Chapter Eighteen

Polly groaned and had to stop herself from slamming shut her laptop in frustration.

While she was on the plane out to Michigan, she had started to germinate some plot ideas for her fantastic new, while yet unwritten, best selling crime novel.

Now that she was sitting down at the computer ready to write, though, she was having a serious case of writer’s block.

She couldn’t decide if it was because the plot wasn’t exciting enough, if the lure of the lake waves was distracting her, or if it was because every time she started the story, it ended up devolving into erotica.

Why she had sex on the brain, she couldn’t imagine, Polly thought to herself wryly.

The reality was that she and Matthew hadn’t made love in months – he was busy, she was busy, exhaustion took precedence…

But Matthew had hardly touched her at all in months, not even to hold her hand or snuggle close in bed. They did the obligatory peck on the lips when they said good morning and good night, but that was it.

Until Chase had pulled her into his arms in the woods, Polly couldn’t remember the last hug, the last human contact she’d had, and that made her feel immensely lonely.

It wasn’t even so much sex with Chase, as just… the touch of another human.

Okay, an adorably cute human, but still, just that warmth and contact…

Matthew was her husband, but they hadn’t been acting very husband-and-wifely in a long time, and with the knowledge that Matthew had strayed from their bed…

Polly had never thought of herself as an adulteress, but increasingly sexy thoughts about Chase were haunting her brain, and she needed to decide if she was going to reconcile with Matthew, or not, or if she was going to stray herself, and make an advance against Chase.

And she needed to decide fast.

If only it hadn’t been Chase Colton, Polly thought, tucking her hair behind her ears angrily. Anyone else she could have resisted, but that crush from childhood, that graduation night under the stars…

She was under his spell, without a doubt.

Polly put her fingers on the keys to try again and nearly sighed with relief when the front door banged open and Jack charged in, followed closely by Chase. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Polly replied with a smile. “Do come in.”

“Thanks,” Chase grinned in return. “Whatcha doing?”

“Writing porn,” Polly shot back, deadpan.

“Hot,” Chase replied. “Can I read it?”

In answer, Polly slammed the laptop shut. “What are you boys up to?”

“Very little, so we thought we’d come check up on you, do a coyote sweep, whatever,” Chase said, striving for bored but sounding just a little too eager to see her.

"I think we should go outside and play," she said, standing up and stretching.

"Play?" Chase repeated with a grin. "Like what? Kick the can? Tag? Kickball?"

Polly stuck her tongue out at him lazily. 

"You keep doing that, and I'm going to bite it off," Chase said, a moment later reddening at the sentiment behind his words.

"Oooooh," Polly said in a mocking tone. "Aren't we saucy today?"

"I didn't mean…I mean, I meant…" Chase stammered. "Never mind."

Chase Colton didn’t stammer. The man must be more flustered than she thought, Polly reasoned. 

Good.

"Yes, go outside and play," Polly said, returning to her previous statement. "Walk on the beach, hike in the woods, whatever."

"Play what?" Chase asked again, slightly less teasing.

"Let's just go walking and explore – Jack wants to,” Polly said, wheedling now.

"Jack wants to be wherever you are," Chase retorted. "I'm beginning to sense that the next time I go home, he isn't coming with me."

"But…he hasn't completely his woodsdog training. He has to go with you!" Polly said in mock horror. 

Chase grinned. "Alright, if we're all going outside to 'play', go put your jacket on. The wind is pretty brisk out there." 

Polly clapped her hands together and vaulted off her chair to find her jacket. "Yay!"

"Yay?" Chase repeatedly sardonically. "You’ve turned into one of those girls that says 'yay'? Polly Royston, professional ball breaker, does not say ‘yay’."

"Are you one of those boys that has a rod up his ass?" Polly asked, her gaze and tone deadly serious, though her eyes glinted dangerously.

"Wanna take my pants off and find out?"

Chase could have slapped his head with the heel of his hand. It was a stroke – it must have been a stroke that caused him to lose all sense of propriety and keep spouting out these totally inappropriate comments whenever Polly was around.

His mother would be ashamed of him.

"Wow. I would, but I don't want Jack to be scarred by your naked ass," Polly shot back with a raised eyebrow, making Chase laugh despite the faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

"C’mon, Jack, let’s go play kickball," he said, zipping up his own jacket and opening the front door for her.

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