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But it was his eyes that really held my attention.As the stranger stepped closer, I saw the quiet intensity in them.His irises were the deep brown of new acorns, shot through with just a touch of gold.
He wore dark jeans that hugged his hips, scarred boots, and a mustard Henley.The edges of a metal chain flirted with the open neck of his shirt.
“Sorry,” I blurted automatically, British to the core.Perhaps he was some kind of weirdly hot, plainclothes security guard?“Am I not allowed to sleep here?”
He smiled slightly, and his handsomeness amplified.“Sure, but I thought you might prefer a bed.I’m Rick.Your cousin Jess’s neighbor.”
His voice was husky and deep, a good ol’ Southern drawl that made my stomach flip over.
Oh.This is Rick?
I sat up, pushing hair out of my face.“How did you—”
“Jess told me the numbers of the flights you were on.Been followin’ the carnage.”
I smiled tiredly.“Carnage is a good word for it.”
Hands tucked casually in his pockets, one hip slightly cocked, he looked like a walking advert for Southern men.They should put him on the airport billboard.“Didn’t want you to be stranded.What kind of Kentucky welcome would that be?”
“I...”I swallowed the pang of lustjust looking at himbrought on.“Um.Did you have to walk around just saying my name at lots of sleeping women?”
Wow.My brain hadnotwoken up enough yet to use a filter.
“Nah.You’re pretty much the only one here aside from the security and janitors.Plus, Jess sent me a link to your YouTube channel, so I knew what you looked like.”
He produced an ancient leather wallet, and flipped it open to reveal a driver’s license with a grainy black and white photo of him.
“Oh.”I vaguely remembered asking Jess if her neighbor could show me some ID before I got into a car alone with him.Better safe than sorry.“Thanks.Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.You, too.Welcome to Kentucky.”Rick took the handle of my mammoth suitcase and slung my equally enormous tote over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.His muscles bunched under his tee.
I blinked at him for a moment, trying to see through the haze ofoh my god he is so hot.
Thiswas my cousin’s neighbor?
When Jess had described Rick as “a puppy with resting grump-face,” I had imagined a sometimes-crotchety retired guy in a nut-brown pullover with five grandkids and a keen interest in sweater vests and period furniture restoration.
Not thismodel.This sharp-cornered Hollywood perfection with a honeyed bourbon voice.
Why had I imagined him as old?She had never mentioned his age.
I felt stupid.
“Thank youso much,” I began as I stood and shrugged on my hoodie.“You’ve saved me from an awful night on those chairs.”
Rick threw me a smile as I walked.“I hit the Starbucks first.I’m impressed that you even considered the chairs.”
“I don’t think I could afford enough coffee to keep me awake.I wasn’t going to call you until at least six a.m.”
“I was awake,” he shrugged.
“Well, I really appreciate it.”I snuck at a glance at his unbelievably hot profile as I walked.“I wasn’t looking forward to several hours of vending machine roulette.”
He laughed, flashing a slightly crooked grin.“You’d never get a Snickers.Damn things are rigged.”
We waited for the elevator once Rick pressed the button, indicating for me to step inside first.Crappy generic sounds that could pass for music played us down the three floors to the parking lot.I stared tiredly at my reflection in the mirror.Even though I could only have slept for thirty minutes, I had bed-hair.Compounded by plane-hair.
Dark circles ringed my eyes, and those dark circles had their own circles.What a wreck.
