She nodded. But I noticed that instead of turning her face toward the heat, she was leaning into me, placing her cheek against my chest. Her hands covered mine. She was snuggling back against me, and it felt so good that I couldn’t stop her. Her head was directly over my heart, and my chin nestled into her hair.
Suddenly she froze. “What’s wrong?” I asked, barely stopping myself from instinctively calling her ‘sweetie’ or ‘baby’. That was weird. I’d never in my life used pet names with a woman.
“I should have asked before. Um, is there a girlfriend or wife who would be upset that you’re taking such good care of me?”
I chuckled, shaking her against my chest. “No, Kayla. I’ve been single for a long time.” She nodded, relaxing back against me. “And I assume you must be single. If you had a partner, they would have been here by now, checking on you.”
She laughed lightly. “The one boyfriend I had for a while would only see me every other Friday night. He worked too much to spare any extra time.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I murmured into her soft hair. “There is nothing that should keep a good man away from a gorgeous woman like you for a whole week.”
She laced her fingers with mine. “You sound like a tough guy, but you’re unusually sweet.”
I had to suppress a shudder. I needed to take her to the bedroom. Or right here. I could feel the raw lust coursing through me. But it was so much more than physical urges. My desire for her was being ignited by her softness, her lightness. Even now, as she was trapped in the dark.
Part of me knew that she was reaching out to me because of her current predicament. If I considered myself a strong, upstanding man, I needed to draw some lines. I had to be as strong as everyone seemed to think I was.
A cloud passed over the sun as the breeze picked up, and she shivered. “Let’s get you inside,” I said. Her heavy sigh suggested that she didn’t want me to let go. Turning her to face me, I picked her up, setting her down in the center of the room, then going back to shut and lock the sliding door.
She spun toward me, reaching her hand out for me, smiling as I took it. Then she tilted her head
up to mine. “Want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with me?” She giggled so sweetly. “Well, you can watch and I can listen. I can picture most of it if it’s one of my old favorites. And those arms could be my weights again.”
I forced myself to step back, taking a deep breath. “Little one, I think that might be a bad idea.”
Her face fell. It felt like a knife twisting in my guts as I realized her upset expression was my fault. I’d have to tell her what I looked like before our tiny flirtation grew any deeper.
CHAPTER NINE
* Kayla *
“I’m sorry,” I gasped, feeling my face flush with heat and humiliation. I couldn’t believe I’d be so stupid as to misread the situation. There was no way that a charming, hulking guy like this would want an average girl who was a bit thick through the middle. I obviously couldn’t keep up on hikes or whatever fit people did. Not to mention that at the moment I was completely helpless, and likely looked a mess.
“They say that ninety percent of communication is non-verbal,” I whispered, “Most of it is sight. I’m so sorry.” I turned away with my arm out to find the wall so that I could go hide in my bedroom, but he took my hand and held me still.
“No, oh god no – Kayla, please don’t think that I don’t want you. That is not it at all.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again quickly. “Forget I said anything. You can go and I’ll just listen to audiobooks.”
His arms wrapped around me, holding me against his chest. I wanted to stay there forever, but I was also dying of embarrassment.
“Kayla, I wish you could understand how much I want to snuggle with you right now,” his deep voice rumbled against my ear. “I need a girl like you. You have no idea. But it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of you while you’re fragile.” His lips were nearly against my forehead. “Also, let’s be brutally honest. Little one, you need a man who wears a suit. Who you’d be proud to have on your arm. I could never be that for you.”
“Why not? I really don’t care about fancy jobs, or money, or any of that.”
He led me to the couch, sitting close beside me. His scent was making my hips tighten. Woodsy and fresh and so extremely male that it was hard not to lean toward him. I’d never had this reaction to anyone before.
After feeling numb for days, his hands were bringing back my sense of touch, and making me realize that I’d been craving it so much. For years I wished I’d find a man someday, but I wasn’t bold enough to put myself out there. Now there was an amazing man right here in my apartment, but he didn’t want me.
Taking my hand in his, he brought my fingertips under the sleeve of his t-shirt. Good grief, his arms were solid. “There is a Celtic dragon that runs from here...” My fingers skimmed around the top of his shoulder. “To here.” He slid my hand down to his wrist. “Some of the artwork goes onto the back of my hand,” he said gently. “So there’s no hiding it.”
He did the same on the other side, and I was hoping that it was because he enjoyed my touch. “This side is Celtic birds, a griffin, and other mythological creatures.” Pulling my hand from his, I let it slowly slide around and down his bicep, dipping around each curve of muscle. My exploration became a caress, and he could feel the shift. I heard his sharp intake of breath.
Lifting my hands to his face, he held them there for a moment, and I giggled as I pet his slight scruff of beard. “My eyes are closed,” he said. “Tell me what you feel.”
Gently drifting around his skin, I sensed his square jawline, high cheekbones, straight nose. His brows were prominent, and he felt like a Norse god of some sort. He felt gorgeous. My stomach was tightening as I realized I never wanted to stop touching him. Then I felt a large dip at the center of his left eyebrow, extending an inch above.
“Follow the line down,” he said. Did he sound sad?