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She sucked in a breath of air, calming herself. It had taken her a long time to build up her courage to make these outings to the pool and she wasn’t going to let herself slide back to the blinding fear. There were security cameras on the deck and she was in view of one right now. She always let Leandra know when she was going to sun herself on the deck, just with a casual message, as part of letting her know how her day was going.
If anything happened, it would be on the security film. Not that she’d let it get that far if she could help it. She wasn’t powerless. She had pepper spray in her bag, her cell phone handy so she could quickly dial 911, and she’d taken self-defense classes.
She reached around and fastened her bikini top, then slowly sat up. Casually, she reached for her silky, black floral cover up and pulled it on, carefully not looking toward the windows. She wanted to be covered and feeling a little more settled when she faced the intruder.
Before she had a chance, though, the sliding doors opened. She glanced up to see a man step onto the deck.
She sighed in relief when she saw it was Steve from the tenth floor. They had mutual friends in the building and had gotten to know each other and become friends of sorts.
He was a really nice guy. And good looking, with his broad shoulders, well-defined torso, and dark blond hair swept back from his handsome face.
Steve glanced over his shoulder at the open door. It seemed he was waiting for someone to join him.
When his gaze swept outside again, he saw her for the first time.
His face beamed with his warm, friendly smile. “Hi, Sonny. Nice afternoon.”
“Yes, it is.”
She wouldn’t mind chatting with him. She’d found she was always pretty comfortable around Steve which was nice for a change, but she didn’t know how to give out an inviting vibe.
She pulled her bag closer, and routed through it, just for something to distract herself.
Then another man stepped outside.
She glanced up and her heart thumped to life.
The man was…breathtaking.
His body was big and powerful. His arms and chest bulged with muscles and he had tattoos covering his body. She couldn’t tell what they all were since they were so dense, but she did make out a thorny rose vine coiling along one arm and around his torso, tendrils even coiling up his neck.
His hair was dark brown, shaved close to his head, and his ear glinted with piercings.
He glanced at her and smiled. Immediately, she dropped her gaze to her bag and she started sorting through it again, as if looking for something.
They started to walk and she was afraid they’d come over, but instead they headed toward some chairs closer to the edge of the deck.
Oh, God, the man was so heart-stoppingly masculine. Her body tingled as her hormones sparked to life.
Which she didn’t understand. She should be afraid, but the sensation pulsing through her was pure, unadulterated lust.
Unnerved, she grabbed her book and suntan lotion and shoved them into her bag, then pushed her towel in, too. She slipped on her sandals and surged to her feet, then hurried to the door. As she slid it open, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that the big man was watching her, a frown on his face.
Did he think she was running away from him?
She didn’t want any man to think she was afraid of him—showing strength was important—but right now, the threat she faced was her own unbridled libido. She didn’t understand her reaction to him and that unsettled her so much she had to escape.
She closed the door behind her and hurried away.
* * *
Tal watched the woman practically run off, his stomach clenching. All he’d done was smile at her. He hadn’t said a word. Hadn’t made a move toward her. Yet she’d up and fled.
He would have liked to have talked to her. Gotten to know her a little. There was something about her.
She was a beautiful woman, with her long, blonde hair cascading in waves over her shoulders. A pretty face with kissable heart-shaped lips. And he’d caught more than a glimpse of her curvy body through the glass when she’d sat up to pull on her cover up.
But what attracted him was more than that.
