Page 54 of Sin City Dark
An awkward silence followed, broken by the loud, obnoxious caws of a crow perched in the neighbor’s southern live oak. Nick pulled off his ruined tie, then began working the buttons of his shirt. His pants were soaked too, revealing the outline of—
“Jannie?”
She tore her gaze away from his crotch. “Hmm?”
“Can I get out of this pool now?” He cast a wary glance around. “Or will your vicious beast attack me again?”
“He isn’t vicious. That was only a bark and hold.”
He muttered something under his breath. Not bothering with the stairs, he braced his hands on the coping, pushing himself out with ease and grace. She watched the play of his impressive biceps. He straightened, and chlorine-scented water cascaded off his body, pooling at his feet.
“Your shoes!”
He looked down as water continued to trickle down his pant legs, filling his black lace-up oxfords. “Yeah.” He toed them off. “They’re trashed, I guess.”
“Not necessarily.” At his questioning look, she said, “If you fill them with newspapers, put them in the shade and run a fan on them, they might be OK.”
He shifted from one foot to the other and smiled. Just like before, she wondered what that smile would look like sans beard. Probably make him look too damned handsome.
Hell, he alreadywastoo damned handsome.
What was he doing here?
A flicker of annoyance sparked within her. She didn’t want surprise visitors, especially hot ones. “Why were you prowling around in my backyard?”
“You didn’t answer your doorbell.” His mouth twisted in a sexy half-smile.
“So, when I didn’t come to my front door, you decided to creep around back?
“I wanted to see you.”
“Well, you’ve seen me.”
“Yes. I have.” He looked her up and down.
Ugh.
She didn’t need this. Didn’t need him showing up at her house looking like masculine heat itself while she looked like shit. Nor did she need him to look at her like—
“You’re not happy to see me?”
Jannie crossed her arms. “No.”
His hands went to his shirt front, and he pulled on the wet fabric. Having that chlorine-soaked cotton on his skin was surely uncomfortable. Served him right.
“Well … I guess you should be going.”
He looked down at himself. “I’m soaking wet.”
That he was. “I’m sure you have a change of clothes in your car.” Her brothers always had one.
He shook his head. “No car. I took an Uber. They didn’t have a crew car available. I left my Rollaboard and flight bag at the FBO.”
“Why?”
“I thought it would be presumptuous of me to show up at your door with a carry-on.”
He had no right to bust into her life like this. No right to force his presence on her when all she wanted was to be left alone to go back to bed.
