Reluctantly in Love (8 page)

“Right,” I said, drawing the word out. “Chase Walker.”

His smile deepened. “Yes. That guy.”

I forgot to respond. My eyes were too busy tracing the contours of his chest. I counted all six of his abs. And then I counted them again to be thorough. My gaze followed the V of his stomach until it disappeared beneath the waistband of his blue board shorts.

This guy was a doctor? How was that even fair to the rest of the ordinary humans walking this Earth?

Real life doctors weren’t supposed to look like him. He was nothing like my family physician, a grumpy old man with squinty eyes and a weak chin. He liked to lecture me about taking better care of myself. I visited him once a year—each time for strep—because he refused to prescribe me an antibiotic over the phone, even though he and I both knew for a fact what I had was strep. People tended to lie on their health exam paperwork, but I was always honest. He’d always ended the visit with a comment like,
“Alcohol tends to weaken the immune system, which makes it harder for your body to fight off infection.”

Maybe it was time for a new doctor. Like this one.

He cleared his throat, and I jerked my gaze from his abs and up to his eyes.

“I’m Roxi.” Then I realized maybe he didn’t know who
Roxi
was, so I added, “Roxanna.”

His brows quirked with amusement. “Ah.”

Ah?
What the hell did
ah
mean?

“Roxanna Leigh Moss,” I added for clarification, though I had no idea why I added my middle name. I sounded like a weirdo. I was pretty sure my distraction was the result of his unbelievable blue eyes.

“I know who you are.” His voice laughed at me. He was definitely enjoying this.

“Oh?” I cocked my head, studying his expression. Whatever he found so funny was a mystery to me.

“Yeah, I do.” He took off his backwards cap, leaving his blonde hair ruffled. The locks were damp with sweat. “The woman who won’t go on a date with me.”

Shit.
I hadn’t expected him to call me out. I nibbled on my bottom lip, unsure how to respond.

“Yeah . . . that’s me.” What else was there to say? It wasn’t as if I could lie. And now, with his blue eyes gazing right into mine, I couldn’t remember any of the reasons I’d been so against going on a date with him.

There’s something. . . A really good reason.
But I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Holy hell, it’s those eyes.

This was Gen’s fault. Ambushing me like this. I would strangle her. In a serious way. With both hands. But behind a tree, so Chase wouldn’t see.

“It’s nice to meet you in person. Gen talks about you all the time.”

Apparently,
I thought.

The corners of his lips flirted in a smile.

“Yeah, you too.” I searched for something witty to say, but nothing came to mind—his smile was as distracting as his eyes. I blurted, “I was in a relationship.”

“I see.” He put his cap back on. Backwards. I had a thing for backwards ball caps. Okay, it was a new thing. It definitely had something to do with Chase. He pulled it off well.

“I mean, that’s why I couldn’t go on a date with you.” I bent and flipped the lid of the cooler up. This girl needed another drink.

“I see.” He gave a small nod and a shrug, as if he were really considering it. “That makes sense.”

Except, if Loose Lips Gen had been spilling her guts to Chase then she probably already told him Blake hadn’t been in the picture for some time now. I grabbed a wine cooler off the top of the pile, not bothering to check the flavor. I took a long drink while glancing over toward Gen and Lexie. When Lexie noticed I was staring at them, she hit Gen in the gut. Now they were pretending to be in deep conversation. They were horrible fakers. I had no idea how they’d been able to keep this little plan of theirs from me. Gen was the worst at keeping secrets.

I turned my attention back to Chase.

“I mean, it wasn’t a serious relationship. Really casual. Long distance for a while. But we’re broken up now. I just haven’t been dating because I’ve been busy. Writing, you know? And I work at my cousin’s security firm during the day, so I don’t have much time for a social life. Mostly, I just hang out in my pajamas and shop online.”

Holy cow, what the hell was all that?
I hadn’t meant to spew out my entire life story. Gen shouldn’t have told him I didn’t want to date him. I shot her a glare, but she was too far away to see it. I wasn’t used to sounding like a blubbering idiot in front of guys. I also didn’t make a habit of ogling them like a piece of meat.

“I love hanging out in my pajamas,” Chase chuckled. He tilted his head to the cooler. “So, where were you headed with this?”

