Chapter 2
Holy hotness, Batman. The McCarthy men had gotten far more than their fair share of good looks, but this McCarthy was in a class by himself.
Chloe told herself to quit being a nitwit as she cut his gorgeous, silky dark hair, the same McDreamy hair his father, uncles and cousins had.
But none of them had turned her into a stuttering fool the way he had.
What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t go silly in the head over men, but she would have to be dead and buried not to notice Finn McCarthy.
Like his older cousins, he had McCarthy blue eyes, dark wavy hair, prominent cheekbones and a mouth made for sin.
In addition to those attributes, Finn was also built like a man who worked hard for a living, with muscles bulging under a formfitting Henley and perfectly faded jeans that left very little to the imagination.
Yum.
She took her time cutting his hair, while trying to process the odd hum of attraction that simmered between them. Every time she caught his eye in the mirror, he was looking at her.
Chloe tried to think of something she could say to break the tension, but everything she came up with sounded stupid, which was so ridiculous. In addition to cutting hair, she made small talk for a living. So why was her brain totally blank when it came to chatting with him?
He solved the problem for her. “This is my first time at a salon.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve always been more of a barber shop kind of guy, but I’m seeing that I’ve been missing out.”
There was that look again, the one that told her she wasn’t the only one who was attracted.
Too bad he was off-limits to her. The McCarthys were one of the island’s most prominent families, many of them regular customers.
Indulging in a flirtation or whatever this was with one of them wasn’t in the best interest of her business.
Better to keep things professional, even if a romp with the sexy Finn McCarthy would be a great way to break the longest dry spell in history.
Don’t think about romping or anything else with him.
Just cut his damned hair. Sometimes she deeply resented the voice inside her head that made her act like an adult when she really wanted to bust loose and do something fun and reckless.
When was the last time she’d been reckless?
Never. She hadn’t had the luxury of being reckless.
She’d been far more concerned with supporting herself when other people her age were off partying and doing what twenty-somethings did.
She’d risked everything to buy the salon five years ago, and since then, she had been so focused on work and growing the business that she’d barely had time for anything resembling a social life.
Of course, she had much bigger reasons for staying focused on her business rather than her personal life, but she tried not to think about those things.
When she did think about them, she ran the risk of sinking so deeply into the abyss of depression, she might never find her way out.
So she didn’t allow herself to go there.
“Have you been working on the Wayfarer?”
“Yep. My home away from home for the last six months.”
“It looks incredible from the outside.”
“The inside is even better. You should come by and check it out sometime. I’d be happy to show you around.”
“I’d love to see it. Everyone is so curious.”
“When is your next day off?”
“Monday.”
“Come over at lunchtime. I’ll give you a tour and buy you lunch.”
Curiosity about the Wayfarer had her wavering. The thought of seeing him again tipped her toward saying yes. She forced herself to meet that intense blue-eyed gaze in the mirror. “That sounds like fun.”
“Great.” His smile lit up his face, and it was all she could do not to sigh. He was just too damned sexy for his own good—and hers.
She ran a comb through his hair and then shaved his neck. “How does that look?”
“Might be the best haircut I’ve ever gotten.”
Amused, she rolled her eyes. “Sure it is.”
“I mean it. It looks really good. A thousand times better than Joe the Barber in Stamford. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She rang him up and watched him head for the door, her gaze fixed on the way his jeans hugged his awesome ass. Then he spun around and caught her looking.
“Do you want to get a drink?”
I do. I really, really do. But I can’t. “Thanks, but I have plans. Another time, maybe.”
“Sure, that’d be great.” Once again, his smile lit up his impossibly handsome face. “See you Monday, if not before.”
After the door closed behind him, Chloe stood there staring at it for a full minute, calling herself ten kinds of crazy for lying to him about having plans.
The only plan she had was another night completely alone with her yellow Lab, Ranger.
At thirteen, he was getting so old, he had trouble getting around, but Chloe refused to acknowledge the inevitability that was looming in the near future.
Life without Ranger was inconceivable.
Though her hands, hips, knees and ankles ached fiercely after the long day, Chloe gave the salon a thorough cleaning, as she did every night, and locked up an hour after Finn left.
