Free Lost and Found by Trish Marie Dawson Page B

around in the sink cabinet pulling items off the shelves and dumping them
     onto the counter until he had everything out that he would need. He figured he had
     at least a good hour before Riley and Kris would be back from their horse supply trip.
     And he planned on looking less like a deranged serial killer-turned hippy by the time
     they returned.
    "Bloody hell," he sighed. "I wouldn't listen to me either if I looked like this."
    And with that comment lodged securely in his brain, he grabbed a fist-full of his
     dark curls and shoved the hair clippers underneath, snipping at least two inches off
     in one swipe. He grabbed another clump of hair and repeated the process over and over
     until the sink was full. After shaking his head to get the loose hairs off, he ran
     his hands through the shorter waves, trimming the back of his neck as carefully as
     he could. The clippings nearly filled the wastebasket after he dumped them. Next,
     he filled the sink with warm water and lathered his face and neck with shaving cream.
     When he was done shaving, his skin was smooth and soft. He even trimmed his eyebrows
     just enough to make them look a little less wild and jumped in the shower to wash
     all the hairs off.
    He felt ten pounds lighter when he dried his body and climbed into clean jeans. Just
     as he was wrestling a thin t-shirt over his damp head, he heard Zoey bark from downstairs.
     Not bothering to pull on socks or shoes, he glanced at the oval mirror that hung above
     the dresser on his way out of the room. It wasn't that long ago where his job demanded
     a certain amount of attention aimed at keeping his looks agreeable. He had let himself
     go over the last several months.
    He briefly smirked at the cleaner, younger-looking reflection. "Much better. Let her
     try and argue with that face."

CHAPTER seven
     
    The instant I stepped into the cabin, I smelled him. The ocean fragrance of his body
     wash filled the entire lower level of the cabin so much so that I glanced around,
     thinking he was standing somewhere nearby. Zoey barked for him before padding off
     into the kitchen and nosily lapped up a generous amount of water before stretching
     out on the cool floor for a nap.
    "Connor?" The room stayed empty but I heard the soft footfalls of his feet as he descended
     the stairs.
    "Hey," he said to my back before I had a chance to turn around.
    My mouth dropped open and my eyes glossed over. His shirt stuck to his chest, as if
     he had just pulled it onto his damp skin. His expression turned amusing as he strode
     up to me, pecked my cheek swiftly and continued on to the kitchen. Ahh, I see how it is , I thought, as I stared at his firm backside before it disappeared behind the island
     counter top. Zoey greeted him with a snort, and continued on with her nap.
    Snapping my mouth shut and swallowing the lump in my throat, I stepped up to the counter
     as casually as I could manage and slid onto one of the stools to watch him bustle
     about.
    "You cut your hair," I stated.
    "Yup. It was time. Tea?" he asked as he held one of the colorful mugs out at me.
    I shook my head and propped my elbows on the tile top. "No, I'm good."
    With a shrug, he continued to move around the kitchen, preparing his drink, and ignoring
     me. Eventually the silence ate away at me and I released my lower lip from my teeth.
    "You shaved, too."
    He turned around and smiled, flashing his perfectly straight, white teeth. "That I
     did. You approve?"
    "Sure."
    I knew what he was doing. He was trying to charm me out of my anger with him. I sucked
     my lower lip in again and continued to nibble on it, thinking quietly to myself. My
     eyes couldn't stay on one part of his body for long, so I let them roam his figure,
     freely. With his back to me, I could stare unabashedly at his shoulders and the rounded
     muscles of his back and at the two indents above his ass that were visible beneath
     his shirt. The jeans he chose to wear hung low on his hips but