The combination of cocoa and his scent did strange things to her insides. There was no rational answer for why she’d run, so she shook her head and tugged on her bag, but he didn’t let go. Instead, the tip of his finger lifted her chin, and forced her to meet the most amazing eyes.
Emerald irises flecked with gold pulsed with a magnetism that drew her in. Dark hair curled over his forehead and swept to the side. Hishair framed a strong jaw and square chin peppered with a day’s growth of beard. Her mouth dropped as her attention dipped downward to the expanse of hot cocoa drenching his shirt.
“Give me my bag.”
“What? No,thank-you?” Ash’s eyes sparked with mischief. “And, here I thought I was the one who was raised by wolves and lacked all manners. You know, I didn’t have to brave the cold to chase you down. I could have left your bag there for you to find later, but I figured you might need it.” His brow arched. “Call it my good deed for the day.”
Her eyes flicked to the passersby bundled in wool jackets, scarves, and mittens while he wore nothing but a shirt and jeans. There went that burning in her cheeks again—part thank-you, part guilty shame, parthello, good-looking. Now that her drink saturated his shirt—well, wet T-shirts weren’t just for men to admire.
“I appreciate it. More than you know.”
He rubbed his neck. “You know, it’s been a really long time since anyone’s had the balls to call me out on anything, let alone call me an ass. And I can’t remember the last time a woman ran away from me.”
“Yeah, well, about that…” She couldn’t believe she’d done it either. If it weren’t for all those volatile feelings regarding Spencer, she never would’ve lashed out. Conflict avoidance had been branded into her from a very young age. It was the best way to survive.
He brushed aside her hair and gave a fractional shake of his head. “Don’t.”
Skye jerked back, not comfortable with such an intimate gesture. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t apologize.”
“Who said I was going to apologize?”
He scrunched his forehead. “Well, you should. You were rude.”
There was a quality about him she couldn’t ignore. When Ash smiled, he lifted her up inside.
“You just told me not to. Besides, you deserved it.” Then, she laughed, playfully punching him on the chest, violating his personal space the same way he had hers.
Holy shit, had she just done that?
“You and your friends were acting like asses, and I was just calling you out on it.”
His hand flew to his chest, as if her words had wounded him. “Point taken. I guess we’ve just kind of gotten used to…” His words trailed off as he released her bag, giving her an opportunity to step back and place distance between them.
She needed that. His proximity was disarming. His smile truly was a thing of beauty. With his good looks and killer smile, he probably got away with a lot, but she wasn’t going to let him use his charm against her.
He breathed out a long sigh and glanced at the escalators and then back down at his shirt. “Sorry about your coffee—um, kiddie drink.”
“It’s not a kiddie drink. It’s hot cocoa. I don’t like coffee.”
“Will you let me buy you another? I feel like I owe you one.”
“Owe me? I ruined your shirt. Let me pay to get it cleaned.” She unzipped the leather pouch hanging from the lanyard and dug out a twenty.
He pushed her hand away. “I’ve got plenty of shirts.”
“But no jackets? You know, it’s below freezing. Most people wear more than a T-shirt in DC during the wintertime.”
“We were stopping for a cup of coffee, not planning on taking a stroll—thus the whole running into the store before freezing our asses off.” He gave another wink and rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Sure I can’t buy you a drink?”
“I have to get to work.”
He seemed to consider the situation and then nodded. “It’s definitely warmer in here than out there.” He looked at the ticket machines. “Maybe I can ride with you and buy you one at the other end? How do these things work?”
“Seriously? You’ve never bought a pass before?”
His lips curved at the corners. “Nope.”
