“Darlin’,” he prodded.
I turned my head to look behind me, and saw the slimy guy standing at the side of Clarice’s, and made a quick decision to accept … his offer of a ride, and the compliment. So, I swung my leg up and over the bike, settled my front to his back, and curled my arms around the thick bulk of his muscled body.
Tingling head to toe from the adrenaline, and the close contact with a seriously hot man, I couldn’t stop my lips from spreading into a grin as we took off down Main Street.
As we came to a stop at a park outside of town, I was subtly inhaling the scent of leather and spice and wondering how the hell I’d ended up here. Funnily enough, I wasn’t scared; I didn’t feel a vibe that said he intended to hurt me in any way. Mostly I was curious, and, if I was honest, a little turned on.
Once the bike came to a complete stop, I reluctantly got off, but had to keep one hand on the seat while my legs stopped shaking.
“Uh … thanks,” I mumbled as he kicked the stand down and turned his dark eyes to me.
Are they black? Is it even possible to have black eyes?
Everything about him was dark. His eyes, his hair, his deeply tanned skin. He wore a trimmed beard, which only added to his dangerous look, and had what looked like shoulder-length wavy hair, which was pulled back off of his face. Paired with motorcycle boots, jeans that fit like a glove, and a black leather jacket, the man was a billboard for raw male sexuality.
“Anytime, darlin’,” he said with a small smirky smile. “I’ve seen you around.”
“Huh?” I asked, apparently having lost my ability to speak in actual words.
“I’ve seen you around, on the job, so I’ve kept my eye out.”
Crap! Did he mean he knew I was spying on people? I guess I wasn’t as covert as I thought I was.
“Shit!” I muttered, then wondered how the hell he’d seen me, when I’d never seen him before in my life.
“Don’t worry, your cover’s still good. I’ve only seen you, ‘cause I’ve been looking.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. I saw you a couple weeks ago, walking down Main, and I gotta say, one look and I knew I wanted to see more … So I’ve been paying attention. Those assholes you follow are more worried about getting into whatever trouble they can find, than paying attention to some hot mom in her soccer van. You gotta be careful though, darlin’, a light as bright as yours won’t be hidden for long.”
“You saw me a couple weeks ago?” I asked, still stuck on that, not yet ready to think about my bright light.
He nodded. “Then again at the motel on sixth, in the parking lot of the Applebee’s, and going into the bakery with your kids. Gotta say, that last time, you were walking and laughing with your kids, your blue eyes hit me as you were going inside, and I knew … I’ve been waiting for an opportunity. Got one today.”
I was wearing shades, so his description of my eyes meant he had, in fact, seen me before, but as I looked him over I didn’t know how that was possible.
“I don’t remember you, and I gotta say, I think I’d remember.”
That earned me a grin as he replied, “You were out with your kids, so you weren’t paying attention. I was.”
Hmmmm.
“What’s your name?” I asked, finally getting to what probably should have been the first thing out of my mouth.
“Cade.”
“I’m Lila,” I said, lamely holding out my hand.
“Delilah Horton,” he said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips, and I could have sworn I felt the brush of his facial hair all over my skin.
“You want my job?” I half joked, surprised that he knew my name. I wondered how a man like him could have been looking into me and I’d had no idea.
Cade chuckled.
“Nah, I’ll leave you to it. Now I gotta know ... I’ve seen you alone, with your girl, and with your kids. No ring.” He looked pointedly down at my hand. “You got a man?”
I’m sure my eyes were wide and my face was covered in shock, that’s how taken aback I was at his question. Sure, he’d said he’d seen me around, and even I wasn’t so dense that I didn’t notice the flirting, but I’d never had a guy pursue me before. Not like this.