Page 18 of Purrfectly Trapped

His smile should come with a warning label, she thought as she readjusted the cape around his neck when she realized it was cutting into his skin. She unsnapped it, then redid it on a larger setting.

Or tried to anyway. Sheesh, he had a really thick neck.

“Is that too tight?”

“No, it’s okay,” he said, and seemed to purr as she ran her hands through his hair.

“Hmm.I can see you washed it this morning, but I’d like to go over it again, if that is alright? I have some great products that would work wonders with hair as thick as yours.”

She spun the chair around and tipped it back, turning on the water from the specialty sinks she’d had replaced. Then Gretchen proceeded to build a good lather in his hair with some of the special avocado oil and mint shampoo she’d decided to carry.

The product line was very good, in her humble opinion. It was new and sulfate-free. The owner boasted only the best organic ingredients, and the scents were out of this world. Gretchen was hooked.

Her sexy new client seemed to watch her every move with blue eyes dark as midnight. She caught her breath, lost in the fathomless and faintly glowing orbs. They were almost magical, she thought, shaking her head to clear it.

Gretchen swallowed hard and cleared her throat. Just great, she thought. The fucker was so damn hot, now she was seeing things that weren’t there.

“Oof,” she bumped her hip on the sink and grimaced.

“You okay?” his concern unsettled her.

Darn it.

He was making her nervous. Gretchen was tempted to put soap in his eye just to get a break from that steady stare of his. Well, maybe some chit-chat would break the tension.

“Fine. Am I hurting you? Or is the chair uncomfortable?” she asked when she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Not at all. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you keep watching me like I’m going to make a mistake and get soap in your eye or something.”

“That’s not why I’m watching you, Gretchen,” he said, using her full name and making it sound sexier than she’d ever thought it could. “I just like the way you move.”

“Who me?” she asked.

“Yes, you,” he replied without hesitation.

His eyes flashed like blue lightning. The heat inside of them visible and Gretchen felt it all the way to her toes. Clearly, there was some physical chemistry going on here. She went back to his hair, trying to ignore him.

“I apologize if I made you self-conscious, but I can’t seem to stop staring. You’re really something else,” he murmured and seemed to be serious.

In a weak moment of self-doubt, Gretchen wondered if he were poking fun. Or worse, maybe someone put him up to it. She frowned.

“It’s okay. You’re not bothering me,” she fibbed, deciding to change the subject. “You know, you could really use a shave as well as a haircut. Did you burn yourself smoking or something?” she asked, running her hands over a patch that looked as if it were singed off.

“Uh, I don’t smoke. But yes, you’re right. Do you offer full service for men?”

“I do. Did you want full service?” she asked, and felt her blush spread across her cheeks at the innuendo.

Of course, that wasn’t what he meant. She finished rinsing his hair and towel dried it, pulling the seat into an upright position before leading him to her workstation.

He walked closely behind her, a little closer than was usual for her clients, but she remained calm. Or tried to. Truth was, he made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she wondered what it was he was playing at. Men like him didn’t usually stare at girls like her.

“Why, yes, Gretchen. I’d like that very much.”

“Okay then, I’d be happy to give you a cut and a shave,” she said with a tight smile. “So, is there anything you want done in particular?”

He sat down easily, watching her from the mirror, and Gretchen’s whole body felt as if he’d stroked it with those long fingers of his. Yeah, she had noticed them. There was just something about a man’s hands that spoke to her. He had great hands.

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