Page 33 of #Starstruck

My unsteady breathing sounded harsh to my own ears; I hoped he hadn’t noticed. I tried to calm down, but his fingertips made that impossible. It was as if he possessed magic and was using his hands to cast a spell on me.

Hot, tingling pinpricks arose in every place he touched as my heart pounded in triple time. I was glad I didn’t have any pulse points in my back so he couldn’t see how hard it was beating. A pulsating pressure started deep in the pit of my stomach and spread throughout my body.

His movements felt hypnotic, tender, and sensual. I alternated between wanting to collapse into a gooey Zoe puddle and turning around and attacking him.

I’d known the tankini had a low back when I bought it, but I hadn’t realized how low until his hands dipped down farther than I was comfortable with, breaking the spell. I started to say something, but my sisters came to my rescue. Zia clocked Zelda over the head with a bucket, and Zelda started crying loudly.

“Should probably go take care of that,” I mumbled, pitching myself forward, grateful for the escape.

“I think you missed some spots!” he called after me, referencing the fact that the only parts of my body currently shielded from the sun were my shoulders and back.

“I’ll get it later!” I called over my shoulder. Translation?I don’t trust myself to behave right now, and I’d rather not permanently traumatize my younger siblings. In fact, at this moment I would love to dig a deep hole in the sand, bury myself in it, and not come out until I can learn to control my reaction to you.

Something I feared might never come to pass.

I separated the girls, reminding Zia that it was never okay to hit. They both protested and argued about their actions, but my mind was back on that blanket with Chase. I could still feel his lotion-covered hands against my skin. It was a long time before I started to feel normal again.

By then Chase had taken the boys out into the waves on their boogie boards. Zia had started to tire, and I convinced both girls to lie down with me on the blanket under the umbrella. She immediately fell asleep in my arms, and even Zelda nodded off.

Chase returned with my brothers, and they toweled off. Chase’s wet hair reminded me of the day we’d met on set, and it put me back on edge.

He reached inside a bag he’d brought with him and pulled out what looked like a very expensive drone. “Do you guys want to try this out?”

“Yes!”

I had to remind them to be quiet, but neither of my sisters moved. Zander grabbed the remote and handed the drone to Zane.

“I hope you aren’t super attached to that. My guess is it’s not long for this world,” I said as my brothers ran off. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you should give to kids.

“I bought it just for today. I thought they might like playing with it. If they break it, they break it. Stuff happens.”

That caused a light, fluttery sensation that started in my heart and filled my whole soul. He was so thoughtful. And considerate. Which honestly surprised me. Living in Marabella, I had met a lot of rich people whose defining characteristic seemed to be selfishness.

Chase was not only rich but famous. A double whammy of personality wreckers. Add in the handsomeness, and he should have been vain, self-centered, and careless.

I noticed him staring at me with an amused expression. “What?” I asked.

“I’m wondering if you’ll still be as beautiful when you’re completely sunburned.”

“I’m not beautiful—”

“You are.” He stopped my denial. “Why would you say you’re not?”

His question stunned me into silence for a second. “Well, there’s the daddy issues. When your own father doesn’t want anything to do with you, you automatically win the lottery of insecurity, self-doubt, and trust issues.” I had meant it to sound light and breezy, but my voice caught at the end.

There was a long pause. “That’s not the only reason. Something happened to you.”

I wanted to protest that he didn’t know me, but he was right. I didn’t know how, but he was.

“Would you tell me? I’m a good listener. And I hope you know you can trust me.”

Trust had never been easy for me, but I realized, deep in my gut, I could trust him.

And maybe that was due in part to the exhaustion of running around for half the day or the heat of the late afternoon, but I felt that drugged tiredness that makes you let your guard down.

So I told him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

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