Tucking her phone into the pocket of her cross-body travel purse, she strode with purpose right up until the moment her feet stopped moving and her upper body lurched forward.
The cracked and dusty tile rushed toward her and the heavy pack tumbled off her shoulder, throwing her even more off balance. She thrust out an arm to stop her fall and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact.
A tight band encircled her waist and jerked her into a hard wall.
“Whoa there,” a low, deep voice said in her ear.
Her heart fluttered as she realized the wall at her back was likely a warm chest belonging to the voice vibrating in her ear. The arm around her loosened and she inhaled deeply.
“You good?” the voice asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
The arm released her slowly, the fingers trailing across the bottom of her ribs to rest on her hip. “Hang on a sec.”
Trying to ignore the goosebumps rolling across her skin, Kinley glanced down at the man now kneeling at her feet. He pressed a hand to the back of her knee and she lifted her foot while he untangled the black mesh strap of his bag from her ankle.
He stood and her eyes followed him up as he rose.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“That’s….” She swallowed, and then shook her head. “It’s my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
His lips spread in a slow smile she could only describe as mischievous and a little sexy. “So it’s neither of our faults—just a lucky happenstance.” He bent down, picked up her pack as if it weighed nothing, and held it out to her.
She wasn’t sure almost biting the dust could be counted as lucky, but his catching her was, definitely. Taking her pack, she hefted it back onto her shoulder. “Yeah. Uh…thanks.”
“Any time.” He winked and resumed his seat.
It clicked that his shoulders were the ones she’d admired earlier. He was even better looking up close. His long lashes brushed his high cheek bones and were slightly darker than his blond hair, which was a little too long and curled around the tops of his ears. Could ears be cute?
Giving herself a mental shake, she made her way to the tour counter, watching where she stepped.“Hola. ¿Habla usted inglés?”she asked.
“Yes, I speak English.” His nametag read Francisco.
“Thank goodness.” She set her pack at her feet. “My Spanish is horrible. I need to get to Carmelita. Do you have any cars going that way I could ride with? I’m willing to pay for the transportation.”
“We can only transport tour guests. You would have to pay for an entire tour.”
Kinley’s shoulders sagged. “Really? I only need a ride to Carmelita to meet with the rest of my group. The person who was supposed to meet me isn’t here and the last bus of the day left. The rest of my group is leaving Carmelita in the morning and I really need to be there before then.”
“I’m sorry,señorita,” he said softly. “The policy is very strict.”
Tired and on the verge of tears, she could only thank him for his time. She’d find a hotel for the night and take the first bus in the morning and figure out how to catch up with the group once she reached the office in Carmelita.
“She can ride with us.”
Kinley’s head whipped to the side. Her rescuer was rescuing her again.
“Señor, if she’s not booked on the trip we can’t act as a taxi for her.”
“It’s fine. I—”
“We originally booked four people, but one of our friends had to bail at the last minute. She’s taking his spot.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled. He leaned on the counter, causing his biceps to bulge and strain the fabric of his dark green T-shirt. With his curly blond hair and golden tan, he brought to mind the image of a surfer.
Kinley glanced at Francisco. He looked skeptical, to say the least.
“The cost of the tour is the same whether we have two people or twelve, so it doesn’t matter if we add another person at the last minute.” His tone was a little less friendly than before.
