Page 37 of #Starstruck

My cheeks burned at his implication, and I ducked my head so he wouldn’t see. It was true. I had grown up eating traditional comfort foods laden with butter and cream. I probably should be the size of a baby hippo, given my diet.

“I guess we can’t have everything in common. That would be boring.” I couldn’t tell from his tone whether he was disappointed by my revelations. Was it a bad thing? A divisive wedge that would come between us, since I would rather have my fingernails ripped out one a time than go running with him in some canyon?

“We should probably go,” I said. “It’s getting late.” The sun was setting, and the winds had picked up. I was glad I had packed hoodies for everyone.

I hadn’t, however, packed anything for me. I started shivering as we walked back to our blanket. We had left everything on the beach despite Chase’s conviction that we shouldn’t. I told him that at a different beach I would have packed it all up, but in Marabella I always felt safe and didn’t worry about stuff getting stolen. Sure enough, we found everything just as we had left it.

Chase rummaged around inside his bag and pulled out something dark blue and fuzzy. “Here. You can use my sweater.”

I was too cold to protest, and we still needed to get the children and all their equipment in the car. I put it on, and it was the softest material I had ever felt. Like it had been collected from the bellies of baby Angora bunnies raised on organic carrots who had slept on cotton balls.

And it smelled like him. I wondered how weird it would be if I took it home and draped it over my pillow so I could be surrounded by his delicious scent all night.

Next thing I knew, we were home, taking everything out of the minivan. I told the weary kids to go inside, instructing the boys to take showers and the girls to wait for me so I could give them a bath.

Chase waited for me out front, but I needed him to leave. Not only so I could take care of my siblings, but also because even though my mother wouldn’t be home for at least two hours, sometimes they sent her home early on Saturday shifts, and I couldn’t run the risk of her seeing Chase Covington on our porch.

He had removed his glasses and hat, and he had that intense, hungry look in his eyes. I folded my arms, loving the feel of his sweater against my skin.

I would probably like the feel of him even more.

“So thank you for today,” I said, finally finding my voice. “This was amazing.”

“You’re welcome. I really enjoyed it.” For real? Was he just being polite? Was it acting? “And thank you.”

“For what?”

I suddenly flashed to the part in his most recent rom-com where he thanked his love interest after a date. When she’d asked why, he said, “For the kiss.” Only he’d never kissed her.

And when she’d started to say as much, he’d laid a kiss on her so hot that I had fanned my face the first time I saw it.

I’d heard people talking about feeling butterflies, but I hadn’t understood that statement until right this second. Because I felt this flapping, fluttering sensation, not only in my stomach but also everywhere else. Like every internal cell had turned into a butterfly, fluttery with excitement and anticipation. The atmosphere between us felt thick, charged.

Only this wasn’t a movie, and he didn’t try to kiss me. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and his fingers lingered on the side of my head for a moment, leaving a burning imprint. “Thank you for having no ulterior motive for hanging out with me. For being the first person I’ve ever met who didn’t want something from me. See you tomorrow.”

I echoed, “See you tomorrow,” as he walked off the porch to his rental. I stood there, frozen, as he drove away. I didn’t even wave.

Because the butterflies had been replaced by gross, slimy guilt worms that wriggled around inside me. I thought of Stephanie and how I had intended to ask Chase to help with the benefit.

How that would make me just another person who wanted something from him.

I hadn’t told anyone. There was no way he could find out, right?

As long as I kept my mouth shut, everything should be fine.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Last night when I got back to my apartment, it had occurred to me that I’d been so focused on Chase finding out about the fund-raiser that I had sort of blocked out the whole “Hey, Chase, guess what’s completely off the table between us?” conversation.

And if he was the kind of guy who would bail over it, I needed to know. No more playing house or living in a fantasy. I had to face it.

Because it would be better to find out now before he so completely enchanted my heart that it would devastate me to lose him.

Again, I spent more time than I normally would getting ready to go to Chase’s house. I finished putting on mascara and gave my reflection a last once-over. He had asked me why I didn’t think I was beautiful. There was the traumatic stuff, but I just didn’t think of myself that way. Men had found me attractive enough to ask out, but to be honest, there was always insecurity involved when you had a friend like Lexi. She was the hot one whom all the guys drooled over, and I was the smart one. Like we each had roles to play, and I’d spent so much time in her shadow that it hadn’t occurred to me that I could be pretty and she could have brains, too.

In our tiny living room, Lexi and Gavin were cuddled together watching one of Chase’s movies. It was based on a postapocalyptic YA novel about how the earth had turned into a giant desert and Chase’s character had the magical ability to detect water. Dumb as it sounded, he was much better in that one than inOctavius.

“Somebody’s all dressed up!” Lexi noticed, giving me a satisfied grin. “Off to see your man?”

---