Page 20 of Things Good Girls Don't Do

He leaned against the bar. “You don’t have to get rid of your filter. It’s what makes people like you. I just think you should stop letting the assholes treat you like dirt.”

The comment hit too close to home and Katie, wanting to change the subject, tossed her hair and said, “So what do you think of my dress?”

“I like it. But do you?”

His question gave her pause and as he ordered them a round of drinks, she thought about the sudden changes she’d made. She’d sat down and written that list at a low, self-loathing moment. The streaks were fun, the tattoo stung, and the clothes were cute, but would she regret them later? She had no idea. She didn’t want to think about the future; she just wanted to live in the moment. She wanted to feel good for the first time in months, not just try to get through the day.

“Yeah. I think I do.”

CHASE LIKED UNFILTEREDKatie. She was funny; she got loud and lost that bit of prim and proper attitude. And right now she was looking at him like a kid waiting to unwrap her shiny new bike.

He just hoped she really wanted to take him for a ride, because every minute he spent with her, the more he liked her. She was the type of girl a guy could just hang with, relax, and not have to put on a big show. She wasn’t like any other girl he’d ever been around.

The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” came on the jukebox and Katie gushed, “Oh my God, I love this song.” She grabbed his hand and pulled on it. “Come on, dance with me.”

Chase looked out on the empty floor and shook his head. “I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“I’ve had one beer.” She tugged his hand harder.

“There’s nobody dancing!” he said, wondering if he should bring up the no-holding-hands-in-public rule.

When she batted her eyelashes and pouted her full lips, though, he dropped his guard long enough to laugh and she jerked him off his stool with an evil grin. He gave up reasoning with her and let her lead him out onto the dance floor.

He had always associated her with being bashful, but he was quickly figuring out that just because she was a reserved girl didn’t mean she was shy. She finished maneuvering him smack into the middle of the room, slid her arms up over his shoulders, and moved against him. His hands settled on the small of her back, minding her tattoo, and he had to admit she did feel really good pressed against his front.

She was singing the lyrics softly and he joked, “Kind of a morbid song, isn’t it?”

Something passed through those blue eyes when she looked up, and a strange feeling ran through him. Protectiveness. He knew she’d been hurt, and he wanted to take away that pain.

What the hell is the matter with you? She’s just a girl you might have some fun with. Nothing else.

“Maybe, but at least the girl got to have her wedding,” Katie said.

He didn’t like the sadness in her voice either. Trying to get himself out of his head and distract her, he reached up and tapped her nose. “Why are you getting sad on me? Do you need me to kiss you again? ’Cause we both know you like that.”

“Now, that would be breaking the rules. No kissing in public.” Her smile chased away the sad look.

Chase leaned real close so only she could hear him over the music. “I think we can make an exception this once.”

“Do you really want to?” she asked, her tone seductive as a siren’s call. “’Cause even if we bend the rules this once, people might get the wrong impression.”

Suddenly he didn’t care what the people of Rock Canyon would think or say. “Let ’em talk.”

Dipping his head down to kiss her, he loved the feel of her fingers tickling the back of his neck as she kissed him back. He wanted to get the hell out of there, take off that sweet little dress, and get his hands on ...

“Hey, Katie, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to get home.”

He pulled back to give Becca the eye, but she just returned his look with a knowing smile. Becca had come into the parlor a few days after she’d first moved to town, and he’d given her a tattoo of two red cherries still on the stem low on her right boob. When she’d caught him eyeing her with interest, she’d told him he wasn’t her type. He’d asked her what her type was, she’d said, “Probably the same as yours.”

He’d laughed and liked her immediately, but right now she was cock-blocking him hard, and that smirk said she knew it.

“Oh sure. Sorry, we rode together.” Katie turned to Chase and looked so disappointed that he wanted to find Becca another ride, just so she would stay.

He slid his hands off her waist and said, “It’s okay. We can pick this up another time.”

She gave him a brilliant smile as she followed Becca out the door, and Chase jumped when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.

“So, Katie Connors, huh?”

---