Free Bad Karma by J. D. Faver Page B

by this guy and maybe he’d be gone by the time she made the return trip.
    She drew nearer, watching him cast, his broad, powerful shoulders lunging into the effort of hurling the line out into the water. As his muscular arms arced overhead, his lats formed a perfect vee down to his butt.
    Cassie experienced a thrill of pure pleasure. Dang! That’s hot!
    His skin was browned and his dark hair had been trimmed close to his scalp.
    Cassie jogged by, trying not to gawk, but the man didn’t notice, so intent was he upon his task. She felt a tiny bit disappointed that he didn’t pay any attention to her passing by.
    She lifted her chin and continued on her way . Not the first hot guy to ignore me. Probably won’t be the last.
    She jogged for a while, until she began to feel the first symptoms of fatigue and then turned back the way she had come. She had slowed down to a walk by the time she saw the fisherman again.
    He had caught a six-foot sand shark and dragged it onto the beach. He looked up and grinned as she approached. “How was your run?” Dark eyes checked her out as she neared.
    “ Great!” She stopped short. He did notice me. A flush of pleasure washed through her. She returned his grin. “Odontaspididae”
    “ Excuse me?” He looked up, frowning at her now.
    “ That’s the kind of shark you caught.” Don’t blow it, Cass. Don’t flex your brains in front of Mister Hotness. She ducked her head and then tossed her hair as she glanced back up at him. “I must have read that somewhere.”
    He smiled again. “All I know is they taste great on the grill.”
    “ Really?” She opened her eyes wide and gave him a flirtatious grin. She leaned over from the waist and pretended to examine the shark closer.
    “ Careful,” he said. “It can still bite.”
    She stepped back. “Those things are out in the water?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry. You don’t taste that good.”
    She shot him a glance. “How do you know?”
    He looked back at her, flashing his wide, white-toothed grin. “To a shark. Humans don’t taste that good to them.”
    “ Oh, I thought you were making a personal remark about me.” She had to fight to suppress the giggle struggling to erupt from her throat when she saw his face. He can’t feel intimidated now. Must think I’m dumb as a box of rocks .
    He shook his head, dimples flashing. “Vacationing?”
    “ Just moved here.”
    He turned sharply. “Really? With your parents?”
    “ No, why do you ask?”
    The dark eyes roamed over her again. “You look very young to be out on your own.”
    She sniffed. “Well, looks can be deceiving.”
    The dimples quirked again. “Just how old are you?”
    The voice screaming in her head shouted, ‘none of your darned business’, but the youngest Danforth daughter replied politely and truthfully, “I’m twenty.”
    He grinned. “So old?”
    “ Bite me!” She turned and began her run again, kicking her legs out like she had done when she was in high school track.
    “ Hey! Slow down!”
    Surprised, she slowed to a stop. Mister Hotness had chased after her. She glared up at him, her lower jaw jutting out.
    “ Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. Don’t get mad at me.” He reached out and put his hand on her arm.
    Her eyes followed his muscular hand as he gave her arm a squeeze. “Watch the hand,” she enunciated carefully. “I have black belts in karate and tai kwan do. I can kick your ass all over this beach.”
    “ Really?” He chuckled softly. “Let me start all over again. My name is Javier Rios. My friends call me Javi.” He held out his hand to her.
    She eyed it suspiciously, then put her hand in his. “I’m Cassidy Danforth.”
    “ I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “You’re just...young to be so old.” He held her hand between both of his.
    She drew a deep breath and let it out all in a huff. “That’s a perfect description of me.”
    “ Again, I apologize for insulting you. I didn’t mean