Free No One Like You by Kate Angell Page A

face said it all.
    “I can try for a table now,” she offered. “The manager knows you. He might squeeze you in.”
    She spun around, had taken two steps, when he reached out and stopped her. His hand fully curved her upper arm, and her soft skin teased his callused palm. His knuckles brushed the outer swell of her breast. His thumb came in contact with her nipple. Once again.
    Rylan swore beneath his breath. What was with his hand and her breast? He seemed out to touch her every chance he got. That wasn’t his intention. It was embarrassing. Yet he was slow in removing his hand. Noticeably slow.
    Beth was in profile to him, and her unmanageable curls shadowed one eye. Her cheek and nose were sunburned. The shade trees had not protected her from the heat of the day. Her lips were parted. Her breathing was uneven. The pulse point at the base of her throat beat too fast. He made her nervous. Awkwardly so.
    He released her then. Eased back. “Forget the reservation. There are lots of restaurants on the boardwalk. I’ll find somewhere else to take Ava.” He paused. “Did you call her?” He hoped so.
    Beth nodded. “Ava accepted your date, but I never got back to her on time or place.”
    “Okay, I’ll handle it from here.”
    “I’m really sorry, Rylan.”
    “You’ve already apologized.”
    “I can do better.” Please don’t fire me .
    He heard the worry in her voice. He had no intention of letting her go. Atlas and crew liked her. A mistake was a mistake. Halo and Landon had shown up and taken over her day. He couldn’t fault her for their distraction.
    All in all, he had to admit that the yard looked amazing. The trees were trimmed back and the grass was perfectly cut. Only the train topiary had derailed. Otherwise the guys had done a decent job.
    He glanced down at Beth’s socks and read the positive message for the second time that day. “I think I can?”
    “I know I can.”
    “I have no doubt.”
    Her shoulders sagged with relief. “I can give you that shave and a haircut.”
    He was reluctant. “There’s an art to the barber shop shave. How many men have you shaved?”
    “One.”
    “One besides me or one including me?”
    “I gave my father his morning shave when he was bedridden. Cardiac arrhythmia.” Her sigh was heavy. “I had sixty-three shaves to my credit before he passed away.”
    “I won’t need a box of Kleenex to stanch bleeding?” He attempted to lighten the moment.
    “Maybe a styptic pencil.”
    “Let’s get through the shave; then I’ll see about the haircut.” One thing at a time.
    She was agreeable. “I’ll collect the lawn equipment while you call Ava and get your shaving kit. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
    “I’ll help you first.” There was no reason for her to clean up by herself. His teammates had left out the mower and tools.
    “You can fight off the bats,” she said, a quirky smile lifting one corner of her mouth. She was teasing him.
    His own grin came easily. “Beware of red eyes.”
    One sweep of the yard was all it took to gather the items.
    Rylan pushed the mower just inside the door. Beth set the tools on the closest shelf. Atlas stuck his head inside, sniffed the air. It was musty, and the Dane sneezed. A big old sneeze that sprayed Beth. Her cutoffs were once again wet.
    They crossed the yard together. Atlas beat them to the back door. Beth waited in the kitchen while he took the stairs two at a time to get his shaving kit. He gave Ava a quick call from the upper landing. They set a time for him to pick her up. She promised an evening to remember. He anticipated seeing her.
    He went on to grab a bath towel to drape over his shoulders and returned to the kitchen in minutes. He drew a retro stool near the sink. Sat down. Then laid his Edwin Jagger shaving kit on the counter. The double-edge safety razor, aloe vera shaving cream, and sandalwood aftershave had been a gift from Dune. A welcome back to town.
    His dogs settled around him. So close,