“Oh no, honey. ‘Attractive’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Get close enough to a man like that and I’m pretty sure your eyebrows will melt right off your face.”
“Colorful,” I said on a chuckle.
With a sigh, she returned her chin to her hand and resumed her gawking. “What is it about a man reading a book in public that sets my lady parts all aflutter?” Monica asked, voicing my earlier thought. Well, all except for the lady parts bit.
“I’m sure your husband would just love to hear that.”
She waved me off without a care. “Meh. It’s like when I read a particularly steamy book. I get all hot and bothered, and he gets to reap all the benefits . . . if you know what I mean,” she added with a wink.
I pushed down the cringe that came with that overload of info, as well as the unsettling feeling that came from being drawn to a man I’d never seen before, and tried to pretend that everything was normal. It was just another day. There was no dude who looked like he belonged on the cover of a romance novel, his shirt hanging open and fluttering in a breeze as he ripped the bodice of some duchess’s dress in half with his bare hands, sitting in the corner of my local coffee shop.
It had been a long time since I’d been with a man, and the last one had turned out to be a nightmare in the very truest definition of the word. It was a road I had no intention of going down again. My reasons were totally different, but just like Luna, I refused to do relationships. However, unlike her I stayed away from intimacy altogether.
“So, can I get a coffee or what?”
She blew out a raspberry in mock frustration. “Fine, Debbie Downer. You want the usual?”
“Yes, please.” I focused harder than necessary on Monica as she went about making my drink, tracking her movements like I was going to be tested on them later. It was either that or leer at the stranger, which was a big fat no. My eyes tried several times to drift in his direction, and I had to actively keep myself from glancing back over. It was a whole hell of a lot harder than it should have been.
The hiss of the milk steamer cut through the hushed whispers I heard coming from the women behind me. No doubt, they were tittering on about the newcomer. The smell of roasted coffee beans filled the air, going a long way in perking me up. I wrapped my hands around the warm paper cup as soon as Monica slid it my way and lifted it up for that first sip. The hit was instant, and I closed my eyes to savor the taste, letting out a grateful moan.
“Thanks so much. You’re a lifesaver.”
“It’s what I do.” Monica blew on her nails and buffed them against her shirt smugly. “Don’t look now, babe, but I think you might have an admirer.”
A shiver ran across my spine as I peeled my eyelids open wider. “What?”
“Mr. Sexy Reader over there is scoping you out.” A tingling sensation spread across my back between my shoulder blades, that itchy, crawly feeling that came from the sense of being watched.
My body acted of its own accord, and before I could stop myself, my head swiveled and my eyes landed on the stranger. Sure enough, he was looking right at me—or more specifically, at my ass.
My movement must have caught his attention, because his gaze traveled up to my face, a sheepish grin stretching across his lips at having been caught ogling. If I thought the man was something to behold in profile, it was absolutely nothing compared to what he looked like facing me full-on.
“My God, it should be criminal for a man to be that good-looking.” Monica breathed, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her fanning her face. “Damn, if I didn’t love you, I’d hate you so bad right now. As it is, I’m all kinds of jealous.”
Ripping my attention from the insanely gorgeous man, I looked to Monica, trying to ignore the fact that my heartrate had suddenly kicked up into the red zone. “You do remember that you’re married, right?”
She blew out a raspberry. “I’m married, not dead. I’m allowed to appreciate a fine work of art when I see one. And Sam better watch out or this dude might just unseat him as hottest in town.”
Monica’s husband, Sam Killborne had been the most popular bachelor in town when he moved here several years back. To hear Monica tell it, the women had all but dueled over him. Eventually, he saw the treasure who was Monica—again, her words—and quickly put a ring on her finger, snubbing all the other ladies. I’d seen for myself how that hadn’t stopped the single women in Whitecap from drooling just a bit any time he entered a room. And for good reason. The man wasn’t just good-looking, he was built like a brick house.
Having had a successful career in the NFL before retiring—something that had kept the man in shape—he was now the head coach of the high school’s varsity football team. But that wasn’t the only reason he garnered so much attention and adoration. Not only was he handsome as hell, but he was also an all-around incredible guy.
Instead of taking his summers off once the school year ended, he spent that time acting as the town handyman, using his natural skill with tools to help out friends, family, and neighbors with any home repairs or projects they might need done. When a nasty storm had blown through last year, a tree in my yard had fallen and put a hole in my roof. Without me even having to ask, he’d shown up the very next day to patch the roof and remove the tree.
He was the polar opposite of Graham in every single way, and I knew better than most how lucky Monica had been to land such a solid guy.
“I don’t think Sam really cares about being the hottest in town,” I said, using finger quotes on the last three words.
She snorted and shook her head. “Please. He’d have you all believing that, but trust me, he secretly gets off on it. His male pride is a very delicate, like a precious baby bird. If he didn’t have me to stroke his ego once in a while, he’d probably spend all his time huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth.”
I snorted sarcastically. “Well thank God, for you then.”
“Exactly.” She suddenly narrowed her eyes and stuck her finger in my face. “I see what you’re doing. I’m on to you. I know you’re trying to change the subject from the fact you’ve got a perfect ten currently checking out your ass like he wants to eat his next meal off of it.”
I made the mistake of taking sip as she spoke and proceeded to choke on my coffee. “Jesus, Mon,” I wheeze-laughed once my airway was clear.
She smiled, looking way too damn happy with herself for garnering such a reaction. “You should go over and say hi.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I fought against my body’s reaction to turn and look back at the man as I thumbed through my wallet for some cash to pay for my drink.
“Oh come on,” she insisted. “You’ve been single way too damn long. Would it really kill you to take that dude out for a test drive?” She waggled her brows as she passed me my change, adding, “I’m sure your lady bits could use a little dusting off.”
“My lady bits are just fine, thank you very much. No dusting required.”
I heard the sound of a throat clearing as soon as that last word passed my lips, and Monica’s eyes suddenly grew comically wide, making her look like a cartoon character.
“Hello,” a deep, raspy voice laced with humor rumbled from right behind me.