Protecting What's Mine

ame in one palm. My eyes widen with surprise as the doors immediately slide open. A moment later, a man steps inside the cabin with me. Feeling just a bit uncomforta

his gaze continues piercing mine. At that moment, under his sharp scrutiny, I feel frozen in place. Unable to mov

his eyes relinquish their strange hold over

m sliding to the floor in a heap. Having those intense, espresso-colored eyes

heart continues to bea

'm able to stare unabashedly at him from beneath my lash

t to nothing about men's fashions, but even I can spot quality when I see it. And this is definitely high-end, luxurious f

h of his shoulders and across his chest before tapering in at his waist. Gray

boys. But that's the difference here. The guys I'm used to are, for all intents and p

nothing

t even talking abo

I continue gazing at

That's probably the wrong word to u

o be a darkness within him. It's a little intimidating. Okay, a lot intimidating. A hundred butterflies t

. Using his thumbs, he quickly taps out a message. I'm tempted to in

ger on his

ash, I'd had a boyfriend at college. I had liked Eric well enough. He'd been nice in the goofy, immature kind of way that twenty-one-year-old

verwhelmi

e was unable to penetrate my cool detachment. I can hardly blame him for not knowing how to help

how to deal

ars later, am I

om a long, d

stant, over-the-top attract

els..

r tha

az

impromptu infatuation running rampant through my system. For just a

ood to feel s

n... Just

on someone completely unattainable, this i

impeccably

ish

ssive silver Rolex a

asts. Black sandals that I hastily shoved my feet into just before stepping out the door are strapped to my feet. A pair of tortoise shell sung

being in Kansas, I'm no longer living in the dorms with a bunch of other grungy college students who

By the sheer size of him. I guess that he's somewhere around six foot three. Which makes me a

s me breathless. If I were thinking properly, I'd drag my eyes away. But I don't. I can't. Even thoug

f his mout

ot. Jus

h to send my heart s

g like my pasty whiteness. If I had to

ad like a bell. I'm only partly conscious of the fact that I'm once again st

ence. Even though my eyes are still locked on his, I hear the doors slide open. Using his hand, he holds the metal frame so that

n to amusement. When he'd first strode onto the elevator, he'd seemed almost dark and brooding. Or maybe his swar

d, he looks od

y ex

kill

ea

ound the reusable grocery bags I'm holding before I flee from

ilently berate myself for acting like a complete idiot in front

ea

own ridiculousness. I'm willing to bet that my open adoration was the perfect balm to his already massive ego

ce over my shoulder, I know he's about ten feet behind me. I'd hoped that he would

nt wraps around me. Feeling out of sorts, I press my finger on the keypad before twisting the knob. Out of the corner of

n against the door and close my eyes. I inhale one breath, t

I want to run into

ably

t to gawk at him like some kind of

a good impression