Page 7 of Unlawful Seduction

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry,” I said and didn’t realize until he lowered his gaze that I’d placed my palm on his chest.

I found it difficult to react quickly around him, but I finally curled my fingers, pulling my hand away.

He slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with me and it seemed all time ceased to exist. His eyes were shaded by the waning light, but they were almost iridescent, shimmering in a way that mesmerized me. Neither of us moved, locked in a moment intime. His features were gorgeous, his entire face chiseled more than any man I’d known.

I wasn’t short by any means, standing at five foot ten, but he stood over me by several inches and I felt tiny in comparison. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Since he wasn’t uttering a single word, I concentrated on his scent. Maybe I’d expected the stale stench of sweat given how he was dressed. Instead, he held the fragrance of leather, cigars, and citrus with notes of exotic spices that I couldn’t pinpoint.

Whatever aftershave he was wearing, I could easily become intoxicated from it.

From somewhere, I heard a dog barking and that seemed to break the mesmerizing moment. He turned his head just as slowly in the direction of the sound. I couldn’t help myself, following his line of sight.

A truck was parked in front of the adjacent store and I was able to see a dog sitting in the driver’s seat barking his head off. The windows were closed and while it wasn’t hot, my natural protective instinct took over.

“If that’s your dog, you should never leave him inside without keeping the windows cracked this time of year. And never in the heat of summer. They can die within minutes from a heat stroke.”

I had no idea what possessed me to get into his business, but that’s the kind of woman I was. Pushy.

He tilted his head and the dog immediately stopped barking. I was impressed by his silent command, but still worried he was one ofthosedog owners. As he’d done before, he turned his head and I was certain the man was moving in slow motion.

This time when his eyes pierced mine, he wore a smirk on his face, the hint of amusement catching me off guard.

His expression also pissed me off more than it should. Maybe I’d been keeping too many long hours, but the guy could at least acknowledge my concern.

What did he do instead? He backed away, giving me a heated onceover before heading down the sidewalk toward his truck.

I watched as he climbed inside and huffed a strand of hair that had fallen from my ponytail from my face. There were jerks everywhere.

“This place is adorable,” I said casually as I tried my best to relax. Being able to enjoy a morning off, sipping a mimosa while I sat having brunch with a couple of friends was priceless. I’d needed the break more than I’d wanted to admit to myself.

“You win,” Jenny said as she glanced toward Marjorie.

Marjorie and I had grown up together, thick as thieves as my father used to tell me. Jenny was a more recent implant, but I’d met her a few times over the years when I’d visited my bestie. Now we considered ourselves the three musketeers.

“What did she win?” I teased.

Jenny shrugged. “I was certain you weren’t going to show, but Marjorie was insistent.”

“Uh-huh. That’s no fair.” I’d been scarce since moving back to town, jumping on the chance to own my own veterinary clinicwhen I heard it was going up for sale. It had taken eons of time for the paperwork and all the necessary filings. Then the closing.

The building hadn’t been in bad shape, but a few things had needed replacement. That had stretched my budget, so I’d been forced to do several projects on my own.

I wasn’t a real handyman, but I’d been proud of myself for sprucing up the place.

“Oh, it’s fair, girl, but I figured you’d finally take a deep breath since the hard work has been done.” Marjorie grinned. She’d been my shoulder to lean on when I’d arrived, getting me through my father’s funeral and the couple of weeks where I’d been in a fog.

With no other real family, I’d never felt so alone in my life.

It was good to have friends.

“So what did you win?” I chided further.

“I’m picking up brunch for all of us,” Jenny admitted, sighing as if she didn’t have a six-figure job and a fabulous inheritance from her folks to bank on.

“Then I’m ordering another mimosa with the good champagne.” I immediately raised my glass, searching for our very cute waiter.

Before I located where he’d gone, my eyes stopped on the person coming in through the door. The mystery man walked in.

A strange feeling gutted my stomach. Butterflies? I hadn’t experienced those since I was in college. Yes, I was attracted to the man, but really?

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