I opened my eyes to find two more staring back at me. I screamed and clawed at him, afraid he was going to finish what he had started. I squeezed my eyes shut then opened them again. He was still there, but had moved back a bit, just out of my reach, and was making gentle shushing sounds, trying to calm me down. I tried pulling myself up on my elbows, but the pain in my head made me woozy.

“There was a man here before…” My voice came out sounding small and weak.

“Brooke, you’re safe, no one is here but us. My name is Sebastian; we met at the beach earlier today. Do you remember?”

I studied his face. He did look familiar. I recalled sitting on a bench with him. “Yes, I remember you. It’s a bit fuzzy, but I do remember the pier. We talked about the weather, I think.” I rubbed my temples. “My head hurts.”

“You have a bump on the back of your head. There was a large gash, but my doctor cleaned it up and put in a few staples. He gave you a shot of antibiotics and something for the pain. I have a prescription for you to fill for some pills, more antibiotics.” His voice was deep and soothing, and something about it drew me in, wanting to hear more of what he had to say. “Do you remember anything about what happened?”

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut. “A man…two of them; they surprised me on the path. They said a few things, and then everything went black. Wait! When you found me, did I have my purse?”

“No, there wasn’t anything around you,” he replied softly. “You were most likely mugged.” He fished around in his pocket before pulling out my phone and handing it to me. “My doctor found this when he, um, when he adjusted your shorts to give you an injection. He said it fell out.”

“Thank you,” I replied, reaching for the phone.

“I’m sorry about what happened to you. I can’t help feeling like it was somehow my fault. I should never have left you alone. I knew you were in a strange city, and I should have kept an eye on you, helped you out, you know.” He smiled warmly, and I couldn’t help but notice the way his sapphire eyes sparkled.

“Don’t be silly. It wasn’t your responsibility to look after me. I’m a grown woman. I should have been paying more attention. If I hadn’t been texting, I probably wouldn’t have been caught off-guard.” I felt around the back of my head and winced when my hand met the staples.

“Are you okay?” He came closer to the bed, obviously concerned. For someone who didn’t know me, he was being awfully kind and going out of his way to care for me.

“Yes, it’s just sensitive. Thank you for taking care of me. It’s very kind of you. You don’t even know me, and you’re kinder than most of the people I spend time with.”

“Well, you’re probably spending time with the wrong people. Besides, I couldn’t leave you there. You were blocking the path.” He chuckled softly, trying to get me to laugh, which worked. “I was scared. I didn’t know what would happen. There was a lot of blood.” His face scrunched, and his tongue played behind his cheek for a moment before he continued, “I’m glad you’re going to be okay. Oh yeah, my doctor wants you to stop by the hospital for a head scan; he wants to make sure you don’t have any internal bleeding in your head. I know it sounds scary, but he said it was just a precautionary scan. I can take you tomorrow if you like.”

I sat up slowly, leaning back against the headboard, suddenly aware of the seriousness of my situation. “I don’t have anything. They took my wallet, credit cards, cash, driver’s license. My plane ticket was even in there.” I dropped my head into my hands, shaking it slowly.

“Hey, I don’t want you to worry about any of that.”

“How can I not worry? Everything I had was in my purse. Do you have any idea the kind of hassle it will be to replace everything?” I closed my eyes, feeling the tears begin to well up in the corners, and I covered my face, not wanting to cry in front of him. “I don’t even know where I am.”

“Hey.” He sat next to me, tentatively placing an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to him. “Everything is going to work out. You’re at my home in Santa Monica; you can call your friends and let them know what happened. We can call your credit card company and your bank. I’ll leave so you can have some privacy. The plane ticket is not a problem; we can have it replaced.” He ran a hand down my hair, speaking to me in a soft, soothing voice. I couldn’t help it; the tears began to fall freely down my cheeks as I sniffed uncontrollably. I’ve never had someone care for me like this. I barely knew this man, and I was in his home, lying in his bed. He’s had his doctor come take care of me, and now he’s offering to buy me a plane ticket home.

