Aspiring Nobody--Dark Billionaire Romance

Chapter 17 Wrong about you

STYLES' POV

As my butt sinks into the sand, I draw in the salty air, watching as Erin twirl her toes in the shallow water. "How's the water?"

She kicks her foot through the surf and water sprays all over me. Through one squint eye, I take in my damp clothes and scold myself for sitting so damn close to the water's edge. Erin presses her hand to her mouth and giggles. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wet you that much."

"Sure you didn't."

She bends and starts rolling up the hem of her wet jeans. "How come you're not always like this?"

"Like what?" I ask.

She smiles, her dimples popping, making her too beautiful for words. "Relaxed, friendly, laughing. When we first met... well, I'm not saying this to offend you, but you were mean and uptight. Or was that because of me?" she asks, pulling her blowing ponytail from her face.

"No. That wasn't your fault. You showed up when I was a having a meltdown with work. I guess I aimed it at you because of what happened with my car and you being late. "

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry for everything else — especially for Ryan. If I didn't want him to know about us working together... well... I'd tell him how wrong he is about you. I'd tell him how thoughtful and generous you are, have been to me."

"Thanks. But what your brother thinks of me is irrelevant. And why do you care if he knows you're working for me?"

She lifts her arms above her head, knots her fingers together, and stretches high; the hem of her top lifts to expose the flesh of her flat stomach and pierced belly button as she yawns. "Because I'll never hear the end of it if he finds out. Since our father died, he's kinda been like a second parent."

I wave the buzzing fly from my ear. " That explains why he treats you like a child. Why he has so much input in your life. Why he acts more like your personal guard than a brother — should I keep going?"

Her cheeks flush. "He's not that bad. Dare say he would be if he knew I was with you."

Yep, if he were to show up right now and find us together, there'd be a brawl. "Why's that?"

"You know why. Plus, you're older than me... how old are you?"

I shrug. "Guess?"

She looks at me with a mischief grin. "Well, since you won't tell me, I'll assume you're somewhere between twenty and forty?"

"Forty!" I spring up to my feet. "You're done for!"

She backs away from me, giggling. "If you can catch me, that is."

My eyes narrow in on hers. "You're goin down." I hit the sand running.

"Oh crap!" She pivots; kicking water up from her feet as she leaps into a run.

I jump over the seaweed and follow her footprints along the water's edge. Thank fuck no one is on the beach to get the wrong idea. She's slower than I expected and not because her legs are shorter or because I'm taller than her, but because she wants to be caught. Yep, she wants me to catch her. And I will. That's a certainty. She'd never outrun me. I could have already caught her. Only I let her think she could take me. But I run every day. On the treadmill. On the footpath. I'm a runner. I'm fit and no doubt fitter than her lean bones.

She spins around, but her skinny legs are about to be caught. I'm like a wildcat with a scent and a target. I'm nearly in striking distance, and when I catch her, it's not game over but game on.