Chasing Carly (Holiday Cove 3)

Alesha rolled her eyes as she settled back onto the couch, guarding her snack from the even more amped up dog. “Got it. Unless there’s blood, I wait till you get home.”

“Exactly!” I blew her a kiss and headed out the door.

I walked down the drive, listening to the confident click of my heels and felt myself transforming into an entirely different version of myself. Sexy, sassy, in control Carly.

Nick had texted me his address earlier in the day. It was easy to find, considering Holiday Cove only had half a dozen roads running through it.

I parked in front of the house and reapplied a layer of pink lip balm before getting out of the car. It took concentrated effort to keep my relaxed saunter going as I neared the front door. I couldn’t wait to see Nick again, but I was terrified at the same time. My stomach swirled with anticipation and anxiety. Nick wasn’t like a one nighter or some random guy from a bar that would make for a fun weekend. He was someone who I could see myself with.

God, that’s terrifying.

I drew in a breath and rang the doorbell.

Nick answered within half a minute and when he pulled the door open, all of my nerves flashed through me like an explosion as I realized that we were really all alone, with nothing, and no one to stop us from taking things as far as we wanted them to go.

Nick smiled at me, his eyes dropping from my head to the pointed tip of my heels and back up again, not missing an inch. “Damn.”

I laughed softly. “Have you looked in the mirror? You look pretty hot, yourself.”

He looked better than hot. He looked downright fucking edible.

His usual coveralls had been replaced by jeans that were obviously well-loved and fit his lean body like a glove. I couldn’t wait for him to turn around so I could get the view of his perfect ass. He’d paired the jeans with a long sleeve baseball t-shirt with navy blue sleeves and a tight fit across his chest. The style of shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and strong arms and made me all kinds of flustered as I stepped into his home.

“You hungry?”

I smiled, suppressing a comment about wanting to get a taste of him. Too soon, Carly.

“Sure. Whatcha got?”

He led the way through the house. It had come furnished and looked pretty standard based on the homes in the area. Everything was nice, clean, uncluttered, but there wasn’t anything to really give the home character. It was more like a hotel room. Bland art on the walls. Neutral colors. And no personal details like pictures or knick-knacks. As Nick swung into the kitchen, I ran my hand down the textured wallpaper in the attached dining room and leaned against the wall, watching him rummage through the fridge.

Admiring the view.

“I picked up cheese and crackers and there’s some fruit in here.”

“Works for me. I’m not fancy,” I teased. “What about beer?”

Nick laughed. “Always.”

He straightened, holding two bottles by the neck in one hand and a cheese sampler platter branded by the local market in the other. I took the beers and crossed to the kitchen. “Opener?”

“Drawer by the sink,” he said over his shoulder.

I opened the beers and returned the opener in the drawer while Nick worked to lay out the table with the snacks. “How was the rest of the day?”

“Pretty normal.” I set his beer on the table. He nodded his thanks and took a swig.

“How’s your sister?”

I shrugged. “She’s all right. Still a little in shock over the whole thing. It doesn’t help that the baby daddy and her aren’t together.”

“Certainly doesn’t make the break up easier to swallow,” Nick added. “Here, sit. Do you need anything else?”

I marveled at him as he waited for my response. “Are you always this sweet to dates?”

He gave a half smile. “Only the ones I really like.”

I laughed at his honest answer. “I don’t need anything, so come sit with me. Actually, let’s take this outside. It’s nice out for another hour or so.”

“Good point,” he said, gathering the tray.

We situated ourselves on the back deck and munched through the cheese and crackers with our beers as the sun dipped lower and lower over the ocean. It was hard to focus on the conversation when Nick was sitting a foot away from me, and our hands kept brushing together as we reached for things at the same time.

All of it was making the sparks inside me heat up until they were on the verge of bursting into a full blown fire. I wanted Nick. It wasn’t a secret. He’s been the star of my dreams and the obsession of my daylight musings.

Every time I saw him, my heart jumped in my chest and my stomach surged with excitement. I couldn’t get the hot kisses we’d shared off my mind, and I was eager to bank away some new, even hotter memories together.