Annabel
HE HAD SHORT BROWN HAIR with angelic curly locks on top paired with deep, soft, beautiful, blue eyes. Plus, plump lips that seemed like they were made for kissing. He had a face that could be immortalized in photos or paintings, able to compete with even the most gorgeous male models. He was the perfect height for laying my head against his shoulder and getting lost in the incredible, uncommon smell of freshness that I recognized on him when he sat next to me at the bar. That one-week-old beard was the last drop in the ocean that almost made me lose my mind, as well as my focus on the whole purpose of being in that forsaken place in the middle of nowhere. Saying that he was dreamy was not enough, but there wasn't a single word good enough to describe him.
I'd followed every curve made by his shirt and jeans when I first noticed him at the back of the bar. Even with so many guys there, it was like my senses were drawn to him and only him. I could not deny that he was hot. He would be quite gorgeous in his birthday suit. He was a real temptation on legs, but one I couldn't afford in that moment. Still, one I had difficulty resisting after listening to his deep, sexy voice as he tried to make conversation. I never expected him to come near me. I'd hoped to go to him. This weird pulling attraction to him was messing up my purpose for being there. But his coming to me was not in my plans. It was a damn distraction.
I tried to dissuade him and make him leave my side. I got nervous when I noticed that he had a revolver hidden under his shirt. From the corner of my eye, though, I understood why all the men went back to their seats and stopped giving me the same attention as when I'd entered. No one would dare try to pick me up with him next to me. No one would dare try to compete with him. Not even the dark figures I had tracked here. He was dripping with power and had respect among the others.
And he had an amazing smile. I almost smiled back, but I couldn't give him my attention. Besides, it was not his species that I was interested in. I was more interested in making acquaintance with the three vampires in the darkest corner, surrounded by werewolves and shapeshifters but, to my surprise, no humans. I needed information about their creator. However, apparently, the gods had some twisted sense of humor and put that gorgeous, breathtaking man in my way.
The gods could suck it! I wasn't looking for a playmate.
Waking up, I sighed deeply, inhaling the freshness and warmth of the cozy place where I lay. The memories of the previous night were still fresh on by mind, but then it hit me. I had no clue where I was or how I got here. I was comfortable, though. Nevertheless, I couldn't understand why the sun was so warm on my face. I felt safe as if I were ten years old again and still living at home. I had never felt safe since the attack. It had been eight long years of running, chasing, and hiding. Sleeping the whole night without waking up covered in sweat with a racing heart was also something new.
How did I get here, anyway? It was all a bit foggy. I remembered going outside, seeing the vampires, and watching the gorgeous man shoot them down. I was surprised and disappointed at the same time because I wanted to talk with at least one of them. And then I did what any clever girl would do after an encounter with dangerous creatures and her savior. I fainted. At least, I pretended to. Only to be held in strong and attentive arms. He smelled even better up close. I had to restrain myself from the temptation of wrapping my arms around him and letting a moan escape my lips.
I heard him talking to someone before putting me in his car. And because I saw the badge that was over his belt, next to the gun, I understood that he was the sheriff in these parts. Not a hunter like me; just the sheriff. He was a werewolf sheriff who knew what those things were and what they wanted to do to me. I understood the revolver and the quick decision to kill those who didn't respect his authority. However, I didn't expect to succumb to tiredness. It had been three long days, and I had barely slept. I wasn't used to putting enough trust in a stranger to willingly fall asleep in the seat of his car.
It was then that I opened my eyes in alarm, realizing I had no idea where I was. All I saw was the ceiling made of dark wood. All I felt was the softness of the sheets against my body. My head felt heavy when I sighed and dared to move one hand and explore the rest of the bed before having a panic attack like any woman who wakes up in a strange bed with a strange man in a strange place after the strangest night.
"Hi," a male voice said from next to the bed and reassuringly outside of it.
I turned my head to stare at him, and there he was: gorgeous, shirtless, and once again displaying the most amazing smile I could have ever imagined. Was it possible for him to be even more gorgeous in the sunlight? Apparently yes. And why was he shirtless?
"Hungry?" he asked, trying to get an answer from me. "Do you remember what happened last night?"
"No," I answered with difficulty. I was beginning to panic, thinking about how I usually look in the morning, with my hair a mess and wake-up face.
Seriously! Was I crazy? I was thinking about how I looked when I was in an unfamiliar house, in the bed of a man whose name I didn't even know.
"You fainted outside the bar. I brought you to my house," he explained.
I remained quiet, looking at his happy smile. I didn't share his happiness. I was still assessing if I was safe or not.
