Page 78 of Rescued By the Beast
And all I do is smile.
The black pickup glides down the street and stops with a slight jolt. The door opens, and Mark steps out, alert, his wolfish eyes scanning the surroundings until they settle on me.
My heart races, an electric current running down my spine. My palms are sweaty, and I rub them surreptitiously on the fabric of my dress, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.
Mark walks towards me, his steps steady, his gaze fixed on my face, a crooked smile appearing on his lips.
"By any chance, have you seen my cat around... again?"
The question carries a hint of amusement, as if he can't believe the coincidence of finding me in the right place at the right time again.
I bite my lip, holding back a smile.
"By chance, yes."
He narrows his eyes, crossing his arms as he studies me, the shadow of a smile playing on his lips.
"Hmm... it seems you're always around when she decides to run away."
I give a low, nervous laugh and rub my hands on my dress again.
"Coincidences of life."
Mark runs his hands through his hair and pulls it back as he lets out a sigh.
"She must be fine, just exploring the neighbourhood," he says, without taking his eyes off me. Then, in a low tone,to himself, he adds: "She must have just been scared by something."
My stomach tightens, and the guilt for worrying him burns under my skin.
"Do you live nearby?" he asks casually, but there's something in the way his eyes scan my face that makes my heart pound in my chest.
I smile slightly.
"In a way, yes. For now..."
He frowns, a curious gleam dancing in his eyes, but he doesn't ask what my words mean. Instead, he bites his lower lip and takes another step towards me.
I almost die.
Heavens, how handsome he is...
"And you?" I return the question, even though I know the answer, just to keep the conversation going.
"Yes," he says, nodding towards the end of the street. "Right there."
"Ah, it looks wonderful, at the foot of the forest..."
"Yes."
There is silence for a few seconds, and I feel nervous as he looks down at my dress. The same one as yesterday. Exactly the same outfit. I hold my breath, trying to hide it, and then let out a nervous giggle, smoothing the fabric with my sweaty palms.
"I'm not doing the walk of shame or anything... I mean, I didn't spend the night with anyone..." I stop, feeling completely embarrassed, and try to explain myself again, thinking of some excuse. "It's just... a uniform."
He shakes his head, frowning, and mutters:
"I wasn't thinking about that, um, you didn't need to explain."
"Well, I wanted to explain," I shrug, feigning indifference, but inside I'm screaming at myself for being so dumb.
