Page 53 of Mr. July

I went to Roscoe next, fed him, put his life jacket harness with a leash on and handed him to Chase. “Be helpful and walk him while I take care of the rest of the animals.”

After making quick work of the morning chores, I grabbed my backpack, locked up, finding Chase throwing a tennis ball while Roscoe eagerly showed off.

Putting two fingers between my lips, I gave a sharp whistle. Roscoe came running.

“Nice trick.”

“I have a few.”

“I bet you do.”

The sun was rising, and the tide had already started going out, ignoring him I changed directions. “Stop following me.” Exasperated, I threw my hands in the air as Roscoe jumped onto the boat. Chase followed me across the street. My hands made quick work of untying the lines. When I turned around Chase was lounging in a seat on my boat, Roscoe beside him.

“I didn’t give you permission to board.”

He shrugged. “So? Sue me.”

“You are infuriating. How do I get rid of you?”

“You can’t.”

“If you don’t behave, you’re going overboard. Are you renting the house for the weekend?” I just blurted it out.

“What? I can’t hear you?” He exaggerated his hand motion to his ear, using the excuse of the running motor to evade my question. Fine. Two could play at this. If he wanted to pretend, he’s not my hottie nemesis then I could pretend not to be the renter who is suing him.

He grinned over the rim of his coffee while watching my every move. I took us out past the flats to the deeper side of the bay where I linked up to a buoy to stop from us going adrift.

“It’s too deep to drop anchor,” I explained.

“I’m not worried.” He laid back against the side rail with his hands behind his head looking every inch the golden calendar guy I knew he was.

I got busy, opening my laptop, connected it to the sonar screen installed on the boat and began looking for anything underneath us. While that was running, I opened the box I kept onboard that held my water and air sample equipment.

When I turned around, the vial almost dropped from my hands. Chase had taken off his shirt and was sunning himself. My mouth watered. My eyes widened. He looked just as good in person as he did hanging up on my kitchen wall. His six-pack rippled under his golden-bronzed skin. His shades were on, but I knew he watched me.

I quickly bent over the side of the boat, giving him a view of the back of my toned, tanned hamstrings. I felt the bottom of my mesh workout shorts rise as I lowered myself further to drop the vials into the water. I heard his groan and smirked.

Since moving down to the shore my body had changed. I was fit but now I was tan and even more toned than before. I pretended to feel hot so I fanned my face with my hand, schooling my expression in an effort to hide my game. My fingers lifted the edge of my tank. I yanked it over my head. My full B’ cups were round and high in my coral bikini halter top. I had abs too. Maybe not a six-pack but definitely a four.

He sat up so fast the boat rocked. “Put your shirt back on!”

“Excuse me?” I furrowed my brow.

“You don’t know the fire you are playing with.”

“What? You took your shirt off first. It’s hot. This is how I work. Deal with it.”

He growled coming closer. The back of my thighs hit the fiberglass side of the boat. “Dinner tonight. You and me. Six o’clock.” He towered over me, the words a command—a promise that spoke as much as his eyes did as he ripped his shades off, devouring every inch of my exposed skin.

Seconds passed as we stood studying one another. We were on the precipice and we both knew it. He brought a hand up as if to touch me. His head dipped; hesitated. Then he was gone, diving clear off the side of the boat. The air rippled past me with energy as he moved. My heart pounded. He was seconds away from touching me, kissing the heck out of me. I was sure of it. And I knew I wouldn’t want him to stop.

I spun, watching as his head finally surfaced. His powerful arms cut through the swells. I was in danger of losing more than just the court case. I needed a plan, a way to play the player so to speak. I was in way over my head with this one. He made Wade seem like a toddler eating crayons. I knew I couldn’t handle a man like Chase. I was… well me. And according to what Gran had told me about her boss, he was ruthless at schooling people in the boardroom. Once she told me he had buzzed her during a meeting, whispered in her ear to shred a contract into confetti and bring it right back into the meeting. When she complied, he threw it up in the air and told the opposite firm that’s what he thought of their demands. A new contract was made and executed and the partners had thrown him a champagne party after.

He was cunning, smart, charming, and funny. A lethal combination. He stopped short of being a dick but got his point across in many ways. I sighed, pushed the blowing strands of my hair back from my face and tried to stop the thoughts I was having.

He hoisted himself up over the side of the boat, salt water dripped off his body. I didn’t even try hiding my interest. My hand itched to reach out and trace his pecs. My lips burned to feel his on them. I was almost done collecting all my data. Before I did something stupid, like jump him right there I whisked my shorts off diving right off the same side of the boat he had just climbed up.

But the swells were strong as the wind increased. I broke the surface only for water to crash over me. The waves kept breaking over my head. I swallowed what air I could before disappearing under the swells. My legs kicked as I desperately tried to surface again. I felt a strong pair of arms around me as I surfaced a second time.

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