He was large, muscular, and she could see he was tall, even seated. His hair was blue-black and closely cropped, but the texture was thick and it spiked in different directions atop his head.
The arms that rested on the table were darkly tanned, as if he spent a fair bit of time out in the sun. The left arm had a series of intricate tattoos that disappeared beneath the sleeve of this shirt. She shook her head at the sight of them, so strange yet beautiful. As he flexed the muscles in his arms, the tattoos seemed to move, as if alive. His legs were long and stretched out before him. They were covered in khaki pants that did nothing to hide the powerful limbs that seemed to be anything but relaxed.
Libby felt a hint of unease waft through her, but she angrily shoved it aside. She was sick and tired of being sick, tired, and scared. Enough was enough.
Inhaling deeply, she drew in a calming breath and took two more steps until she was level with him. Keeping her eyes averted, she looked at the specials written on her pad and read them off quickly. Her voice was so soft she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to understand her and she’d have to start all over again.
When she was done, she waited patiently for him to tell her his order. Moments ticked by and no words were forthcoming. Quickly, her eyes flickered to the table, and she became mesmerized by the tapping fingers that pounded out a staccato beat against the brown grain tabletop. They were long, lean, and incredibly male.
She felt a small flush of heat make its way up from her belly, spreading warmth over her flesh until her pale cheeks began to color.
“Would you like to order something, sir?”
She was about to try again, feeling like a fool at the continued silence that stretched between them. But then, when he finally spoke, she jumped, startled at both the timber and the effect he had on her.
“I’d like you to look at me.”
His voice was low and rough, with an edge of steel to it that sent her defenses crashing into red alert. Her first instinct was to flee, to rush through the door of the diner and never look back.
She fought it. She fought it hard, and inside felt a sense of wonder that she was able to mumble a few words instead of run.
“I’m sorry, what would you like to order?”
She turned slightly, angled her head and exhaled softly as she looked into midnight eyes that were staring at her with lethal hardness.
Her tummy took a nose dive and she almost stumbled as the intensity of his glare washed over her. The man was on edge and clearly pissed off. Danger clung to him, caressing his shoulders and surrounding his body like an invisible force.
She could feel it, deep inside; he was not to be messed with. He was the kind of man who would eat someone like her for lunch.
He was the kind of man that haunted her nightmares.
Libby broke into a sweat as her body heated up, full of anxiety. Her breath was coming fast and hard, and she could feel the blackness, once more skirting the edge of madness.
A small sob escaped her as she fought for control, trying to tame the emotions that ran rampant through her frail body. Her side began to ache from the pressure, and instinctively her hand went to it, massaging it slowly.
The man’s eyes followed this movement, and when they once more locked onto hers, a tingling awareness rushed through her. Her head was pounding now and she thought she was literally going to come apart.
His eyes still held hers, but something in them had changed. A flicker of emotion colored the blackness that was there, and she swayed, her hand grabbing his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I…don’t feel well.”
He shrugged away violently from her touch, and Libby withdrew her hand, feeling as if she’d been scorched. She staggered back, her eyes never leaving his, trapped by the bitterness that she now saw.
“Libby, do you need some help?” Maxine asked from behind, the tone sarcastic and gleeful at the same time.
“Please, I…” An intense jolt of pain ripped through her brain, and Libby’s hands automatically went to cradle her head as she saw stars. Her eyes tried to focus as she watched the notepad fall to her feet. But she couldn’t. The world seemed to be heaving underfoot, and she swayed as the darkness that had been cloying around the edges of her mind erupted violently.
A moment later her body fell forward and she would have smashed face first into the hard tiles if not for the large arms that grabbed her.
At the same time, glass shattered to their right and a spray of bullets rained down, punching the empty air where they’d both been.
Chapter 2
The world stopped completely for Jaxon Castille.
Bullets flying everywhere, screams and shouts ripping through the air in terror; all of it faded into nothing but white noise. He could hear his heart beating steadily inside his body, and as he inhaled air deep into his lungs, the whooshing sound it made echoed eerily in his head.
Everything slowed and came to a halt.