Rising by Holly Kelly Page B

quickly when Mr. Dimitriou reached out and pushed open her door. He stepped in and shut the door behind him. “Hello.” He spoke low, his voice as cold as his icy smile. It drove a chill down her spine, raising goose bumps on her back. Letting him in wasn’t just a grave mistake, it was lethal . The word sliced through her mind.
    Sara looked up into his slate black eyes. This wasn’t Shane Adams, although there were similarities in his coloring and muscular build. His size was surreal. He towered above her like a giant. Despite his size, his face was boyish and strikingly handsome, much more handsome than the actor she’d mistaken him for. His black hair was short, but long enough to curl around the edges. He looked young for an apartment owner—mid-twenties, maybe.
    His undeniable good looks didn’t make him any less terrifying. He smiled, showing a nice row of white teeth. For a split second, an image of shark’s teeth flashed through her mind.
    He looked at her expectantly. Was she supposed to say something? She was too frightened to speak at the moment.
    She’d only blinked but, in that split second, she suddenly found his face inches from hers. “You have blue eyes,” he said. It came out sounding like an accusation.
    Sara jumped. Then she realized what he’d said. This man was dangerous and insane. She struggled to speak, too shaken up to find her voice. She soon gave up and simply nodded.
    Where in the world had she put her purse? She would feel so much better with a can of pepper spray in her hand.
    His eyes bored into hers. He looked her up and down in a very careful, very thorough inspection as confusion crinkled his brow. The scent coming off him was mildly distracting—warm, musky, like an ocean breeze. Very appealing, unlike his grimace.
    H is eyes opened wide in shock as he rattled off expletives in whatever language he spoke.
    Th is man belonged in a straightjacket and locked in a padded room.
    He paused as if he didn’t know what to say. Sara sat very still, in spite of the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She wanted to move, but being confined to a wheelchair, she certainly couldn’t move fast enough to escape this hulking man.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, “but blue eyes are basically nonexistent where I come from. I’m still surprised when I see them.”
    Their eyes locked and his expression warm ed. Soon she felt pretty warm herself. He really was a sight to behold—tall, ripped, with olive skin. The kind of man who could make a woman swoon with just a glance and a smile.
    Sara had never before been overly concerned with how she looked, but , at the moment, she was very self-conscience. She wore a simple, fitted, baby blue t-shirt. She’d put on some makeup this morning (thank heavens), and her black hair draped down her back. His warm gaze melted into an intense heat. She found herself overcome with the intensity in his gaze, and didn’t know which was stronger, her fear or excitement.
    Excitement. Definitely excitement, she decided.
    H e stiffened, cleared his throat, and shook his head. He muttered a foreign word—she had a feeling it was a swear word.
    What was she thinking? She shook herself from her own crazy thoughts. One minute she was terrified for her life and the next she was getting hot over the man who might be her murderer. That just wasn’t right, regardless of how insanely hot he was.
    He stood silent for several moments as she waited for him to speak. He cleared his throat. “Look,” he said, “I need to inform you that now that I own the building, there will be a few changes around here.
    “ First of all, I’ve decided I’ll be giving notice of eviction to several tenants.”
    What was he saying? Tenants? Eviction? Could he be her landlord after all? Then his words sank in and her heart dropped. This didn’t sound good for her.
    “Will I be one of them? Are you evicting me?”
    “Oh, no, no.” His face softened as he shook his head. “You’ll stay. I