1

Liliana

His perfect face pulled me in.

He sat in the car next to mine, looking down at his lap, unaware that I was staring. I knew I should look away, but his sharp jawline with dark stubble and the perfect shape of his nose and cheekbones kept me frozen in place.

I don't think I'd ever been so struck by someone's looks before. At least, not to the point where I lost focus on what I was doing. I kept glancing at the driver's window as I walked between our cars.

I finally managed to look away.

As I tried to get the gift and casserole I had made out of my passenger side, he opened his driver's door, hitting mine with a sharp crack. I gasped and quickly pushed my door halfway closed.

"Oh!" I exclaimed.

"Shoot," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "Sorry about that."

I turned and saw the handsome man I’d been admiring just moments earlier. A hint of a smile played on his lips, making my stomach flutter.

He looked even more attractive up close. My mind went blank.

For a moment, as I gazed into his soft brown eyes framed by perfect, dark eyebrows, I forgot what I had been doing or thinking about.

I swallowed hard, struggling to find my words.

"That’s okay," I finally managed to say, giving a small smile in return.

He smiled a little sheepishly. "I was worried about being late. Not paying attention."

He stood up straight, and my eyes followed him until I was craning my neck to look at him. I wondered if my brain would start working again that night.

He was well over six feet tall, with dark brown hair, and very well-built. He looked like someone from an action movie.

His fitted shirt showed off his thick chest, and I couldn't help but notice how his muscles flexed as he shut his door.

I noticed an intricate tattoo wrapping around his right arm. The black ink contrasted nicely with his tan skin. I could see hints of more tattoos peeking out from the neckline of his t-shirt, making me wonder what other body art he had under his clothes.

I imagined running my fingers over each marking. I had never wanted to tear a shirt off a man more than I did at that moment.

I would’ve been a little intimidated by a man like him if it wasn’t for his soft smile and boyish twinkle in his eyes.

My purse slipped off my shoulder and hit the ground. He immediately picked it up and handed it to me. My fingers brushed his as I took it, and I felt an electric jolt of attraction or something in my brain was about to pop.

I pressed my back against my closed car door. It seemed like there were only a few inches between us. I felt like I might swoon and fall forward against him. Especially since he kept staring into my eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.

I quickly checked for any damage from our doors hitting each other.

"My car's fine," I blurted. "No damage that I can see. Yours?"

My voice came out a little too high and tight. He probably wasn't surprised. He must have had this effect on a lot of women.

I wanted to reach out and touch his chest. Was it as firm and muscular as it looked through his shirt?

"Mine's fine too," he said, one side of his lips turning up.

Oh yes. Yes, it is.

He held his hand out to me. "Alistair Ashford."

I took his hand, which was as warm and firm as I had imagined. It was slightly callused and rough, but just the right amount. The men I dated usually had softer hands. As he leaned in close, I caught a whiff of his woodsy, masculine scent.

I realized I was standing there staring at him and squeezing his hand.

"Liliana Waverly. I should, um..." I gestured at my car door and moved to open it again, accidentally bumping into Alistair.

He put his hand on my hip to steady me. As I bent into my car to get the packages, I realized my rear was only inches away from him. My face heated in a blush.

"It wasn't all your fault," I said as I stood and tried to close my door with my elbow. "I was worried about being late too. I hate running behind. It makes me feel panicky, so I didn't notice you until it was too late."

That was such a lie. Part of the reason I hadn't been paying attention was because I noticed him. But it sounded reasonable, at least.

My purse slid off my shoulder again and hit the ground, dangling from the long strap on my elbow. This unbalanced my hold on everything. I nearly dropped the casserole, which was uncomfortably warm on the bottom.

"Let me get that," he said softly, as he took the casserole and the wrapped gift from me in one smooth motion.

He kneed my door shut, bringing his body closer to mine. Our faces were only inches apart, his breath warm on my forehead.

I cleared my throat, my pulse racing. "Th-thank you."

"My pleasure," he said, smiling down at me.

"You're here for the party?" he asked. "For David Ashford?"

"Yes. Are you–" I hadn't connected the names. Probably because my brain was still recovering from how attractive he was. "You must be one of his grandkids! He and my Grandpa James are close friends, so Grandpa invited me to come."

