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Chapter One

Scorching

“Babe, that van you?”

It had only been me and two guys, who based on their leathers, were most likely guys of the biker variety, in the waiting room. And neither of those dudes struck me as the type to be called ‘babe’ by another dude.

Not that I judge, of course. It just seemed unlikely.

Seeing as I was reading, and lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed anyone else entering the room until the deep voice called out.

Another quick room sweep out of the corner of my eye confirmed I was the most likely candidate to be called ‘babe’. Probably the only one there with a van, too.

“Babe, van?” he asked again as he turned around and began rifling through papers.

“Um, yeah,” I answered to his back.

It was a back. I’d seen lots of them. Backs were backs, right?

Yeah, no.

This was aback. Broad shoulders, and what I was sure were a lot of muscles somehow visible through his dark gray t-shirt. I’d never thought of backs as anything, but this was agoodone.

“They do the paperwork with you?” he asked, turning back around with a stack of papers.

“Uhh,” I mumbled. They hadn’t. I knew they hadn’t. My brain fully acknowledged no paperwork had been done with me. Getting my mouth to communicate that, however, was not happening. Not once my eyes saw his front. I liked his back, but I liked his front a whole hell of a lot more. So much more, in fact, I couldn’t say the word ‘no’ about some simple paperwork.

There’s a whole lotta other things I wouldn’t say no to either.

Facing away and bent over, I’d noticed he was tall. Straightened up, though, I saw he wasn’t just tall. He wastall.

As invery.

At five foot four, I was used to looking up at people. Since he was at least a foot taller than me, I could develop a serious crick in my neck from craning my head to look up at him.

It was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make.

Because, along with being tall and built, he was hot. Beyond hot. I don’t think there’s a word to describe what he was. Scorching, maybe, if the heat I was feeling was any indication. His damp, dark blond hair was pulled into a messy knot at the back of his head. It wasn’t very long, probably only around shoulder length.

Since he looked to be in his early thirties, his face had long ago lost any boyishness. Amazing bone structure and hard angles came together in an almost beautiful way if he weren’t so overwhelmingly masculine.

His strong jaw was covered in at least a few days’ worth of stubble. Scruffy stubble that should have screamed “I need a shave!” Instead it beckoned “Run your fingers over me!”

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to do just that.

The thing that seemed to cut off communication between my brain and my mouth, though, were his eyes. Vibrant green eyes, lined with thick, long lashes. Sexy as hell, they left me mumbling like I didn’t have a brain.

Get it together!So, he’s tall. And hot. With those green eyes. And those muscles. And… Where was I going with this?

Oh yeah. Get it together!

He shook his head, his eyes shining with amused frustration. “Nope, no paperwork. Not a surprise, they never do anything that even slightly feels like work. Come on up, babe. Let’s take care of this.”

The sound of my heels clicking on the linoleum echoed in the room. I cursed my decision to wear them. High heels, in general, weren’t known for being easy to walk in. Four-inch ones, especially. Heels with jello knees forced me to focus extra hard on the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other.

I’d already mumbled like an idiot. I didn’t need to fall on my face like one.

I reached the counter, staying upright the whole time, and silently congratulated myself. When I looked up at him, his gaze was intense as he looked through me. And I meanthrough. Into my mind, my soul. I was sure he was sifting through my deepest and darkest secrets.