Page 276 of His Virgin Romance Series

MILES

She seemed a little nervous to be talking to me. I had to admit; I liked that she was nervous. It meant that somehow my presence affected her and it could only affect her if she was attracted to me. Despite my cool demeanor, my pulse was racing on the inside.

She was a complete and total beauty. I had never been so taken with any woman at first sight before. She had dark blond hair that was long and silky straight, though it curled a little at the edges. Her eyes were a startling shade of green that made me think of sunny meadows and rolling hills and tropical summers.

“You have beautiful eyes,” I heard myself say.

I saw her blush visibly, and I felt a little spark of electricity hurtle through my body. It was the most visceral reaction I had ever had to a woman, and I knew nothing about her. She was a total stranger… and I wondered if this was what chemical attraction was all about. She made me want to paint… she made me want to create something as beautiful as she was, but I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to come close to capturing her likeness. She was bigger than my talent.

“Thank you,” she said.

I didn’t bother to lead her into the station because it meant I wouldn’t be able to talk to her alone. But she seemed content to stand at the entrance with me. I had the box of cupcakes in hand, and she was carrying a book bag that looked heavy.

“I’m Miles,” I said, balancing the box with one hand so that I could shake her hand.

“Gabby,” she replied.

“Are you in college?” I asked.

“I am,” she replied. “Columbia.”

“No way… that’s a good one,” I said. “What are you studying?”

“Music,” she replied.

“Wow,” I said, immediately intrigued. “What instrument do you play?”

“Mainly piano,” Gabby replied. “But I can also play the guitar and the violin.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“You think so?” Gabby asked. “I’ve spent the last few years surrounded by people who play twice as many instruments as I do. It’s always made me feel inadequate.”

“Inadequate is the last word in the world I would use to describe you,” I said.

She raised her eyebrows and gave me an amused smile. “You don’t know anything about me,” she pointed out.

“But the tiny little bit I do know about you makes me want to know all the rest.”

She blushed again, and I had the sudden urge to kiss her, but I knew enough to know not to act on that particular desire. That would just freak her out and ruin any chance I might have had with her. I would just have to control my desires. For the time being, I would just have to resort to imagining what it would be like to kiss her.

“When did you start working at the station?” Gabby asked, and I could tell she was trying to change the subject because she was embarrassed with my obvious interest in her.

“Uh… a few days ago,” I replied.

“Oh, so you’re a rookie,” she said.

I frowned, realizing that she had probably assumed that I was a firefighter. I was on the cusp of admitting to her that that wasn’t the reason I was here, but then something stopped me from telling her the truth. I wanted to impress this girl and admitting to my past transgressions was probably not the way to do that, so I decided to be as vague as possible without actually lying to her face. I figured that I could come clean if and when we got to know one another a little better. Then she would understand me… she would have context; she would see that I was more than just my mistakes.

“I guess you could call me that,” I said. “But… I don’t plan on sticking around here for very long.”

“You don’t?” Gabby asked.

“No,” I said. “This is just… a temporary thing. What I really want to do is… make art.”

“Make art?” Gabby repeated, and she seemed surprised by that. “You’re an artist?”

I laughed. “You sound surprised.”

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