Page 41 of Chasing the Sun

“Yes?”

“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

She sighed, some of the anger drifting away on her breath. “I promise.” With that, she turned and walked away.

Chapter 14

Bryce scribbled Seb’s address on a scrap of paper and placed it on the kitchen counter as Chloe had asked. Then he debated what to do next. He hadn’t made any plans for the evening, and he’d been hoping that he and Chloe could have dinner together. Now she’d probably be eating with his brother instead.

An image of Seb sitting on the couch with Chloe came unbidden into his head, and he shook it away. When he’d walked in and seen them together, he’d been filled with an overwhelming sense of possessiveness, and it didn’t make a damn bit of sense! Then again, it was on par with how crazy he’d been acting lately.

Ever since they’d talked about what she looked for in a man and the importance of “chemistry,” he couldn’t stop thinking about how it applied to them. It was just as she’d described—that undeniable awareness and the desire to be near her as much as possible.

He found everything she said and did endlessly fascinating, and he could listen to her voice all day long. It had a sweet lilt to it, an almost musical quality that matched her effervescent personality.

Whenever she entered a room, it instantly became brighter, as cheesy as that sounded. There was just something about her that drew him in and wouldn’t let go, no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

He’d tried everything short of ignoring her. Whenever his mind wandered down the naughty path, he’d think of something sobering to distract himself. He’d also gone to great lengths to avoid running into her at night like that time in the hot tub.

Since then, he’d noticed she hadn’t been in her bikini around him. It was like they were skirting around each other, both afraid to tempt fate, if there were such a thing.

He’d never given the concept much thought until now. At times, he wondered if some guiding force had purposely brought Chloe into his life. Was it a fluke that she happened to be single, smart, sweet, sexy, and great with his kid? Was it a test of his willpower? If so, was he destined to flunk?

Now there was this thing with his brother. Why had he seen red when he’d found Seb and Chloe chatting like old friends? He had a clear answer to that question, at least. It was because he knew his brother and was certain that Seb found her attractive too. Despite what Chloe might believe, Seb hadn’t asked her over to be “friendly.” He’d invited her to his place so he could make a move on her away from Bryce’s watchful eye.

It rankled him to think that Seb had the advantage, though they’d never competed over a woman before. Seb knew that Bryce didn’t date his employees, so to him, Chloe was fair game. He probably thought he had a good shot and that Bryce wouldn’t do anything to stop him.

Bryce’s only hope was that Chloe didn’t have “chemistry” with Seb. Sure, he was good looking (according to the ladies), and he had that whole “bad boy” image going on, but maybe Chloe wasn’t into that kind of thing.

Bryce was silently going down the list of her criteria when suddenly she swept back into the kitchen. He hadn’t wanted to be there when she left since he didn’t want to say anything else to piss her off, but there he was, frozen in place.

The only thing that moved were his eyes, which roamed over her of their own accord. She’d changed from shorts and a T-shirt into a flowery dress that hugged her tiny waist and flared out at the hips. The dress showcased her long, slender legs, and her pink polished toes peeked out of her high heels. Her hair was curled softly around her shoulders, the reddish strands gleaming under the kitchen lights.

“I see you wrote down his address,” she said haughtily.

Seeing her all dolled up like that, he wished he wouldn’t have, but that would have been immature.

“I assume it’s okay if I take the car.”

“It’s there for your use,” he managed, his voice gruff. Dammit, he could hardly think straight with her in that dress. “Aren’t you a little overdressed?”

Her shoulders slumped, and he realized his mistake.

“Hand me the address, please.”

He had the distinct feeling she wanted to say something else, like call him an asshole, which would have been valid. Clamping his mouth shut, he picked up the piece of paper and held it out.

She closed the distance between them and went to take it from him. When she stuck out her hand, he clasped it, the scrap of paper smashed between them.

“Call me if you need a ride home.”

“Why would I need a ride?”

He noticed she hadn’t pulled her hand away, and her chest rose and fell, the swells of her breasts heaving.

He shrugged. “Who knows? In case you have too much to drink.”

“Why couldn’t Seb drive me home?”