Free Chasing Jillian: A Love and Football Novel by Julie Brannagh Page B

breath. He recognized the slight vanilla scent she always wore. It reminded him of how she felt when he’d touched her arm—warm and soft. Most of the women he knew spent a fortune at the fragrance counter. He’d bought his share of perfume for women he’d been with too, despite the fact he’d never liked it much. He mentally shook himself. He needed to get his head back in the game. She’d run like a scared rabbit if she had any idea he’d had yet another steamy dream about her.
    Jillian gave up on stretching one leg; she shifted to the other, and she almost lost her balance again. He caught her around her waist. Her breasts brushed against his forearm, and he felt the shock of static electricity—and an unmistakable stirring in his shorts.
    “Oh, God. Oh no! Sorry.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” He set her back on her feet, but he didn’t let go. “You okay?”
    “I’m fine. We should walk.”
    “Yeah.” He dropped his hands to his side and moved away from her reluctantly.
    S ETH ’ S HANDS FELT branded into her sides, and she was tingling in more than a few places. Damn! She walked away from him; he caught up to her in a few quick strides. It was the strangest feeling she’d ever had—he’d caught her, he’d held her close, and her head rested in the middle of his chest. He finally set her back on her feet and walked away from her, but not before she saw something in his eyes that made her wonder.
    What was going on with him? He’d sought her out. He’d walked with her. He’d made sure she had exercise clothes and correct shoes. He’d asked her for her address the other day; she gave it to him, but she never dreamed he’d actually use it. He showed up at her apartment very early this morning, inviting her out for a hike. And breakfast.
    She concentrated on taking careful steps. The path slanted down; they’d end at a small platform to get the full effect of the falls. Maybe she could take a few pictures or a short video with her cell phone camera.
    “So . . . ” Seth said, “did you go out last night?”
    “Nope.”
    “What about the boyfriend?”
    “Out of town. No date,” she answered. She saw his mouth twitch with repressed laughter. “Did you have a date?”
    “The guys were giving me crap about fixing me up, but I told them no.” He turned to face her, walking backward. She reached out for his forearm.
    “I’m afraid you’ll trip.”
    “No such luck, Jill,” he joked. The slight breeze had blown droplets of water over his skin. He grinned at her. “Back to the subject. Why didn’t you go out with friends? It would be nice to get out and have some fun.”
    “Maybe you should ‘get out’ and ‘have some fun’ yourself,” she told him, complete with air quotes.
    “Maybe I should stay home with CB. It’s safer there. I’ll cat-sit while you go out,” he said.
    This was the strangest conversation they’d had yet. She knew it was better for both of them if she told him she was dating someone else. After all, those who weren’t on the prowl for companionship (so to speak) could be friends with a member of the opposite sex, without all the stickiness involved in unrealistic expectations and feelings that would never go anywhere. Seth probably wasn’t sure they were friends yet, but she was. Even if he woke her up at insane hours to go hiking and teased her, she liked him. Well, she liked what she knew of him. He made her laugh. Plus, he was gorgeous.
    Seth and Jillian walked along in silence for a few minutes, which eventually proved to be too much for him.
    “So, when am I going to meet him?”
    “Meet who?”
    “Your casual-thing boyfriend.”
    “Never,” she said. “We’ve only been seeing each other for a short time. I don’t need you scaring him off.”
    “Why not? You’re dating someone; I’d like to meet him.”
    “You wouldn’t like him. He hates football,” she said. “He’s into ballet.”
    His mouth opened and shut, opened and shut, like an