Claire
I couldn’t believeI was doing this.
Sure, Seth was cute, but I can’t believe I’d let him talk me into this.
It was the stupidest thing I’d done in a long time.
After we’d finished up surfing, I’d suggested fish and chips on the beach. Simple. Tasty. Cheap. But he’d had other ideas. Other ideas which had me racing home, jumping in the shower, and trying to make myself presentable.
My phone chimed, and I was still in my underwear holding the hair straightener. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I swore as the hair straightener touched my earlobe, burning it.
Pulling the plug from the wall, I tossed the arsehole straightener on the floor and grabbed my hair clip. Fuck it! It was going up. Quickly I sent Seth a text back that I’d be down in a minute before pulling half my clothes out of the wardrobe and dumping them on the bed. Future Claire could deal with the mess. After sliding my feet into a pair of fancy thongs, I grabbed my bag and bounced down the stairs only to find Seth leaning against a top of the line Range Rover. It put my poor little shit box to shame.
“Hey,” I greeted him breathlessly.
“Hey yourself,” he replied smoothly. Arsehole.
Why couldn’t he be puffing and panting and looking like complete shit? Instead, he was leaning on the side of the car, looking like every girl’s wet dream. Dark denim jeans, a white t-shirt that hugged every ripple and ridge on his long, lean body, and a pair of aviators hiding his mischievous eyes.
“You ready to head out?”
“Ah, yeah. Sure,” I mumbled, walking towards the passenger side only to find Seth following me.
“You don’t sound very convincing,” he whispered against my ear, his breath on my neck sending tingles down my spine.
When he reached out and opened the door for me, I almost tripped over my own feet. I don’t think a guy had ever, not once opened a car door for me in my life. And definitely not a guy I wasn’t related to. Seth definitely was something else.
Finding my backbone, I straightened my spine and turned back to face him. “Well, make it worth my while,” I flirted before climbing into the front seat and buckling my belt.
I couldn’t hear what he said as the door banged shut or he walked around the front of the car, but he was mumbling something. His lips, those lips I was dying to taste didn’t stop moving. Wiping my sweaty palms on my knees, I straightened my dress, wishing I’d worn something else. This one wasn’t long enough. Sure, it was cute and summery, and I loved the way the straps crossed across my back, but another couple of inches to the hem wouldn’t have gone astray.
Seth cranked the engine, turned down the stereo, and backed out of the driveway. For early Saturday evening the traffic was still thick and the closer we got to the city the slower we crawled. Even though we weren’t talking, it wasn’t weird or uncomfortable like I would’ve expected. It was kinda peaceful sitting in the passenger seat staring out the window as dusk settled in over the harbour.
Out of the blue, Seth reached for my hand, wrapping his around mine. “I should’ve said it earlier, but you look fucking fantastic tonight, Claire.”
“You just thought of that?”
“Well, ah…”
He dropped my hand, and I immediately regretted my sassy, snarky attitude. Why couldn’t I have just said thank you? It was the right thing, the polite thing to do. I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck. Guess the awkwardness just arrived. Courtesy of yours truly.
Knowing I was the one who’d made it weird, I had to be the one to speak next. Apologise even.
“I mean, thanks, Seth. You don’t scrub up so bad yourself. Although I must admit, I do like the green boardies,” I explained with a wink.
Seth coughed loudly and it sounded like it hurt. “So,” he gulped down whatever it was he’d been choking on, “you like the boardies, do you?”
“They’re not bad.”
“Not bad? They’re fucking awesome.”
“They’re not that great. Your abs however…”
“Don’t even compare to those legs you’re showing off there, sweetheart,” Seth finished, nodding in the direction of my legs. Feeling subconscious, I tugged my dress down trying to cover up my thighs that were currently on display.
Needing to change the subject to safer topics, I asked if he’d managed to get any more details about why he’d been summoned on a Saturday night. “Did your brother say anything?”
“No. I even tried Emma, but she’s tight-lipped too. I have no idea what’s going on. I was just told I had to be there at seven, and there was no way I was bailing on you again, so I invited you to come with me.”
