Something Like Perfect - S.C. Stephens Page 0,2

Klein, I’d be shocked. His body was perfect—not too bulky, not too lean, and clearly defined. He couldn’t hide that with his shirt and shorts. And the glimpses I’d caught of his face had only confirmed my model theory—perfect cheekbones, masculine jaw, green freaking eyes. And to top it all off, he had perfect semishaggy, I don’t care, but I really care light-brown hair. He was the epitome of every woman’s fantasy, and I was too sick to my stomach to make a move on him.

Why did I have to run into him today? I knew I looked awful, I knew my hair was atrocious, and I knew that underneath my gargantuan sunglasses, my eyes were worn and bloodshot. Looking like this was not how you grabbed the attention of a guy like that. It killed me that I’d never see him again after today, and as I stepped up to the barista, I prayed that somehow I’d be given an opportunity to interact with him. Something that would trump how I looked today.

“How much do I owe you?” I croaked, my voice unusually raspy.

“Nothing. The man in front of you paid.”

My eyes shot wide open at that, and I lowered my sunglasses to look at her. “What?” Because I swear you just said that hot guy bought me coffee.

The barista pointed at said stranger. Her eyes looked a little starry as she stared at him. “He paid for your drink.”

Mouth agape, I looked over at him. He was busy talking to someone in the waiting area, not looking my way. As I got a good look at his face, instead of just quick profile glances when he’d turned his head, my heart started racing. Wow . . . this was the most attractive man I’d ever seen, and he’d just bought me a drink. Sure, it was only coffee, but . . . that had to mean something, right? He’d noticed me, and he was interested?

Play it cool; don’t overreact. I didn’t want to scare him away by being overeager. Or by being really hungover. Why hadn’t I showered this morning? Or brushed my teeth?

I was nervous as I moved into the waiting area. Why did this have to happen today? When I didn’t have my battle armor on, when all my defenses were down? I hadn’t believed in the power of makeup before, but I sure did now. A guy this gorgeous . . . well, you’d better look like Megan Fox to approach him. And I didn’t at the moment. But he’d bought my coffee. Not acknowledging him would be rude, so I had no choice but to approach him. Just to thank him, of course.

Nervous thrills tore through my veins as I stepped closer to him. They intensified when the man he was talking to picked up his coffee, leaving him alone. Now’s my chance. I inched into his personal space, and he turned his attention in my direction. Once those jade eyes focused in on me, my breath caught, and I swear my heart stopped. How did so much perfection end up in one person?

Knowing I should stop staring and say something, I quickly blurted out, “Thank you.” He tilted his head, confused, and I indicated the baristas making espressos behind me. “For the coffee. Thank you for the coffee.”

He glanced back at them, then returned his attention to me . . . and smiled. “You’re welcome. I try to pay it forward whenever I can, and it seemed like you could really use a pick-me-up today.”

A small part of me was disappointed by his answer—he wasn’t hitting on me; I’d just been the lucky recipient of a kind gesture—but mostly I was awed by his sweetness. Hot and generous. And no wedding ring. How was this man not married yet?

As I mumbled an incoherent response, his eyes flicked over my appearance, and his smile slowly shifted into an adorable smirk. “Rough night last night?” he asked, playfulness in his voice.

Exhaling a heavy breath, I nodded. Then I lowered my sunglasses and let him see my tired eyes. “You have no idea.”

He laughed, and I had to restrain myself from grabbing my phone and recording the sound so I could listen to it over and over again. He hadn’t run away yet, and he’d even extended the conversation. Maybe the coffee had been an act of kindness and not flirtatiousness, but that didn’t rule out the possibility that he was interested. His eyes were certainly