to face Rebecca directly, holding his stare for longer than
the standard three-second threshold of unspoken interest.
Rebecca stared back at him and felt her heart leap, no
doubt caused by his X-ray vision that burrowed into her
heart and gave it an X-rated jolt of electricity. At least it felt
that way.
This is a rare thrill. As Alice had predicted, a strange
man had come all the way across the room to check her out.
She thanked the heavens that Quentin wasn't around to
spoil things.
Rebecca hadn't fully registered the situation yet, so she
stood there, quietly admiring him. His incredible body
already made the evening a success. Even if he walked away
right now, she'd have had enough of a thrill to provide hope
for an exciting future.
Rebecca smiled at the mystery man, her chest pounding
so hard that she worried he would hear it. She half expected
him to notice her overwrought state and begin to laugh. But
instead of making things worse, her smile seemed to
encourage him. He returned a smile that was practically
lustful, and his dark gray eyes sparkled. He was coming
closer to her, now only a few feet away. Rebecca began to
realize that this was not a fantasy.
But of course this was a fantasy-it had to be. What
were the chances that this jungle stud would choose her in a
room full of beautiful women? Her college boyfriends were
never much to look at, and even Quentin, who was quite
easy on the eye, couldn't compare. Rebecca still found it
surprising when handsome men noticed her.
Little Becky, ugly goose. Her sister had told her over and
over that no good-looking man would ever consider dating
an "ugly goose." And although she knew her sister was
wrong, the words still bubbled up occasionally. She wasn't
an ugly goose, but she wasn't a beautiful swan either.
Rebecca wished she had a smaller butt, bigger breasts, and
skinnier legs. She also wished her mouth wasn't so tiny. And
those freckles still made her feel like the little girl Lauren
had picked on. The list went on. But ultimately, she
accepted herself-she was what she was. Nobody's perfect.
I am attractive. She repeated her usual affirmation and
tried to clear her head of thoughts about her sister. Just
because no super-hot guy had ever targeted her before,
didn't mean it couldn't be happening now. Her body bathed
in the glow of Tarzan's smile. He had to be real-could a
delusion feel so good?
Oh my God. This guy is so built. Rebecca's heart
drummed in her chest, and she waited for him to look away