Hard Checked (Ice Kings #4) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,39

with him and while he hates car rides, he loves walks. And hikes. And swimming which is strange for his breed.”

And… I’m still sounding like a socially inept nervous idiot, and yeah… I’m going to be quiet now.

“So… walk? Pictures? You headed anywhere?”

“I wasn’t, but if you want company, I can come with you.”

“I’d like that,” I say, on a rush so fast I think I surprise us both. I know I’ve surprised myself, but Gigi smiles again at me, shaking her head like she thinks I’m adorable as my dog who she hasn’t even met yet.

“Let me do something with this mop” —she points to her head— “and grab some shoes.”

She all but shoves a coffee into my hand and I grip it before the top can fly off and splash us both.

Chapter Thirteen

Gigi

I have no idea how I seem to find myself in the strangest situations when it comes to Sebastian, but when I saw him headed up my staircase this morning, the metal rattling beneath his heavy steps, I’m pretty sure I had a mini heart attack.

He’s here to hang out? With me?

And his dog? Who’s the cutest little ball of white fluffy fur. Bruiser, which made me snicker at his name, hopped up into my lap and declared my lap his before I could buckle my seat belt in Sebastian’s Maserati.

And holy crap, I’m sitting in a Maserati.

I’m not even letting my mind wander to how much this luxurious Italian chunk of steel with buttery soft leather costs. Although I’m certain I’ll Google it later.

“So, where’d we leave off last time?” Sebastian asks.

My cheeks heat. From what I can remember from a couple of weeks ago, before he said goodnight, I left off wanting to run my fingertips down his beard. Prickly? Soft? I’m dying to know. Then I wanted to flip a curl of his long hair behind his ear. He has one stubborn curl. It doesn’t matter how many times he runs his hand through his hair, there’s always one chunk on his right side that flips outward, curling opposite of everything else.

I want to tame it. About as much as I want to see Sebastian untamed.

Probably not what he’s looking for.

“Uh… what?”

“With your travels.” He gives me a quick glance before returning to the road. “You were telling me about your time in Turkey.”

“Oh. Right.” See? Foolish. I need to figure out a way to stop my runaway thoughts when it comes to Sebastian. “Turkey.” I laugh softly and shake my head at my naivety back then.

“What is it?”

If I’m not mistaken, he has a small smile twitching behind his beard and it momentarily distracts me. He’s just so… potent with his masculinity, but it’s understated, not macho manly, just confident.

“Turkey,” I say, getting back on point. “Probably not my greatest idea for my first stop.”

“Dangerous?”

“Yep.” I pop the ‘p’ and fight a shiver at the glare he gives me. Before he can ask, I carry on. “More in theory than anything I saw, but life is so different in much of it. It was my first glance at a really eye-opening different way of living. I did a lot of reading before I left, so I was prepared, but nothing really could have prepared me for the concern of terrorism in Ankara. It wasn’t, well, it wasn’t safe for me alone at night, which I tried to avoid in most places anyway, but there was the way I had to dress, as well. It was just…” There’s really no way to describe Turkey with its traditions and history and beautiful hot springs in areas I was able to tour with a group on camels. Or vibrant colors in the shopping districts which made the cities come alive and yet the women were mostly still dressed in long sleeves, bodies fully covered. I’d packed for those scenarios and made sure I had a headscarf to visit a mosque, but even then, there was an eerie feeling that followed me there.

“It was gorgeous,” I say, on a sigh, thinking of everything I experienced. “I rode a camel. Visited a mosque. Saw more beautiful landmarks and historical sites I can still so vividly see in my dreams. And then there were the Hammam. Incredible.”

“The what?”

“Oh. Turkish bathhouses. So cool.”

His hand makes a squeaking sound on the steering wheel as he makes the turn into a park area near Freedom Park. “The bathhouses?”

“Yeah. Public bathhouses. The one I went to had a room, similar to a