wasn't what I expected based on her descriptions of him. In fact, if she hadn't told me some of the things he'd said and done over the years, I would have thought he had the hots for her based on the way he watched her any time he didn't think anyone was looking. Then again, it could also be because of the Girls Gone Wild: Spring Break Edition outfit she had put on after his daughter had accidentally spilled tea on her upon our arrival.
Bah. Why were men so damn complicated?
Since I still wasn't quite ready to face Colette's gentle questioning, I stripped the dirty tablecloth and placemats from the table and carried them into the laundry room. After I moved Cam's wet and still tea-stained outfit from the washer to the dryer, I loaded everything into the washer, turned it on, and added soap.
"Just get it over with, Sierra. Colette loves you. She doesn't know that you're a freak," I muttered to myself.
With nothing else to do, I couldn't avoid my fate any longer.
I took a deep breath and turned to leave the room. And found Ben Murphy standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Sweet baby Jesus!" I jumped backward and nearly landed on my ass when my foot slipped on the floor. "Why are you standing there like some creepy...creeper?"
Ben grinned, looking way too pleased with himself. And hot. "I was waiting for you to finish whatever conversation you were having with yourself. I didn't want to interrupt."
Crap. I'd been talking to myself like some weirdo. The best defense was to act like his teasing didn't bother me. And pretend that I wasn't dying to see the rest of the tattoo that peeked out from under his left sleeve, stopping just below the inside bend of his elbow.
"Sometimes I answer the voices in my head. It keeps them on their toes."
His grin widened and he laughed a little. "Good advice."
"So why are you lurking in the doorway?" I asked, tucking my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
His grin faded but his eyes still twinkled with amusement. Instead of answering my question, he asked one of his own. "How long are you in town?"
I shrugged. Fine, what did I care if he didn't want to answer my question? "A few weeks, maybe more. I have six weeks of vacation time saved up, so I'd love to stay here for at least that long. As long as there aren't any emergencies at the office, I won't have to head back to the city for meetings until then."
Ben's eyes dropped and I realized he was looking at the small tattoo on my left forearm. "What's that?"
I lifted it, turning so he could see it clearly. It was a series of ones and zeroes.
"Binary?" he asked.
I nodded.
"What does it say?"
I didn't answer him, so he came closer, reaching out as though he wanted to touch my arm. Instead, he hesitated and looked at me. "May I?"
I liked that. That he didn't just assume he could touch me. "Sure."
His fingers were warm and rough as he took my wrist and bent over my forearm. There were calluses on his fingertips and they were rough against my skin, but not in an unpleasant way. I nearly closed my eyes when I inhaled and realized he smelled really good, like a mixture of soap, a hint of leather, and engine grease. This was a man who worked with his hands for a living and I was suddenly dying to know if he was as good with them when it came to a woman's body instead of cars.
His eyes flicked to mine after he studied the tattoo for a few moments. "Sure you won't tell me what it says?"
I shook my head, unable to form words now that his face was so close to mine. I wasn't a tall woman, but I had curves. I had a small waist with big boobs and a butt so I definitely wasn't delicate by any means. But somehow, that's exactly how I felt. His long fingers wrapped all the way around my forearm, overlapping just a bit. And his body seemed so much larger than mine, but I didn't feel threatened.
I couldn't pull my gaze away from his because his eyes were hypnotic. Such an unexpected mixture of amber, deeper brown, and green. With his face so close, I could see each tiny striation in his irises.