No...body...
Something pressing insistently between my legs wakes me up. Dazed, I shimmy my lower half on the stool and mumble grumpily, “Fuck off, Silas. Not now.”
“Toto—come.” With a chuff against my thigh, the pressure disappears. “Who’s Silas?”
That voice. Oh, God...so hot and rough. Wait a second—I’m at work. I jerk up, wiping away the bit of drool leaking from the corner of my mouth. Double damn it. Just my stupid luck that a customer would show up while I’m slacking on the job. “I’m so sorry! How can I help...you?” My words trail off as I see who the voice belongs to.
It takes everything within me to keep a professional mask in place when I take in the bald giant in front of me. Wait—not bald. Shaved. His head is shaved. Close enough.
But the man is massive. Massive! At least six feet tall, if not taller, with intensity radiating from every inch of him. My eyes fall to shoulders probably as wide as three of me and travel down to arms as thick as tree trunks, their sheer power barely restrained by his long-sleeved charcoal Henley. The counter blocks the rest of him, but I’m sure it follows suit.
Look up “power” in the dictionary, and there’d be a picture of this guy. A flutter that I know is too soon to be little Butterbean pulses in my lower abdomen, urging me to roll over and spread my legs wide open for the alpha male in front of me.
Take me; I’m yours.
Dark brown eyes follow the path of my hand as I press it to myself to quell the flutter. I can’t be thinking like this. There’s another man’s baby growing inside of me, even if I’m on the verge of ending the relationship with him.Calm down, Rosanna.
“Silas?” the giant rumbles again in question, black tattoos on his neck flexing with his growl as his thick black eyebrows narrow in on my lower core.
Silas. Oh. I forgot. “My—” I’m interrupted by awoof!and two colossal paws that land on the counter in front of me, knocking aside a cup of pens. Huge like its owner, a black and tan German Shepherd stares at me with soft brown doggy eyes as it pants, tongue lolling and drool dripping. Cute. This guy must have seen theDogs Welcomesign on the front door. “Aw...you’re a big pupper!”
“Toto—down,” the giant commands.
I flinch instinctively at his sharp tone, watching as the dog obeys and disappears from view. “He”—she?—“wasn’t doing any harm. It’s just pens; nothing major.”
He braces his bulk on the counter, his overwhelming presence surrounding me as the air shifts around him. “That wasn’t the point. He knows not to jump on things he’s not supposed to. Now, who’s Silas?”
Who does this guy think he is to demand personal answers from a perfect stranger, and why did I almost fall for it? I shove my reaction back down and repeatmyquestion thathenever answered. “How can I help you?”
All I get is a flash of his straight teeth as his beautifully full lips separate in an amused smile and his dark gaze roams my face. Slowly, his hand extends toward me. What the—? My head levers back the closer he gets. Flustered, I smack him away. “Excuse you?”
He smirks. “Sorry. I was just going to take that paper clip off your forehead. Must have been a heck of a good nap.”
An unprofessional and unladylike curse leaves me. As if waiting to be acknowledged, my helpful brain lets me know that it now suddenly detects something in the middle of my face. Closing my eyes in mortification, I reach up and pick off the offending piece of metal.
Angling closer, he gestures wordlessly with his hand. I have no idea why, especially since I rebuffed him only seconds ago, but I meet him halfway. My eyes close in bliss this time as his hand cradles my head, thumb firmly massaging away the indentation left by that stupid paper clip.
“There we go. All better.”
Did he just kiss me?I could swear that I felt a whisper of lips against my hair before he pulled away, but I can’t say for certain because his huge palm almost swallowed my face. When my lashes flutter open, he’s back at a respectable distance again. “Thank you. Now, may I help you?”
“I’m looking for Albert Wright.”
“He’s at lunch right now, but maybe I could assist you? I’m the manager.” Manager, bookkeeper, sales associate, and a million other titles since it’s just Mr. Wright, me, and the part-time teen who helps move the heavy things. Small town troubles.
“Then I’m sure you can. I’m Connor Shay, and I’m supposed to be meeting him to sign an agreement.”
So, this is the guy. I check my watch for the time. “Oh, he’s probably going to be a while, but he mentioned you’d be stopping by. Let me just get the form.” I push my sudden nerves down and find the paper I need. “If you’ll fill out the first four items, I’ll go over the rest with you.”
“Does it need to be legible?”
My lips twist as I fight a grin. “Yes, it needs to be legible if you want to be put into the system so you can get paid.”
“Would you mind doing it for me? Penmanship was never my thing.”
Connor slides the paper back to me and gives half a smile. I’ve had weirder requests, so this isn’t too big of a deal. “All right. As long as you sign off on the dotted line.”
Collecting the pertinent information, like his name, mailing and email address, and phone number, I write it in my apparently neater handwriting and wonder why he chose our small town. He lives about an hour away. Doesn’t he realize the demand isn’t as high over here?
