She's smiling up at him the same way she was with me yesterday. I hate that I'm f.u.c.king jealous right now. I have a naked chick in my bed, but here I am p.i.s.sed the h.e.l.l off, because Ashlynn is jogging with some guy who looks like he just climbed out of a Tiger Beat magazine my little sister reads. All those boy band looking guys make me want to punch something, especially when they are near a girl I want.

I pull my ear buds out just as Ashlynn says hi to me.

"Chase, hey." She gives me half a smile. Nothing like the one she was just giving this jack off. Nikki is glaring up at me from beside Ashlynn.

Just great.

I love how things can change so quickly in the matter of twenty-four hours.

"Hey. It looks like we all had the same idea today." I'm jogging in place as I try to keep myself busy. If I don't, I may just knock this dude out. He is standing closer to Ashlynn now that they've all stopped running and are standing in front of me.

"Yup, it's a perfect day for a run, since it's not so muggy this morning. After all the junk I ate yesterday..." her voice tappers off as she stops herself from mentioning our afternoon on the boat. It kills me that she doesn't want to talk about our day together. I don't know if it's because of me, or the guy standing next to her. "I really needed to burn off some calories," she says, shifting nervously on her feet.

Nikki just continues to stare at me, not saying a single word.

"So, did you have fun last night?" I ask, looking from her to Nikki, and then settling my eyes back on Ashlynn again.

She gives me a confused look before recognition shines in her eyes. "Ooh, last night. Right, the clubbing...yeah, we had a blast. How was your evening?" Her question has a hint of sarcasm to it. I know for a fact now she is p.i.s.sed off because of Sophie.

I rub at the back of my neck nervously. I hate that she makes me nervous. I never get nervous around chicks. I'm always relaxed, and can easily flirt my way out of anything. But with Ashlynn, I can barely think straight.

"It was okay. Not as memorable as I imagine your night was," I clip out. I won't even bother trying to hide the anger boiling inside me right now. Just the thought of her and this a.s.shole together has me wanting to pummel him to the ground and make him eat a mouthful of f.u.c.king sand.

The sun is scorching hot, beating down on me, and the sound of the waves crashing against the sh.o.r.e is torture. I want to rip my shoes off and dive into the ocean, partly because I'm sweating my a.s.s off from running, but the other part of me wants to drown myself. I mean-look at her. I am the world's biggest idiot.

Her t.i.ts look even nicer today in her sports bra. I have the urge to grab her, toss her over my shoulder, and drag her to her room so I can lick every inch of those beautiful b.o.o.bs.

What can I say? I'm a breast man. Sure, I love a nice a.s.s, but it's the t.i.ts that get me every time.

Ashlynn notices me staring at her rack and folds her arms, trying to shield them, which only pushes them up higher. f.u.c.k. I'm getting hard. I need to get the h.e.l.l out of here.

Justin Timberlake's lookalike beside her clears his throat, snapping my eyes back up to theirs. "Ashlynn, I'm going to keep running. Are ya joining me, or are ya going to catch up after?" I can hear the distaste in his voice as he slides his eyes from her to me. Of course he's f.u.c.kin' British...because girls always gotta fall for a guy with a foreign accent.

Ashlynn reaches out and grabs my forearm. The moment her hands touches my skin, my d.i.c.k jumps and my heart races. This girl has my body on overdrive every time she's around me.

"It was nice seeing you, Chase. I better get going." Her voice is so soft and sweet, but it isn't sweet enough to mask the hint of sadness in her words.

It only makes me feel like an ever bigger a.s.shole.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Sophie and her friends hung around and we ended up drinking beers, listening to music, and hanging out at my house all day. I had full intentions of getting her to leave as soon as I got back from my run, but when I got back to the house, she was awake and in the kitchen with Parker, Vance, and her two friends eating breakfast. Parker let me know he asked them all to stay and party, and then join us down at the boardwalk for the fireworks show before heading to Broadway Louie's.

I feel bad, because Sophie is gorgeous and really sweet, but she's not Ashlynn. Every pa.s.sing second, I feel like an even bigger d.i.c.khead, so my only option is to get s.h.i.t-faced and try not to think about anything at all.

It's now a little after eleven at night and we're all down at the boardwalk. I have a good buzz going on from all the drinking I did at dinner. Sophie was all over me, groping my d.i.c.k through my cargo shorts under the booth's table. She kept whispering in my ear that she wanted me to take her into the family bathroom and f.u.c.k her. Normally I would, but tonight, I'm just not feeling up to it.

She got p.i.s.sed off, of course, and is now giving me the silent treatment. I already have Ashlynn and her friends p.i.s.sed off at me, so what's one more girl?

