be a safe place to start. I’m going to stay at one of those extended-stay hotels while I job hunt and then I’ll find an apartment. It’s not ideal but with my parents renting out the house to strangers, I had to get creative with what I’m doing.”
“Wow, Court, I had no idea. I’m really sorry.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well…this is my life. Nothing goes my way and no one wants me, so…” She gasped before covering her mouth and turning her back on him.
No one wants her? What the…? Wait, did she mean her folks or did she mean…?
For some stupid reason, he needed clarification–knew he’d go crazy if he didn’t know specifically what she was talking about.
Stepping around her so he was facing her, he asked, “What do you mean no one wants you? That’s crazy! Your parents are just doing their own thing right now. They probably thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to you.”
Groaning loudly, Courtney spun around and started to walk away. “I’m going to call an Uber. I…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He didn’t let her go even three steps before he was in front of her again. “Hey, what’s going on? What did I say?”
Her big green eyes stared up at him and he swore she was going to start crying again, but then…something changed. Her expression went from sad to neutral to something he couldn’t quite define.
He saw her swallow hard before she seemed to pull herself together. “I wasn’t talking about my parents, Dean. I’m talking about guys. Men! I haven’t had a date in forever and no one in this town has any interest in me!”
“You’re crazy. That’s just not possible. I mean…look at you!” he said emphatically, motioning to her body–which right now was encased in a clingy sapphire blue cocktail dress. Her dark hair was blowing a bit wildly in the wind but she was still a beautiful woman.
Which is what he told her.
A snort of disbelief was her only response.
“Courtney, I’m serious! You are a beautiful woman and if the guys around here don’t see it and don’t appreciate it, then they’re idiots!”
“Oh, really?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Yeah, really.”
“Then I guess that makes you one of the idiots,” she grumbled before trying to walk away, but he stopped her.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Then you’re an idiot too. Probably the biggest idiot.”
“Hey!” he snapped. “What the hell? What did I do?”
Her eyes were blazing with fire when she looked up at him and for the life of him, Dean had no idea why she was so pissed off at him.
“Because you’re too blind to see this!” she said right before she snaked a hand around his nape and pulled his head down and kissed him.
Shock held Dean immobile for all of three seconds before he realized what was happening and then…holy crap.
He had no idea what he was expecting, but Courtney’s kiss wasn’t angry–like her words were getting–but it was soft and sensual.
He was the one to kick it up a notch.
Reaching up, his hands cupped her face as he dove in for more of her. She pressed closer and the feel of her curvy body pressed up against him from head to toe was enough to turn him on more than he’d been in years.
If ever.
And just as he shifted and let his hands skim over her cheeks, her throat, her shoulders, and before his arms could wrap around her waist, she broke the kiss and looked at him in absolute horror.
“Ohmygod,” she whispered right before she turned and ran.
For the second time in as many minutes, he was frozen in place. By the time his head was clear enough to think, she was out of sight–and out of the yard. Running across the yard, he spotted her in the driveway. As much as he didn’t want to make a scene, he knew he had to call out to her, to stop her. Just as he was about to, Dean spotted his brother Kyle standing with her and ushering her toward his car.
“Son of a bitch,” he hissed and immediately realized this was probably for the better. She’d had too much to drink, was upset, and would more than likely have no memory of ever kissing him come tomorrow morning.
Which was a damn shame.
Because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he’d ever forget it.
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than sixty titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 28 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.