by Gunn, Jenna
His blue eyes dance. “What brings a Texas girl to California?”
“I’m starting a new job soon.” I don’t tell him I haven’t gotten the job yet, but I’m channeling my future self. Because I am getting that job.
“Well, congratulations, then.”
“Thanks, it’s been a dream of mine for a long time to live and work here.”
His eyes soften, a kind of fondness warming them. “I can’t imagine it any other way. This place is all I’ve ever known.”
“Your family is here then?”
He chuckles as he says, “Oh yeah, all of them. Sometimes, it’s a bit much. But honestly, I really can’t picture it any other way.”
“How about you, cowgirl? Your family back in Texas?”
A spear of sadness lances through my heart. Who knows where Mom is. She sounded so pleased with herself when she called last year. I barely had the stomach to listen to her talk about her latest man. Visions of her with her latest alcohol-pickled loser left me feeling queasy. Tammy was always a sucker for the life of the party, and pretty much anyone who’d give her a place to live for who knows what in exchange.
Knowing my face shows more than I’d like, I share enough to satisfy the question. “I’m pretty much a one-woman show. Not too many of my kind around still.”
“Ah. Well, I’m sure you’ll find a nice group of friends of some sort in California. The people here are pretty nice. Just stay away from L.A.,” he says with a laugh.
“I’m not much of the Hollywood type. I’ve never been into anything fancy, really. Guess that’s what happens when you grow up poor as the dirt on a country road.”
He scrunches his face as if the thought of Los Angeles has a sour flavor. “It’s not my thing either. Too fancy there for my taste.”
“Well, I guess we have that in common,” I comment. “I’ll take work boots over heels any day.”
Grinning, he glances down at my feet. “And flip-flops?”
Wiggling my freshly painted toes, I say in a hushed tone, “Shhh…don’t tell anyone, but I’d rather be barefoot.”
His blue eyes sparkle with a laugh. “Those toes are too pretty to be hidden in boots. I think California is supposed to be your home.”
He glances down at my toes again, then slides his gaze up my bare legs. Goosebumps pop up in the wake of his heated appraisal.
Bryce Archer’s I-wanna-fuck stare lands on me, and his eyes burn me right down to the ground.
That man has got some kind of loaded-weapon gaze, let me tell you. One of those looks from him, and I’m ready to fall on my back with my legs spread open.
His eyes lock on my lips. “I get off soon.”
Umph. Is this conversation really happening?
Playing. With. Fire.
“I hope to as well,” falls off my suddenly daring tongue. Two can play at this game.
A thousand-watt smile flashes on his beautiful sin-worthy mouth. “You’re something else, Texas.”
Raising a brow, I reply, “I guess that’s a compliment.”
“It is. But I’ve got to get off this train. I have to go to a meeting I can’t miss. Got a pen?”
What?
My brain tries to focus on what he said, but all I can do is stare at his totally kissable lips. “A pen, um…yeah,” My fingers are nearly useless as I try to get a pen out of my bag.
He grabs what I realize is a Sharpie from me as the train starts to slow. Before I know what he’s doing, his strong fingers are wrapped around my wrist, and he extends my arm across his lap. The Sharpie marker is cold when it meets my flesh. In big block numbers, he scrawls a phone number across the pale skin of my forearm, marking me with his digits.
With the sexiest damn chuckle, he winks. “I’ll be looking forward to you buying me that beer. I’m busy till five…”
I’m owl-eyed and unable to move.
His mouth opens onto the palm of my hand before I can react. His teeth gently nip me, and his tongue dances a sensual circle across the flesh on the inside of my hand.
Yoweeee!
Oh…my god.
Did he just lick my hand?
He just licked me.
Tingles run over my whole body, and I feel like I might just come on the spot.
His voice is all gravel and seduction when he lets go of me, “I can show you a proper welcome to California, Ray.”
The laugh that comes of me is pure insanity and lust. As the sound dances in the air around us, I admit, “I bet you can.”
Then he’s up, not even glancing back as he moves casually down the aisle to the exit.
I slump back into my seat with a sigh.
A big fucking cheesy grin fills my face as I look down at his phone number written in permanent marker on my arm.
_______
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