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  Caught Inside

  Kristie Leigh

  Copyright © 2020 by Kristie Leigh

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For my free-spirited daughter

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Do I Have To Wear A Dress?

  2. I’m Lovin’ That Dress

  3. What Look? I Have A Look?

  4. Fuck Romance

  5. Missed Your Face

  6. Change Of Subject Anyone?

  7. Surf’s Up…Sort Of

  8. I’m Not That Bad

  9. What A View

  10. Winning Prize

  11. Walk Away Now

  12. Leaving

  13. Awesome Day My Ass

  14. Welcoming Committee

  15. Beach Waves

  16. Surprise

  17. Where’s He Going?

  18. Home Feels Wrong

  19. How Do I Act?

  20. Guys’ Night

  21. Date Crasher

  22. Just Let Her Go, Man

  23. Well This Is Awkward

  24. Is This Real Life?

  25. Ice Time

  26. Happy Birthday To Him

  27. Meeting The Fields

  28. Surf’s Up

  29. Why Did I Have To See That?

  30. Well That Was Unexpected

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Kristie Leigh

  Caught Inside Playlist

  Prologue

  Easton

  "Easton, get your ass out here." The sound of Joe’s voice shouting from the front of the store caused me to jump; he was always so loud.

  Ugh, my boss could be such a pain. "Coming, Joey." I smirked, knowing that name would piss him off.

  Walking out of the stock room of Boathouse—the surf shop I worked at—I spotted Joe standing there with his tatted arms crossed over his chest and his foot tapping rapidly. He tried to look all tough and mad, but I wasn’t sure why he bothered. He’d always had a soft spot for me, and I knew it. I walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

  "Girl, stop batting those lashes at me and don’t stare at me with those big, green eyes. You're lucky I love you. No one gets away with calling me Joey except you. It's Joe for fuck’s sake. You'd think after seven damn years, you’d get it right."

  Of course, I knew his name. I'd known him since I was fourteen; I just loved to push his buttons.

  I hopped up onto the counter and swung my legs back and forth. "I just like Joey better." I shrugged and tried not to smile as I tied my pink hair up in a messy bun.

  He huffed and glared at me. “You’re never going to learn, are ya?”

  I shook my head as I tried to hide a smirk. “Why did you call me out here? I was working in the back, you know. You interrupted me in the middle of inventory.”

  He moved aside, revealing a face I never thought I’d see again.

  I blinked a couple of times before I was able to gather any words. “Tanner Fields, to what do I owe the pleasure?” My voice cracked, betraying my false confidence.

  He looked down at his shuffling feet. Apparently, he’d suddenly fallen shy. My stomach did a twist, then flopped, and finally rolled over into a somersault. This boy was a fuckton of trouble for me, and I wasn’t having it—not again. He’d always made me feel shit I hadn’t before, and I didn’t like it one bit.

  He cleared his throat and looked up before squaring his shoulders. “I actually just moved here. Got a job offer from Chem Central through my college professor—it was too good to pass up.” He shrugged like his words hadn’t just caused my world to flip on its axis. “I thought maybe since I didn’t know anyone here, I would come to see how you’ve been doing,” his voice shook as his words trailed off.

  What in the actual fuck?

  One

  Do I Have To Wear A Dress?

  Two years earlier

  Easton

  Joe was lucky this was for charity, or he would’ve been on his own. Not only did I hate being the center of attention but being on stage always left me wanting to barf. It was the time of year I dreaded the most, and this asshole had me wearing a dress. Again.

  I should’ve thanked him for always having me start the fashion show, instead of finishing it. I would’ve lost my lunch all over the crowd if I had to watch the others go first—that wouldn’t have been good for the cause.

  Sitting backstage, I was so nervous that I couldn’t stop cracking my knuckles. My mom used to tell me that my fingers were going to end up big and manly from the habit, but she was full of shit. The sound of the speakers screeching stopped me mid crack.

  Joe’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “First up on stage, we have Easton."

  That was my cue to head out. I took a deep breath and stumbled a little but managed to catch myself before anyone noticed.

  "Easton is five-seven and a local here in Pahokee. She’s sporting a prism-pattern dress paired with marron sandals, both designed by Roxy. Give us a little turn, Easton, and show off that pink hair.”

  I rolled my eyes and begrudgingly spun for the crowd. I hated this part of my job. Every year we held a charity fashion show at Barangas, which was also the bar where I worked. The only reason I let Joe talk me into this was that it was for a good cause.

  “Easton works with us over at Boathouse as well as here at Barangas. She enjoys surfing and parties hard.”

  The crowd seemed to find that amusing—I, on the other hand, did not. So, I flipped off Joe as I left the stage. Thank God that was over, and I could finally breathe again.

