much.
She swallowed hard, taking hold of the soft material and rubbing her thumb over it. He would know exactly what she was wearing beneath the dress. Would know just how little that was.
He isnât going to think about it. Because he doesnât think about you that way.
He never had. He never would. And it was a damn good thing. Because where would they be if either of them acted on an attraction between them?
Up shit creek without a paddle or a friendship.
No, thank you. She was never going to touch him. Sheâd made that decision a long time ago. For a lot of reasons that were as valid today as they had been the very first time heâd ever made her stomach jump when she looked at him.
She was never going to encourage or act on the attraction that she occasionally felt for Chase. But she would take his expertise in sexual politics and use it to her advantage.
Oh, but those panties.
The bra wasnât really any less unsettling. Though at least it wasnât missing large swathes of fabric.
Still, it was very thin. And she had a feeling that a cool ocean breeze would reveal the shape of her nipples to all and sundry.
Then again, maybe it was time all and sundry got a look at her nipples. Maybe if they had a better view, men would be a little more interested.
She scowled, wrenching the panties off the hanger and dragging them on as quickly as possible, followed closely by the bra. She was overthinking things. She was overthinking all of this. Had been from the moment Chase had walked into the barn. As evidenced by that lapse in the shower.
She had spent years honing her Chase Control. It was just this change in how they were interacting that was screwing with it. She was not letting this get inside her head, and she was not letting hot, unsettled feelings get inside her pants.
She pulled the garment bag away entirely, revealing a tight red dress slightly too reminiscent of what the woman he had been flirting with last night was wearing.
âClearly you have a type, Chase McCormack,â she muttered, beginning to remove the slinky scrap of material from the hanger.
She tugged it up over her hips, having to do a pretty intense wiggle to get it up all the way before zipping it into place. She took a deep breath, turned around. She faced her reflection in the mirror full-on and felt nothing but deflated.
She looked...well, her hair was wet and straggly, and she looked half-drowned. She didnât look curvy, or shimmery, or delightful.
This was the problem with tight clothes. They only made her more aware of her curve deficit.
Where the blonde last night had filled her dress out admirably, and in all the right places, on Anna this dress kind of looked like a piece of fabric stretched over an ironing board. Not really all that sexy.
She sighed heavily, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.
Chase really was going to have to be a miracle worker in order to pull this off.
She didnât really want to show him. Instead, she found the idea of putting the coveralls back on a lot less reprehensible. At least with the coveralls there would still be some mystery. He wouldnât be confronted with just how big a task lay before him.
âBuck up,â she said to herself.
So what was one more moment of feeling inadequate? Honestly, in the broad tapestry of her life it would barely register. She was never quite what was expected. She never quite fit. So whyâd she expect that she was going to put on a sexy dress and suddenly be transformed into the kind of sex kitten she didnât even want to be?
She gritted her teeth, throwing open the bedroom door and walking out into the room. âI hope youâre happy,â she said, flinging her arms wide. âYou get what you get.â
She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head, then recoiled in horror. It was even worse out here. Out here, there was a full-length mirror. Out here, she had the