My Book Boyfriend: Ian Holt

MBB is an weekly meme hosted over at the Unread Reader--if you want to read the intro post, click here

Since pretty much the moment I started Rachel Vincent's Shadow Bound (review coming soon!), I have had a teeny tiny gargantuan crush on Ian Holt.
OH. EM. GEE.
IAN HOLT.


GUYS. Err, GIRLS. He is probably my new favorite Rachel-Vincent-created male character!

• He's was in the marines
• is a "Blinder" --which means he can control darkness... pretty cool, right?
• an awesome fighter
• has a very good sense of humor and likes to joke around
• is fiercely loyal and protective to the people he cares about

"Holt wasn't bad-looking. In fact, he was actually kind of hot, blessed with broad shoulders, a strong chin, and the smooth, dark complexion only mixed parentage could give."

                                                               
"Ms. Daniels, unless I've misinterpreted that colorful description of everything I'm not, it sounds like you just paid me a compliment."
"I'm pretty sure that's not what I did." In fact, I'd gone out of my way to make sure that's not what I was doing. 
"Oh, I think it is. I think you just said that I'd be better at the job than Tower's last Blinder was because I'm not unattractive. First of all, thank you. Compliment accepted." He bowed his head slightly, like I'd just offered to crown him king of the universe. Then, in th next second, he pasted on a frown. "Second of all, I am offended on behalf of pretty people everywhere. I'm not just a chiseled jaw and eyes you could get lost in. I am the worth more than the sum of my defined biceps, sculped pecs and a six-pack you could scrub laundry on."
I nearly choked on an ice cube. "You have a six-pack?"
"Okay, maybe a four-pack. At least a carton of hard lemonade. But my point is that you have no right to judge my potential as a crime lord's lackey by my looks alone."
...
Then:
I opened the door and stepped into the bedroom, and was greeted with the sound of water running in the bathroom. "Hello?" I called, but there was no answer. "I had to come into the closet since you're--"
Half-naked and dripping wet...
Ian stood in the bathroom doorway, hair dripping, wearing nothing but a towel he was just then tying loosely at his waist. His chest and stomach were bare, dark and defined against the thick white cotton, and beaded with clean water.
Carton of hard lemonade, my ass. That was a full-on six-pack.
I couldn't stop staring. He was beautiful.


From Ian's POV
"Kori was the type to throw herself in front of a bullet to protect someone else, but I wanted her to know it didn't always have to be like that. That she didn't have to fight the world alone. That I wanted to fight with her. If she would let me."

"I want you, and not as a signing bonus. I want to be with you. I want to fall asleep touching you, and I want to see you first thing in the morning. I want you to answer the phone and smile whne you hear my voice. I want to be the only one you ever look at like you're looking at me now. That's what I want. What do you want?"