  Barangas co-sponsored the event with Boathouse, so they always went all out. They provided the venue for free as well as a bunch of food and beverages for those who attended. They rented a stage and set it up in the middle of the bar with lights and props to give it a real runway feel, and high-top tables lined the floors so everyone had somewhere to sit and watch the show. Joe had a register at the bar so we could check out customers just like we would at the store. I headed over to the till so that I could start ringing up sales.

  Joe raised a lot of money for charity with this event. He had hooked up with every single one of our suppliers this year to negotiate rock-bottom prices, allowing him to sell the items at a discount for the event. It drew a crowd, and all proceeds went to a local charity. This year it was Karing for Kids.

  “Now that I’ve embarrassed the shit out of Easton, head on over to the bar, where she’ll be checking everyone out tonight.”

  I shook my head as I walked off the stage. “Thanks, Joe, love you, too,” I shouted before blowing him a kiss with my middle finger.

  We had a great crowd tonight, a way higher turnout than usual. It was also a younger group than we’d had in previous years. Typically, we attracted local parents and grandparents, who purchased for their kids and grandkids. It was a win-win—their loved ones got things they wanted, and they were happy to support a local charity. We’d had some younger attendees who purchased for themselves but never this many.

  I had no fucking clue where all these college kids had come from; it wasn’t even spring break yet. I definitely wasn’t complaining, though.

  Pahokee wasn’t the most popular spring break destination in California, so we didn’t get a huge influx of college students every year. But spring break still made for an interesting time for us locals, especially for someone like me—no strings attached, just how I liked them.

  I didn’t do relationships. I’d never even had an actual boyfrien
d. Don’t get me wrong, I would totally keep one around if he were good enough in bed. But we wouldn’t date or cuddle, and I always tried hard not to have sleepovers. I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t built with a dating gene if there were such a thing.

  With the increase in attendees, we were busier than any other year. It was a good thing we had Jane and Phil. They were already working with folks asking questions and helping people with sizing and changing rooms.

  Joe had a few more models lined up, but once the checkout opened, people started to shop so they could get first pick.

  “Hello, Easton, how are you, sweetie?” Mrs. Glenn was smiling at me when I turned around.

  “Hey, Mrs. Glenn, I’m good, thank you. Getting a few things for your grandkids?”

  “Yes, dear. You know I love to support local events. This is my favorite because I get to spoil my grandchildren at the same time.”

  She was a sweet lady, and I couldn’t help but giggle as I rang up her purchases.

  The next couple of hours continued in much the same way, customer after customer. Now that it was dinner time, I finally got to take an unofficial break for a few minutes. I grabbed a seat and closed my eyes as I rested my head on the back of the chair. I sighed when I heard a commotion at the end of the bar.

  Damn college kids.

  They were singing “Happy Birthday,” and it was grating on my nerves. I lifted my head and parted my closed lids to find hazel eyes staring back at me—fuck, he was hot. The irritation melted away as thoughts of those gorgeous irises hovering over me in bed made my insides warm. Maybe I’d take him home later. I smirked as I thought about all the things I could do to that boy and how that scruff would feel between my legs.

  A customer snapped out of my musings. “Miss, are you all right?”

  I shook my head and faced the woman. “Yes, sorry, just spaced out for a second.” There went my break. I looked over to see the scruffy guy smiling at me. Reluctantly, I got up and went back behind the counter to check out the customer who’d rudely interrupted my fantasy, just as Sadie and Rhian came over.

  “Who are all those hotties?” Sadie blatantly pointed in their direction. “That one hasn’t stopped staring at you.”

  I slapped down her hand. “Sadie, what the fuck? You can’t just point like that.”

  She seemed to think I was joking when I was anything but. “Why the hell not? Now they know we’re talking about them.” Sadie shrugged—she was clueless sometimes.

  Sighing, I leaned over the bar and hugged them both before pulling back. “Go get me a drink. This thing is almost over, and I need about ten more to get through until the end. And for the record, I have no clue who those guys are. But I plan on mounting the one in the plaid shirt later tonight.” I cocked a brow, and they both giggled before heading over to grab me a drink.

  A few customers later, Sadie tried to hand me a beer.

  “What the fuck is this shit, Sade? You know I don’t drink beer.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust, refusing to take it from her.

  “Oh, I know that, but the hottie you plan on mounting—as you so eloquently put it—isn’t aware of your beverage preference.” She smirked and lifted my hand to place the beer in it, enjoying every minute.

  Begrudgingly, I raised the beer and took a sip. It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. “It’s not awful. It’s probably the best beer I’ve ever tasted, not that that is saying much.”

  I glanced at the label, Labatt. I thought that was the Canadian beer Sally had talked about bringing—guess she did. I looked down the bar to acknowledge the guy I planned to take full advantage of later on, but he wasn’t there.

  “There go my plans for tonight,” I mumbled to myself.

  Someone cleared their throat. “What’s wrong with your plans for tonight?”

  I turn to see Mr. Hottie standing in front of me, holding a few pieces of women’s clothing. Of course, he wasn’t single. Men were such dicks.

