Page 37 of Chasing Forever

His lips quirked up, but his smile didn’t meet his eyes. “You were in writer mode.”

“When will you stop seeing me as a writer and start seeing me as a woman?” she teased, borrowing his words from earlier.

He shifted his body to face her and met her eyes. “I do see you as a woman, Callie, and that’s part of the problem.”

Chapter 18

Their conversation was stilted on the way back to the resort, and Chase wasn’t sure how to fix things. “Do you want to stop for lunch?” he asked as they approached the town of Hanalei, which she’d mentioned earlier.

“I’ll take a rain check. I feel dirty after the beach, and I’d like to go home and clean up.”

In his opinion, she looked gorgeous. Her hair fell in natural waves rather than the usual tamed tresses. Her skin was sun-kissed, and the freckles across her nose looked even more pronounced. She’d changed back into shorts and a T-shirt, and he admired her bare legs and blue painted toes in her flip-flops. He’d like to tell her she looked perfect the way she was, but he’d already crossed the line today. Any further, and he’d be knee deep in quicksand.

He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but when she’d fallen into him in the water, he hadn’t wanted to let go. She’d surprised him again when she hadn’t tried to break out of his hold. He’d relished the feel of her soft curvy body against his and the way she’d clung to him like he was a safety net. Whether from the cool water or from the close contact, he’d felt the hard points of her nipples pressing into his chest. He’d already been aroused on the sand, but then his desire had flared, and he’d fought to keep it in check.

Had it been any other woman, he might have kissed her, but with Callie, he was cautious, partly for her sake but also for his. He enjoyed her company too much to risk their burgeoning friendship or whatever it was. But it hadn’t felt like friendship when he’d been holding her in his arms and sporting an erection.

Now she sat stiffly in the passenger seat, gazing out the window, and it felt like she was a million miles away. He blamed himself for that. If only he’d been more open and answered her questions. Then they might still be enjoying the day and maybe even the night…

“If I ask you something, will you answer me this time?” she said, startling him.

“Go ahead,” he said cautiously.

“What did you mean when you said it’s a problem that I’m a woman?”

He almost laughed but caught himself. This time, he felt compelled to give her an honest answer. Otherwise, she might not give him another chance, and he didn’t want that to happen.

“That’s not quite what I said.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, and you deserve an answer, though you may not like it.”

“That’s okay. I can take it.”

He shot her a glance and saw the look of determination etched on her beautiful face. There was no way he was getting off easy. “What I meant is that you’re an attractive woman and I’d be a fool not to notice.”

“But…”

“But I didn’t come to Hawaii to get involved with anyone.”

“So, how do you explain the Barbies?”

“That was a harmless flirtation, and to be honest, it was good for my ego.”

“Your ego seems perfectly healthy to me.”

He frowned, and she visibly softened.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so snarky.”

“Apology accepted. Here’s the bottom line: I recently went through a bad breakup, and I’m not interested in another relationship. I came here to escape my life for a while and to rethink some things, not start up with someone else.”

“Meaning me?”

“Meaning anybody, the Barbies included. And for the record, nothing happened with them. They propositioned me, but I turned them down.”

“Ouch.”