Page 33 of The Perfect Distraction

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, she was in the sunroom in her pajamas, enjoying a cup of coffee, when her phone rang. Looking at the display, she considered letting it ring a few more times before answering but then decided why bother? If he was calling her before nine o’clock in the morning, he was obviously anxious to talk to her too.

“Good morning,” she said, keeping her voice calm and level.

“Morning,” he said, his voice sounding a bit gravelly.

“You’re up early.”

“Are you kidding? This is late. I’ve been up since six o’clock.”

Just then, she saw a movement in her peripheral vision, and she sat up straighter. It was Colton, talking to her on the phone while he paced across his back deck, shirtless. Her answer to last night’s question about his chest was answered. He had a perfect smattering of light brown hair between his pecs that trailed down into his black athletic shorts. Perfection.

“How’d you sleep last night?” he asked while running a hand through his messy morning hair.

“It took me a while to get to sleep,” she answered, wondering if she should tell him that she could see him.

“Me too.”

“Did you end up taking a cold shower?” She was too distracted by his fine physique to realize what she’d just asked.

He laughed, and she saw his face light up through the sunroom window.

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

She squirmed in her chair, feeling a bit like a naughty voyeur, yet, she couldn’t stop herself. “Should I feel guilty about that?” she teased.

“Not at all. I had fun last night even if…”

“We didn’t go beyond first base?”

He laughed again, and she looked over to see his back was to her. The back view was just as appealing as the front, his shorts hanging low enough to show those sweet indentions at his hips. His butt was nicely shaped, and he was muscular without being bulky.

“First base, huh? I haven’t talked about rounding the bases since I was a teenager.”

“I don’t think I ever knew what they meant until now,” she admitted, and then she smacked herself on the forehead. Where was her filter? But then, she hadn’t finished her morning coffee yet.

He turned back around and strolled toward her while looking down at his feet. Thank God. She’d hate to get caught gawking when he had no idea she was even there.

“What did you do, look it up on the internet?”

She scrunched up her face and squeaked, “Maybe?”

He shook his head, but she saw that he was grinning.

“And what did you learn?” he teased, scuffing his bare foot on the deck. She couldn’t see every detail, but even his feet looked good.

“Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, first base is French kissing.”

“We covered that one.”

“Um-hmm.” She squirmed again and readjusted herself on the chair. Suddenly, the sunroom felt exceptionally warm, although it might have been the coffee.

“What about second base?”

He turned and walked away again, and she scanned his backside once more before answering, “I thought you already knew this.”

“It’s been a while. I could use a refresher course.”