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ONE
Jessica
One of s in the whole world is that ht outside in cold, lashing rain The transfor waroose bumps and the way my whole body relaxes under the stream of ater In that pure, simple moment all accumulated worries just wash aith the rain
The moment I met Cooper Lawson felt exactly like that hot shower after a very long, cold storm
The day hadn’t started out all sunshine and clear skies It was a little gray outside and there were definite clouds, but I still hadn’t been prepared for the sudden deluge of rain that flooded fro the boardwalk in the seaside city of Hartwell
My eyes darted for the closest available shelter and I dashed toward it—a closed bar that had an awning Soaked within seconds, blinded by rain, and irritated by the icky feeling ofThat hy I ran smack into a hard, masculine body
If the man’s arht onto my ass
I pushed y at the person I had so rudely collided with
Warean Sea that surrounded Santorini I’d vacationed there a few years back and the water there was the bluest I’d ever seen
Once I was able to dragcolor of those eyes, I took in the face they were set upon Rugged, masculine
My eyes drifted over his broad shoulders and uy ell over six feet tall The hands that were still on ered, and callused against my bare skin
Despite the cold, I felt my body flush with the heat of awareness and I stepped out of the stranger’s hold
“Sorry,” I said, slicking etically “That rain came out of nowhere”
He gave a brief nod as he pushed his wet dark hair back from his forehead The blue flannel shirt he wore over a white T-shirt was soaked through, too, and I suddenly foundto his torso
There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him
I thought I heard a chortle of laughter and ht of being caught ogling There was no sh there was definitely a a word he reached out for the door to the quaint building and pushed The door swung open and he stepped inside as an empty and decidedly closed bar
Oh
Okay for solu the boards slick and slippery I wondered how long I’d be stuck there
“You can wait out there if you want Or not”
The deep voice brought uy was staring at me
I peered past him at the empty bar, unsure if he was allowed to be in there “Are you sure it’s alright?”
He ht for why it was alright
I stared back at the rain and then back into the dry bar
Stay out here shivering in the rain or step inside an ee man?
The stranger noted h athis mouth
It was the laughter-filled eyes that decided me
I nodded and strode past him Water dripped onto the hardwood floors, but since there was already a puddle foruy’s feet I didn’t let it bother me too much
His boots squeaked and squished on the floor as he passed me; the momentary flare of heat from his body as he brushed by caused a delicious shiver to ripple down my spine
“Tea? Coffee? Hot cocoa?” he called out without looking back
He was about to disappear through a door that had Staff Only written on it, giving me little time to decide “Hot cocoa,” I blurted out
I took a seat at a nearby table, gri at the squish ofto leave a butt-shaped puddle there when I stood up
The door behind ain and I turned around to see BRF (blue-eyed, rugged, flannel) Guy co toward me with a white towel in his hand He handed it to me without a word
“Thanks,” I said, beh the Staff Only door “A man of feords,” I murmured
His , actually I knew a lot of men who loved the sound of their own voice
I wrapped the towel around the ends of my blond hair and squeezed the water out of it Once I had rung as much of the water from my hair as I could, I swiped the towel over asp in horror at the black stains left on it
Fuh my purse for my compact, I flushed with embarrassment when I saw my reflection I had scary black-smeared eyes and mascara streaks down my cheeks
No wonder BRF Guy had been laughing at me
I used the towel to scrub off the mascara, then, completely mortified, I slammed my compact shut I now had no er, and my hair was flat and wet