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She stepped back and leaned against the counter that held their supplies. She wanted to hug him, savor each one of those beautifully-sculpted muscles, but she needed to keep her head on right now. “So I’ve heard.”
His smile grew, but his blue eyes looked uncertain, as if he worried she’d turn him away.
“Do you want to continue with your massage, Mr. Quinn?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I want to talk to you.”
“Ah, so you aren’t interested in my expert massage techniques?”
“Oh, I’m interested, and I’ll talk you into a massage sometime soon, but right now all I want to do is look at your beautiful face and beg you to go to dinner tonight.”
Her heart was thumping quickly, but nerves also assaulted her. She pulled her hair tight to the right side of her neck, making sure her ear was covered. He wouldn’t think she was beautiful if he saw her scars, but he’d come all this way and he was so charming and appealing to her. He dwarfed her physically but she felt no fear around him, besides the fear of him seeing her burns. She felt a pull to stay close to him, let him protect her and smile at her like he was doing right now.
“Hmm, dinner,” she forced some sass into her tone. “I might be persuaded. Give me your top picks.”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t care less. I’d eat McDonald’s if it meant spending time with you.”
She wrinkled her nose, though her heart soared. He wanted to spend time with her. “Not a huge fan of McDonald’s but … okay.”
He laughed louder. “No, I meant, McDonald’s isn’t my top pick, but I’d eat anywhere to be with you.”
“Do you like Thai food?”
“Sure.” He lifted and lowered his broad shoulders.
Sariah’s mouth went dry as she glanced over his muscular upper body. She wished he’d let her massage him, but him saying that he wanted to look at her and talk to her meant a lot. “I know a good Thai place that’s close by.”
Mack took a step closer and she could hardly catch a breath. What she wouldn’t give to put her hand on one of his bulging pectoral muscles then slide her fingers up to his broad shoulders.
“Close by, across the ocean,” his voice was low and melodious. “I don’t care. I just want to be with you.”
“You are a lot more forward than I thought you were.”
“What do you mean?” He bent down closer to her.
“You spent months catching my gaze before and after games, not even mustering up the courage to talk to me. Then you throw propriety to the wind and travel across the country to find me. Why?”
He nodded. “I thought maybe I was just being silly, thinking there was this connection between us as I stared at you, but after talking to you at that party … I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. I had to find you and see if you’re who I think you are.”
She let herself rest her hand on his forearm. It was so big, tough, and manly she had to fight not to massage it under her fingertips. “And who do you think I am?”
He smiled softly. “My dream girl.”
Sariah had to swallow hard. “I guess we’ll see.”
“Yes,wewill.” His smile grew. “Any chance severe bun-lady will let you leave early?”
“Severe bun …” Sariah laughed. “Miriam? Probably not.”
He reclined back against the side of the bed, wrapped both hands around her hips, and pulled her toward him. Sariah’s breath caught and her arms and legs trembled. Who knew being close to a giant of a man could be this exhilarating?
“Any chance you’ll give me a quick hug for making such an effort to find you?” Mack said so quietly she could barely hear him.
Sariah wanted to hug him until the appointment time ran out, but she had held herself in check around men for too long. She couldn’t simply change her M.O. and throw her arms around this perfect man, who was obviously chasing her.
She straightened away from him and retreated back to the counter, leaning against it to support herself. Mack’s face flashed disappointment but he didn’t move toward her. Thank heavens or she’d probably have yielded. Every part of her wanted to lay her cheek against that shredded chest and hang on.
“A flight across the country doesn’t give you those kinds of privileges,” she tried to be sassy but her heart was beating so fast the words came out all breathy and full of longing.
