Page 11 of Nicole's Shelter

She knew she was blushing, could feel the heat of it in her cheeks. Worse, she couldn’t stop staring at that wide expanse of his muscled chest dusted with golden hair. Damp from the shower, it almost shimmered.

She wanted her camera to capture the raw masculine form as well as to hide the wild reactions racing through her. He could probably hear her heart pounding from there.

He took a step closer, snapping her out of her stupor. “I put your purse in the room safe.”

“Oh.” Her eyes latched onto a puckered scar on his side and she had to drag her gaze up to his face. It wasn’t a hardship.

And she was being rude. He hadn’t leered at her this way.

“Umm. Wow. Sorry. You must stop traffic in the gym.” Could she babble any more? What was the issue here? Oh yeah. “Why is my purse in the safe?”

“So you couldn’t leave.”

She could hardly blame him for not trusting her when she had been trying to do exactly that.

Slumping onto the edge of the bed, she went for as much honesty as she could spare. “I think it’s for the best if we part ways.”

“I disagree.” He sat down beside her, the towel gaping to show off too much of his perfect thigh. At this rate a long swim in the Arctic Ocean was her only hope of restoring a normal body temperature.

“You should consider fitness modeling.”

He laughed and his grin gave her a new, more appropriate focus. “Seriously. I know my way around a camera and—”

His gaze was locked on her mouth. She wanted him to lean closer, was tempted to lean into him for a kiss she knew would be worth the risk. The moment spun out and gave a whole new meaning to ‘stranger danger’.

“Camera?”

She blinked as his question and the sharp edge in his voice brought her back to her senses. “I always have it with me.”

It was the one piece of herself that she never left behind. They’d asked her to, but since tons of people were photography enthusiasts and she never published her photos as art, she’d convinced them to back off.

“Did you take pictures of the fire?”

“No. Not really.”

“Not really or no?”

“No. I used my camera and my work ID to get closer to the building.”

His gaze dipped down to the wounds he’d treated, then popped back up to her face. “To save a lizard.”

“Oscar was important to Mrs. Beaumont and she’s always been nice to me.”

He shook his head. “If that kid thought you had proof, maybe that’s why he cut the ladder.”

Chapter 3

“The ladder was cut?” She hadn’t been sure with her arms full of angry lizard. “I thought maybe it had broken when I climbed up. On the way down, I was too busy trying to contain Oscar.”

“Yeah, I watched a kid slice it up right after you went inside.”

She lurched to her feet. “You let someone cut my escape route?”

“Hey, I stayed to make sure you got out safely.”

He had a point, but still. “Why?”

“I saw the gang colors and thought I’d be more use to you if I wasn’t fighting off a team.” He stood up as well, advancing on her once more. “I hoped it was something as stupid as a gang jump in, but your subsequent behavior makes me think otherwise.”

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