Read Online The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series) by Heather Thurmeier - Free Book Online

his feet into position and slowly stood, arms out to the sides like he was walking a tight rope.
    “If you’re referring to the extra five pounds on my ass and boobs, you’re a dead man. I’ll drown you in the lake and claim it was a paddle boarding accident. Think long and hard before you answer.”
    He gripped his paddle in both hands as his gaze examined her areas in question. “Now I’m only making an educated guess here, since I haven’t had any hands-on experience, but as far as I can tell, your ass and boobs are perfect.”
    By the time he looked her in the eyes again, her entire body felt heated by his gaze. She should’ve known better than to say something like that. “I have a boyfriend,” she blurted out, as much a reminder for herself as for him.
    “So you’ve said. And does he think you have a little extra weight on your ass and boobs? Is that why you’re self-conscious about it? ‘Cause if that’s that case, I’d be happy to tell him what an asshole he is. I’m something of an expert on the human body, at least as far as healthy body weight and exercise is concerned, and I don’t see anything wrong with yours.”
    “No. Rich is fine with it. Me. My boobs.” Was she sunburned already because her face felt hot?
    “I thought he went by Richard.”
    Damn it. What difference did it make and why did he remember that? “I call him Rich.”
    He nodded, looking not at all satisfied with her answer. Too bad. That was the only answer she was giving him. The less she talked about her fake boyfriend, the more likely she’d be able to keep her story straight.
    “I guess a finance guy isn’t that interested in the human form. Probably too busy dealing with numbers, right? At least, I think you said he was a finance guy.”
    “Yep.”
    “I’m sure that’s exciting and important work.”
    “It is. Are you ready to paddle now?” she asked, moving a little further out on the lake.
    He followed closely, seeming to have gotten the hang of the board. “I think you said he works at some office on the Upper East Side, right?”
    Did I say that? Or was it the financial district? Or Wall Street specifically?
    “Yah-huh.” Agreeable enough yet still non-committal.
    “I think I’m getting it,” he said, floating up next to her, then drifting past. “This is pretty easy once you’ve got the stance right.”
    Her body relaxed since he wasn’t talking about her pretend boyfriend anymore. She’d wanted to come out on the lake to relax, not talk. Gripping her paddle, she worked to catch up. For a guy who’d only just learned to stand on the board a few minutes ago, he was surprisingly fast already. Well, she wouldn’t let him be better at this than she was.
    She paddled hard and caught up to him, then sailed past him. Glancing over her shoulder, she called, “What were you saying about me not being athletic? Looks like this non-athletic girl left you in the dust. Take that, Mr. Muscles, and your shitty balance.”
    “You noticed.” He smirked and paddled after her, his chest and arms flexing as he did.
    How could she not? “Considering you’ve been shirtless for most of the time I’ve known you, it’s sort of impossible to miss your bulging ego, I mean muscles.”
    “Noticing bulges too? Interesting.”
    She whipped around on her board. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” How dare he change this around to mean something dirty when all she did was defend her athleticism?
    Her foot slipped on the board, and she grabbed for her paddle, hoping it would steady her. Instead, it shifted her balance further, making her foot slide on the slick surface. In one quick swoop, she was in the water sputtering and coughing as she came to the surface, grabbing blindly for her board. When she felt it under her fingertips, she pulled herself up and tried to blink away the water in her eyes.
    “Hey!” Logan shouted.
    Another splash sounded on the other side of her board. When she wiped her eyes clear