“What’s wrong, pretty girl?” His gruff voice matched his appearance and Bex was mesmerized at the endearment as well as his ability to discern that there was anything wrong at all.
“N-nothing.”
He shook his head. “You’ve been crying. Why?” He lifted a hand, but dropped it quickly without touching her. “Who hurt you?” he asked softly, but with a marginal edge to his tone. How she could tell anything about him was beyond her. She didn’t know him and he didn’t know her. And yet…
“No one hurt me. Thank you for… Caring, I guess. I’m fine.”
He grunted, but said nothing more about it. “What’s in your package?”
“My… Oh. It’s an o-old key.” She stumbled and started to stutter as emotion threatened to clog her throat again, but she managed to swallow it down.
“It makes you sad. Why?”
Bex tilted her head to the side and looked up, up, and up until she could see that he’d removed his sunglasses. His eyes were varying shades of brown, from bright gold to dark chocolate. They were beautiful, hypnotic and if she didn’t focus her gaze somewhere else, she was going to fall under his spell.
She chose the envelope and its content. “It was the key to my mother’s bed and breakfast. She passed away recently and the house has been sold. This is original key.”
“What will the new owners do?”
“They’re putting in a new lock and don’t need this key anymore. They thought I would like to have it.”
“And do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Like to have it?”
Did she? Every time she looked at it, she was going to tear up. How long would it take for that not to happen at all? She didn’t know and she didn’t really want to find out.
“Fair enough. I’m Gus, by the way.”
“I’m Rebecca, but people have always called me Bex.”
“Cute. I like it.”
“Well, I… I’ve got to head out and return my rental.”
“You don’t live here anymore?”
“No.”
“And you’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“To go where?”
Their conversation had been rapid fire, back and forth until he asked her where she was going. It at least told her she still had her head screwed on straight. Telling a complete stranger, even one as delicious as he was, was tantamount to disaster. So, when the next words popped out of her mouth, she was so surprised she immediately clamped a hand over her lips. “Tennessee. My bus leaves later tonight.” He smiled at her revelation and she wanted to kick herself. She knew better than to give out information like that.
“Let me take you.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised by his offer, but she was. That didn’t make any sense, either. “You don’t know me and you don’t where I’m going. More importantly, I don’t know you.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised by his offer, but she was. That didn’t make any sense, either. “You don’t know me and you don’t where I’m going. More importantly, I don’t know you.”
“Hmm.” He scrubbed the beard on his chin and she suddenly wanted to know what it felt like. Was it course? Silky? It looked like a combination of both, and she had an urge to feel it against her skin, against her cheek, on the inside of her thighs. “Why is it more important?”
Shocked at the direction of her thoughts, she didn’t catch his question. “What?”
“Why is you not knowing me more important than me not knowing you?”“Just look at you.” She gestured toward his body for emphasis.
“Size aside, you could still knife me in my sleep.”
He had a point, even if he didn’t know how well she could wield a knife, a bow and arrow, and a hunting rifle. “And you could knife me in mine.”
“You’re too pretty for that.”
She grinned. Open and honest and big, she grinned. It felt wonderful. “Nice to know my looks are worth something,” she said with a chuckle. “Thank you, Gus. Really. But I can’t.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll be around until midnight doing tattoos. Come find me when you change your mind.”
“When I…” But he was already walking away. For such a big man, he moved with ease, an animal grace. He didn’t lumber or stomp or even seem to notice his size and how much space he took up. He was comfortable in his own skin in a way most people she knew never were.
Bex shook herself of the effect the man had on her. He’d disappeared inside the tattoo shop at the end of the row of shops. The whole shopping area was newly renovated and blended with their mountain surroundings.
The tattoo parlor was the newest business, open for a year or so, according to Mr. Garnet.She stared for a little longer in the direction the bear of a man had gone, then slid into her rental car. It was time to move on, time to start a new life.
And she pretended not to notice the tear that slipped down her cheek.
