Read Online Reluctantly in Love by Niecey Roy - Free Book Online Page A

I’d just told her how uninterested I was in a set-up. Yet here he was .
    “Right,” I said, drawing the word out. “Chase Walker.”
    His smile deepened. “Yes. That guy.”
    I forgot to respond. My eyes were too busy tracing the contours of his chest. I counted all six of his abs. And then I counted them again to be thorough. My gaze followed the V of his stomach until it disappeared beneath the waistband of his blue board shorts.
    This guy was a doctor? How was that even fair to the rest of the ordinary humans walking this Earth?
    Real life doctors weren’t supposed to look like him. He was nothing like my family physician, a grumpy old man with squinty eyes and a weak chin. He liked to lecture me about taking better care of myself. I visited him once a year—each time for strep—because he refused to prescribe me an antibiotic over the phone, even though he and I both knew for a fact what I had was strep. People tended to lie on their health exam paperwork, but I was always honest. He’d always ended the visit with a comment like, “Alcohol tends to weaken the immune system, which makes it harder for your body to fight off infection.”
    Maybe it was time for a new doctor. Like this one.
    He cleared his throat, and I jerked my gaze from his abs and up to his eyes.
    “I’m Roxi.” Then I realized maybe he didn’t know who Roxi was, so I added, “Roxanna.”
    His brows quirked with amusement. “Ah.”
    Ah? What the hell did ah mean?
    “Roxanna Leigh Moss,” I added for clarification, though I had no idea why I added my middle name. I sounded like a weirdo. I was pretty sure my distraction was the result of his unbelievable blue eyes.
    “I know who you are.” His voice laughed at me. He was definitely enjoying this.
    “Oh?” I cocked my head, studying his expression. Whatever he found so funny was a mystery to me.
    “Yeah, I do.” He took off his backwards cap, leaving his blonde hair ruffled. The locks were damp with sweat. “The woman who won’t go on a date with me.”
    Shit. I hadn’t expected him to call me out. I nibbled on my bottom lip, unsure how to respond.
    “Yeah . . . that’s me.” What else was there to say? It wasn’t as if I could lie. And now, with his blue eyes gazing right into mine, I couldn’t remember any of the reasons I’d been so against going on a date with him.
    There’s something. . . A really good reason. But I couldn’t put my finger on it. Holy hell, it’s those eyes.
    This was Gen’s fault. Ambushing me like this. I would strangle her. In a serious way. With both hands. But behind a tree, so Chase wouldn’t see.
    “It’s nice to meet you in person. Gen talks about you all the time.”
    Apparently, I thought.
    The corners of his lips flirted in a smile.
    “Yeah, you too.” I searched for something witty to say, but nothing came to mind—his smile was as distracting as his eyes. I blurted, “I was in a relationship.”
    “I see.” He put his cap back on. Backwards. I had a thing for backwards ball caps. Okay, it was a new thing. It definitely had something to do with Chase. He pulled it off well.
    “I mean, that’s why I couldn’t go on a date with you.” I bent and flipped the lid of the cooler up. This girl needed another drink.
    “I see.” He gave a small nod and a shrug, as if he were really considering it. “That makes sense.”
    Except, if Loose Lips Gen had been spilling her guts to Chase then she probably already told him Blake hadn’t been in the picture for some time now. I grabbed a wine cooler off the top of the pile, not bothering to check the flavor. I took a long drink while glancing over toward Gen and Lexie. When Lexie noticed I was staring at them, she hit Gen in the gut. Now they were pretending to be in deep conversation. They were horrible fakers. I had no idea how they’d been able to keep this little plan of theirs from me. Gen was the worst at keeping secrets.
    I turned my attention back to Chase.
    “I mean, it