Page 42 of Chasing Forever

She listened closely as he related stories about his younger sibling, Miranda, and she got a real sense of how much he loved her. From there, their conversation flowed smoothly, and she told him more about her parents and Quinn, who was like a sister to her.

In between, they sipped their cocktails and ate the wonderful food while glancing out the window every so often at the magnificent view.

“Would you like another drink?” the waitress asked after a while.

She should have declined, because she was already in that happy place where all was right with the world.

“I’ll take one. Callie?” Chase said.

He was still wearing his glasses, and she took one look into those green-gray eyes and crumbled. “Sure.”

After the waitress walked away, she wondered if she’d end up regretting it.

Chapter 20

By the time they finished dinner, Chase was buzzing, and it wasn’t just from the cocktails. It was Callie, sweet and sexy with her floral-print sundress, silky dark hair, and deep brown eyes like pools of chocolate.

Pools of chocolate? Really? You’ve been reading too much romance!

And he had. He’d finished the first book in her series and had purchased the second, feeling like a total wuss when he’d downloaded it on his Kindle app. But the more he read, the more he felt like he knew her. It was like he’d gotten a glimpse into her world, and he liked what he’d discovered.

On the downside, he didn’t relish the thought of her inspiration coming from her ex-boyfriend. It was stupid for him to be jealous, but he was. He didn’t like the idea of her doing the things she’d written about with her ex or any guy who wasn’t him.

It was wrong, and he knew it, yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself. They’d established that neither of them was ready for another relationship, but all he could think about lately was kissing her.

All during dinner, he’d had to stop himself from staring at her lips and remembering how it had felt to hold her in his arms. Now they were strolling down a path from the restaurant to the beach, and he shoved his hands in his shorts pockets to keep from reaching for her.

It didn’t help that they were surrounded by couples holding hands or arm in arm as they joined the exodus to the beach. Once they reached the sand, they paused to remove their shoes, and he offered his arm so she could steady herself as she slipped off her sandals.

By silent agreement, they walked until they’d reached a stretch of sand away from the masses. Callie immediately dug her phone out of her purse and began snapping pictures. Chase thought about doing the same, but he wanted to keep his hands free in case…

“Isn’t this spectacular?” she breathed.

“It is.”

The descending sun painted the sky in brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds. The waves lapped rhythmically against the shore, and the wind whistled through the palm trees. There were murmurs from the other spectators, but their voices were low and respectful, almost like they were in church. It really was a spectacular scene, but he was distracted by the beautiful woman beside him, who was moving around and snapping pictures from different angles.

At one point, she stepped in front of him to capture a certain shot, and he placed his hands on her waist to keep her steady. Plus, it was an excuse to touch her.

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes bright and smile wide. “Hey. Would you mind taking a picture with me?”

“Sure. Why not?”

He expected her to break out of his hold and stand beside him, but instead, she stepped back so her backside was flush with his front and held the phone up in the air. She shifted around, trying to find the best angle, her dress brushing against his bare legs and making him squirm.

“Here. Let me hold the phone since my arms are longer,” he suggested.

She handed it to him, leaned back, and rested her head on his shoulder while he took over. He could have stayed like that all night, but eventually he’d have to snap the photo.

With one arm looped around her waist, he held her close. “Ready? Look up and smile.”

They tilted their heads up and smiled, and he hit the button a few times.

Instead of moving away, Callie said, “Let’s check and make sure they’re good.”

He kept his arm around her while they previewed the pictures he’d taken. He thought they were all good, but she didn’t seem completely satisfied.

“Let’s take a couple more,” she said.