Excerpt: Selenophobia

Kicking myself into gear, I strutted up the driveway confidently, just in case the people in the house noticed me. I wanted to make a strong first impression. I didn't break my stride once, held my chin up proudly and knocked firmly on the door.
My countenance faltered completely when the door opened. In the lit doorway stood the tanned incarnation of masculinity. And he was shirtless. Oh…my…God… He was taller than me by a head, which placed him at a height a little over six feet. His face was made of angles, sharp bones prominent in his features. They were framed by a mane of jet black hair, lazy curls reaching just above his broad shoulders. Heavy eyebrows shadowed golden brows eyes. They sparkled with a feral arrogance as he looked me up and down.
And it would have been impossible to feel anything less than absolute confidence with the body he had. Thick muscles corded under the skin of his arms all the way up his neck. His shoulders and chest held an impressive girth, which would have easily intimidated any football player. And I could only imagine how many girls were dying to get their hands on his perfect abs…
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Looking closer at him, I realised that he was just as unsettled to see me as I was. That gave me the courage to answer him with relative ease.
“Is this the house of M Greeves?”
I shoved my hands in my pockets for extra nonchalance. He raised an eyebrow and licked his lips, which I guessed was a thinking gesture. He finally smiled in a friendly manner, which made me uncomfortable. I was way better at dealing with rude and brusque people than helpful hotties.
“Yup, this is the place. What do you want with Arthur?”
Ah, so his first name was Arthur? Arthur Greeves…didn’t seem like your typical North American name…
I grinned as innocently as I could. I think I can, I think I can, I encouraged myself. When I thought my face looked almost acceptable, I extended my hand.
“My name is Jamie-Lee Vandez, and this note in my back pocket says I should be living here starting tonight.”
Needless to say, an awkward silence settled down between us. The guy just kind of stared at him, blinking at regular intervals. I dropped my hand and reached behind me, searching for that darn paper. It seemed to be my only defence. Uselessly, I thrust it in the guy’s hands. He looked it over and then continued blinking. I shrugged unhelpfully.
After a more-than-painfully-awkward silence, he croaked a single phrase:
“Excuse me?”