“Yup, the man is speechless,” Capri said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
HUNTLEY
Holy mother of God,she was the most strikingly beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Completely tongue-tied, I couldn’t form any words.
I didn’t know how I was going to keep my hands off her all night, but I didn’t want to scare her.
No, when it came to River, I wasn’t only looking for the physical aspect of a relationship.
With River, I was looking to claim her heart.
Especially since she already had mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
RIVER
His stare feltlike it was searing my skin right through my clothes.
My body caught fire.
If he didn’t avert his gaze, my jumpsuit might have turned to ashes, leaving me in nothing but my birthday suit.
“Don’t forget what I told you,” my son said, drawing Huntley’s focus and allowing me to cool down.
He nodded at Lennon. “You have my word.”
They may have been talking about me when I was standing right in front of them, but I knew my kid needed to speak his peace, so he felt like he was protecting me. Besides, I was too nervous to protest that I could handle myself. In truth, I loved Lennon watching out for me and had been secretly enjoying Huntley’s protective nature as well.
I shifted from foot to foot as my son finished talking to my date, and all the self-assurance that the ladies managed to instill in me while getting ready drained from my body. I turned to escape.
No way can I do this.
Soft hands grabbed my shoulders and spun me backaround, before Gemma whispered in my ear. “You got this. Believe in yourself.”
My eyes snapped back to Huntley, whose gaze was once again soaking me in.
His deep, husky voice sent a tingle shooting through me. “You’re beautiful.”
With his intense focus on me, the ladies swooning behind me, my sister and kids watching me intently, I floundered to find something to say. When all that came out was a simple, “Thank you,” I rolled my eyes at myself at how inadequate the two little words seemed.
But Huntley’s smile said otherwise.
The man looked happy to be in my home and there to take me out. And he also looked extremely out of my league. Dressed in a pair of clean black, skinny jeans that hugged his muscular thighs and a sharp, white T-shirt with classic white sneakers, he was the epitome of casual and sexy as hell.
He moved slowly toward me with an ease to his gate, sleek like a panther hunting its prey. Huntley’s smile grew and my stomach flipped with anticipation as he inched closer. When he was right in front of me, my body leaned toward him on its own accord, and I couldn’t stop myself from breathing in his intoxicating scent.
I may have had some wine as we got ready, but not enough to even make me tipsy. Although I was rather sure, the smell of the gorgeous man in front of me and the way he was looking at me could do it.
Huntley chuckled. “Are you smelling me?”
Fire flared throughout my body and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “No-o, w-what?” I sputtered.
Moving closer so only I could hear, his breath tickled my ear and sent goosebumps skittering across every inch of my skin. “I love that you like the way I smell, sweetheart.”
