perceptive, pale green eyes.
Instead of wilting beneath his arrogant gaze, I decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. I let my eyes rove up and down his tall, lean frame.
His biceps gleamed with moisture in the mellow sunlight of late afternoon. A sheen of sweat showed on his long, powerful legs covered by a black jogging shorts.
He’d been running. Hard.
I opened my mouth and a sigh of longing snuck out. I snapped it shut. What must he think of me ogling him like a hopeful puppy? I scrambled to my feet.
“Running away?” He drawled, there was no mistaking the arrogant mockery in his tone.
I stopped, tipped my head back and looked him straight in the eye, “I wouldn’t run from anybody like you,” I snapped.
His lips tilted upwards in a thin, threatening smile that revealed white teeth that were a little crooked in front, “And just who are people like me?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
I refused to be intimidated. I gathered my wits for a nasty putdown and then stopped. My dad’s face flashed before me, careworn and burnt dark by the pitiless sun he worked under every day. This asshole’s father was literally putting food on our table.
Frustrated I grimaced and ducked by head. I avoided his waiting gaze, “Forget I said it,” I gritted out.
“Coward,” his voice was sudden, a sharp bark that was unexpectedly harsh.
It snapped my head up. Hard green eyes clashed with mine.
He jerked his chin over his shoulder, “Go on. Run away. You’re wasting my time.”
Stunned, all semblance of job-preservation fled from my mind. I smiled sweetly at him, then lowered my butt back onto the hard wood of the pier, without looking at him I said, “I’m sure you don’t need me to show you the way home.”
There was a cough behind me, it sounded like he was leaving but the rusty sound came again and exploded. He threw his head back and roared with laughter. A few of the people jogging by shot inquisitive looks at us.
He didn’t give a damn. He sounded so amused that my lips began to twitch. Moments later I was biting my bottom lip ruthlessly to keep my cheeks from splitting. It was in vain.
A giggle popped out, then another. Soon I was laughing just as hard with him.
“Move over,” he said gruffly as he scooted down next to me on the pier.
Grudgingly I scraped across to the opposite side of the wall to accommodate his invading bulk.
I shot him an irritated look.
“What?” he asked his green eyes wide with innocence.
“You’re too big,” I grumbled, squashing my shoulder into the hard wood to make room for him.
He smiled, displaying an adorable dimple in his left cheek, then fluttered his lashes outrageously, “Possibly or this pier isn’t made for normal sized human beings.”
I ran my gaze over his broad shoulders which would easily make two of mine, “tell yourself that.”
“I do,” he said airily.
I turned away and tried to concentrate on the soft waves raking across the surface of the lake. I inhaled. Savored the raw smell of life that they pulled from the water. I wrinkled my nose at the unpleasant odor of fish.
“I’d like to get to know you better.”
What? I shook my head to try to make some sense out of what he was asking. We weren’t friends. The most we had in common was that we lived in the same small town and I cut the grass he walked on.
I latched onto the most plausible reason to disassociate myself from his outrageous request, “I don’t know you.”
“Let’s change that,” he said undaunted.
“Why?”
“I can’t answer that,” he turned to face the churning waters of the lake.
I watched him for some moments but when he didn’t look around, I joined him in the strange, welcome silence which fell around us.
Chapter two
Late the next afternoon, I tensed as we pulled to a stop in front of Jake’s paved circular driveway. Coincidentally afternoons were ideal for trimming trees and other
Instead of wilting beneath his arrogant gaze, I decided to give him a dose of his own medicine. I let my eyes rove up and down his tall, lean frame.
His biceps gleamed with moisture in the mellow sunlight of late afternoon. A sheen of sweat showed on his long, powerful legs covered by a black jogging shorts.
He’d been running. Hard.
I opened my mouth and a sigh of longing snuck out. I snapped it shut. What must he think of me ogling him like a hopeful puppy? I scrambled to my feet.
“Running away?” He drawled, there was no mistaking the arrogant mockery in his tone.
I stopped, tipped my head back and looked him straight in the eye, “I wouldn’t run from anybody like you,” I snapped.
His lips tilted upwards in a thin, threatening smile that revealed white teeth that were a little crooked in front, “And just who are people like me?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
I refused to be intimidated. I gathered my wits for a nasty putdown and then stopped. My dad’s face flashed before me, careworn and burnt dark by the pitiless sun he worked under every day. This asshole’s father was literally putting food on our table.
Frustrated I grimaced and ducked by head. I avoided his waiting gaze, “Forget I said it,” I gritted out.
“Coward,” his voice was sudden, a sharp bark that was unexpectedly harsh.
It snapped my head up. Hard green eyes clashed with mine.
He jerked his chin over his shoulder, “Go on. Run away. You’re wasting my time.”
Stunned, all semblance of job-preservation fled from my mind. I smiled sweetly at him, then lowered my butt back onto the hard wood of the pier, without looking at him I said, “I’m sure you don’t need me to show you the way home.”
There was a cough behind me, it sounded like he was leaving but the rusty sound came again and exploded. He threw his head back and roared with laughter. A few of the people jogging by shot inquisitive looks at us.
He didn’t give a damn. He sounded so amused that my lips began to twitch. Moments later I was biting my bottom lip ruthlessly to keep my cheeks from splitting. It was in vain.
A giggle popped out, then another. Soon I was laughing just as hard with him.
“Move over,” he said gruffly as he scooted down next to me on the pier.
Grudgingly I scraped across to the opposite side of the wall to accommodate his invading bulk.
I shot him an irritated look.
“What?” he asked his green eyes wide with innocence.
“You’re too big,” I grumbled, squashing my shoulder into the hard wood to make room for him.
He smiled, displaying an adorable dimple in his left cheek, then fluttered his lashes outrageously, “Possibly or this pier isn’t made for normal sized human beings.”
I ran my gaze over his broad shoulders which would easily make two of mine, “tell yourself that.”
“I do,” he said airily.
I turned away and tried to concentrate on the soft waves raking across the surface of the lake. I inhaled. Savored the raw smell of life that they pulled from the water. I wrinkled my nose at the unpleasant odor of fish.
“I’d like to get to know you better.”
What? I shook my head to try to make some sense out of what he was asking. We weren’t friends. The most we had in common was that we lived in the same small town and I cut the grass he walked on.
I latched onto the most plausible reason to disassociate myself from his outrageous request, “I don’t know you.”
“Let’s change that,” he said undaunted.
“Why?”
“I can’t answer that,” he turned to face the churning waters of the lake.
I watched him for some moments but when he didn’t look around, I joined him in the strange, welcome silence which fell around us.
Chapter two
Late the next afternoon, I tensed as we pulled to a stop in front of Jake’s paved circular driveway. Coincidentally afternoons were ideal for trimming trees and other
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