Page 2 of Worthy

“And I suppose knowing you would work in my favor?” He surmises with a wry smile, eyes taking a quick trip along the length of my body. It’s subtle, but it’s enough to spur me onward.

“It can.”

I’m creeping into dangerous territory. My interest in men isn’t common knowledge—okay, it’s my little secret—and sharing it with our newest resident before I’ve told anyone else probably isn’t the wisest move. Especially, considering I’ve never actually made a move on aguy before. But he’s seriously hot. More stunning than ninety percent of the women who come through here, which is saying something.

Maybe it’s the combination of masculine bulk with feminine hair. Or those sultry lips. It could even be the angular cut of his jaw. Regardless, he paints a picture I’m struggling to tear my eyes away from, so even though my escapades have thus far been limited to the softer sex, I want this guy like I’ve never wanted a female.

“Is this the part where I’m supposed to ask you to help out the new guy? To give me the scoop on the town and show me the lay of the land?” He blinks, feigning innocence. I like it.

“If you want.” I stuff my hands in my pockets.

“Let me guess, you’re the only tour guide around?” He rolls his eyes.

“Not the only. But I am the best.” I give him my sexiest casual shrug.

“Cocky.”

“Honest,” I correct. “Few people have lived here as long as I have.”

“How long is that?”

“All my life.” I drag my eyes to his with a bashful smile.

“What makes you think I need someone to show me around?” He purses those full lips.

“You’re grocery shopping on Main Street.” I tilt my head toward the building I’m leaning on.

“So?”

“So, you’re paying tourist prices. Nona’s a sweet lady and I can see why you’d want to shop in her store, but she marks everything up since her customers are mostly visitors. There’s a better option a little further out of town. And they offer a local discount.” I give him a conspiratorial wink.

“And this option is open at—” he checks his watch “—nine thirty at night?”

“Nope,” I say, emphasizing every syllable. “So, you need someone to show you whereandwhen to do your shopping.”

“Well, thanks for the offer, but I think I can figure it out on my own.” He smiles with false sweetness, amused.Odd. Admittedly, I’ve got way more experience picking up girls than guys, but women are usually batting their eyelashes and asking when I’m free by now, and he’s…not.

I’m confused. He totally checked me out a second ago, right?

He did. I know he did. I’m not imagining that. And I’m not imagining the playful tone in his voice either. But he’s still going to walk away?

It’s on the tip of my tongue to correct this guy, to tell him he does need me to learn his way around so I can keep this dialogue going, but he’s got me off my game. His words suggest he’s turned off, yet his tone suggests curiosity, and I’m not sure how to handle that. I’m used to a solid green light, and this guy is more like yellow. We may not have stoplights in this town, but I do know yellow means caution, which means it’s probably safer to back off.

That’s ok though. I can work with caution.

“Suit yourself, neighbor. See you around.” I nod goodbye and continue walking toward the bar, a move that usually leaves them wanting more. Only I don’t feel his eyes on my back as I leave.

Chapter one

Maddox

The rhythmic beeping from the backhoe is more distracting than I anticipated.

Uncle Rick warned me to expect noise, though when I made arrangements to spend the summer here, I thought I’d be out exploring during the day and using the quiet nights to write my thesis. What I hadn’t counted on is how June in the mountains isn’t the same as June on the coast, so mornings and evenings get pretty cool. Cold even. That means no exploring until the afternoon sun warms the air, which in turn means schoolwork has to get done in the mornings if I want to get outside at all.

I look at all my notes, spread over the desk in front of me. I can’t make much sense of them right now, not in any meaningful way, so I jot down the primary points of my thesis, adding bullets about which supporting information fits best under each section. It’s the most that can be accomplished with this racket, but by the time lunch rolls around a few hours later, a plan is taking shape.

After a quick sandwich, I grab my hiking gear and head out to the car Rick left me, thinking to explore a trail that leads to a little cave inthe foothills above town. But when I get to my car, I see it's blocked in by the trailer the workers’ used to transport the backhoe.Dammit.

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