"Where are my things?" I asked. I was self-conscious about having been carried around by him and not even waking up. I should have known better than to let my guard down.
That had never happened before, though. I had pushed myself too hard the past few days. How could I be so stupid? My mind was like a symphony of reprehension, and I had to focus to stop the noise. I focused on him: on his amazingly sexy lips that were moving to reply to me. I swallowed hard when my mouth began to tingle with the urge to kiss him. I was losing it, no doubt.
"There." He pointed. "You are safe, and I didn't touch anything. You can clean yourself up and change clothes in the bathroom if you want."
I looked to where he was pointing, understanding by the look of the space that he had put me in his bed after removing my leather coat. I breathed deep, aware that worse things could have happened. Having a sexy Greek god bringing me to his home and putting me in his bed wasn't one of them. It was actually kind of nice of him. A strange kind of nice. Then I remembered, he was the sheriff.
I pursed my lips, lost in my thought. He would probably have a lot of questions for me. Or was he just thinking that he could get lucky? Probably the second option, I decided, since he did try to pick me up at the bar.
Nevertheless, he had been respectful enough and helped me. I couldn't be ungrateful to him. But where had he slept? And why was he shirtless, showing off his perfect abs and breathtaking chest? It was getting hard to concentrate and speak.
"Do you remember what happened outside the bar before you fainted?"
He wanted to know if I remembered the mean vampires that wanted to attack me and suck my blood. If I remembered them bursting into flames. It was normal for his kind to fear being discovered. Especially since I expected him to think that I was human and didn't know anything about the supernatural beings. I had to play the naïve card. I couldn't blow my cover.
"Everything is blurry. How much did I drink?" I asked, sitting against the headboard of the bed and trying to fix my messy hair.
"We'll talk about that later," he answered. He was staring right into my eyes, seeming intrigued and actually concerned about my well-being.
Folding my arms, I looked around, since looking in his eyes was making me feel dizzy and flustered. There was something about him that made my stomach clench and my body wanted to get closer.
The bedroom was amazing and made entirely of wood. It helped distract me from his overwhelming presence. I also had to evaluate where I was, in case I needed to run away fast. By the look of it, we were probably in some kind of cottage or a spacious modernized mountain bungalow because I could see the enormous balcony and outstanding view. We were in a high place with privileged views over the forest and surrounding mountains. It felt like paradise. I'd always dreamt of living somewhere peaceful, where no one could harm me or hunt me down. Where I could feel safe. But I'd understood rather quickly that nowhere was safe, not for someone like me.
"Do you like it?" he asked, noticing my faraway eyes.
I gave him my attention. "What?"
"The view."
"It's amazing..."
He smiled as if pleased with the answer.
"How far are we from civilization?" I asked.
He probably thought I was scared of my whereabouts because his smile faded, and he looked at me with concern.
"I have no intention of harming you," he clarified, and I believed him. "I just didn't know where you lived, so I brought you to my home."
"Okay," I said mildly to dissipate any tension he might be feeling.
He loosened up and smiled again. "Meet me in the kitchen when you're ready. I'll be there making us breakfast."
He left me alone in the room.
Getting up, I snooped around, assessing that there was no feminine touch in the bedroom. The bathroom was really clean, too, with no women's objects or accessories of any kind that girlfriends tend to leave behind to mark territory. Maybe he wasn't the type of guy who liked to have flings longer than they should be. It seemed like he was single and unattached, which briefly made me thrilled before I pushed aside such a girly thought. I had no time or intention of pursuing any kind of intimacy with him. No. I had to get dressed, get my things, and leave. I had a job interview today and an important mission in his town. I had to stop swooning over how gorgeous and attractive he was, but it seemed that he had left his smile imprinted in my mind.
I took more time than I'd intended in the bathroom because my body was sore, and the hot water was relaxing and soothing. Also, monologues tended to take a bit of time to get resolved, and my mind was a mess of doubts and regret. I couldn't ease the feeling that my hard work had blown up in ashes. My three leads were dead, and I was back at square one.
I dressed in my casual clothes, the ones that said I was a good girl and not a femme fatale in leather pants and a sexy top. Then I entered the kitchen that was located just outside the door. The scent of cinnamon and freshly made coffee filled the air, making the place feel extremely cozy.
The space was divided into a kitchen and a living room. He definitely liked big windows and large spaces. He also had a simple taste in decor. I liked that.
