Page 30 of Into These Eyes
“Sorry,” I say, “I must sound so pathetic complaining about—”
“Don’t do that, Jamie. Don’t sensor yourself because of me. Just be you.”
He’s smashing every belief I ever had about him. He’s not a pig, a stupid bum, a piece of shit like I always imagined. He’s shown me no contempt. Why does he have to be so fucking nice? And why does that hurt so much?
“I should go,” I say, standing before I remember my shoes are under the table. Plonking down again, suddenly physically and emotionally wiped out, my feet search the floor until I find them and kick them out past the table.
He rises, looking down at me while I slip on the uncomfortable heels.
“I still don’t like the idea of you being alone tonight,” he says, his voice thick with concern.
What choice do I have?Ignoring him, I grab my handbag and fish my phone out. “I’ll need your number.”
After he rattles it off, he escorts me out of the stifling caravan.
“Didn’t see no rockin’ goin’ on, Lake. She suck you off instead?”
Slipping on my sunnies, I ignore the piece of filth staring at me with a lecherous grin, but I can’t ignore the gentle, protective hand on my back as Gavin guides me along the worn dirt path between the caravans.
When we reach my car, his hand slips away as I open the door to let the heat dissipate.
“If you … ah,” he says, hesitating. “If you, by some miracle, come back here, please let me know when you arrive. I’ll come and get you. I don’t want you walking through this … minefield on your own.”
“I’m not a snowflake.”
He lets out a huff.
“What?”
“This place is full of some vile criminals. I don’t trust that it won’t just be words they attack you with. Not when it comes to someone like you.”
I blink at him. “Like me?”
His eyes shift to my car as he rakes one hand through his light brown hair and shoves the other in his pocket. After all the measured confidence he’s projected, he's suddenly uncomfortable.
“What does that mean?” I push, curious about his change in demeanour. So curious, I slide my sunnies up to my forehead.
His eyes snap to mine and hold there. “Because I don’t trust a single one of these animals when it comes to a … gorgeous woman walking through here.”
I let my sunnies plonk back to the bridge of my nose, desperate to hide my startled expression. Though there’s nothing I can do about the burn in my cheeks. I didn’t imagine it, did I? He just called megorgeous.
With his words and the scorching sun ratcheting my temperature up to furnace levels, I slide into the car, start it up, and crank the air conditioning.
“Shit. Sorry. I’m really out of practice at this. Ignore me,” he says, stepping into the gap between me and the open door.
I shake my head. “It was just … unexpected, I guess.”
“There’s been a lot of that going around today.”
I can’t argue with that, so I don’t. Instead, I stare up at him. Now that he’s outside in the glaring sun, the tiny dots of his pupils reveal the incredible depth in his blue eyes. With the sky enhancing their colour, they’re not light and icy, but a deeper blue, one that reminds me of denim. Different shades of gold and chestnut highlight his mussed brown hair and closely trimmed beard. I shouldn’t even be noticing any of those things. I should be grieving, reeling over the turmoil of the last few hours, but with him looking at me with concern, looking the way hedoes, he’s one hell of a distraction.
He’s fucking devastating.
A flutter of fear shimmies through my gut. Maybe I’ve made a mistake offering to help clear his name. I’ll have to be careful when I’m working with him. I can feel it right down to my toes.
He rests a forearm on top of the door and leans down. “Will you promise me something?”
“Well, that depends on what it is,” I say, pretty sure he’s worried about my vow to clear his name.
