“Now there’s no rumor. It’s fact,” he said, staying put on her side of the booth and smiling up at the waitress who stood there, full tray in hand, gaping at them.

“Uh, your breakfast is ready.”

“Awesome,” Bash said, seeming to be perfectly fine with being the center of attention.

Chelsea, on the other hand, wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

Though if she did crawl under the table, that would start another kind of rumor. And she had enough to deal with as it was, thanks to Bash.

He added salt and pepper to his eggs and started eating, while Chelsea had totally lost her appetite.

“I can’t believe you did that,” she finally said.

He swallowed and took a drink of orange juice. “Did what?”

“You know what. Kissed me like that.”

He turned to look at her. “You don’t like the way I kiss?”

“You know I do.”

He pressed his lips to hers. “I like kissing you, too.”

She scooted away from him. “Dammit, Bash. Stop doing that.”

He laughed. “Eat your breakfast, Chelsea.”

She was beyond irritated with him at the moment, but hunger finally won out and she decided to eat. Besides, eventually everyone else decided to eat as well, though she was certain she and Bash were the topic of every conversation in the place.

And when her phone started pinging with texts during her meal, she took a quick glance.

One from Samantha: Heard Bash laid a hot one on you in Bert’s. Can’t wait for deets.

Another from Megan: So I guess Bash kissing you at Bert’s means … what? Call me!

And from Emma: My mother had to tell me Bash kissed you at Bert’s. What’s going on?!

There were more, but Chelsea finally turned her phone off.

“I take it from the nonstop vibrating of your phone that the rumor mill has started spreading the word.”

She finished off her toast and took a drink of coffee. “You could say that.”

“Huh.”

She laid her fork and knife on the plate, then pushed it aside. “You don’t even seem … upset.”

“Why would I be? It’s not the Dark Age, Chelsea. We’re both single and unattached. We’re allowed to see each other if we want to.”

“I guess. Maybe I am making a big deal out of it for nothing.”

“Hey, if you don’t want to be seen with me, I understand. I’m gonna go pay the bill.”

She’d hurt his feelings. Sometimes she could be such a bitch without realizing it. “Hey, Bash?”

He stopped. “Yeah?”

“Wait for me. I’m ready to go, too.”

She grabbed her purse and got up, then laced her fingers through his.

He looked down at where their fingers were twined together.

“I would never be ashamed to be seen with you,” she said. “Sometimes it just takes a minute for my head to get on board with what my body already knows.”

He smiled at her. “Let’s go.”

She walked out with her head held high and her hand firmly in Bash’s grasp.

The gossips could suck it.

Chapter 22

It might take a while for Bash to figure Chelsea out. She was definitely complicated. But not in a bad way.

The truth of the matter was, he liked how complicated she was. He couldn’t predict her reactions, and that made her fun. And she sure as hell was sexy, smart, and smokin’ hot. It was a pretty lethal combination.

Plus, she was all his for the day.

Now he just had to figure out what to do with her. Besides undress her and spend the day in bed.

He figured that’s what she’d expect, but he wanted to keep her off balance.

So he stopped at her place, holding back a smile when she frowned at him.

“What are we doing here?”

“So you can get a change of clothes.”

“For what?”

“I thought when we got back to my place, we’d take Lou for a walk. It’s supposed to be a really nice day today. You don’t want to spend it all cooped up in the house, do you?”

“But I thought—”

He purposely gave her a blank stare. “What?”

“Never mind. I’ll be right back.”

He knew exactly what she thought. That they were going to spend the entire time in bed.

Yeah, he’d like that a lot, but that’s what she expected.

He wanted to give her the unexpected, and to show her this was more than just about sex.

She came outside about five minutes later carrying a large bag that she threw in the back of the truck, then climbed inside.

“Staying a week?” he asked.

“Funny. And no. But I might need a shower and a change of clothes. And makeup. I like to be prepared.”

He grinned at her.

She shoved at him and laughed. “Just drive.”

Chelsea took her bag into the bedroom to change. He went and changed, too, into his workout pants and a sleeveless shirt. It was supposed to be in the mid-eighties today, really warm weather for early May. He intended to take advantage of it with a nice walk. Lou was in good shape, and he’d already taken her to the park for long walks, so he knew she had great endurance for a small dog. He grabbed her harness and leash and put on his tennis shoes. By then, Chelsea had changed into a pair of tight capris and a short-sleeved shirt and put on her tennis shoes as well.

She always looked good, and God, she looked hot as hell in those heels she wore. But casual like this, with her hair in a ponytail and wearing workout clothes and tennis shoes? That did it for him, too.