Hating You, Loving You (Inked Hearts 4)

Chloe flips me over her head.

I hit the carpet with a thud.

She dusts her hands off. Mimes a no sweat. "Told you."

I can't help but smile. Proud looks good on her.

It's the same as back in high school. I want to push her to be better. So she'll push me to be better.

I want the competition. The banter. The fire.

Nobody has ever pushed my buttons the way she does.

Usually, my buttons are too far out of reach. Nobody even tries to push them. Nobody thinks I give a shit. Nobody thinks I'm worth challenging.

Nobody but Chloe.

Chapter Ten

Dean

I stop at a red light. Look both ways. Cross and motion for her to follow.

She does.

A car whizzes by as we step onto the curb. It honks. The driver looks out the window with a what are you, crazy?

I wave back hell yeah. "You graduated six years ago."

"Accurate."

"When did you finish UCLA?"

"Two years ago."

"So…"

"So?" She raises a brow, trying and failing to look aloof. Her jaw cricks. Her eyes turn down. Her Fingers curl into fists.

"What have you been doing?"

"Life."

"Life?"

"Yeah." She stops at the next street. Looks both ways. Crosses.

I follow her onto the sandy sidewalk. This is it. Venice Beach at its most beautiful. The sky is white. Soft. The puffy clouds diffuse the sunlight.

A hundred feet of dry sand. The crashing ocean. Surfers jumping onto a small wave.

Chloe steps onto the sand. She looks down at her feet with surprise. Shakes it off. Steps forward.

She keeps her back to me.

Whatever it is that knocked her off course, she doesn't want to talk about it.

I want to know.