After Sebastian left the room, I hung my head in my hands, overwhelmed by the realization of everything that had taken place in such a short span of time. I’d had a great interview, but was still feeling nervous about waiting to hear back from the owner. The trip to the beach had seemed like a harmless choice at the time. I had been sitting on a bench, minding my own business, when he came along, taking up all the space with his charming good looks and big personality. We chatted about random topics, and I recalled feeling a sense of comfort around him, kind of like I did lying there in his bed. He told me his name was Sebastian; he had dark hair that was unruly and stuck up in various directions, making him look deliciously sexy, and those eyes… His eyes were like two sapphires that twinkled brightly when the light hit them just right. I had seen eyes like those before, in my dreams… and on the cover of an album by my favorite band, Paradox. Then it hit me, what I had discovered on the beach. My rescuer was none other than Sebastian Miles, and right now I was in his home, lying in his bed. Immediately, the butterflies returned, reminding me that I was both frightened and excited. How on earth had this happened to someone like me?

* * *

I called the airline and rescheduled my flight for tomorrow afternoon. I didn't tell them about my stolen ticket. I figured I would deal with one thing at a time. I just knew I needed a night of rest. My head felt weird and heavy, and the thought of getting on a plane wasn't very appealing at the moment. The calls to my bank and credit card company took a bit longer than expected. Eventually, I was able to determine my cards had been shut down, and replacements would be overnighted to a local branch here in L.A. Next, I contacted the hotel to let them know what happened and inquired about extending my reservation for another night. They informed me that due to a convention being held at the hotel, they were completely booked. My belongings had been collected from my room and were being held in the front office. She also told me that it would be next to impossible to get a room anywhere else at this late notice. Great.

Once my calls were made, I needed to get up and move around. I had to use the bathroom, and my stomach kept rumbling while I was on the phone. I was in a pretty bad situation here. I had no way to pay for anything, and I was at the mercy of a handsome stranger who had offered to help me out. I typed out two quick texts to Donnie and Jade, giving them a brief account of what had happened, and assured them that I was okay and at a man named Sebastian’s house. I indicated that I would call them before I went to sleep. I didn’t want to tell them exactly which Sebastian I was currently shacked up with, wanting to preserve the magic of the moment a bit longer. I finished up in the bathroom and wandered down the hall into the adjoining den. It was clearly a man cave, set up with multiple televisions lining the surrounding walls. A pool table and a bar were situated in one corner, but the pride of the room had to be the television that took up nearly one entire wall. On the far side of the room the wall was lined with rows of gold and platinum discs. I moved closer to get a better look and couldn’t believe my eyes. These framed pieces weren’t just gold and platinum discs; they were gold and platinum albums that belonged to my favorite band. And how was it that on the day I had the interview of a lifetime, I ended up being rescued by the one man whom all women seemed to want to get their hands on? I left the man cave and continued on through the house until I came to the kitchen. I headed to the sink and opened a nearby cabinet, searching for a glass.

“I have bottled water in the fridge.” His voice startled me, and I jumped reflexively, turning to find him standing in the doorway behind me. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to frighten you. If you prefer a glass, they are in the cabinet to your right.” He tilted his head, indicating the cabinet in question. “Are you hungry? You must be; it’s probably been hours since you’ve had a meal. I can order anything you like,” he offered, opening up a drawer filled with carry-out menus. I peered over his shoulder as he pulled a few out. “Take your pick. I’ll eat whatever you choose.”

“Um, I don’t have a way to pay for it, and I’m not really all that hungry.” It was at that exact moment my stomach decided to betray me by growling loudly.

“Not hungry, huh?” He arched a brow at me. “You know, I will gladly pay for your dinner, and anything else you might need. It’s the least I can do, considering you made a point to visit my city and were robbed and viciously attacked.”

I crossed my arms tight against my chest, feeling protective at the mention of the mugging. “All right, but I’m paying you back for everything.” He just shook his head and muttered quietly to himself, something about difficult women. “What was that?” I smirked.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” He chuckled and pointed to the menus. “Name your poison.”

“Chinese sounds good. I’m not picky.” I shrugged.

He grabbed a menu from the pile, and a broad smile crossed his gorgeous face. “Then we’ll order from Ling’s. They have the best Hunan chicken on the planet,” he said, reaching for his phone.

