Ben grinned, looking way too pleased with himself. And hot. "I was waiting for you to finish whatever conversation you were having with yourself. I didn't want to interrupt."
Crap. I'd been talking to myself like some weirdo. The best defense was to act like his teasing didn't bother me. And pretend that I wasn't dying to see the rest of the tattoo that peeked out from under his left sleeve, stopping just below the inside bend of his elbow.
"Sometimes I answer the voices in my head. It keeps them on their toes."
His grin widened and he laughed a little. "Good advice."
"So why are you lurking in the doorway?" I asked, tucking my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
His grin faded but his eyes still twinkled with amusement. Instead of answering my question, he asked one of his own. "How long are you in town?"
I shrugged. Fine, what did I care if he didn't want to answer my question? "A few weeks, maybe more. I have six weeks of vacation time saved up, so I'd love to stay here for at least that long. As long as there aren't any emergencies at the office, I won't have to head back to the city for meetings until then."
Ben's eyes dropped and I realized he was looking at the small tattoo on my left forearm. "What's that?"
I lifted it, turning so he could see it clearly. It was a series of ones and zeroes.
"Binary?" he asked.
I nodded.
"What does it say?"
I didn't answer him, so he came closer, reaching out as though he wanted to touch my arm. Instead, he hesitated and looked at me. "May I?"
I liked that. That he didn't just assume he could touch me. "Sure."
His fingers were warm and rough as he took my wrist and bent over my forearm. There were calluses on his fingertips and they were rough against my skin, but not in an unpleasant way. I nearly closed my eyes when I inhaled and realized he smelled really good, like a mixture of soap, a hint of leather, and engine grease. This was a man who worked with his hands for a living and I was suddenly dying to know if he was as good with them when it came to a woman's body instead of cars.
His eyes flicked to mine after he studied the tattoo for a few moments. "Sure you won't tell me what it says?"
I shook my head, unable to form words now that his face was so close to mine. I wasn't a tall woman, but I had curves. I had a small waist with big boobs and a butt so I definitely wasn't delicate by any means. But somehow, that's exactly how I felt. His long fingers wrapped all the way around my forearm, overlapping just a bit. And his body seemed so much larger than mine, but I didn't feel threatened.
I couldn't pull my gaze away from his because his eyes were hypnotic. Such an unexpected mixture of amber, deeper brown, and green. With his face so close, I could see each tiny striation in his irises.
And that's when I did what I always do—I said exactly what I was thinking.
"You have really pretty eyes."
Yep. I blurted that right out there like a preteen talking to her first crush. Considering the attraction singing in my veins, that wasn't very far from the truth.
The corner of Ben's mouth lifted. "Thank you. I was just thinking the same thing about you."
Ah, shit. I could feel the heat rising in my neck toward my face. Yep, I was just about to blush. It wouldn't be a pretty pink flush like Colette's. Oh no, it would look more as though I'd just been boiled like a lobster and my skin would be just as hot. I could practically feel the rush of heated blood as it crept up from my chest all the way to my forehead.
"Um, thanks."
Before I could make things worse by telling him how great he smelled or how much I liked his short, messy brown hair, Cameron, my most favorite bestest friend in the entire world, saved my bacon by calling my name.
"Hey, Sierra! I have to get a move on. I need to drop by the house before we go to the shop."
Ben released me when I stepped back but asked, "Will you have dinner with me this week?"
I froze. "Uh—" I wanted to say yes in the worst way but a little voice that sounded suspiciously like my ex whisperedYou get off on hurting men. You're distant and cold.
"Sierra?" Ben prompted.
"I don't think it would be a good idea," I blurted. And there I went, shooting off my mouth again. I inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so blunt. I think I would enjoy spending time with you but I'm only here for a month and a half. I don't think it would be wise to get involved."
