And he is gorgeous.
She grinned, letting her eyes linger on his beautiful eyes and curved lips. She’d never liked beards before, but she liked this one. For a whole minute, she thought about searching through it to find his lips and wondered what his beard would feel like. Her fingers curled gently against his chest.
“Hmm …” she moaned softly. The man’s eyes widened.
“I said, are you okay?”
“Huh? What? I mean, yes. Yes, of course, I am,” Rylee said, barely even aware of her own words. The man smiled as if he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
Is he a patron here, or does he work here? He must be used to picking up staggering, drunk women.
Rylee’s thoughts sped through her mind so fast and slippery that she didn’t even try to hang on to them. Even as she tried to gain control of herself, she kept falling into his big dark blue eyes. She wanted him to speak again … the rumbling, deep voice had been one of the most amazing sounds she’d ever heard.
“Let me help you,” he said, leaning over to steady her. The change of position put his mouth very close to her ear, and his breath against her cheek combined with his deep, resonant voice made her tremble all the way to the ends of her fingers and toes.
“Oh,” she muttered. The man’s grip on her waist tightened.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Actually, I have no fucking clue.
“I’m … maybe if you just get me to the top of the stairs?” she muttered. He nodded, one strong arm wrapping around her waist while the other supported her hand. He had her back in the hallway in only a couple of steps, but he didn’t let her go.
Rylee smiled, leaning against his massive chest. She knew she was staring, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was staring right back.
She was very aware of his arm around her, his hand gently gripping her wrist. Her cheek could almost feel the deep, steady rhythm of his heart, and the heat emanating from him made her feel very safe and warm.
Rylee gazed into his eyes, waiting for him to speak again. His voice had touched her in all the right places … it had been more stimulating than anything any other man had done to her, ever. While she swam, lost in his eyes, she began to notice his scent.
It was very light, but it was definitely sea spray and salt. She hummed softly, a little sound of pleasure in response to the way his presence was comforting and heating her at the same time.
“Miss?” he said, chuckling. “Really, are you okay? I don’t know if being mute is a natural state for you, or if you’re hurt or … I don’t know. Can I get a response?”
His eyes twinkled with amusement as he smiled at her, and she realized he had asked her another question. Rylee tried, really tried, to find her voice, but all she could manage was a frown. This man literally left her speechless.
“How about two blinks for a yes?” he said, laughing. Rylee grinned, feeling life beginning to return to her body. She was putty in his hands, and maybe she was drawing out the moment simply because she didn’t want him to let go of her.
Rylee sighed, blinking twice. He laughed softly, and Rylee felt the sound vibrate through her, echoing in the deepest places of her body.
He’s so gorgeous. I’m literally going to pass out!
Instead, she blinked again, giggling as she got her feet back under her and stood up properly, still hanging on to his arm.
“I’m okay,” she said, not moving away from him. “Thank you.”
He nodded and stepped away, just a little. Rylee kept one hand on his arm, frowning. He looked at her hand, then back to her face.
“Do you need more help with something?”
Rylee shook her head slowly. The tall, smoldering man laughed softly.
“Do we need to go back to blinking code?”
Rylee giggled. She never wanted to move. She wanted to stand here all night and let her eyes devour him while her ears drank up his every syllable.
“No, no,” she laughed. “We don’t have to go back to a blinking code. I just … got a bit of a shock, almost falling down the stairs. I’m very lucky you were there.”
“It was my pleasure,” he said, smiling. “I’m glad I could help.”