Summon Toren(33)

The door closed and Toren turned to her. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

The indignation she’d hoped to muster for the sake of returning things to professional, was nowhere to be found as she stared at him, the familiar stranger before her, tugging so hard at her heart. "You didn't.” She kept her voice small, not trusting it. “He's been like that since I was fourteen and got my period.” She smiled a little and pointed at his head. “What’d you do, brush your face and shave your head?”

He shifted immediately to the sexy Toren and slid his hand over his head in a way that made her want to do the same. He gave her one of his panty-burning smiles.

“It was time for a haircut.”

She snickered and picked at the patch of peeling varnish on the corner of the desk. “You’re bald!”

He shrugged a shoulder and looked down. “Tell me what you need me to do, and it’s done.”

Sam couldn’t help interpret that in all the wrong ways even though she knew he was trying to change the subject. But she wasn’t ready. “Why would you shave your head like that?” And look at him! How was the man somehow more beautiful without hair? That was so not fair! God, she needed to get rid of him. Fast. Before he got under her skin.

“It’s just hair. Like you said.”

She snorted then felt her face warm at the sudden realization. He’d done it for her. Oh my God. “Get your ass to the kitchen and eat will you? We’ve got a busy schedule ahead of us. If the ranch hands are well, I may not need you. I can’t afford it.”

He met her gaze. “I don’t need money.”

She stared at him, trying to keep her face from melting into holy orgasms Batman, as she sat there and devoured the rest of his body with her peripheral vision. He was in a white t-shirt and blue jeans that fit the man to a T. A touch me, lick me, bite me, ride me T! Oh Heaven on Earth what was he doing to her? She hadn’t thought those things in…oh no. Joe.

She pointed to the door. “Go eat. And you can stay at the hunting cabin if you do end up staying at all. Somehow I don't see you getting along with the others well enough to stay at the bunk house even if there was an extra bed. Which wouldn't be big enough for you.” She got busy typing gibberish into the address bar, willing him to listen immediately. Ha.

She stopped with a huff but refused to look at him and get sucked into ogling him again. No doubt he thrived on the attention. “You got a problem with taking orders bub?” She kept her tone light as she could.

“I uh…thank you. For letting me stay and help you.”

That was just it. She flicked her eyes at him. “What planet are you from? This here is Earth and if you’re gonna stay here, you had better act a little more…normal.”

“Sorry, I’ll try my best.”

Good God she was so not used to his personality. She remembered what a Godsend he was and closed her eyes with a sigh of guilt. She took a breath for courage and surrendered to the decency she knew ran in her blood. “No, I’m sorry. You don't deserve to be treated that way and I'm ashamed for being so nasty. It’s not your fault the only men I know are assholes and it isn’t right that I take it out on a real…gentleman.” She cleared the soft feminine out of her throat. “Haven’t seen one of them in…well hell, ever.”

“I know.”

She looked at him wondering why he said it like he really did know.

“I mean, I get what you’re saying.”

She nodded absently, ready to be away from him. “I’m sure there’s coffee in the kitchen and something good to eat. You must be exhausted. Thank you too. For all that you’ve done. I don’t want you to think I’m an ungrateful bitch. Well, the bitch part I don’t care about… just…yeah.”

“Yes ma'am. I knew that too.”

Sam watched his backside as he turned and left. Holy hell the man had a set of buns. And those jeans made her want… She held her breath stifling the moan in her throat at recalling what he looked like in only his tight boxers. She bit her lip and jerked her eyes to the computer screen when he disappeared out of view.

She shut her laptop after checking emails and headed for the kitchen, nearly running into Toren in the hall. “Shit,” she gasped, letting her back hit the wall.

“Sorry, thought you might want coffee. Kassie said you take it black?”

She regarded the cup in his hand and took it, her head instructing her to go on ahead to the kitchen before she passed out from being in such close proximity. Smelling all clean and that other scent he carried. Was it his detergent? Cologne lingering on his clothes? Whatever the hell it was, he could make a million bottling it. Add his out of this world good looks, and you had a woman puddle of dripping need.