The fireworks show is finished and we're getting ready to head to Broadway Louie's for a huge Fourth of July party going on there tonight.

I hate to admit it, but I've been trying to spot Ashlynn all night. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment. I think that's the reason I've been distant with Sophie tonight. I have this tiny hope there's still a chance I can fix this. I suck when it comes to women's feelings. Sure, I can flirt my way into their panties, but that's as far as I can go.

I can't ignore the pull I have to this girl. I will find a way to make it up to her and get us back to where we were yesterday before I f.u.c.ked it all up.

I called for a cab as soon as the fireworks ended, so we're heading out to the street. We're all too drunk to try and drive, so I'm leaving my truck in the parking garage down the street until tomorrow.

Pulling up to Louie's, we immediately hear music blasting out through the open windows upstairs. It reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans, with the black iron balcony wrapping around the building. There are people on the balcony, singing and shouting down to everyone below on the streets.

Thankfully, since it's almost eleven-thirty, the place is kid-free. Sophie wraps her arm around mine as we make our way inside. "Can we go into Club Boca? I want to go dancing," Sophie asks me, tugging on my arm.

There's a private night club here, but it has a strict dress code, and I will not be able to get in with cargo shorts, my Americana muscle tank, and flip-flops.

"You and your friends can go to the club, but I'm just going to stay up here and play a few games of pool. Plus, I can't get in dressed like this anyways," I tell her, pinching my shirt.

Rolling her eyes, Sophie tugs on my arm again. "Come on, Chase. They all know who you are down here. They'd be stupid to not let you in. Please? Come dance with me." She pouts up at me, batting her long, fake eyelashes.

I don't get why girls glue on big, fake eyelashes. I just about had a heart attack one morning, waking up to one of them stuck to my arm. I thought it was a d.a.m.n spider. I never screamed so loud in my d.a.m.n life. It wasn't my proudest moment screeching like a f.u.c.king girl, but let's be honest-anyone who wakes up and thinks there's a spider on their arm is going to scream their head off.

"I just want to lay low tonight. I don't feel like sitting in the club with music so loud I can't carry a f.u.c.kin' conversation. I'm going to hang out up here. You, Emily, and Sierra can go clubbing, but my boys have a pool table with our names on it."

Jesus. How f.u.c.king hard is it for a chick to understand the word no? I know I probably sound like d.i.c.k right now, but I am in no mood to go dancing with her. If I planned on f.u.c.king afterwards, then yeah, I would throw my name around to get in, but I plan on going home alone tonight. Dancing with Sophie will just give her the wrong idea.

"Well, I need a beer. Anyone else coming to the bar?" Vance asks, standing with his arms folded across his chest with a look of annoyance on his face.

Sophie and her two friends move together, standing in a united front and glaring at us. Just fan-f.u.c.kin'-tastic. Let's cause a scene so I can end up on the front of some cheap tabloid. My dad will kill me. He already threatened to cut my race funding if I got into any more trouble. Four years of partying in college did not sit well with him. I am lucky I even pa.s.sed.

I've been branded the bad boy of racing, and my career is only just beginning. I tried to tell my dad good or bad publicity is still publicity, but he didn't agree. He said Pop and he have worked hard to build the respectable racing company they have, and me getting arrested for drinking and driving, speeding, or public intoxication, and then having it plastered all over the television, magazines, and web isn't how I build my career and fan base.

It's been six months since I was last in trouble, and that seemed to get Dad off my case. I just hope I can keep the streak up. Girls like Sophie are making it hard, when they seem to want to start drama over every little thing I do.

"You guys are really going to ditch us on the Fourth of July?" Emily asks, seething with anger.

We need to defuse this situation quickly. "No...not at all. Listen, we're just exhausted from last night with y'all then going to the boardwalk tonight. We just want to lay low. Y'all go dance and have fun. Just send us a text tomorrow or something and we can get together," I say, snaking my arm around Sophie's waist and pulling her against me. I need to use the Kenzington charm right now.

Her eyes soften as she stares up at me. "Okay. You go have fun playin' pool then." She leans up on her toes and presses her lips to mine for a quick kiss. I tighten my lips, just giving her a quick peck.

Pulling away, I release her and give my boys a sly grin. Crisis averted. I told them about running into Ashlynn this morning, and they agreed they'd make sure we'd be going home alone tonight so I can try and smooth things over with her tomorrow.

Finally, the girls leave, so we head over to the bar and each grab a beer before heading upstairs to the pool area. We spend the next hour playing pool with a couple of guys we've partied with a few times while here vacationing.

