Page 42 of Chasing the Sun

I barely registered the question because her hand was suddenly lifting my shirt to examine where I had been hit.

My entire body locked up, and three things hit me all at once:

One: Her palm was warm against my bare skin, her fingers pressing lightly into the bruised muscle.

Two: My chest went tight, like my body was trying to barricade itself against the effect she had on me.

Three: She smelled like honey and vanilla and something that made my brain short-circuit.

Jesus Christ. I’d taken a direct hit from a softball at full speed, but this was what rattled me?

Before I could even wrap my mind around it, Hayes jogged over, tossing his mitt onto the grass, and the moment shattered.

Ellie pulled her hand back.

I rolled my shoulders, shaking off the tension, but the heat of her touch stayed with me.

Hayes thumped me on the back. “Jesus, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you run so fast. You good, man?”

I stretched my back again, knowing I was going to be sore for at least a few days. “Fine.” My attention snagged on Ellie, whose lower lip jutted forward in the tiniest pout.

Was she worried about me?

I cleared my throat and walked toward the field. “Come on, Hayes. We have a game to win.”

The game resumed, but for the rest of the night, all I could think about was the feel of Ellie’s hand on my skin.

Levi wasin a damn good mood.

Which, in theory, should’ve been a good thing—except when that mood was directly related toher.

I watched from the edge of the property as my son moved across the farm with an energy I hadn’t seen in years. He was wearing work gloves and carrying a wooden crate full of something—I didn’t know what, and I didn’t particularly care. All I could see was how relaxed he looked, how much he was smiling.

And worse—how much of that had to do with Elodie Darling.

She was in the middle of the field,clipboard in hand, barking orders like she’d been running this place for a decade instead of a few weeks. A pair of black sunglasses was perched on top of her head, her hair wild from the coastal wind.

She looked obnoxiously competent.

Annoyance simmered low in my gut.

I didn’t want her to be good at this. I wanted her to be overwhelmed. I wanted her to realize she was in way over her head. But, from the way Levi was hanging on her every word, that sure as hell wasn’t the case.

Levi hustled toward her, laughing at something she said. She beamed at him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. My teeth almost cracked from how hard I ground them.

I started off toward them.

I had no business there, I knew that, but I told myself I was walking over to check on Levi—to make sure she wasn’t using him as free labor or feeding him some sugarcoated bullshit about what this farmland was actually worth.

That was the only reason.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my body had been wound tight ever since she touched me at the game. Ever since I’d turned my head and seen that stupid, worried little pout on her lips when she asked if I was okay.

I exhaled sharply, shoving my hands into my pockets.

This was fine. I was just here for another recon mission.

So why the hell am I already losing my mind?