I gestured behind him to where Leo and Matt stood beside the canoes. Leo looked like he was showing Matt how to tie knots with a thick piece of rope. “I thought maybe I should have a cooler if I was going to be in a canoe for who knows how long.”

“Sounds reasonable.” He bent down and picked up my cooler like it weighed nothing. His biceps rippled with the strain. When he straightened, he gave me a crooked smile that made my stomach flutter. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Roxanna Leigh Moss.”

And then he turned with my cooler in his arms and set off in the direction of the guys.

“Holy mother . . .
” I whispered with my eyes glued to Chase’s back. I let out a heavy breath that sounded more like a sigh. When I turned, Gen wiggled her fingers at me from her perch on the truck’s lowered tailgate. I marched over and poked her in the chest.

“You are an ass. I
told you
I didn’t want you hooking me up with that guy.”

Except . . .

I still couldn’t remember why. Not with the memory of his abs close enough to touch still clear in my mind.

“It’s just not a good idea,” I stressed. But my eyes veered back to Chase. He’d just set the cooler down next to the canoes. All three guys looked up and caught me staring, so I averted my gaze to the guilty party.

Gen didn’t look sorry, though; she looked pleased with herself.

Lexie hopped up to sit beside her sister. “Why wouldn’t you want to date him? He’s gorgeous.” She leaned to peer around me. “And he’s looking right at you.”

My cheeks were still warm from our encounter. What the hell was wrong with me?
You’ve been single way too long, that’s what.

I flicked Lexie in the arm. “Knock it off. You’re making this weird.”

“This isn’t a hookup,” Gen said. “He’s here because you can’t canoe down the river alone, and we needed another person.”

“He’s single,” Lexie said, swinging her legs under the tailgate. A second later, Gen began swinging her legs in unison—one of those twin things.

Gen gave me an obnoxious wink. “And Chase has chemistry.”

“
Ah-ha!
” I narrowed my eyes. “So this
was
a set up.”

“You are so dramatic.” Gen rolled her eyes. “It’s just a canoe trip.”

“A canoe trip
of lo-ove,
” Lexie sing-songed, and then laughed when I flicked her in the forehead. “What? I’m just saying. There’d definitely be no drying up if you were with a guy like Chase.”

“You sound like a perv,” I told her as she hopped off the tailgate.

“Just think, if you date a real life doctor, you won’t need to watch that cheesy hospital show anymore,” Gen said.

Lexie bristled. “There’s nothing wrong with that cheesy hospital show.” Realizing what she’d said, she corrected, “It’s not a cheesy show. It’s not as ridiculous as that alien show you’re always watching.”

Gen glared at her twin. “You wouldn’t be so skeptical if you actually watched the show.
Aliens are real, you ass.
”

“You two are impossible.” I spun around in my flip-flops and headed in the guys’ direction. “Let’s go get this canoeing thing over with.”

Gen trotted to catch up to me. “Just go on a date with him. One. This canoe trip doesn’t count.”

“If he wasn’t Matt’s best friend, maybe.” The stomach flutters had been very real—
and exciting.
“It would be weird.”

Lexie bounded up on the other side of me. “I’m dating your cousin, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”

“That’s different. You two were meant for each other. And if the two of you ever break up again, I swear I will never speak to either of you. The two of you were miserable to be around when you weren’t together. Like lovesick puppies.”

Before Lexie could respond, Gen interrupted. She said, “I’m telling you, Chase is perfect for you.”

“Perfect guys do not exist. They’re an urban legend,” I said. “I should just leave. I already regret letting you two talk me into this camping trip. Leo wouldn’t even let me bring an air mattress.”

“You didn’t bring a vehicle,” Gen reminded me with a triumphant lilt to her voice.

“This was a trap.” I glared at her as I wiped off the sweat running down my temple.

“No. This is a
canoe trip
.” Gen yanked her tank top up and over her head, revealing a tie-dyed bikini. “And it’s going to be fun. You’ll see.”

I nudged Lexie in the side. “Sure thing. As long as the mutant fish don’t get us first.”

“Mutant fish?” Lexie asked, as if she’d never thought about it before, but was now a little worried.

“Yes,
mutant
fish.”

“There are no mutant fish in the river,” Gen said. She used her tank top to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “We live in Nebraska.”