  “Nothing.” I nodded my head at his selections. “Shopping for your girlfriend?”

  He chuckled but held my stare. “Nah, these are for my sister. She’d be pissed if I went home without something for her, and she loves Roxy.” He glanced at the beer in my hand. “You think I would buy a drink for you if I had a girl?” He shook his head and pursed his lips into a disgusted grimace. “Not my style.” He sounded so sure of himself—I loved a guy with confidence.

  “Ah, the sister. Well, these are all pretty cute, so you’ll probably earn some bonus points with your choices.”

  “You look about the same size as her; do you think these will fit?”

  Checking the tags, it looked like he’d done pretty well. “They all look right except the hoodie. If she likes to wear them big, then you’re okay.”

  “Thanks, she loves to swim in them.” He handed over his credit card so I could cash him out, and I noticed the name of the bank—TD Canada Trust.

  “Ah, a Canadian boy, I see. I should’ve known from the choice of beer.”

  He threw his head back, laughing. “You caught me. I’m here for reading week with my buddies.” He nodded to the group of guys down at the end of the bar, who were chatting with a few chicks. “My name’s Tanner Fields. A pleasure to meet you, Easton.” He stuck out his hand for me to shake.

  Rudely ignoring his outstretched hand, I had to ask, “What the hell is reading week?” I drew in my brows.

  “It’s basically a week off from college.”

  “Oh, so no reading for you during the reading week?”

  “Nope.” A smirk lifted his lips, and I’d swear his eyes twinkled.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tanner. You’re all set.” I handed him his card and receipt as well as the bags. “Thanks for the beer, by the way. I’m not much of a beer drinker. I’m more of a Sex on the Beach kind of girl, but this one isn’t half bad.”

  Amusement definitely shined in eyes when he raised a brow. “Is that so?”

  “Sure is.” I smirked and did my best to keep my mind from wandering back to those fantasies. “So, what are you up to after this, Tanner?”

  He looked a little taken aback by my question, but before he could answer, Rhian came up beside Tanner.

  She slipped her arm around his waist—since she was too short for his shoulder—like she knew him or something. “Did you ask this poor, unsuspecting hottie if you can ride him like you stole him tonight?”

  “What the fuck, Rhian?” I couldn’t believe she’d outed me. I was so going to kick her ass later.

  Tanner was clearly amused, albeit a little uncomfortable, but at least he had a sense of humor. She kissed him on the cheek and sauntered off without a second glance.

  Two

  I’m Lovin’ That Dress

  Tanner

  Did that really just happen? They were joking, right? I was laughing, but it was more out of nervousness. I’d never met a woman—let alone two—who were that straightforward. I didn’t know any women like that back home, but I liked it.

  “Sorry about that. My friend is a little crazy. We talk about having her committed daily, but we ultimately decide against it since it’s far more entertaining to keep her around,” she deadpanned.

  This girl. I shook my head. “Well, that sucks, I was hoping she was telling the truth. I wouldn’t mind having a beautiful girl ride me like she stole me.” I shrugged and walked back to my buddies, leaving her slack-jawed behind me.

  “Nice, Canadia,” I heard her shout from her end of the bar.

  I whipped my head around to look at her. Her head was tossed back, and her throat bounced with the sounds of her boisterous cackles. Did she just call me Canadia? That was definitely a new one.

  I sat down at our table, still chuckling while my friends stared at me like I was nuts.

  “What’s up with you? Did she turn you down?” They all exchanged glances and wisecracks under their breath at my expense.

  “No, dick. I think she propositioned me, but I can’t be too sure.” I didn’t kn
ow what it was about her, but I needed to see what Easton was all about. “I’ve never met anyone like that one. You guys mind if I take off after this?”

  They looked at each other rolling their eyes. “Need to get your dick wet, eh?” Leave it to Sean to be a complete douche canoe.

  “No, fucker.” I punched him in the arm. “Just piss off. I’m doing my own thing tonight.” My expression said, don’t fuck with me, and clearly, it worked—they laid off.

  I ordered another beer, and we continued to shoot the shit, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the girl behind the bar. She was like a magnet drawing me in. The pink hair had caught my attention first, but everything else had captivated me soon after. She seemed cool—I didn’t know if that was the word I was looking for—laid back and just…fun. The way she bantered with that Joe guy on stage had me laughing way too hard, and I’d looked like a complete idiot.

  Dustin got up and came to sit beside me. “So, what’s the plan for tonight? You just hoping she really wants to hook up?”

  I shrugged. “I have no clue. Just praying her friend was serious when she said she wants to ride me like she stole me.”

  He cocked a brow, and I put my hands up in surrender.

  “Her words, not mine.”

  Sean opened his big mouth again. “Why don’t you just beg her? I mean, what do you have to lose? You’re going back home soon anyways. She’s clearly out of your league, but go for it. Bagging that would be so worth it.”