Page 47 of Things Good Girls Don't Do (Rock Canyon, Idaho 1)

“It’s okay, I didn’t know him. But when Mom died, it was like my world had been tipped onto its axis. I know she was sick for so long, and she fought hard for extra time; I should have been prepared for it.” Katie’s tears spilled over, as they did every time she talked about her mom.

“I don’t think you can prepare for that kind of thing.” His hand rubbed over her back, and it was comforting. “So she was a stickler, huh?”

Katie laughed. “Understatement. She was a first-grade teacher and famous for her ‘Rules of Morality.’ She used all of these old-school sayings to keep her students, and me, on the straight and narrow. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ was her favorite. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup—except for pageants—until I was sixteen, and I was so frustrated. All of the other girls wore it, so when I was a freshman I started getting to school early and putting it on before class. I’d wash it off before leaving school, but one day I forgot I had a dentist appointment and my mom came to pick me up early.”

“Busted.” He laughed.

“Way busted. I got the whole Oh-what-a-tangled-web-we weave-when-first-we-practice-to-deceive lecture and she grounded me for a month. It sucked,” she said.

“My mom never grounded me. I didn’t even have a curfew. It was like living with a roommate for most of my life,” he said.

She had hated being grounded and sometimes her mother had been a bit too strict, but she always knew her mom loved her. Chase hadn’t had that, though. She was surprised he was as successful as he was with his upbringing. “So how did you get into art?”

He chuckled again. “You’re awfully curious tonight.”

Katie sat up and straddled his abdomen. “Considering we just became very well acquainted with some very private parts of each other’s bodies, I would think sharing a few fun facts shouldn’t be too much to ask.”

“Hey, I was just making an observation; don’t get your panties in a wad.”

“I’m not wearing any panties, remember?” She felt wicked saying it, but with Chase, her filter seemed to have disappeared completely. His eyes darkened and she slid her hand over the ridges and planes of his six-pack. “So art . . .”

Chase trailed his fingers up her thighs and said, “You expect me to concentrate on anything but your lack of panties?”

“Yes.” Leaning over and teasing his earlobe with little nibbles, she said, “Tell me and I’ll . . .”

The things she whispered to him were way too bold for Old Katie. When she pulled away, the mix of shock and desperation on his face made her laugh as he quickly spilled his guts.

“My English teacher in sixth grade. She caught me doodling, and instead of giving me detention, she pulled some strings to get me into a seventh-grade art class,” he said.

She walked her fingers down his stomach and prodded. “And your comic books?”

He was running his hand over the bare skin of her back and she wanted to purr like a cat. “I started it my senior year and showed it to the guy who owned the comic-book store in town. He helped me find out how to submit it, and after about eight rejections, I got a letter saying they wanted to publish three issues.”

Katie shook her head. “That is amazing.”

“So now you. Why did you pick cosmetology after giving up law enforcement? Kind of a weird jump.” He ran his finger down her nose and over her lips.

“Yeah, well, I decided I liked making my own hours and making good money more than chasing down bad guys.” She opened her mouth and he slipped his finger inside. She felt wanton and sexy as she sucked on it gently. Whatever it was about being with Chase, she liked the way she felt with him, lying in bed and not being the least bit self-conscious about the way sh

e looked or if he wouldn’t like something she did. That was the amazing thing about being intimate with him; he made her feel like everything she did was a major turn-on.

Like teasing and sucking on his fingers softly. She was just testing it out, enjoying the look on his face, until he pushed her onto her back and moved over her, staring down at her like she was a sweet piece of chocolate he wanted to savor.

Rubbing her palm over his stubbly cheek, she whispered, “I love scruff.”

Chase smiled. “You do? Most girls bitch about it scratching them.”

She shook her head. “Not me. A little scruff to darken the cheeks. I think Hugh Jackman, when he’s all scruffy, is the hottest man on the planet.”

He scowled. “Hugh Jackman is a pansy.”

“Um, have you seen his body? The man is a God.” She laughed.

He started to roll off her. “Okay, I’m done, lost all interest.”

Katie hooked her arm around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. When she had him sufficiently relaxed, she said, “You’re a liar.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

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