Page 7 of Slow Burn
And still, I couldn't recall a recent time where I'd had the privilege of witnessing such beauty.
There was a fluttering inside my chest, one I hadn't felt in a long, long while. I held my breath trying to hold on to it, but it was gone a second later. Instantly my mood went to shit, and I jumped to my feet.
Without thinking it through, I stalked toward her, vaguely aware of Fugly happily trotting along behind me. By the time I stopped at the hip-high fence separating our properties, my body was vibrating with irritation.
My neighbor was standing on her side with her arms folded in front of her. The only sign that I intimidated her somewhat came in the form of her eyes—eyes the color of whiskey—widening.
She licked her lips and I couldn't help but follow the action. When she tilted her chin upward and narrowed those pretty little eyes at me, I let my gaze roam over her face. She was young, probably a lot younger than me, but there was something shining in her intense stare that called to some messed up part of me.
When her gaze softened, I realized, with a horrible shock, that I was facing her. My left side wasn't hidden, and she was staring right at my ugly. My stomach twisted, the knots working in furious circles until I could feel the bile rise in my throat.
I didn't want pity. Not from her or anyone else.
Bending down, I scooped up the mutt and shoved it at her. Her hand grazed mine as she tried to catch the dog and cradle it to her chest. I swore. "Take your damn rat and go away."
4
MADDIE
What the actual hell just happened?
Hugging Sheldon tighter to my chest, I glared at the big giant of a man stomping away from me. Or rather his broad back. I may have sneaked a peek at his butt too, but only because it would have been a crying shame not to.
"Don't go into the mean man's yard again, okay?" I warned Sheldon as I turned and headed for my house. Not ashamed in the slightest, I tried to catch a glimpse of Mr. Personality before I slipped inside, but he was long gone.
Everything that man lacked in manners, he made up for with his gorgeous looks. To be fair, gorgeous was an enormous understatement. The instant I had my first good look at him, the breath had left my lungs in one fell swoop.
Because…wow.
That strong jaw I'd gotten a glimpse of the other day was sharp and covered with dark whiskers that I bet would feel amazing scraping along my skin. He had these beautifully full lips that I envied and hated at the same time. No man should have been allowed to have a mouth like that.
It simply wasn't fair.
Nor was it fair that his nose, that had clearly been broken more than once, only added to his broody appeal. Or that his dark, dark eyes were so intense, I felt the weight of his stare all the way to my toes.
Then there were those scars… they ran from his neck and disappeared into his shirt. I was no expert, but it kind of looked like they might've been burn wounds. Thick gnarly wounds. And I would put my life on it, they had something to do with the downright tormented look in those black as night irises.
My heart twisted a little right then.
I didn't dare think about the kind of situation you needed to be in to get an injury like that.
"What a shame," I mused, setting my pup down on the kitchen floor. "The sexiest man I ever see just has to be the biggest asshole too." As I went about getting my breakfast ready—cereal and milk—Sheldon watched me with curious eyes.
Slipping onto the stool at the breakfast nook, I took in the view beyond the kitchen window. This side of the house didn't have an ocean view but that didn't mean the picture was any less appealing.
Bright morning rays filtered through the leaves of the sycamore tree in my front yard and danced over the sidewalk, the spots where it touched shimmering like little diamonds. The sight instantly pulling a happy memory to the forefront of my mind.
I had been in that awful teenage stage where it felt like it had been me against the world. Or at least my dreams against what my parents thought my dreamsshould've been. My grandma had convinced me to take an early morning walk with her. Instead of giving me the same lecture my dad given me the night before, she'd put her arm around my shoulders and hugged me tightly to her side.
"Do you see that?" she'd asked, pointing toward the shiny sidewalk.
Naturally my mumbled, "What," hadn't deterred her one bit. She'd simply leaned in close and whispered, "They aren't afraid to shine, and you shouldn't be either."
Her words, her acceptance, had stunned me into complete silence. I hadn't known how to express to her how much it meant. But it didn't matter. She knew. She'd always known.
Just like she'd known I'd need a place to come home to if things didn't work out in New York.
Blinking furiously, I shoved a spoonful of cereal into my mouth and glared at Sheldon still sitting next to his bowl. "This is all your fault, you know?" I mumbled around my breakfast. "Why in the name of Zeus did you dart off like your tail was on fire?"
