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“Nah, that would be too easy. I’m going to woo the shit out of her. Make her fall for me hard so when the truth hits on who I am…. It’ll be too late.”

“Um, have you considered she already knows? She was here tonight.”

“So? I’ll tell her it’s a rental. Hunter’s rental.” I turned to Bunny. “Did you tell her anything about me?”

“Nothing much.”

“Hey, at least she’s not one of those crazy calendar girls leaving panties on your windshield wipers.”

“Actually, about that… I’m not the only one who has a Mr. July up on her kitchen wall.” Bunny spilled.Ryan has me pinned up in her kitchen?

“At least now I know where the missing calendars went. I had a box above the fridge that disappeared after her weekend rental.”

“She’s going to kill me.”

I winked at Bunny. “I always knew you had a soft spot for me.”

“Too soft.”

“What do we do now?”

“Nothing Char. Leave her to me.”

“Your court date is next week. That’s not much time.”

“Please, you haven’t seen me pursue a woman.”

“No. But I’ve seen you just about pursue everything else you’ve ever wanted. You never lose. You always get what you want.”

“That I do,” I winked. “Truthfully, Bun-bun your granddaughter caught me cold by just that one picture you have on your fridge.”

“She texted me that one. I printed it out at work. Someone in the research program took it of her last month. They were out on an expedition. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“Just wait. I’ll bet I can make her blissfully happy… maybe even ever after and all that.”

Bunny shook her head. “You and that ego of yours. I hope my Ryan knocks you down a peg.”

“She already did. I’m going to bed. I have to be up before five to catch the tide and my girl.”

Twenty-One

“Do you think he knows? He definitely knows,” I sighed. Daisy snuggled next to me, blinking her eyes, tuckered out after the night’s adventures. “Sorry, am I keeping you up?” She yawned, then rolled over, four stubby paws in the air. “I mean he must know. There’s no other explanation for the way he looked at me. He was… interested. Very interested. Let’s face it…I’m no calendar girl.” Although, lately, when I looked in the mirror, I did look very sexy compared to how I looked before.

Sleep would be hard to come by tonight. My mind raced with thoughts of kismet. Pops was probably laughing his butt off at the situation I found myself in. I’d grill Gran at lunch. She’d know if Chase owned or rented the house. But in my gut, I already knew the answer.

Sometime late in the night I finally drifted off to his wicked smirk, tanned pecs, and husky voice. “Told you it was ‘game on’,” he said.

My alarm went off sooner than I was ready for. Even Daisy didn’t want to get up. My eyes were blurry, half open as I quickly put on workout shorts with a tank, slipped into sandals, and twisted my hair into a sloppy bun.

“Time to go out, sweetie.” I rubbed Daisy’s belly until she finally agreed to get off my bed. I clipped her leash on her collar, hands also reaching for my backpack by the door. It was barely dawn. The sky still clung to the fading colors of night. A few stars struggled to remain behind.

“Morning, love.”

He was talking to the dog, right? So why were his eyes trained on me… She scurried right over to him, already begging to be pet.

I gasped, hand over my racing heart at Chase lounging against the side door of the building holding two cups of what I hoped was coffee.

“Here.” He handed me a cup. “Extra cream with sugar. Gran told me.”