Chase
Cubby’s ass.That’s Cubby’s ass.
He shakes it back and forth, arching his back and thrusting his curves out. His cheeks bounce, hypnotizing me, and then he gives his hips a wiggle.
My mouth falls open. I stop thinking.
That’s Cubby’s ass, and I like it.
Then, so fast I can’t react, the guy jumps up with a spin. He lands flat on his feet, and our eyes lock.
Cubby’s mouth makes a cute little surprisedO, and I turn on my heel.
This is so embarrassing. I just saw him in his underwear.
I hurry my ass across the deck and down the stairs, toward the trail connecting our two houses. My heart is pounding, I’m sweating, andshit!I shouldn’t have stared at him like that.
“Hey!” Cubby yells, running after me. “Chase! Hey!”
I freeze, then take a deep breath and turn. “I am so sorry to intrude,” I say, my cheeks burning. Any other words I might have said evaporate as Cubby hustles toward me across the deck. He’s wearing this green robe that flows behind him; maybe it’s silk or something. It’s tied at the waist just tight enough to give him a little decency, but I can still see plenty, and I’ve clearly lost my manners again because I catch myself staring at the hair across his broad chest and the bounce of his hips.
Cubby pauses on the bottom step, a few feet from my spot on the trail, putting us at eye level. “I was just, um, stretching,” he says quickly, then bites down on his bottom lip. “I don’t usually wave my ass in the air to greet company.”
A surprised laugh escapes me, like a grunt, and I rub my beard in a failing attempt to wipe my grin away. “There’s a trail, runs near the water. It’s how all the locals get around to visit each other, but I should know better than to act so familiar with an out-of-towner.” I rock back on the heels of my boots, embarrassed by the whole thing and aware that my heart is still thudding. “Sorry about that.”
He smiles, a light blush on his cheeks. “I take it this means we’re neighbors?”
I nod back toward the lake house. “That’s my family’s place. You’ll see me and the rest of them coming and going.”
Cubby purses his lips as he glances across the lake. “Oh. That’s cool.”
I try not to take the hesitance in his voice personally. “I was just coming to say hi, introduce myself. Didn’t realize it was you here.”
Might be more honest to say I’ve been wondering all morning whether it was him or not, but no need for Cubby to know that.
“It’s us,” he says with a smile. “Meg’s family owns the house, but she hasn’t been since she was a toddler. Her dad and her grandpa didn’t talk—there’s a whole story—but they finally made up, so now she gets to use it again.”
“Figured you weren’t a Rose,” I say with a nod. “You got those dark eyes.”
Cubby flutters his eyelashes, which are long and pretty, and his smile turns up again. “You noticed my eyes?”
Of course I noticed his eyes. They look like the depths of the lake, dark but sparkling with hints of light blues and browns. I’ve got an urge to lose myself in those eyes, but I rub my jaw and turn away instead, casting my gaze over the water, flustered.
“How long are you in town for?” I ask, skipping his question.
“All summer.”
“How about that,” I say as evenly as I can. A happy feeling jumps around inside me, which makes it hard to form words again. “Vacation?”
“We’re working on projects.” Cubby studies me and fidgets with his robe. “Meg makes nature documentaries, and I do, um, videos online.”
“Videos?” I have no clue what that means.
Cubby shrugs. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime.” He glances over his shoulder at the house. “Listen, I need to get dressed, but do you want to come in? Have a cup of coffee or something?”
“I got work,” I say quickly. It’s true. Plus, I interrupted his stretching or whatever. “Thank you, though.”
Cubby catches my eye. There’s so much damn character in his face, especially those eyes, and his neatly trimmed beard plays off the curves of his cheeks…
