Ocean (Damage Control 5)

Or maybe I’m hyperventilating.

I mean, it’s Ocean. Can’t help the way my body takes notice when he’s around and the way butterflies somersault in my stomach.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asks. “Amber said something about you two having a stall?”

“Yes?” I realize with a jolt I’m staring at his beautiful mouth and wrench my gaze away, to a spot beyond him, where two guys are wrestling a huge table into a corner. “I mean, yes, we are.”

He’s looking at me. I can feel the weight of his gaze on my face.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you around, then,” he mutters quietly, and of course I have to see his expression.

The brightness I’d seen before has gone out.

“Wait.”

He stops in the process of turning around. He shoots me a questioning glance.

I open my mouth and close it, suddenly unsure.

On the way here, I’d finally made up my mind to call and ask him what he meant.

Amber’s words ring inside my head. Your sixth sense is telling you he’s not a bad buy.

He believes he is, though, and I want to know why. I want… I don’t know what I want. How I feel.

“It’s okay, Kay. I get it,” he says, his voice hushed, and turns to go.

“Please, wait.” I reach for him, and manage a good grip on his sweaty T-shirt.

The smell of his sweat hits me, then, and I find myself sniffing him like a bitch in heat. Good God, how is it possible that a man’s sweat can smell like bacon dipped in syrup, with a side of spice?

My mouth waters.

He stills. I’m not sure he’s even breathing as I release his T-shirt and slip around him so that I can see his face.

It’s all written there. Uncertainty. Wariness. Regret. And behind it all, a faint echo of hope.

He looks so vulnerable, it’s a battle not to reach up and touch his mouth, stroke his cheek, stand on tiptoe and kiss him.

“I’m driving to Milwaukee later today,” I say instead, and the flicker in his expression tells me he’s surprised. “My sister lives there. I’m going to visit her.”

He nods, dark brows drawing together. Man, he really looks wrecked. How fast can someone lose weight? His cheeks look hollow, and he has dark circles under his eyes. The cut over his brow is surrounded by a yellowish bruise.

He’s not saying anything, so I clear my throat. God, I hope I’m not wrong about this.

“I know you don’t have a car right now.” I bite the inside of my cheek. “And that your mom is sick. You did say they live near Milwaukee. I could drive you there and pick you up on my way back.”

The red on his cheekbones spreads. His eyes go wide and dark.

Still saying nothing.

This habit has to stop.

“Just nod for yes, okay?” I see Ev and Amber staring at us from the door. Ev is making kissy faces at me. They set off toward us. “If you can leave work early.”

Still no reply.

That’s it, I think. It was a mistake. I should have let it be. I should have—