I never expected a man like Dustin Baldwin to show up outside my hotel room—much less with flowers in his hands. Maybe there’s more to him than I thought… I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His mannerisms captivated me. In the back of my mind, I knew I was supposed to keep a respectable distance from my client, but everything about him seemed to draw me in. I believed the shock of his actions had worn off. In the face of it, I hadn’t let him known how much he’d caught me off guard.

A man like him wasn’t someone I’d ever dream of seeing in such casual attire. A flower shirt, cargo shorts, with sunglasses, and a hat covering his slick hair. God, what a look. Somehow, he still managed to keep his composure. A slight smirk or wink was all he needed to make me feel needles parade across my skin. In the back of my mind, however, I couldn’t help but grow curious about him. Dustin was a man that seemed to always have an answer for everything and anything. Even though I wanted to believe he was innocent, he had an air about him that made me think he could be lying, but I’d never know.

Things were a little off, and I could tell from his hesitance to talk. Instead of taking me around town in the limo, he wanted to walk with me. “It’s a better experience this way,” he told me as we walked down the road. When I pressed to know more about the card he’d picked up, he shrugged it off with a grunt. I thought back to it as the long stretch of distance was starting to wear on me.

I hoped to find something he’d respond to. Feeling flustered I asked him, “Where are we going, again?”

“You don’t remember? I wanted to take you to the beach.”

“It doesn’t look like we’re anywhere near one…” I grumbled, peering into the distance as my hand covered my eyes to shade them. “Are you sure you’re not lost or something?”

“Positive. I just decided to take a little detour. This is your first time, so, I wanted to show you what else the people here had to offer,” Dustin replied, pulling down his shades a little. He spoke in such a calm, convincing way. The look in his eyes seemed to challenge me, the icy blue hues shimmering in the sunlight.

“You sure know your way around,” I replied without thinking the thought through. “Wouldn’t a guy like you prefer to keep to yourself? Up in some fancy mansion or something.”

Dustin shrugged. “Not necessarily. It gets kind of dull to stay in all the time.”

“But you can have whatever you want. I mean, I wish I could say the same. Best I’ve got back at home is a broken air conditioner and a tabby named Stewart.”

“Stewart? That’s a strange name for a cat.” He looked back at me to smile a little. “I guess material items don’t serve much of a purpose to me. Interacting with people is just more favorable. Kind of unfortunate for someone supposed to be in hiding, right?”

“Just a bit.” The sun beating down on us both was practically enough to make my skin sizzle. I gotta remember to use more sunscreen next time. Up ahead, I could finally see the semblance of a marketplace. The cluttered streets full of tourists and locals alike looked like a mass of colors and carts. “Hey… Is that…?” I asked, walking up ahead and pointing the spot out.

Wordlessly, he turned to me and nodded twice. “Stay close to me, I don’t want us to get separated in this madness.”

“Madness” was an accurate word to describe the marketplace. People shouted over each other while the market vendors attempted to be heard above the rest. Everyone was in a hurry to find the best deals for the lowest prices. Dustin kept close to my side, pushing people out of the way occasionally—not that they seemed to mind. It was an odd feeling being with Dustin here. He made me feel safe—he was protecting me.

Normally, I wasn’t able to tell much from his physique since he wore a suit when I saw him yesterday. This time, however, I could see parts of him a little clearer. His toned arms and legs stood out to me most. I couldn’t keep myself from asking, “Hey, Dustin. Do you work out?” It didn’t sound like I’d really asked him at first, but as soon as I realized it, warmth spread across my cheeks different from that of the sun’s.

Surprisingly, he chuckled at my question a little and asked, “What?” I could feel more embarrassment figuratively making me shrink next to him. “What makes you ask that?”

“I just… I noticed, uh… The way you can just push through some people it’s uh…”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, I did do judo for a few years if that counts for anything. My father liked knowing he didn’t have to worry about me being defenseless.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I replied.

He shrugged and said, “Didn’t stop the bodyguards from picking me up from school.”

Oh, now he’s deciding to talk to me. Maybe if I learn some more about him, it can help the case. “A little overprotective, huh?”

“Just a touch. Though, I will say that knowing a martial art comes in handy now and again. Don’t have to worry about someone harming a girlfriend or something such.” Before I could inquire more, he looked to me and said, “But let’s not get into that right now.”

Dustin Baldwin’s love life. I can’t say I’m not interested… “Don’t worry, I understand completely.”

“And what about you, Bianca? Did your parents wrap you up in Styrofoam and ship you off to school? I bet if mine could they’d done it.” He coughed up a dry chuckle.

I shrugged and said, “Nah, I didn’t really have those kind of parents. It’s more that they wanted me to do well in school, take up every activity that I could, and that sort of thing.”

“Oh, I get what you’re saying. Damn, that must’ve been pretty stressful, huh?”

“I’m sure you’ve dealt with worse. Besides, I guess if I never got pushed so hard I’d never gotten to be a lawyer, so I’d never gotten the chance to be here…with you.” Was I pushing the lawyer card too much?

He hesitated for a moment. “I’m sure that you have a drive in you to do what you do, Bianca. Can’t give everything up to your parents when you’re here taking on one of the biggest cases of our time.”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

“You and I aren’t too different, you know. My dad would probably say that I had a lot to owe to him, but when it comes down to it, I was the guy out there putting my ideas to work. Starting a business isn’t easy, but when you get to the top… Damn… The view sure is nice, isn’t it?”

I looked up at him and felt something stir in me. A primal urge to reach out to him and connect with him. His hand was there—just beside mine. Everything inside of me screamed for me to take it into mine, to squeeze his rough, strong hands. But somehow, I managed to resist it.

So, I walked there beside him, silently nodding. “It sure is.”

Dustin brought my attention to a cart showing off brilliant green fruits and picked one of them. “A favorite of mine. We should get a few before we head to the beach.” He picked up a few and stuffed them into his pockets. When prompted by the seller, he tossed them a shining coin, and they seemed pleased with it.

“What’s it taste like?” I asked, looking at him curiously.

“A little sweet and a little bitter. The mix of flavors really speaks to me. Reminds me of something…” His voice deepened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the fruits, peeling its skin.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Home.”