Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
According to my parents, I had always enjoyed working for my mother’s art studio in Boerne, and wasn’t quite ready to leave home during those missing years. There was more to the story—that much was obvious—but honestly, I didn’t want to know it. Something tragic had happened, I could see it in my parents’ eyes, and I felt it in the depths of my soul. I couldn’t get out of Texas fast enough. Call me a coward, but I wasn’t ready to face whatever tragedy had robbed me of that portion of my life.
My eyes drifted down to the man again. He looked so familiar, but I couldn’t get a good look at him. And every time I saw him glance up to the museum windows, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Are you still having naughty dreams about your mystery man?”
I nodded. I had been having dreams for the last few years, really erotic dreams. But I could never see his face, this mystery man of mine.
“Darling, insert that man right there into your dreams, and I bet they get a whole lot more interesting.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. He was handsome. Goodness was he handsome. He had broad shoulders, and from what I could see, a body that said he was in better-than-average physical shape. He wore a baseball cap, so I couldn’t tell the color of his hair.
“Is he wearing cowboy boots?” Penny asked in a dreamy voice.
“He is,” I said with a bit of wickedness.
He had since hung up the phone and seemed to have calmed down a bit. He stood and started to walk off.
“Merde! Non! He’s leaving!” Penny whined in half French, half English.
I had a sudden urge to go after him. Turning, I quickly grabbed my purse and headed out of my office.
“Where are you going?” Penny asked, hot on my trail.
“Le suivre.”
“You are going to him?” she nearly shouted as everyone in the office area of the museum glared at us.
I shot her a warning look over my shoulder. “Yes. To follow him. Ever since I stepped out of my house, I’ve had a strange feeling. And the moment I looked down and saw that man, the feeling has grown exponentially. I need to see if I can find out who he is.”
Penny pulled on my arm, trying to slow me down, as I pushed the doors of the museum open and stepped outside. The café was directly across the street, and the morning rush of people had slowed so I was able to still see him. He smiled at the owner of the café and started to walk away.
“Arrêtez. Linnzi, this is crazy. He’s not the man from your dreams.”
Turning back to her, I laughed. “I know that.”
She arched a brow. “Really? Because you’re racing after him like your life depends on it.”
My teeth dug into my lip as I looked at the stranger, then back to Penny. There was no way I could describe to her the feeling I had in my bones. I needed to find out who this man was.
“I know what I’m doing. Tell Phil I had to run an errand! I’ll be back in an hour!”
Penny groaned, then called out, “Don’t go to a hotel with him!”
I made a mad rush down the street, my mystery man still in view. My heart pounded in my chest and I made a mental note to start running again. Although, I had a feeling my fast walking was not the cause of my rapid heartbeat. He was walking back toward where my flat was located. That was strange. I wonder how many times we had crossed paths before.
Finally, I had caught up enough to where I was only two or three people behind him. It wasn’t hard to notice all the stares and flirty smiles from the women he passed. A sudden pang of jealousy raced through me, and I had to laugh it away.
“Goodness, I’m jealous of what?” I asked myself as I made sure to stay back far enough that he wouldn’t see me, but close enough to keep up with him.
He turned the corner, and I felt my pulse race even more. He was turning down the same street I lived on. We walked past my flat, and I quickly looked around before focusing back on the mystery man. He stopped at a flower cart and started chatting with the young girl. Her face lit up, and I honestly couldn’t blame her. If this man smiled at me the way he had, I’d be blushing as well. I caught a glimpse of brown hair peeking out from under his baseball cap and found myself smiling for some unknown reason. He handed her money then wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to her. He pointed to a bouquet of flowers. I let my eyes fully take him in. Lord, the man was not only more handsome up close, but he had an amazing body. His large leg muscles filled out the jeans he was wearing nicely. My eyes drifted up to his broad upper body. A thin waistline led to wide shoulders and muscular arms. Not bulky muscles by any means, but he certainly was the type of man who visited the gym often. My mind drifted to what he would look like naked, and I quickly shook my head to rid me of my wayward thoughts. And, he spoke in English. I couldn’t make out everything he was saying, but I could hear that he was speaking English.