warning from the electric company that she was well past due paying her bill.
The rain started to come down heavier and she dropped her face in her hands as people hurried past without stopping, scattering into nearby stores or rushing to get home. She might as well do the same; today was a washout.
As she gathered her things, she sensed a presence behind her and stiffened. Very slowly, she turned, swiping at her hair which was quickly plastering over her head. She shivered as the rain cut through her clothes and met her skin, then her body seemed to spasm in response to the person standing behind her.
Bodie took a quick step back and nearly tripped over her boombox.
The first thing she noticed was the stern face. Beautiful yet frightening. Intimidating. Strong cheekbones with a matching jawline, full lips with no hint of a smile. What looked like a couple nights’ worth of dark stubble concealed a working man’s tan and he had short cropped hair as black as her own, with silver highlights at the temples.
But it was his eyes that mesmerized her.
Gloriously, stunningly blue. The kind of blue she imagined sapphires aspired to become, deep and endless. As she looked into them, she had the vaguest thought that he could see straight into the heart of her, into the depths of her soul. That he could disassemble her and put her back together however he wished.
She found herself swaying toward him in the rain.
Amusement flashed over his strict features before he resumed his sober expression. But he said nothing, just watched her intently as she broke eye contact and summed up the rest of him.
Sweet Jesus, he was tall. She didn’t think of herself as short at five-six, but he was well over the six-feet mark by a good few inches. His broad shoulders and chest looked like they could carry the weight of the world effortlessly; the cut of his expensive black suit only enhanced his form. Wide hips and long, strong legs that filled out his immaculate pants. He wore an overcoat that hit him mid-calf, and a pristine white shirt that was fast getting wet.
His tie matched his eyes.
“You move very well. You’ve studied?”
Holy fuck. It took everything she had not to cross her legs and press her hands to her crotch to stem the sudden ache his voice brought to life. The most unsettling sensation of arousal from zero to sixty with a handful of words.
Who the hell was this guy?
“Ah, self-taught mostly. I did a couple months at college.” She edged away but his eyes pinned hers and her muscles just...ceased to obey her orders. The ache between her thighs intensified; the anxiety in her heart grew to apocalyptic proportions.
The corner of his lush mouth curved up slightly.
Suddenly the rain didn’t matter. She couldn’t feel the cold lash of it pelting her and she paid no mind to the water running off her hair or through her clothes. Nothing mattered but those eyes watching her, assessing her so keenly. Never had she come under such scrutiny from a stranger before.
“Gather your things,” he murmured, “before they’re ruined completely. I’d like it if you’d join me for a coffee or something to eat, little ballerina. If you have the time, of course.”
“I-I-I...” Her tongue and lips went numb with shock, preventing her from forming words or linking together sentences. Embarrassed, she whirled around and grabbed her jacket, throwing it over the boombox and praying it wasn’t already water damaged. She didn’t have the money to buy another.
“Are you cold or nervous?” Stranger asked quietly. He hadn’t made a move to touch her, even step toward her. He just stood still, hands tucked nonchalantly and nonthreateningly in his coat pockets. Just waiting.
Bodie closed her eyes. “I’m neither,” she said snippily as a roll of hunger tumbled through her stomach loudly enough for her new friend to raise an amused eyebrow. Shit, she couldn’t tell him she wasn’t hungry now, could she? “Look, thanks but no thanks.”
He moved forward and scooped up her money box, giving it a little rattle. Shaking his head, he bent to retrieve the lid on her makeshift piggy bank then sealed her money inside before he handed it to her. “Skittish then,” he decided as she all but snatched her precious box to her chest. “That’s okay. I’ll leave you be. Get yourself out of the rain and dried off unless you want a nasty chill, little one.”
She knew how to