Page 8 of Chasing Forever

It took them a while to get settled, and when Tina bent over to rummage through her beach bag, he got an even better look at her breasts. Whoever said, “Men are visual creatures,” was right. Even if these two women weren’t the cream of the crop, they were there and almost naked, and they wanted to sit with him (or maybe even on him). He couldn’t help it. He simply had to look.

Tina stood up with her sunscreen in hand, and then another movement caught his attention. Callie.

At least, he thought it was her. She was wearing a big floppy hat, sunglasses, and a black cover-up with a zipper. Now there was an actual cover-up. He couldn’t see anything underneath, which he found enticing. He liked that she’d left something to the imagination, unlike the two bathing beauties beside him.

“Chase? Would you mind rubbing some lotion on my back?” Kelsey’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.

“Oh. Sure,” he said, taking the bottle of sunscreen from her.

She perched on the edge of her chair, facing away from him, and swung her silky brown hair to one side, giving him access to her back. It also allowed him to keep an eye on Callie, and he watched her decide where to sit.

There appeared to be a method to it. First, she glanced skyward to assess the position of the sun. Next, she viewed the available chairs in relation to it. If she’d spotted him before, she hadn’t given any indication, but as her eyes traveled around the pool deck, they alighted on him, and she paused.

He could practically see the wheels spinning in her head. Do I acknowledge him even though he’s occupied, or do I ignore the horny bastard flanked by two equally horny bikini-clad women?

She settled for a brief nod and then turned her back on him to select her chair. She’d chosen one at a diagonal to his instead of directly across, and he thought he understood why. She didn’t seem to be the nosy type, and if she were curious about what was going on with the three of them, she wouldn’t show it. Callie was too mature for that. He wasn’t sure why she was in Hawaii, but she seemed to have a very different agenda than the two women sitting beside him.

“Mmm. That feels so good,” Kelsey said as he massaged the lotion into her skin.

He’d been so caught up watching Callie that he’d almost forgotten what he was doing.

“It’s my turn now,” Tina said, with a huff.

Maybe Tina wasn’t such a pushover after all. She rose up a notch in his mind, though he was still distracted by the petite brunette across the pool.

Taking the bottle of sunscreen from Tina, he poured some in his hand but then paused.

Callie was standing beside her chair with her back to him, but he could tell she was unzipping her cover-up. This he had to see.

“Chase?” Tina said with an annoying whine in her voice.

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

She tipped her head down, and he started spreading the lotion across her upper back.

“Don’t forget under the straps,” she said.

If she thought she’d sounded seductive, she’d been wrong. It was more like a princess giving an order to a servant. Still, doing this gave him an excuse to observe Callie without anyone knowing it.

Callie was now shrugging off her cover-up and slowly revealing one inch of skin at a time. First, her neck and shoulders appeared, and he saw a simple black tie around her neck. He was familiar with the terminology of women’s clothing having grown up with a sister, and he guessed it was a halter-style top. Interesting choice. If for some reason that tie came undone…

“Lower, please,” Tina demanded.

Chase poured more sunscreen into his palm and realized it was sweaty even though it wasn’t that hot out. As he rubbed the lotion in circular motions on Tina’s lower back, Callie peeled the cover-up down her arms, and with a quick swoop, it was off.

Chase sucked in a breath. She was wearing a plain black one-piece—ultra conservative to most but sexy as hell to him. He saw enough of her skin to notice its smooth, even texture, and it made him want to see more.

As if she’d read his mind, Callie laid the cover-up at the end of her chair and faced forward, allowing him to see the front view and proving why he found one-piece swimsuits sexy. The material clung to her curves while still leaving a lot to the imagination. The halter top dipped low enough to show a hint of cleavage but not low enough to be obscene. The legs of the swimsuit were cut higher to elongate her legs, and he guessed she’d chosen it because of her small stature.

She was petite, another characteristic he found appealing in women. Something about it called out to the Neanderthal in him, making him feel like the big, strong male who’d been designed to protect and defend. The idea was antiquated and probably offensive to some, but hey, he was just being honest.

She slipped off her flip-flops and sat down, her floppy hat and sunglasses concealing much of her face and making her appear sun-savvy and sexy.

“I think that’s good,” Tina said, wincing.

Judging by her tone, he’d been rubbing in the lotion with a bit too much force.

They sat back in their chairs, and he glanced over at Kelsey, who was scrolling through her phone.