Page 21 of To Steal a Heart
“Back to your brother. Why did Chloe choose him?”
“Hank lives for excitement. He’s not afraid to try new things.”
She blinked. “You don’t strike me as the type of guy who shies away from excitement.”
“I’m trying to venture out, which is why I signed up for dance lessons.” His expression grew sheepish. “Would you think less of me if I told you that I’m a big scaredy cat?”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Hank’s an adrenaline junkie. He loves rock climbing, base jumping, sailing, you name it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sounds like my little brother.”
Interest simmered in his eyes. “Tell me more about your brother.”
She flinched. Oops. If she told Crew Forge’s name, there was a good chance Crew would have heard of his YouTube channel. Then, it wouldn’t take much for Crew to connect the dots and discover her true identity. Gads! She really needed to think before blurting out information. “He loves to go sailing on the weekends.”
“Where does he live?”
“North Carolina.” Actually, Forge traveled the world, but she couldn’t exactly divulge that without prompting more questions from Crew. She was getting in deeper and deeper here. That was the problem with telling lies. She’d have to remember what she said to keep her story straight.
“How many siblings do you have?”
She thought about fibbing but decided to stay as close to the truth as possible. “I have two brothers and one sister.” Before he could ask anything about her siblings, she shifted the conversation back to him. “So you’re saying that Chloe was attracted to Hank because she was impressed with his hobbies?” That seemed like a stretch.
Crew went on to explain, “It wasn’t just Hank’s hobbies. He owns a business. He’s confident and bold. A standup guy.”
“Standup guys are overrated,” she harrumphed, thinking of Hector.
“You’re speaking from experience,” he said astutely.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
He dipped his head, studying her. “Care to elaborate?”
Hmm … how could she navigate this without giving herself away? “I was dating an insurance agent. He thought I was too outspoken and blunt. Things ended badly.”
A hint of amusement touched his features. “Badly? How so?”
“After a few choice words, I threw a vase full of flowers at the fireplace in the hotel where he was staying.” Her eyes narrowed. “He’s lucky I didn’t throw the vase at his egotistical head.”
Crew laughed. “I think you and I are gonna get along just fine. I admire a woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind.”
“You say that now … when I’m playing nice.”
“You can play any way you want,” he said in a low, throaty tone that stirred ribbons of warmth through her stomach. She traced the outline of his mouth, thinking how a kiss right now would be divine.
“You’re taking dance lessons,” she prompted. “Name something else you’d love to do.”
His answer was immediate. “Sailing.”
“Ah, sailing.” A sudden thought entered her head. “We should do it.”
Worry clouded his face. “I dunno. I nearly drowned as a kid. All that open water gives me the heebie jeebies.”
Laughter gurgled in her throat. Crew was a paradox. One minute, he was fearless. And the next, he was fretting about water. “I thought sailing was something you wanted to do.”
“I do want to go … when I can work up the nerve.”