“Yep. Not even joking,” he chuckled.
“Walking? He wasn’t like… running? Like how people streak?”
“No,” he shook his head. “The man seemed quite pleased with his body and wanted to show it off. Want to know the weirdest part?”
“I’m scared to know,” I giggled and he laughed. “What was the weirdest part?”
“The people on the sidewalk barely seemed phased by it. That’s how crazy our city is,” he shrugged nonchalantly then looked at me and smiled.
“That is definitely weird,” I laughed. “Back home, someone’s mama would have tanned his hide.”
“Tanned his hide,” he repeated, in my accent.
“My accent amuses you?” My eyebrow rose and I stared up at him.
“It’s a cute accent. I like it.” He gave me a smile that made my thighs clench together to dull the wanton ache between them. Nineteen years on this planet filled with morals and values, and this stranger had me wanting to throw away all the lady-like manners my mama had taught me.
“Thanks,” I said mouse-like.
There was a long pause between us. He stood looking down at me. And, I crouched looking up at him. The expression on his face I couldn’t quite read. It didn’t look like a negative expression, but it didn’t look like an amused one either.
“Don’t your legs hurt?” he finally asked.
“My legs?”
“From squatting like that.”
“Oh,” I whispered. Truthfully, my legs were starting to hurt, but my ego hurt more. In my mind, if I stayed down here then maybe the world would forget about me.
“Still embarrassed?” the man asked softly. Surprisingly, without hesitation, I nodded my head. “I have a car waiting for me a few feet from here if you want me to put my jacket over you and we can make a mad dash for my car.”
My attention jerked up to the man’s face to search for amusement. However, there wasn’t any amusement. He was being serious.
“You--” I cleared my throat. “You’re being serious.”
“Of course. I can’t leave a beautiful woman like you stranded in the world’s chaos,” he smiled.
Beautiful?I wondered. How could a man of his looks find anything about me pretty? He was unlike any man I had ever seen.
“You don’t even know me,” I sighed and lowered my eyes to the pavement. The man squatted down in front of me, placing our faces inches from each other.
He smelled of a cologne that had me clenching my thighs together again to dull the ache between them. His brown eyes were so much more than simple brown. They were the color of cognac. His smile was better than those seen on T.V. and his lips… dear God his lips made me want to assault his mouth with mine.
“You listening to me?” the man teased, pulling my attention away from his lips. I swallowed hard and bashfully shook my head. “Want the cliff notes or the whole rundown again? I think I’ll fumble less this time.”
“You don’t strike me as the type to fumble on your words,” I laughed softly. He gave me a big smile and then stood tall.
“Would you rather have a day of fun or go into a building that clearly has you overly anxious?” he gestured at the front doors.
“I have… I have an appointment,” I sighed in defeat.
“Appointments can be rescheduled.”
“I wish it was that easy.”
“What makes it so hard?”
I turned in the man’s direction so that we were facing each other.
