Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Three minutes later Stetson is sprawled out in the seat Devon had been in like he owns the damn buggy. He’s now king of the castle… or buggy, and it suits him just fine.
His energy literally takes up every inch of oxygen in the room and I feel like we were already running low on that before he stepped in.
I’m not complaining. Let him have all the air—let me die in peace just staring at him suck it dry.
He’s taken off his super suit and is only wearing a white-button-down long-sleeved-thermal-tight-as-fuck shirt with the kind of jeans that match his name.
Perfectly.
Just like his face, his body isn’t average either.
He’s so hot it should be outlawed. No wonder the female (Jayson confirmed my theory) polar bear bowed meekly before him—I know what happened…
she fell in love! She took one look at this man whose ruggedly handsome awesomeness is out of this freaking world, and she was a goner and she’s a different species!
Just saying. What hope do human females have at this point?
“You need to close your mouth and touch some grass, but since we don’t have any considering it’s the arctic, might I suggest deep breaths or gnawing on a stick or something to get that sexual tension out,” Grace whispers to me under her breath.
“If you don’t stop being so obvious he’s going to know. ”
I’m not even embarrassed by the inappropriate way I’m staring.
I should be.
But I’m not the only one who wants a piece of Stetson.
The women and even the guys are in awe of him…
His arms are so sinewy and muscular it looks like he spends hours in the gym.
His chest is broad, perfectly muscular—how do I know it’s perfect?
Because of the way it fills out that white thermal long-sleeved shirt he has on like he should be modeling for some masculine outdoorsy brand.
His legs are thick and long… and goddammit, they’re perfect!
And let’s not even go there about his hands–I’ve been staring at those from the moment he sat down.
They’re the kind you want to feel all over your body.
Big, strong, perfectly shaped fingers and they look like they’ve done some real kind of man work, not just paper pushing, the kind that knows how to grip the hell out of you, grab you by the ass and squeeze while he plunges so deep…
Oh my fuck.
I need a cold shower.
Immediately. Something to make this fantasy sex tundra I’m in stop.
“Jesus,” Grace mutters. “You’re sweating...”
“No. I. Am. Not,” I say back with some fury.
“Facts on God.”
Great. I’m sweating. In the Arctic. I would be that person. Something does feel off though about my body temperature—my lewd thoughts about my very physical reaction to another human being.
“I can’t stop it,” I whisper under my breath—but they don’t sound like words coming out of me… it sounds more like a moan..
Grace curses and I zero in on Stetson again. I try to focus on other things about him… like something bad.
Maybe his hair is fake, maybe he has glued on hair, focus on the hair, Charlie!
Nope, nope, he runs his hand through his hair. I gulp. “Real.”
“Huh?” She elbows me. “What did you say?”
“Hair. Real. Nothing.” I almost pant. What else? He’s too tall and big. Tall and big could mean not so great of a fit in bed.
Bed though, beds are nice, and being manhandled and thrown up against one is the dream come true. I cross my legs. Nope, that’s not a negative that is strictly—positive, a nice little checkmark in his perfect little column, ha see I can make lists too!
I keep staring at him.
He’s pretty damn perfect.
It’s hard to find a flaw. Anything. At all. Without making my whole situation worse.
Wait! I’ve got it! Calories. Massive calories! Unfair but here it is!
He does eat a lot. I’ll give him that. I get he probably has to in order to feed the beast of a body... but still. It’s a lot.
With a body like that you’d think he’d watch it— but in the short time he’s been in our presence he’s had a donut, croissant, two handfuls of peanut M I’ll give her that.
I steal a peak at Stetson again, I guess if he’s part of her dream, I’m here for it.
“He lives in Chelsea,” Jayson nods at Stetson and spills the beans. “And me and the wife are in Mayfair.”
Lots of nods in the group.
“I take it from some of your accents some of you are from the UK as well?” Jayson states the obvious.
“I’m a proud Brit and I married my American girl,” Devon smiles fondly at Grace, who pretends to be embarrassed by the attention. Please. She loves when all eyes are on her. She’s the opposite of me. She gives Devon a flirty wink.
Even after all the years they’ve been together.
Nauseating… but let’s be honest— goals.
“Charlie lives in Naples.” Grace points at me and provides the unsolicited piece of information.
There’s an awkward silence after she throws that out there. She has no shame.
“I love Italy.” Jayson replies politely as he cocks his brow in surprise.
Ugh.
Here we go…
“Naples, Florida, luv,” who knew Ellie remembered where I was from. “Kind of different.”
What a bitch.
I think the words and Grace wears them on her face.
“Naples is beautiful,” Stetson says to my complete and utter surprise. “I’ve been quite a few times for work. The rooftops remind me of a mosaic of shiny terracotta.”
Huh.
I’ve never heard anyone… and I mean anyone describe the rooftops in Naples, Florida in quite that way. Shiny terracotta? What in the bird’s eye view is he talking about?
“Rooftops?” Devon smiles. “Given your propensity to face off with polar bears I’m assuming you were hang gliding over the city?”
Stetson’s laugh is smooth, enticing, his eyes seem to hold a secret while he bites down on his lower lip.
“Not quite that,” he shakes his head and then says something even stranger. “But the waterways are very reminiscent of Venice, Italy.“If you say so,” Ellie rolls her eyes.
Stetson captures my gaze with those crazy blue eyes of his.
“I do.”