Page 21 of Things Good Girls Don't Do (Rock Canyon, Idaho 1)

“Holly did the streaks, and the shoes I bought at the Sweet Tart’s Boutique. Becca has the cutest clothes! I got the dress there too. You guys should check it out,” Katie said, giving Becca a wink. After the introductions were made, the Hazelton sisters bombarded Becca excitedly with questions about her shop and Katie slipped away to see about grabbing a drink.

Kirsten Winters’s got Katie’s attention when she said, “You look fantastic! I bet you wish Jimmy was here to show him he made a mistake.”

Her smile dimmed a bit, until she caught movement at the door. Chase walked in, and little tingles of excitement spread through her body. “Actually, I’m so over Jimmy.”

Sliding off the stool and adjusting the pencil skirt of the dress, she walked toward Chase. She had never worn anything so tight or so revealing, and the strapless bra underneath gave her an abundance of cleavage. She had to keep reminding herself not to put her hands over her chest to cover herself.

Katie smiled nervously as his eyes moved slowly over her, and when they finally met hers, they were so hot she nearly stumbled. He met her at the edge of the bar and said, “I thought you were pissed at me.”

“Why did you think that?”

He pulled out his phone and held it up. “You never texted back.”

She shrugged. “I got busy.”

His eyebrow hiked up along with his smile. “You too busy for a drink?”

“You buying?”

“Yeah.”

She laughed. “Good, ’cause I just spent all of my extra income on clothes.”

Leaning over and putting his mouth so close she could feel his warm breath on her neck, he whispered, “So what was in the little black bag?”

He watched me leave. “Are you stalking me?”

“Not stalking, just interested,” he said, still close enough for her to see the black flecks in his gray eyes while he played with one of her curls.

The way he was admiring her made her feel powerful and brazen, and it was going to her head in a big way.

“Hmmm. In taking care of me, you mean? Maybe taking me home and using this very impressive body to get me all hot and bothered?” she said, surprising herself as she trailed her finger over his chest suggestively.

He froze, staring at her like she was wearing an donkey head, and she tried not to blush or look away.

“You can’t be drunk already,” he said.

Laughing, she said, “Nope, just trying out the no-filter thing.”

“How are you liking it?” he said with a rich chuckle.

“Definitely saves time from thinking about what not to say.”

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 UNFILTERED Katie. 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.”

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