Page 34 of Chasing Forever

“You good?” he asked with a hint of amusement.

But she didn’t miss a thing. Turning her head toward him, she said, “Something funny?”

“No,” he said unconvincingly.

“Come on, what is it?” She propped herself up on her side and looked down at him.

“I just enjoyed your little routine, that’s all.”

“My little routine?”

“Yeah. You’re very…thorough.”

“Somehow that doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

He tipped his sunglasses down to better see her face and saw she was smiling. There was hope for him after all.

“I think it’s cute.”

“Ugh,” she said and lay back down in a huff.

He sat up and looked down at her, trying to keep his eyes on her face and not roaming down the petite length of her beautiful body.

“Something wrong with the word ‘cute’?”

“It’s a word I’m overly familiar with, that’s all. It describes puppies, kittens, and short people.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but she suddenly sat up. Apparently, she had more to say on the subject.

“For example, you probably wouldn’t use the word ‘cute’ to describe the Barbies. They’d be referred to as sexy, svelte, or hot, but never cute.”

“I have to argue with you.”

“Because you’re a lawyer,” she huffed.

“No. Because I’m a man, and I disagree. First off, cute is not a derogatory term. Second, I would never use the term svelte to describe anyone. And for my closing argument, you’re damn sexy, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate me saying so.”

He was met with dead silence, and her mouth hung open in surprise. Frankly, he was surprised too. He hadn’t meant to go there, but it was out now, and he’d have to deal with the consequences.

“Well?” he said when he couldn’t take it anymore. Might as well rip off the bandage all at once.

“You think I’m sexy?”

Uh-oh. He wasn’t sure which way this was going to go, but he forged ahead. “Yes, I do. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re wearing a black one-piece bathing suit and a cover-up or a bikini. Hell, you could probably wear a burlap sack, and I would still think it. So, there you have it. Full confession. Guilty as charged.” He held up his hands in surrender but quickly lowered them, thinking he was acting like a dramatic courtroom lawyer on TV.

He waited for the fallout, counting down the seconds in his mind and preparing himself for the end of their short-lived friendship. But instead, she reached over and placed a hand on his arm.

Looking him straight in the eyes, she smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Chapter 17

Thank you? Really? She’d been so flabbergasted she hadn’t known what else to say. Chase Edwards, her book hero, thought she was sexy. She hadn’t seen that coming!

When she’d decided to bring the bikini (that Quinn had helped her pick out), she’d been nervous about wearing it with him. If she had been on her own, she’d have minded less because she’d never see the other beachgoers again and she didn’t really care what they thought. But with him, it felt different.

While they were spending time on the island together, she cared what he thought. She’d already memorized what he’d said so she could use it in her book. She liked how the compliment had slipped out almost by accident and that he’d sounded apologetic, like he was afraid of her reaction. She found the entire scene utterly charming.

Now he was lying back, relaxing in the sun with his eyes closed. But for some reason, she doubted he was sleeping. If only she knew what was going on in his head. Then again, she liked the anticipation. Who knew what might come out of his mouth next?