Page 79 of Beyond the Blue Horizon
It was all I’d seen or heard of him other than the few texts he sent each day asking how we were doing. Reminding me constantly that he was the one to go to if I needed anything.
I’d felt his distance, too. As if whatever had happened on Sunday had shaken him out of the misguided pull that we felt toward each other.
But crap, how I felt that pull then.
The severity that thrashed as Theo came to a grinding stop when he found me there.
It took him half a second to gather whatever surprise he felt before he started to move again.
A landslide that swept up from behind.
There was nothing I could do but look over my shoulder as he strode my way.
All dark, deliciousness in the middle of the day.
“Hey,” he grunted.
His searing gaze raked over me where I stood trying not to tremble apart.
“Hi,” I returned on a haggard breath.
He glanced around like he was just realizing that Finn wasn’t with me.
“What are you doing out here?” The words were rusty.
A stir of anxiety rolled through me. How was I supposed to admit my intentions to him when I could barely admit them to myself?
“I…I’m heading out to run a few errands.”
His brows lifted, the contours of his rugged face flexing in what could only be construed as frustration. “Why didn’t you text me if you needed something?”
“Because while you might have missed it, Iamcapable of handling a few things on my own.”
I couldn’t help the sass from coming out. Not when he set me on edge and soothed me at the same time.
He rocked back on his heels, expression taking on a tone like he’d caught me committing a heinous act. “And what, you called a car instead of asking me to give you a ride?”
“Again, I’m capable of handling things.” My eyes narrowed. “Don’t you have a job to do around here or something?”
He stole forward, tattooed fingers roughing through the midnight locks of his hair, the man a shadow who came to stand over me. “Myjobis to take care of you while you’re here.”
“Is it?” I lifted my chin, fighting for any defense I could find. Because there was something about this man who made me want to surrender them.
He slipped closer—so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his flesh.
A rush of dizziness slammed me.
Senses filled with the aura of mossy woods and warm leather and that unmistakable insinuation of sex.
His words turned to grit. “You’re right, Piper. It shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t be thinking of you every second of the day and every long moment of the night. But there you always are, in the periphery of my sight.”
My pulse sped, and I tried to inhale a steadying breath.
The only thing I achieved was swilling the potency of the man.
“You shouldn’t think about me that way.”
He inched closer still. “No, I shouldn’t, should I? But knowing it doesn’t seem to change a damn thing.”