The entire time, I have Ashlynn on my mind. I don't know where she is tonight, but all I can think about is her and the guy from the beach this morning. I take out my frustrations on the pool b.a.l.l.s. Every time it's my turn to break, I imagine I'm smashing the tip of my pool stick into his face.

First thing tomorrow, I'm heading next door, and I don't care what I have to do; I'm finding a way to fix this. It should be me out with her, not that dipwad.

I'VE TRIED ALL DAY TO enjoy myself, but I can't get out of this funk I'm in. We just left the fireworks show down at the boardwalk, and the entire time, I kept thinking about how I'd rather be lying with Chase watching them, rather than Liam. Liam is sweet and extremely good looking, so one would think he'd be able to easily distract my thoughts, but no such luck.

Now we're all hanging out at Broadway Louie's. We went to the night club here two nights ago, but tonight we just felt like hanging out and playing games. It's like a bar with an arcade, so you can eat, drink, and play games to pa.s.s the time. Liam has been affectionate and sweet, but I just don't feel that spark between us.

I met him this morning on the beach. He is staying a few beach houses down from ours, but he's only here for the holiday. Then, he's flying back to East Yorkshire, England. He was jogging by when Nikki and I were stretching down by the water before our run. Nikki's jaw practically hit the sand when a shirtless Liam sheathed in sweat stopped beside us and asked us if we'd like to join him for a run.

From the look on Chase's face when he saw us together, I know he thought I'd hooked up with him. Since Becca lied last night about us going out to a club to make Parker and Chase jealous, I can see how he'd a.s.sume the worst. I know it's wrong of me to allow him to think that, but he deserves to be jealous. After seeing him with that girl last night, I wanted him to hurt as much as I was.

It sucks that the last twenty-four hours have gone completely different than I imagined. I a.s.sumed after our day together yesterday we'd be celebrating the Fourth of July together. I only have a few weeks before I head back to Georgia. Maybe I read him wrong. I thought from the way he was flirting with me yesterday that he liked me, but maybe he's just that way with every girl.

"Here are your drinks, ladies," Liam says with his soft and s.e.xy British accent, setting down a tray full of red, white, and blue shooters. They are delicious and perfectly patriotic for the holiday.

I have always had a thing for British and Australian accents. I live down south, so pretty much everyone talks with a drawl and it sounds normal to me. I know northern girls go all crazy for a southern drawl, and that's how I am with a foreign accent.

I have to admit though that I love Chase's voice. It's a deep gruff with a slight drawl, not too thick. Here I go again; I can't escape my thoughts of Chase! Everything leads to him.

Liam is gorgeous, funny, and super sweet, and yet I'm thinking about Chase. I'm an awful person. That's the only reason I can come up with as to why I am feeling this way.

We all grab a shot and hold them up, yelling, "Happy Fourth of July!" before tossing our shots back.

I am feeling the effects from the shots we've done; this is my fifth one. My head is fuzzy, my body feels light, and I have a goofy grin on my face. I'm smiling for no other reason than just to smile I guess. I twist the cap off of my water bottle I've been drinking in-between shots.

"I gotta pee," I blurt out a little too loudly as I stand and sway slightly. "You coming with?" I ask, smiling down at Becca, who's people watching. She loves people watching in bars, because people get drunk and make total a.s.ses of themselves.

"Sure, I'll touch up my makeup while you tinkle," she says giggling.

"Just come find us when you're done," Tamara says, standing and heading back towards the arcade games. Nikki and Liam are already playing the one beside our table.

"Will do," I yell to her over the loud voices and music. Becca and I head towards the restrooms. The place is packed and there's a line, of course.

While in line, I suddenly smell Chase's body spray. I could smell him on me last night after we got off of the boat from spending the entire afternoon sitting on his lap, and asked him what he wore. I thought it was cool a wealthy guy like him chose to wear just a body spray, instead of an expensive cologne. Either way, no matter the price, he smelled amazing, and I was sad when I went into the ocean today and my bikini no longer smelled of him.

I hear the timbre of his laughter behind me and spin around to find him walking towards us. My heart is beating frantically against my chest, and I suddenly feel like a thousand b.u.t.terflies are fluttering around inside my belly. I try to turn back towards the line of people I'm behind, but I can't get my eyes to leave him. It's as if I've lost control of my own body.

A look of shock flashes across Chase's face and maybe disbelief as he slides his eyes from my toes back to my face. I feel my body flush as it reacts to his burning hot gaze sliding over me.

I'm wearing a red sundress and white wedged heels. My dress stops a few inches above my knees and the neckline is low, showing off my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which I know Chase really likes, since his eyes always seem glued to them every time I'm around him.

"Ashlynn," he says, stopping a few feet away from me, "wow, you look gorgeous."

