your inner goddess just by listening to him.
That an attractive guy like him would knock on my hotel door made me a little wary.
Was he some sort of drug dealer or involved in organized crime?
My heart lurched. For a brief moment, I had the sudden, terrifying vision of him ambushing me, then dumping my body in trash bags, or selling my organs on the black market, then telling his friends, with a beer in his hand, “It was easy as pie. That’s why I love tourists who are stupid enough to open the door.”
But I could hardly close the door now, could I?
“Yes?” I asked, unsure if he even spoke English.
He pointed to the two suitcases at his feet. “You forgot your bags.”
It was only then that I noticed my luggage at his feet.
“Oh.” I eyed them as relief streamed through me.
He wasn’t some sort of mugger or pimp or worse.
“Where did you find them?” I asked.
“Downstairs where you left them.”
“Oh.” I narrowed my eyes. “Someone was supposed to bring them up.”
“I don’t believe they offer this kind of service,” he said, his lips twitching with amusement.
It took me a moment to realize he had a sense of humor.
I smiled. “You think the receptionist pulled my leg?”
His expression didn’t change as he inclined his head, obviously pondering over possible explanations. “Or maybe she forgot. The lady you spoke to is the owner of this fine establishment. She does all the work here. She does seem a bit over her head at times.”
This fine establishment?
He was either being sarcastic or stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel.
“So I gather there’s no breakfast either,” I remarked more to myself than him.
“There is.” He smiled. “But none I would recommend unless you don’t mind a bit of diarrhea.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, taking him in, interested. His English was flawless, with an undeniably Southern accent. Those damn, sexy sunglasses didn’t let me peek behind them to help me read his face. For all I knew, he might be checking out my boobs as he leaned against the wall, cool and composed.
“So, they just left the bags downstairs for anyone to help themselves?” I asked again.
Our topics of conversation were running thin.
He cocked his head to the side. “While it’s true that some shady characters might have eyed your luggage, I didn’t let them come near it,” he said. “I was standing right behind you when you wanted to know when breakfast would be ready.”
“Well.” I gave a nervous laugh and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ears, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m starving, and yeah, in general, I’m a hungry person.”
“So am I.” He let out a laugh, exposing teeth. White, pearly, straight teeth. “Saved me the time to ask her.”
“Thanks for doing this,” I said, pointing to the bags. “I feel so stupid.”
“Don’t be. Happened to me before.”
“Really?” I said hopeful that he’d elaborate.
He let out a laugh.
A deep, sexy laugh. “Nope,” he said and shrugged. “But it’s not a big deal. I thought you needed the help and helping you is exactly what I did.” He pointed to the bags. “May I? They’re heavy.”
He didn’t wait for my reply. He just picked them up and walked past me, through the open door.
For a second, my fear that he would attack me flickered to life.
He placed the suitcases behind me and returned to his previous position.
“Great,” I muttered, unsure what to say.
“Have a great day.” He turned and started walking down the corridor.
For a full two seconds I was so stumped I didn’t even realize I hadn’t thanked him.
“Wait,” I shouted after him.
He stopped and turned, his black sunglasses still shielding his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Can I repay you with dinner?” I blurted out, my own boldness shocking myself.
Silence.
What the fuck was I doing?
Of course, he was going to decline. He had to. He knew I didn’t mean it.
“You want to repay me by having dinner with me?” Slowly, he walked back to me, regarding me through those unnerving sunglasses.
“Yes,” I whispered the word, which sounded more like a question than a statement.
He removed the shades, revealing dark brown eyes that matched his dark hair. He really did look a bit like James Franco.
They could even be related for all I knew. His dark hair fell into his eyes, giving him some kind of haunted look.
I had never been into James Franco, but this guy seemed like someone I might want to spend some time with.
“Yeah. Why not?” He smiled. “There’s