Chapter 11

I know I am gawking, but I cannot help myself until his voice drew me out of my daze.

"It is my utmost pleasure to meet you, Miss Debby doubting. I am Samuel. Your one and only catfish. Also, you can stop staring now. I know I look good, but I doubt I look that unbelievably good."

I cannot believe it. His voice sounded better in person, too. His British accent, which now I know is not fake, makes him sexier.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr Samuel Obnoxious. And you can wipe that self-satisfied smile off your face before I smack it off for ya."

I extended my hand for a handshake, but he hugged both me and Sam in a swift move. I must admit that I finally understand the craze about tall guys and short girls. There is just something about how I fit into his arms that is… dare I say, gorgeous? And he smells good too… Like a billion bucks.

"Believe me, sweetheart. The pleasure will be absolutely mine."

"Boy, you are smooth as jazz."

"You forgot intoxicating as rum."

Gosh, he smells so good.

I detached from his body and immediately missed his warmth. His eyes went from my head to my toes.

"You are gorgeous."

He licked his lips as the words rolled off his tongue.

Oh, lord! You better stop this boy before I climb him like a fucking telephone pole.

I took a miserable step back to see his face as his proximity brought my height to his ribs.

Calm your tits, Debby. You are undressing him with your eyes.

With great effort, I tore my eyes away from his body.

"Hey, little Princess Sam. How are you? Nice to meet you."

He took her from me and kissed her head.

"She does not take well to strangers, so be warned that she might start crying any second now."

"Bollocks… She is going to like me. She can recognize a real one when she sees it… unlike her mother, who should be thoroughly ashamed of herself right now."

She wasted no time warming up to him, which is odd because apart from family members, no one holds her. I expected her to rush back into my arms, but I was wrong. Her small hands traced the curves of his face, and she almost dipped a finger into his eyes. But he caught it, and she giggled adorably.

"We are going to be noble friends, are we not?" She placed her cheek on his chest with her hand on his collarbone. It looked like she was hugging him. "Yeah. We are best buds already. I like you a lot too."

He was talking to her like a baby whisperer, and I was thinking about the odds of Samuel Harrison being an actual person and not the work of an over-ambitious photo editor.

He stared directly at my lips with such passion that I felt shock waves rolling through my spine.

Lord have mercy.

He bit his lower lip and smiled, clearly enjoying me squirm under his gaze, and for the second time, my jaw dropped when his dimples made an apparition.

Where is the fire extinguisher? I am on fire.

I am drooling at this point.

How can anyone be this perfect? He is tall, slim, and fit? His face is gorgeous, and he smells like a sex god. His voice I can listen to forever, and his eyes are going to be my undoing. I had to pinch myself to remember that he is a friend.

Just friends, I said.

I am in trouble.

"Are you going to invite me in or not?"

"Sure… you can come in, but be warned. I have a Taser."

"Hm… you are a dangerous girl, Debs. I find you… unpardonably stimulating."

"There is something on your lips, Mr Samuel. Clean it up."

"What is that?"

"Your irritating charm."

He threw his head back in laughter as I lead the way, and I could not help but feel self-conscious walking in front of him.

Suddenly, I hate my decision to wear denim and an old shirt. I hate coming came out in barely there makeup, and I questioned why I ditched the Spanx.

I love myself, and I was a pretty confident person until now, except for the times when my extreme anxiety and paranoia would pay me unwelcomed visits. This is a new level of self-consciousness I have not felt before. I am a new mother who has not lost a single baby weight, and I am currently walking in front of a red-haired Matt Bomer. So yes… I feel like absolute shit. Before you go shaking your head at me and lecturing me about self-confidence, keep in mind that I was not expecting him to be real. I was not expecting a guy who is clearly out of my league. I was expecting a fat, ugly, female catfish assuming the identity of a digitally created model.

The joke is on me.

Maybe it is because I have kept away from people for a while, so it is natural to feel some type of way about meeting people again.

You are in denial, girl.

I know I am just making excuses to justify what I am feeling. I cannot help but admit that I am attracted to Samuel. I mean, who wouldn't? He is no catfish and is hella sexy. I am feeling things I have not felt in a long time. The prominent one being… want.

Damn.

My body is a traitor.