Bash blinked. “Uh … what?”

Chelsea gave him a look. “You heard me the first time.”

Chelsea almost smiled at his confusion as he said, “Yeah, but most women I know wouldn’t …”

She rolled her eyes. “Bash, most of the women—and I use the word women loosely—most of the women you date are too young to have learned to be honest about how they feel. They’re still into playing games and using lies and deception to land a man. Like Gemma—”

“Gerri—” he corrected.

“Whatever. Like Gerri, who got an actual, live dog to impress you. That’s immaturity. Maybe you should consider reevaluating your standards.”

His gaze narrowed, but then he shrugged. “Maybe I should.”

“Good.”

“But back to you hitting on me.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Bash. I wasn’t hitting on you. I was pondering a logical way to eliminate this chemistry we seem to have together.”

“That sounds analytical and not sexy.”

“Exactly.”

“Like your list, right?”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with my list.”

“So you say.”

He tugged her against his chest and let his hand wander across her back, his fingers dangling dangerously close to her butt. “I can take care of your … problem. And make it sexy.”

She met his dark, promising words with a challenging glare. “That’s not what I want.”

“You don’t want it to be hot, Chelsea? You want it to be boring? Because I don’t think I can do that.”

That’s what she was afraid of. “So sure of yourself, aren’t you, Bash?”

He cupped the side of her neck and brought her mouth within a fraction of an inch to his. “Where you’re concerned, I’m fucking positive.”

Before she could take her next breath, his lips were on hers. Right there in the middle of the dance floor, where everyone could see.

This was so inappropriate. And so damn hot, with his arm wrapped tight around her, his mouth fused to hers.

Everything within her went haywire.

His kiss was a beacon to her fogged senses, drawing her in like a lifeline in a storm. She held on to his arms, and nothing existed in that moment except that kiss. She breathed him in, her synapses on overload as she felt the way his muscles tightened under her hand, heard his groan even through the loud music, and wanted nothing more than to lean in closer and take what he was offering.

Boring? Oh, no. Nothing with Bash could ever be boring. Not the way he kissed, or the way his body felt against hers.

And when he released her, he still kept that firm hold he had of her as he gripped her hand.

“Now we’re gonna go have a chat. Away from all these people.”

They strolled off the dance floor, stopping only long enough for Bash to grab her shoes.

Thank God her friends were all out on the dance floor and couldn’t see her walking out with Bash, though they’d likely witnessed their hot kiss.

Not that she really cared at the moment.

She had no idea where he was taking her and it didn’t matter. She was on a mission that had nothing to do with her list.

And everything to do with what she needed right this moment.

Chapter 14

Bash led her out of the barn and toward the house. A house that was too damn occupied for his liking. He stopped only long enough to let her slide her feet into those sparkly, fuck-me shoes she was so fond of wearing, slid his hand into his pocket and grabbed his keys, then led her to his truck.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know. Someplace where there aren’t a million people.”

She tugged on his hand. “You need a plan, Bash.”

“I have a plan. To get you alone.”

Now the tug grew harder. “Wait. Let’s think about this for a second.”

He stilled, let go of her hand, and knew right then it wasn’t going to happen between them.

Not tonight, anyway. Probably not ever. Inside, when he’d held her in his arms and kissed her, she’d been right there with him. She’d kissed him back, her sweet, lush body draped against his, every fiber of her filled with passion and abandon.

He’d felt it, had known right then how good it could be between them.

Now, that hot passion had fled and she was crunching numbers, or whatever logical thing it was that math teachers did. Whatever it was that had put her back in her head, he knew she wasn’t coming with him.

He slid his keys back in his pocket. “Okay. You’d better go back inside. It’s cold out here.”

Her head did a slight tilt to the side, as if she was preparing herself to explain it to him. “Bash.”

“Don’t. I’m not some raging, horny teenager you have to let down easily, Chelsea. I can take a simple no.”

Just then the front door of the house opened, and Martha stuck her head out. “Bash? Could you come here for a second?”

“Sure, Martha.” He looked over at Chelsea. “See? There’s your out.”

“Bash, I’m not looking—”

“I gotta go. We’ll talk later.”

He walked toward the house, leaving her standing there. And maybe that was a shitty thing to do, but she was safe out there, and he needed to get away from her before he did something really stupid, like go back there and kiss her until she changed her mind.

Chelsea stood outside in the cold for a few minutes, needing the chill in the air to evaporate the heat that still surrounded her. She needed to clear the confusion from her head and the feel of Bash’s body from every cell.