Page 33 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

My mouth twisted to the side as I remembered that summer. “You are.” I shrugged. “But you’re super hot. You’ll find someone in no time.”

“You think I’m super hot?” he repeated, a smug expression growing on his features.

I rolled my eyes. “You know you’re hot. The rolled-up shirtsleeves thing?” I pointed at his forearms. “I know you know.”

The corner of his mouth twitched and I grinned.

The funny thing was, Holden used to be a dick, but now? He wasn’t. He held my hair back while I barfed. I couldn’t imagine him doing that fifteen years ago. The other night, when I dragged him out for tacos and margaritas, we had fun.

Holden Rhodes and I, having fun. It was mind-boggling.

“Why were you such a dick that summer?” I asked quietly, studying my drink.

He gripped the railing, not saying anything.

“Why did you spray my magazines with the hose?” I turned to him, frowning. “I know you did it on purpose. Why? What did I ever do to you?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and his gaze locked on mine, hesitant and concerned.

“I, uh.” He cleared his throat and winced out at the coastline. “Those magazines you read were garbage. I saw the covers. They were designed to make you feel bad, like you weren’t enough.” He glanced at me before his gaze returned to the coast. “I didn’t want you to think you weren’t beautiful.”

Oh.

Well.

I.

Wow.

I stared at Holden, and Holden stared at some rocks two hundred feet away. A flush of warm pleasure moved through my body and my face heated.

Holden thought I was beautiful. I didn’t expect that.

Something fizzed in my chest.

He cleared his throat. “So,Aiden.” He said the name like it offended him.

“What about him?”

“He was all over you.” His jaw ticked.

I snorted. “No, he wasn’t. That’s his personality.”

He gave me a hard look. “He was flirting with you.”

Probably a bad time to mention Aiden asking me out. “It doesn’t matter whether he was flirting or he has natural charm and charisma. I’m not dating right now.”

Holden’s gaze shot to mine and he frowned deeper. “Why?”

I took a long sip of my soda water. “I’m just not. Not everyone is a rush to get locked down, you know?”

His gaze stayed on my face and my stomach blipped with nerves.

“What?” I said, defensive.

The other night, when he asked me about the whole marriage thing, I should have kept my mouth shut, but I freaked out, got defensive, and ran to the bathroom to catch my breath and calm down.

His eyes were steady on me, like he could see into my brain. My gaze flicked around the party. A group of women surrounded Aiden, all laughing and flipping their hair, and I snorted. Good for him. Maybe I could feign more seasickness and dash into the bathroom to get out of this conversation.

---