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A massive tree rose behind the guest house, and its thick, twisted branches stretched wide. The leaves were lush and dense and cast a giant wedge of shade over the yard. Those branches waved in the cool breeze as birds flitted through, while the last of the sun broke through and dappled the ground in splotches of light.
“What do you think?” A gruff voice suddenly grazed over my nape, not more than a foot away.
Startled, I whirled around, and my fist flew out in a pathetic attempt at protecting myself. I’d been so wrapped up in studying the little house that I hadn’t noticed that I had been sneaked up on.
My guard down.
Only my fist whacked into a chest. A chest so solid and hard that I would have cried out in pain if my breath hadn’t gotten snatched from my lungs by the big hand that grabbed me by the wrist to prevent a further attack.
Warm brown eyes glinted, and amusement danced across Ezra’s rugged face. “You really are dangerous, aren’t you?”
Heat burned from the connection where he held me and left me on unsteady feet.
I jerked my wrist free of his hold, and I scowled at the man who stood there as casual as could be. “Me, dangerous? You scared the crap out of me.”
“That seems to be awful easy to do,” he drawled in that low, grumbly way. I wondered if he had any idea that it sounded so nice. If he used it on all unsuspecting women because God knew my belly was tipping at the sound.
“Maybe you just keep creeping up on me.” I shook out my hand, not sure if I was trying to slough off the sting from hitting him or the burn that still encircled my wrist.
One thousand percent, I needed not to be crushing on this guy. He was married, for God’s sake, and that was territory I never stepped into.
Ever.
Honestly, though, I didn’t think that he was the type. He seemed too loyal. Too genuine. But I couldn’t help but sense that something was there. Something simmering between us, deep and alive.
Attraction.
And that kind of attraction was bad, bad news.
“And maybe you need to be more aware of your surroundings.” I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or serious. Because I was sure I felt it. A flare of concern. A rumble of aggression. Like he would single-handedly take out any threat that might come my way.
It was gone before I could process it, and the burly brute stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels in pure nonchalance.
Only nothing about it felt nonchalant considering the action caused my gaze to drift, dragging down on its own accord, without permission.
My breaths turned shallow.
The man had changed out of his uniform and was wearing black sweats and a tight, plain-white tee. The thin fabric stretched over his muscled frame, his arms bulging and his thighs pressing against his sweats.
My stomach tightened, and I took a step back and forced myself to stop ogling him.
Safety measures and all.
The man was far too appealing for his own good.
I bet he had half the town salivating over him. Committing crimes just for the sake of him putting them in cuffs.
He must not have been immune to the tension that curled through the dense air because he cleared his throat, and he also stepped back as he roughed one of those massive hands through the longer pieces of his hair. “How was the café?”
“Good. Dakota is every bit as awesome as you said.” I hoped I wasn’t panting when I said it.
“Good, good,” he muttered. “You think it’s going to work out?”
I didn’t know if anything was going to work out. How this was going to end. But I forced myself to speak. “Yeah, it’s great. Thank you for setting me up with that. I know you were putting your neck out there for a stranger, so I appreciate it.”
I did. Truly. It was rare that anyone had ever stepped out for me.
“Don’t make me regret it.” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes. God, I didn’t know what to make of him. So rough and hard and unbearably sweet.
“I’ll do my best.” I fought my own smile.
“Come on, let’s check this place out.”
He didn’t wait for me to answer. He strode up the single step onto the porch and headed for the front door.
I finally gathered my senses enough to scramble after him. “Don’t we need to wait for the owner?”
Producing a key, he slid it into the lock, not bothering to glance back when he said, “I am the owner.”
He swung open the door, and he nearly had to duck as he stepped inside.
I stumbled a step before I hurried to catch up to him, my hands already out in front of me as if I were trying to protect myself from the big bad wolf, except the only thing this guy was trying to kill me with was kindness.