"We're going the same way then," he said, giving me a sexy, crooked smile.

His brown eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled like that, making my knees weak.

Get a grip, Liliana.

I'd never felt so instantly attracted to anyone before, especially not to someone a little rough and rugged. I realized that meeting him might have opened up a whole new type for me.

"We are," I said, swallowing hard. "And we're both going to be late if we don't get in there."

I reached for the gift and casserole he'd saved me from dropping.

"I've got it," he said, stepping back so I could walk out from between our cars and head inside.

"Thanks," I said, almost giggling like a schoolgirl. "I guess chivalry isn't dead."

He laughed. "What if I said the food smelled good, and I just didn't want to see you drop it on the ground?"

"I'd say that at least you're honest." I brushed off the bottom of my purse and hoisted it back onto my shoulder. "It's just boxed au gratin potatoes with a few extra things thrown in. If we're being totally honest and all."

"Better than what I would have had at home," Alistair said with a wink, making my stomach flutter. Actually, a lot of my parts fluttered.

When we reached the front door of Crystal Fountains Senior Home, even with his hands full, Alistair still managed to open the door for me.

I walked through and glanced back, catching his eyes quickly moving up from my behind.

My face heated up. He was checking me out. I'd never felt so giddy about a man ogling my butt.

The look on his face told me he liked what he saw and knew he'd been caught. But he held my gaze, a small smile playing on his lips.

I liked that he didn’t turn away and pretend he wasn’t looking like most men would have. Something about his confident gaze felt like a challenge.

Or maybe a promise, I hoped.

"It's in the dining room, right?" I asked.

"Yep. And as far as I know, my grandpa still has no clue. Your grandpa was keeping him in his room while everything was set up. Probably playing another round of Gin Rummy for a dime a point."

I followed him to the dining room, where a few dishes were on a table and another small round one held a gift bag and several cards.

The staff had decorated with some balloons attached to the middle of a few tables to make the room look festive.

"Grandpa told me that Dave's been kind of down lately," I said after Alistair put my things down. "I hope this cheers him up."

One of the staff members brought a cake from the kitchen and needed to put it on the table behind us. Alistair put his hand on my arm to move us out of the way. I felt a thrill from that unexpected touch.

"I hope so too. He misses driving." Alistair crossed his arms and shrugged. "I come and take him out to eat, just to ride around, but it's not the same."

We seemed to be in everyone's way, so we helped set up the napkins and plastic picnicware, then moved to stand against the wall. Alistair stood close enough that our arms touched.

"It's a shame we didn't run into each other before, while visiting our grandpas," I said without thinking.

I pressed my lips together. Did I just say that out loud?

Was I flirting? More importantly, would he think I was flirting?

Alistair turned, leaning against the wall, his arms still crossed.

"It really is," he said with a half-grin. "We could have been gambling in their Gin Rummy games all this time."

I swallowed hard, very aware of Alistair's intense gaze on me.

He was flirting. I turned to match his stance and nodded.

"Yep," I said, grinning back. "I'm not a very good gambler, though. And Grandpa James likes to cheat at cards. He'd probably have wiped me out."

"I've got a great poker face. We could have secretly paired up and held our own, I'll bet." Alistair gently bumped my arm with his hand.

A loud popping sound startled me. I jumped forward and grabbed Alistair. He put his arms around me protectively. I could feel his firm chest beneath his shirt, and it felt as amazing as I’d imagined.

A couple of the nurses laughed. It had just been an over-filled balloon popping. One picked up the limp blue latex and tossed it into the trash.

Alistair's arms stayed around me, firm and steady.

"You okay?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Just startled, is all." Then I reluctantly stepped back. I felt foolish for lurching at him like that. Maybe being that close to someone as sexy as Alistair Ashford was making me jumpy. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he said, his voice low and husky. "I might have popped a balloon myself if I'd thought it would get you to jump into my arms." He winked with a cheeky grin.

I licked my lips, noticing the way his eyes tracked the movement.

I was trying to figure out what to say back when a staff member said, "James is bringing Dave down the hall right now. Get ready!"