My eyes met his. He was at the counter with a cup of coffee in hand. He looked at me from head to toe, and I couldn't help but feel a little clumsy in my jeans, t-shirt, and wet hair. I was almost tempted to ask him if he would like to borrow one of my t-shirts, but I said nothing because I was enjoying the view. I shouldn't be ungrateful for his reluctance to wear clothes when it pleased me so much to stare at his chest. Besides, he smiled at me. That made me smile back and lower my defenses. I didn't understand why I beamed back at him, but he seemed so nice that I couldn't help but feel a warm and fuzzy feeling taking over my stomach.
Approaching the kitchen, I sat on a stool in front of the counter. He served me breakfast like it was the most natural thing in the world between two strangers who didn't even know each other's names. I couldn't say no to those delicious pancakes served with blueberry syrup and strong black coffee. The smell was tantalizing and made me realize how hungry I was.
He sat down next to me after serving, not across from me on the opposite side of the counter. He was right there, invading my senses and looking utterly relaxed while I couldn't breathe. He made me feel nervous and, apparently, so shy that I almost didn't dare make eye contact with him since I shivered every time our eyes met.
His eyes followed my every move. It was as if I was an exotic animal of some sort, and he was studying me. Maybe I was overreacting, and he was acting normal, but it seemed as if he looked at me in a peculiar way—not bad, but a way that made me feel analyzed.
Normally, I wasn't affected by having men's eyes on me. I was sure of myself and knew I was pretty. I knew I could steal the attention of a room simply by walking in, dressed to impress, and ready to seduce my prey. But my undeniable attraction to him was making me shy and totally breathless. I was coming down with a case of utter attraction to him. I was normally good at ignoring men and didn't really give a damn about their looks or sexual interest in me. So why in the hell was I so fascinated by him?
The intensity of his gaze made my stomach feel like it was filled with crazy butterflies as my body reacted with tingling sensations on my neck and palms. Every time I looked at his face, I felt the undeniable allure.
"What's your name?" he asked, watching me eat. I endured his gaze, unsure if I should answer or not. "You didn't have any kind of identification on you. Do you need to call your parents to tell them where you are?"
I frowned at him, almost choking with my pancake. How old did he think I was?
"I live by myself, and my ID is in my bike."
"So―what's your name?" he asked again, forcing me to answer once and for all.
"Annabel. But you can call me Anna."
"I'm Shane." He smiled again, making my blood race straight to my cheeks.
God! He was so undeniably handsome and had such an amazing smile, I didn't even notice he had his hand out in greeting. When I finally noticed, his smile had faded away and he rested his hand on his leg again.
"Where do you live?" He was curious. I felt trapped.
"I've just arrived in town."
"You moved here?" he exclaimed in a tone that didn't hide his excitement. I felt the butterflies in my stomach fluttering once more. His enthusiasm made me feel happy. "Where are you staying?"
"In the motel."
"That crappy place?"
I shrugged. "I didn't have time to look for a place yet."
"I've never seen you before. Do you have family here?"
"No. I came here to work."
"Where?" He seemed staggered.
I was beginning to think I was answering too many questions. It would look suspicious if I didn't, but it was also intriguing that he was surprised about new arrivals to town. Maybe they weren't used to having new people here.
I indulged his curiosity. "I'm a substitute teacher at the high school. I teach English Literature."
"You're a teacher." He truly seemed amazed now or maybe shocked.
"Yes," I confirmed with a polite smile.
"Don't get me wrong," he said, laughing at my reaction. "It's just that you look so young and you really don't dress like a teacher. At least, not at night."
"And how should a teacher dress?" I asked, getting upset by the prejudice.
"Hmmm." He got up and simply didn't answer as if he had known the conversation was taking an unwelcome turn. It seemed that he didn't want to argue with the strange woman he had kindly taken home and given his bed to while he slept on the couch. He'd even made me breakfast, so I shouldn't feel offended. He sure knew how to make pancakes and coffee. I could get used to this.
"When do you start working?" he inquired as he began to clean the kitchen.
"Next Monday, but I have to speak to the principal today."
"I'll go with you and show you the town and the school."
"I don't want to impose. You must have better things to do."
Jesus! He wanted to show me the town. What's next? Dinner and a movie? I wasn't looking for a playmate or a boyfriend or whatever men called a relationship these days.
"It's not a problem, and you wouldn't be imposing. I've nothing better to do. Besides, I know the principal, and you would be stuck going on foot."
"My bike is at the bar, isn't it?"
"Yes. And I still need to check your identity and papers."
"Why?" I asked as I got up and gave him the empty cup and plate, which he took and washed.
"I'm the sheriff," he said.
"You're the sheriff? Aren't you a bit young for that?"
"I'll take that as acompliment." He grinned, making me lose all will to tease him or even breathe.
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