Mia

The plane landed, and I found myself shuffling through thousands of people I didn't know. I tried to pass them as quickly as I could, clutching my backpack close to me. I knew I looked like a fish out of water here, and those staring at me with the look were evidence of that. I didn't care though. I had a mission to accomplish, and their judgment wasn't going to faze me.

I sighed with some small relief once I was outside where there were less people to encounter. It was hot. So hot in fact I had to take off my jumper. I knew I had to take the bus into town because a taxi was way too expensive, and I couldn't afford that, what with only three hundred bucks cash in my wallet.

I jumped into the bus a few minutes later, and after paying my fees, I settled in a lone seat, placing my backpack on my lap in front of me. I kept to myself throughout the whole journey. When the bus stopped in town, I took another up to Beverly Hills and then another one farther out. This took me another hour, and by the time it stopped at the very end of the route, I was exhausted and thirsty.

Out on the rather deserted street lined with big mansions that both terrified and amazed me, I took out the Google map I'd printed out and peered at the white, neatly folded piece of paper. The glare was getting to my eyes, so I moved around, trying to find a bit of shade. My finger followed the line of roads on the map as I muttered to myself, "Where am I? Where am I?"

An angry, long, loud beep blared from the distance. Tires screeched against asphalt. I lifted my head, and my eyes rounded with dread. Panic seized me the moment I saw the car heading toward me. I reacted by staggering back, just in time, as the vehicle came to a sudden halt inches from me.

I fell on my backside, my heart pumping loud and fast. I was still paralyzed with fright when the door of that expensive car opened. Shiny black shoes landed on the pavement, followed by clean black trousers.

I watched, suddenly fascinated as that pair of shoes came my way. They stopped right in front of me, as if waiting patiently for me to lift my head. And I did. My eyes slowly drifted up the long legs in trousers and then to the slim waist and expensive-looking pale blue shirt and dark jacket, and then… My breath was taken away the moment my eyes met his.

Strong, aquiline nose, deep-set eyes, prominent jawline, and dark hair—this was the type of face found in fashion magazines. The male models in ads for perfume and expensive suits. The type that was out of my reach. The rich, expensive type that every girl drooled over and dreamed of dating.

He was the type that scared the shit out of me, and he was doing so right now. My breathing became shorter and faster. At that moment, I just wanted to run. My legs, however, seemed to have become numb, and I couldn't command them to move.

The handsome stranger made my condition worse by coming down to one knee. I was surprised he actually allowed those expensive, clean trousers to touch the dirt.

When he faced me, I swallowed.

Prussian blue. The color of his eyes. Dark yet bright, with an ominous feel to them. A shade of blue that had fascinated me since I was a child. It was the shade of the sky I'd seen when I opened my eyes that day many years ago, my whole body aching in agony and my bones broken. The sound of sirens and people shouting, asking me if I was all right. I'd never been all right. I was dying from a car accident. And they asked me, a child of twelve, if I was all right.

I flicked my mind back to the present, to the man in front of me, and bit my dry lip. I subconsciously licked them—a mistake. His Prussian-blue eyes drifted to my lips, and suddenly my whole body reacted in a way it had never reacted before.

It flared with heat, and delicious sensation coursed through me, making me almost breathless. I was trembling more fiercely than I had when I'd thought the car was going to hit me. My whole body quivered beneath his stare, at the sudden, electrical sparks that charged and pulsated between us.

He narrowed his eyes—against the glare of the sun or a knowing sign, I didn't know which. When he grinned at me, one that would take any girl's breath away, I knew it was the latter. He was way too handsome for my peace of mind. It was a crime for such a man to exist. He was too much.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice timbre deep.

A thrill rushed down my spine. I tentatively nodded and wished he'd just up and go.

He didn't, which both angered and pleased me at the same time. At that moment, I didn't understand my own feelings. Yes, I wanted him to leave me alone, but at the same time, I didn't want him to go.

He surprised me by wrapping one large, strong hand over my arm. I jolted at the touch, and my whole body went into a frenzy of sensation, a whirlwind of heat.

He pulled me along as he stood, and I mindlessly followed. My head barely reached his massive, broad shoulders. I swallowed as I stared at his shirt.

"Don't walk into the road without looking if you don't want to get hit," he said.

I nodded, still not looking at him. "Thanks," I said, stepping back. I felt his hand releasing me, his warmth leaving me.

I turned, picked up my backpack, and gave him a small smile. I saw him cocking his head to one side before turning away. I was still trembling when a few moments later I watched his car speed by.