Why was she still thinking about him? He was a customer like all the others who frequented her salon, the only place to get a haircut on Gansett Island.
Everyone who was anyone came through her doors from one week to the next.
Why should he be any different from all the others?
She’d cut his brother’s hair a couple of weeks ago and hadn’t had any reaction whatsoever to Riley, who was equally handsome and charming.
What was so special about Finn that had her body still tingling with awareness of him more than an hour after he left?
Chloe was trying to reconcile her unusual reaction to him when she stopped at the island’s only grocery store to pick up a few things on the way home, including a rotisserie chicken for Ranger.
He’d lived long enough to deserve chicken with every meal.
In the produce aisle, she picked out vegetables for a salad to go with some of Ranger’s chicken—he was good about sharing with her—and was turning toward the register when she ran smack into the chest of the man next to her, who happened to be Finn McCarthy.
Of course it was him, and of course her entire body went haywire all over again.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said.
That smile. That freaking panty-melting smile. It was, without a doubt, the best smile she’d ever seen on a guy—sexy, sincere, friendly, unguarded perfection.
“Chloe?” His brows furrowed as he studied her with those piercing blue eyes that made her want to sigh. “Are you all right? That’s twice in two hours that I’ve nearly injured you.”
“I-I’m fine.” She hated that hitch in her voice that told him he made her nervous. Men didn’t make her nervous. She made them nervous, and she much preferred that to this.
“You’re sure?”
Thanks to the haircut she’d given him, he was even more devastatingly handsome than he’d been the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Had that really been only two hours ago? It seemed longer than that.
“Excuse me.” A woman behind her needed to get to the tomatoes, which snapped Chloe out of her Finn-coma.
She moved to let her in. “Sorry about that.”
“What’s for dinner?”
He’s talking to you. Stop being so weird! “Ah, salad and chicken that I’ll share with my dog.”
“You have a dog? Boy or girl?”
“A boy named Ranger.”
“I love dogs.”
That clicking noise was the sound of him going up a few notches in her estimation. Men who loved dogs were the only ones worth bothering with.
He gestured to his handheld basket. “I’ve got pasta, sauce and garlic bread. I make the best garlic bread around. Ask anyone. If you let me meet your dog, I’ll make some for you to go with your salad.”
Dear God. Every hormone in her body was on full alert and screaming YES at the top of their lungs. Did hormones have lungs? Hers did, and they were screaming.
Then he made a little pout face. “I haven’t seen my dog in months. He lives on the mainland with my mom. I sure do miss him.”
A stronger woman would be able to resist this handsome, sexy man who also loved dogs and garlic bread. Apparently, he was her kryptonite, because she was incapable of saying no to him. “I’ll let you meet him in exchange for the garlic bread.”
Again with that lethal, panty-melting smile. It ought to come with a warning: May cause panties to spontaneously combust in the produce aisle. “Deal. Lead the way.”
She walked toward the checkout counter, aware of him behind her, probably watching her every move because that’s what she’d be doing if she were following him.
Chloe didn’t make a habit of inviting men she’d just met home with her, but she knew his family and respected the fact that he had gracefully taken no for an answer when he asked her out.
Plus, she was trained in Krav Maga and wasn’t afraid of any man.
If anything, they ought to be afraid of her, not that they ever realized that until it was far too late.
The foster father who had raised her had been an instructor and had taught her to defend herself.
Her skills had come in handy more than once with men who didn’t understand the word no.
Instinct told her that wouldn’t be an issue with this man, but in a world in which she was almost completely alone, she’d learned to be wary of all men until they proved themselves worthy of her trust.
Chloe paid for her groceries and then waited for Finn to pay for his.
On the way out of the store, he stepped aside for her to go ahead of him. “Did you really turn me down for a drink because you had plans with a dog?”
“What if I did?”
“That’s one lucky dog.”
Oh, she liked him. So many guys would be offended that she’d chosen her dog over them, but Finn found it amusing and had turned it into an opportunity to compliment her. He was racking up the points, and she hadn’t even tasted his garlic bread yet.
“Should I follow you?”