Page 7 of Things Good Girls Don't Do (Rock Canyon, Idaho 1)

“Be right with you!” she called shakily.

Turning her back on him to finish blow-drying Daphne’s hair, her eyes kept straying to his reflection in the mirror. He had on a pair of loose jeans and a blue T-shirt tight enough to show off some very drool-worthy pecs. Jimmy had been short and stocky, whereas Chase was tall, with lean muscle. He leaned over to say something to Kitty, and Katie noticed that every female eye seemed to be watching him, and if the way he flashed that pearly white smile around was any indication, the cocky jerk knew it.

Bigheaded jerk. Showing up here with his charm and his hotness, all to tease her. Well, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him fluster her. Turning off the dryer, she smiled at Daphne and said, “You’re set. See you back in a couple of months. Make sure the shampoo and conditioner you’re using is for color-treated hair, okay?”

Daphne turned her head from left to right and gushed, “Of course, Katie. You do such a good job on my hair. I love it!”

Katie smiled, although her eyes were on the hunk of juicy male resting against the reception desk, watching her every move. Turning away from the mirror and his blatant perusal, Katie grabbed her broom and started her post-appointment cleanup. Daphne left her tip on the station desk, and despite her resolve to not let him get under her skin, Katie looked over in time to see Daphne flashing him an inviting smile. Chase just nodded at her, ignoring her disappointment, and turned his unnerving gaze back on Katie. He gave her a knowing grin, and imagining what he must be thinking about, she swept harder.

When she couldn’t stall anymore, she put the small broom back and tried for casual, but it sounded a little squeaky to her ears. “Hey, Chase, what brings you by?”

Kitty, always so helpful, answered, “Oh, Chase is here for a haircut. He called this morning.”

Katie’s nerves went from frazzled to haywired. She eyed the already short strands and could tell that it hadn’t been too long since his last

haircut. “Looks like you just had one.”

“Yeah? I did a few weeks ago.” He stood up and moved closer to her until she had to look up at him. She tried not to think about how good he smelled as he said, “Is it a problem that I like having my hair cut? For me, nothing feels better than having someone’s fingers run through my hair.” Lowering his voice, he added, “Well, almost nothing.”

At his suggestive words, her heart pounded like a hundred hoof beats and she tried to ignore the way his mouth tilted up in a small smile, a smile that said I know exactly what I’m doing and you want me bad, don’t you? The guy thought he was so irresistible.

Well, he kind of is. I mean, between the eyes, chin, and that body, who wouldn’t go a little gaga over him?

How could she be attracted to the man who had taken something so personal from her last night and was here now, teasing her, taunting her with his presence? When had she gone completely cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and started lusting after any hottie with a body no matter how despicable he may be?

Trying to regain some composure, she said, “Oh well, sure. Come on back. Do you know what you want to have done?”

“Just short on the sides and a little longer up top so I can spike it,” he said, easing into the chair of the washing sink, his lips still twisted in that annoying smirk.

Sliding the cape over him, she tried to focus on her irritation and not on his very nice lips. She turned on the water to hot, slowly decreasing the temperature until it felt good on her skin.

“All right, just let me know if it’s too hot or cold.” She ran her hands through his already short hair and over the skin of his neck, helping him lean back. She relaxed as those gorgeous eyes closed, no longer looking at her like he could see inside her head, and said, “Feel good?”

“Awesome,” he said.

Filling her hand with shampoo, Katie began to work it into his hair, using her fingers to massage the scalp and give gentle tugs on the strands. She leaned closer to him, watching his handsome face soften, and when she heard a small groan escape him as she found the two pressure points on the back of his neck she tried to remember he had read some very personal things about her and as a result, had come to her place of business to mess with her. Only a mean-spirited snake would harass someone he hardly knew.

Despite her suspicions as to why he was there, she couldn’t help noticing that he was one of the best-looking guys in town. With his mouth slightly open and his full lips looking soft, she wondered if he was a good kisser. Jimmy had been more of a bird with his kisses and it had made her crazy, until she’d finally grab him by his head to keep him still. Somehow she had a feeling Chase knew how to kiss without any direction.

I bet this is what he would look like during sex.

“Holy shit, that is amazing. Where did you learn to do that?” His voice broke into her disturbing thoughts, rough and raspy. It was the sexiest sound she’d ever heard.

What is wrong with me? Stop thinking about him. He’s just another turd with nice eyes . . . and lips . . . okay, so his chest and arms are pretty great . . .

Pulling at his short strands again, she tried to control her hormones and prayed he wouldn’t open his eyes. The last thing she needed was for the man who had already seen a list of her biggest regrets catching her with flushed cheeks and wondering why washing his hair was getting to her. The guy was not a nice man, and he didn’t deserve her lusty thoughts. “In school, and I also got my massage therapist license. Just let me know if the pressure is too much.”

“It’s perfect,” he said, opening his eyes. She silently prayed her cheeks were no longer rosy, but if they were, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he surprised her by adding, “I actually came in to apologize. I didn’t mean to embarrass you last night. I was trying to be playful, and I crossed the line.”

Jerking her gaze up to meet his, there was no mockery on his face and he sounded sincere. Maybe she had been wrong about him and he wasn’t such a bad guy. She felt a little guilty for all the angry thoughts she’d been having about him.

She rinsed the shampoo and rubbed the conditioner in, starting the scalp massage over again. While she worked, she decided to follow her mother’s advice about graciousness and said, “Thank you for your apology. I appreciate it.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes, and she assumed it was because that was all he had needed to get off his chest. But while she was rinsing the conditioner out, he said, “I’ve been thinking about your list.”

The hand holding the sprayer slipped and she gasped in horror as the full force of water hit him smack in the face. She turned off the water quickly as he flew up spluttering, wiping water from his eyes. Grabbing a towel from the cupboard, she started patting his face dry, blurting, “Oh my God, are you okay? I didn’t mean to do that, you just . . .”

He opened one of his eyes and grimaced. “I was going to say that if you want to come by tonight, I’ll help you out with number two, but if you’re going to drown me, I take it back.”

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