“Sounds wonderful. I like mine spicy. Don’t forget the eggrolls; I love those,” I called after him as I grabbed a bottle of water.

* * *

An hour later, we were both stuffed and sitting across from one another on opposite sofas. He was right, the chicken had been amazing, and I had eaten far too much of it. He had ordered way too much food, including enough eggrolls to last a week. Now that I had been fed, I felt like I needed another nap. My head throbbed, and I still had on the same clothes I had been wearing since after my interview. I felt tired and dirty, and I wanted nothing more than a bath and a bed, but first, I needed my luggage, which was still sitting at the hotel.

“Um, Sebastian…” I stalled, hesitant to ask him for another favor. “I hate to ask this of you, but my luggage is at the Westin Boulevard, and I need to pick it up. Right now I would kill for a shower and a change of clothes.”

“Ah, man, I totally forgot about all of that. Of course we can get it, no problem. If you want a shower, go ahead and hop in. I’ll send a driver over to pick up your luggage, so it will be here waiting when you get out. Until then, you could slip on one of my shirts.”

“Wow, that is so kind of you.” I tried picturing myself in one of his shirts, and the thought made me giddy. It would swallow me whole. “Are you this nice to everyone, or do you just feel sorry for me because I’m so needy?” I laughed heartily. Sebastian joined me in my laughter as he played along.

“Yeah, I just hang around waiting for strange women to come along and let me chat them up.” He stopped laughing and looked at me seriously. “I’m not being nice to you because I feel sorry for you. I’m nice because you seem sweet, and I want to help you. If I’m making you uncomfortable, just let me know. I’ll arrange for you to go to a hotel.”

I licked my lips nervously, not certain about staying, but not wanting to leave either. “Do you want me to go to a hotel?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off him.

He stood at just over six foot two, with dark hair cut short on the sides and longer on top, falling over his eyes when he dipped his head. He wore faded jeans that hung low on his hips and stretched across his thighs. A tight-fitting T-shirt showed off the bottom of a large tattoo on his left bicep that I couldn’t quite make out, but curiosity had me wanting to explore it further. He ran a hand through his hair and a flash of silver hit me as I noticed the array of large rings on his left hand. I stole a quick glance at his other hand and noticed the word FREE tattooed just below the knuckles. My eyes trailed up his wrist, where a thin piece of black woven leather stood out against his evenly tanned skin. Next, I took in his piercings; there were five. On his left ear were two small silver hoops and a diamond stud. The viper bites held my attention, and when he caught me staring, he pulled them absently between his teeth. Lord, have mercy. This man was even more gorgeous up close and personal. I licked my lips again, swallowing the knot forming in my throat, aware of the tingling sensation spreading throughout my body. I found myself hoping like hell he didn’t want me to leave.

“No, I’d like for you to stay. You can have the whole east wing to yourself. I won’t even bother you, if that’s what you prefer. You can stay here and get your rest, and then I’ll take you to get that scan tomorrow.”

“I would like that. I would like all of the above. Thank you.” He lifted my hand, raising it to his full lips, and I felt a shiver as the metal brushed lightly across the sensitive flesh. “I better go take that shower. Oh, do you think I can get my hair wet? I want to clean up this dried blood. I can’t believe I sat here all afternoon talking to you with that in my hair.”

“I never gave it a second thought. You look beautiful to me,” he replied casually. I gave a small smile, careful to hide my enthusiasm, acting as if I heard famous people tell me I looked beautiful every day. “I’ll call Steve and see if that’s okay.” Sensing my confusion, he quickly clarified, “Steve is the doctor I’ve been telling you about.”

“Oh, right, thanks.” I made my way to the bathroom as Sebastian placed his calls. Just as I was about to step into the shower, I heard a light tap on the door, so I grabbed the towel, wrapping it around me protectively in case I had forgotten to lock the door. “Yeah?”

“Honey, I just got off the phone with Steve,” he called through the door. “He said it’s best not to wash your hair for a couple of days. When you finish up, I can help you by taking a wet cloth to it. I can get out most of the blood that way.”

“Thanks, that would be nice,” I called back, grateful the door between us hid the blush that crept over my cheeks at his insistence on calling me honey.