’t get along with people.”
She lets out a chuckle. “Well, I’m your nearest neighbor, and it was quite a walk to your place, so you’re safe.”
I’m safe.
The corner of my mouth lifts at the thought, and the sound of my chuckle sounds foreign to my ears.
Hailey’s face brightens with a wide smile. Her eyes sparkle at me. “You should smile more.”
Instantly my lips settle back in a flat line. Feeling out of my depth, which is something I’m not used to, I take a couple of steps backward. “You should get going so you don’t have to walk down the mountain in the dark.”
“Ahh… okay.”
I turn around, and suddenly it feels like I can’t get to the front door quick enough.