The freshly moppedtiles inthe grand hall had Kayla looking down while she shuffled carefully toward the elevators. Suddenly her cautious shambling was over when she bumped headfirst into a broad, muscular back.
“Hmpf.”
The irritated sound of her victim wasn’t lost on Kayla. Taking a quick step back, she apologized. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.”
At first her eyes were drawn to a pair of black boots and traveled up a pair of worn dark blue jeans. When her gaze reached a black T-shirt, she wondered why this man wasn’t wearing a coat, as it was only March. She smiled at this observation, as the temperature here in Texas was most definitely different from what she was accustomed to in New Jersey.
“Well now, you’re sure getting a real good look.”
Oh my God. Was this man for real? He made it sound as if she was ogling him. This guy had some nerve to point that out, even when her eyes still lingered on his broad chest. She looked up to a chiseled jaw, a crooked nose, and the lightest green eyes she’d ever seen. She’d detected the slightest hint of an accent—Irish maybe? She wasn’t sure, but it gave his dark voice a certain sexiness.
After what had happened over a month ago, meeting a man was the last thing on her to-do list. She needed to be on her A game today and certainly not flirting with some playboy who thought he could have her falling for his, by the look of it, signature panty-dropping smirk.
Kayla had always enjoyed flirting, but she needed no distraction from a tall, muscular, and beautifully rugged man. Yes, she could tell by his stance and attitude, he was definitely a man who was used to getting his way. He oozed cockiness, a confidence that would normally attract her. But not now, not when her life was upside down and she needed to stay focused.
Feeling his gaze upon her, she involuntarily shifted on her favorite black pumps. She wished he would take her silence as his cue to move along, but alas, Kayla was not having the best of days. It all started this morning when she had overslept and had only woken up because of the deaf old cat belonging to her neighbor, Miss Jackson. The poor old thing didn’t know how loudly he was meowing, for obvious reasons.
The twinkling light green eyes looking down at Kayla announced that he was not discouraged by the lack of enthusiasm she was giving him. No, if anything, he studied her as if he was considering her a challenge, his newest conquest even.
He was easily six foot four with bulky muscles peeping from under the tight sleeves of his black T-shirt. Kayla thought he might be a fighter of some sort, with his strong physique and crooked nose that looked like it had been broken once or twice. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp, and if it wouldn’t be weird to do to a stranger, she would definitely graze over it with the palm of her hand just to feel the smooth, short hairs tickle her palm.
“And?” he asked in a dark voice, obviously attempting to keep the conversation going, although it was pretty one sided.
Kayla shook her head, trying to reboot her mind.
“And what?” she asked with a sigh, so over this conversation. She had no time for this; she needed to be at Mills Security in five minutes. Turning her attention to the two elevators, Kayla was disappointed to see that the closest one was on the tenth floor. Great, at least it was moving down. Hopefully this guy wouldn’t go to the same floor as her.
“And do you like what you see?” he clarified, interrupting her thoughts.
“Why? I’d think you wouldn’t need any confirmation. Your head is big enough as it is.”
Booming laughter followed her statement. Kayla was irritated that he had the nerve to laugh. The rise of her right brow and a stern look were all that was needed to shut him up.
She was glad she still had it in her. Even after all that had happened, she still wouldn’t come across as a pushover.
One of the two elevators passed the sixth floor on its way down to the ground floor, and Kayla intentionally kept her gaze on the doors instead of Mr. Boxer. The name suited him with his crooked nose, scarred right eyebrow, and strong physique.