Chapter One
Lexi
Regrets served no purpose in life because every choice, good or bad, was a teaching moment.
That was my motto, and yet, staring at the small, three-bedroom rental and watching my best friend’s brother walk out of his room in swimming trunks…I regretted agreeing to tag along on their family trip. The holiday trip was supposed to be about relaxing, getting my flirt on with my best friend and her sister, and finding a way to get over our awful love lives. A girl’s trip was exactly what I needed, so seeing her older, sexy-as-hell brother put a dent in my plan. Will Slate had the unique ability to make my brain and mouth stop aligning and my body burn with lust.
Well at least I know my sex drive isn’t broken.
I cleared my throat, held the towel tighter against my chest, and thought of a million ways I’d make Charlize pay for omitting this little tidbit. With Will here, there was no way I could relax. He was my kryptonite, my hidden crush I’d harbored for years. How could I try to get over my fear of sex with him here? He oozed confidence and had zero problems in that area. He was a professional baseball player and had fans who waited for him after games.
The man could blink and it was sexy.
If I had to pick someone who was the complete opposite of him, it’d be me. My throat dried up as I admired the strong lines of his chest and the way his muscles shifted with his gait.
“You bringing the snacks, Lex?” Will asked, waggling his dark eyebrows up and down as he stalked toward the fridge. He whipped the silver doors opened and put cans of beer into a pale blue cooler, the exact same color of his eyes. He paused from unloading the cans and tilted his head at me.
Damnit. I never answered.
He arched one brow and gave me a half-grin. “Are you?”
“Yes,” I blurted out, pulling myself from the Will Fantasy Land I often visited around him. The curve of his lips had me clench my thighs together, and I managed a somewhat normal response. “Yeah, I’m bringing the food. Don’t worry.”
“Thatta girl.” He flashed me a quick smile, showcasing very white and straight teeth, and tapped the top of cooler twice, making a loud thud. “You and Charley meeting me out there? Should I reserve you ladies a spot?”
I nodded, pulling the end of my cover up down past my thighs. I packed my most revealing swimming suit, not caring about all of my curves around Charlize, but around Will, my skin burned with embarrassment. He dated stick-thin, beautiful models while I wasn’t that. Not even a little bit.
Why didn’t I pack my larger suit?I set the towel down and quickly fixed the front of the top so it made my boobs look a little better. He might not notice methatway, but on the rare chance he did look, I wanted to showcase my best asset.
“I really needed this trip,” he said, turning back around and shaking his head so strands of his hair fell over his forehead. “You and Charley are the least dramatic people I know. That’s what I need.” He gave me a sad smile, lifted the cooler with both hands, and headed out the back door. The rental lined up right against the water, and it took less than three minutes to walk through the tide. Being near the beach was the only requirement since this was supposed to beCharley and Lexi’s Plan to get Laid on New Year’s.We wanted to drink on the beach and hook-up. I stood, frozen in my spot, still shocked that Will showed up this morning instead of his other sister. He was here for a full week with me and Charley.
How would I survive?
Shit. He stopped walking and looked back at me. Was I drooling? I oh-so-casually wiped my hand over my mouth and made the gesture look like it was an itch.Totally smooth.God, I was an idiot. No wonder my ex said I wasn’t along termkinda girlfriend.
“Don’t forget sunscreen, Lex.” He leaned against the doorframe, narrowing his eyes at me for a beat. “It’s day one. We can’t have you burning like a lobster, huh? Not like that one summer when we went to San Diego.”
“Right,” I said, sounding stupid and unlike anything I had worked toward. Confidence played a unique role in my life. Professionally, some would say I was smug. Working as a programmer, a female programmer, brought me a certain level of clout. I never hung my head when challenged at the office, but on a date? Sharing a house with Will for a week?
I reverted to fourteen, feeling left out because I never had a first kiss.
Once the door shut, I shook my head and got a bottle water to cool myself down. I was twenty-seven years old, not a teenager, and Will Slate was my best friend’s older brother. The same guy who farted so loud we could hear the sound across their house.
Didn’t matter now that he became the hottest thing in Chicago and an ex leaked his nudes that anyone could find on the internet. His gorgeous body, tanned and chiseled, should not make me think about those photos or wonder what it would feel like to touch him.
“Pull yourself together,” I mumbled, unaware that Charley walked into the room in a bright yellow polka-dot one-piece. Her black hair hung all the way down her back, and the only thing she shared with Will was her blue eyes and wild personality. They were physically opposite in every other way, and I pointed my finger at her chest. “You.”
She snorted and shook her head, but her face held nothing but warmth for me.
“Talking to yourself again, huh, Lex?” she said, her voice coming out sing-song. Where Will was thoughtful and determined, Charley was tough and loyal to a fault. “You spend too much time behind a computer, my friend. None of that here. I officially ban any devices.”
I rolled my eyes as she moved into the kitchen. The countertops were empty, and the wallpaper in the rental was a pastel blue. She grabbed a spoon and a jar of peanut butter and took out a huge scoop. “Seriously, Lex. No internet for you or Will. You both need a break.
“But my laptop is connected to my heart. Without it, I’ll likely die.” I moved toward her and crossed my arms over my chest, my pulse racing at my mini confrontation. “Listen, you. I didn’t know Will was coming.”
She waved her hand, ignoring me and grabbing the whole handle of tequila. “We all need this holiday trip to escape the Chicago winter. I’m drinking away my break-up, Will is enjoying some anonymity after the nude photo debacle, and you, sweet, wonderful Lexi, are going to score some real action and get over your fear of getting it on”
My face flushed at her insinuation while my heart simultaneously hurt for both her and her brother. Will and I ran into each other every few months, mainly with Charley, and I knew the scandal bothered him, no matter how flippant he tried to act. But that still didn’t mean I was chill about him being here. How could I try to get my dating confidence back when my biggest, longest crush would be around to witness the whole thing?