I feel every ounce of anger I've had harbored inside me towards him last night and today slowly dissipating. I bite the inside of my cheek as he takes another step towards me. I breathe him in deeply before speaking. "Thanks. I love the shirt...very patriotic."

G.o.d, I sound like an idiot.

He lets out a deep chuckle. "I figured I should show off my patriotic side tonight, since it's the Fourth of July and all." He frowns slightly and reaches up to rub the back of his neck, looking like he too can't believe the dumb stuff coming out of his mouth.

Parker steps up beside Becca, mirroring her stance against the wall. He b.u.mps arms with her while a small smirk plays on his lips. "You are lookin' mighty fine tonight too, Becca."

She rolls her eyes at him. "Why thanks, Parker. You don't look so bad yourself. What are y'all doing here tonight?"

Chase and Parker look from me to Becca before settling back on me. I turn and look to Becca for guidance, who glaring at Chase and Parker. I may be forgetting about all the pent up anger, but from the looks of Becca, she certainly isn't.

"We've been playing a few rounds of pool and drinkin' beer. That's about it. We watched the fireworks earlier down at the boardwalk. We looked for y'all, but couldn't find ya anywhere. We don't have your numbers, so we couldn't text anyone," Chase says, never taking his eyes off of mine.

He was thinking about me tonight at the fireworks too. How did things get so messed up so quickly?

I twirl a strand of my hair around my finger. Chase's eyes are so intense they make me nervous. I can feel them practically burning straight through me, seeing every thought that pops into my head.

Becca answers for me, seeing I'm tongue-tied at the moment. "We're just here hanging out, playing games, and celebrating like everyone else."

Chase rubs at the back of his neck again, which I noticed yesterday is a nervous habit of his, and for some reason, I find it to be extremely s.e.xy. Every time he does it, his large, muscular biceps flex and go on display for me, showing off the tattoo along the inside of his right arm. It's of two checkered flags, with his last name underneath them.

It's kind of cheesy, but I love it.

"So...are y'all here alone?" He's adorable when he's nervous.

I wonder where his date is from last night. Just thinking about her gets my blood simmering once again.

"No, Tamara, Nikki, and Liam are around here somewhere."

As soon as I say Liam's name, Chase's smile disappears. It makes my chest ache seeing the look of disappointment in his eyes. "What about you? Where's the girl from last night?" I ask, not hiding the annoyance in my voice.

"I'm just here with Vance and Parker."

Parker tenses as his eyes dart towards the crowded bar. I follow his line of site and see it's Liam who's caught his attention.

Seriously? Talk about worst timing ever.

"Well, nature's calling. I hope you have a fun evening, Ashlynn. I'll see ya around."

"Yeah, it was nice seeing you, Chase." My words are barely audible over the music; plus, by the time I say anything, he's already disappearing into the bathroom.

Of course the men's room doesn't have a mile-long line, letting him run away from me easily, while I'm stuck out here in the d.a.m.n hallway.

Seeing him turn away from me and head into the bathroom is like a sucker punch to my gut. The sparks between us are unlike anything I've ever felt before, and it feels like no matter how strong that pull is, something keeps getting in the way of one of us making a move.

"Tamara is outside throwing up in the bushes. I just called a cab to come get her. She said if you wanted to stay, she's fine with that, but if not, to meet her outside. She was on the phone with her boyfriend when I came to find you. Nikki's outside with her," Liam says when he approaches.

Well, after all of this, my buzz is quickly wearing off.

"Okay, we'll go with her. If you can, let her know to wait for us. We're next, and I really need to pee. I won't last the entire car ride."

"I'll go let her know," he says and walks off in the direction he came from.

As we're walking into the bathroom, Becca grabs my arm, stopping me from entering the stall. "Wait a sec, Ash," she says, halting my steps.

Turning, I give her a questionable glance. "What's up?"

"How are you feeling after talking to you know who? I know my head is all over the place. Why the h.e.l.l is Parker so d.a.m.n hot? That man is a walking o.r.g.a.s.m. I practically came as soon as he b.u.mped me with his arm!"

We burst into a fit of giggles, causing the girls at the sink washing their hands to give us weird looks.

"I honestly don't know. I really like him, but he is a player. I keep telling myself to just have fun. If anything happens, it happens. It's been a really long four months, and Chase seems like the perfect guy to end my dry spell. If only I could stop getting jealous every time I see him around another girl. My mind doesn't know how to do casual, Becca. I am afraid I'm going to leave South Carolina broken-hearted."

Becca pulls me in for a hug. "Follow your heart, not your head for once. I say go for it. Have fun. We're only young once. So go have as many hot, random hook ups as your little heart desires. We're on vacation. We gotta live it up, girlfriend!"