Page 573 of One More Kiss

Chapter5

Scarlett

I have to admit,dinner wasn’t bad, and neither was the conversation. Rexton is different than I thought he would be. I learned that he owns his own car shop and loves tinkering on old American cars. I learned that we don’t live very far away from one another. I learned that he has a younger sister named Ginger who is studying abroad for the summer. He doesn’t talk about his parents, and I wonder why, but I don’t press the topic.

We chat about our favorite food on the way back to the bed-and-breakfast. And he offers me the first shower. Who says chivalry is dead?

I’m towel drying my hair when I realize that my t-shirt is see-through, and my boy-short pajama bottoms are way too short. Ugh!

“Rexton?” I call out as I open the bathroom door.

“Everything OK?” he replies from somewhere around the corner.

“Uh, yep. Just, uh, don’t look at me until I’m in bed, alright?” I ask.

There’s silence and now I’m confused. “Did you hear me?” I pipe up after a few seconds.

“I…did…” He trails off and I want to poke my head around the corner, but for some reason, I find it easier to speak to him when I can’t see him. I don’t know why that is. Why would I want to stare at this man’s beautiful dark eyes? I decide I don’t want to explore that any further.

He clears his throat. “Maybe, next time, just don’t say anything and instead you can just run into bed before I notice whatever is the problem. Because now that you said don’t look, I totally want to look.” There’s a pause. “Please tell me you aren’t wearing some sexy lingerie or something.”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing at his response. After composing myself, I turn off the light switch. “Guess you’ll never know. Cover your eyes.” I run out and glance his way, he’s covered his eyes, but his fingers are pried apart and he’s most definitely looking at me.

“Rexton!” I cry out laughing with embarrassment as I jump on the bed and quickly pull the covers up to my shoulders.

“Can I look?” he asks with a smirk. I glare at him. His amused eyes are visible between his fingers.

I flick him off and he laughs. He removes his hand from his face and shrugs. “You can’t tell me not to look. That’s a surefire way to make me look.”

“Seriously? Why are all men giant children?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

He frowns and then his face morphs into something a little more serious. “We all aren’t giant children. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have looked,” he says sheepishly.

I wonder if my comment has offended him. Rexton doesn’t look like someone easily offended. He’s a massive man with fair skin, light brown hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and dark brown eyes. His skin is covered in tattoos. I can see one peeking out from the neck of his shirt, more are visible on his arms. When I saw his torso earlier, it too was covered in them as well as his legs. I was so shocked at the fact he had on only a towel, that I hadn’t looked at all of them. He looks like someone I would be fearful of if I met him in an alley, but over the past few hours, I’ve come to find out that he’s more like a giant teddy bear than an angry grizzly bear that I had pegged him for at the castle.

“Rexton?” I ask as he walks to the bathroom. Part of me wants to apologize for being so curt with him earlier.

“Yes,” he answers without turning toward me.

“Never mind,” I quickly say, deciding I need a moment to compose myself before I can talk with him again. He pauses for a moment but then goes to the bathroom without another word.

I lie in bed, scanning social media on my phone while he showers. When he comes back out, he’s only wearing gym shorts. This time, I take him in, all six foot something of him.

“I hope you don’t mind. I…sleep hot. Normally, I sleep naked, but…” He trails off as he looks over at me.

I blush. “It’s fine.”

He goes about making a makeshift bed on the floor and then crawls under the covers. I turn off the light and we both lie there in awkward silence.

“Thanks again for sharing the room,” I start, my voice sounding loud in the quiet space.

“Sure. I couldn’t let you sleep out there,” he says.

We’re quiet for a moment more.

“Rexton?”

“Yes?”

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