“Um, clearly you haven’t seen
River Monsters
.” I stepped over a thick branch that had fallen from the tree above our heads—the victim of a lightning strike. Half the tree was dead, the other half thick with foliage.

“Also, I just read on the news that piranhas were found in Lake of the Ozarks.
Piranhas
.” My insomnia was a pain in my ass lately. After spending hours staring at a computer screen, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I’d lie in bed, my brain fuzzy with thoughts while I watched television shows. Most times I’d wake in the morning to my alarm clock blaring Britney Spears’
Work Bitch
near my ear, the TV still on.

“No way,” Gen said with a snort. “Piranhas live in South America.”

I threw up my hands. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I just watched the news. Also, in case you didn’t know, piranhas are
flesh eating fish.
They’ll eat you
alive.
Have you ever seen the movie
Piranha
in 3D? Because I did.”

Lexie grimaced. “Maybe we shouldn’t canoe.”

“There’s no piranhas here.” Gen’s steps slowed, sounding worried. “We would have heard about it. You know?”

“Guess we’ll find out,” I told them, giving them my ominous voice. “Hopefully we all make it back alive.” I hummed the
Jaws
theme song.

“Who’s the jerk now?” Gen rolled her eyes and then pushed me toward the riverbank and the waiting canoes.

Chapter Seven

My feet were numb. I didn’t want to move. That feeling of climbing apprehension coiled in my gut told me I would regret climbing into that canoe.

“I never pegged you for a wuss, Roxi.”

I glared down at Matt, who sat in the rear seat of his and Gen’s canoe. He had ahold of the bank to keep from drifting.

“I’m not a wuss.”

He grinned up at me. “
Mm-hmm
.”

“I’m just suspicious of murky water. I’ve seen
Jaws
, you know.” I wasn’t interested in murky water, and even less interested in what might be in that water.

“Come on, squirt, I’ll help you in.” Leo offered me his hand.

“Fine,” I huffed. “But you’re going to feel really bad if I get eaten by a mutant fish.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t even notice you’re gone,” Leo teased.

“You’re a horrible cousin,” I told him.

“You love me.” He laughed.

“I might not even claim you after this.”

“Threats,” Leo said, flashing me the boyish smile that had gotten him out of all sorts of trouble growing up.

I huffed through my nose.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got the canoe. You’re safe,” Chase said.

I took my eyes off the precarious-looking canoe and met Chase’s gaze. He held on to the back of the canoe while the river rushed around his hips. His eyes were warm, the tone of his voice meant to relax me. He probably used it on his patients. Whatever—it worked. I didn’t even know him, but I trusted what he said. Maybe because he’d taken the Hippocratic Oath?
Or it might have a lot to do with his biceps.

Whatever it was had me stepping forward to take Leo’s outstretched hand.

The canoe rocked under my weight and I sat heavier than I meant to. Bracing my hands on either side of me, I looked up at Leo on the bank. “You better hope nothing happens to me. You’ll have to explain my being fish bait to your parents. They love me.”

Leo laughed. “True, but I’d be more scared of your mom.”

“Yeah, her too.” The alcohol in my stomach sloshed with the rocking of the canoe.

“If I have to do this canoe thing, you do too,” Lexie said from the front seat of her and Leo’s canoe. She held on to the bank with one hand, a wine cooler with the other.

“You weren’t even worried about it until Roxi brought up piranhas,” Gen said, then tipped a beer up to her lips for a drink.

“Piranhas?” Leo raised a brow, and Matt laughed.

“Piranhas?” Chase asked.

“It’s nothing. Rox has a wild imagination,” Leo said, and I flipped him off.

“You have a cooler full of booze, you’ll have fun.” Gen lifted her pinky finger off the can she held and pointed it at the pink cooler bungee corded in behind me. “You’ll have fun.”

“You make me sound like a lush.” My gaze was on a suspicious bit of foam swirling in the water near the canoe.

“You
are
a lush,” Gen said. “I’ve seen you drink grown men under the table.”

“You aren’t getting any S’mores tonight; I just decided,” I said, and she crossed her eyes at me.

Leo sat down in his canoe. “Mutant fish are the hungriest in the afternoon. We better get moving.”