Текст книги "Stealing Harper"
Автор книги: Molly McAdams
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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
Before I could say anything else, he hung up, and I gripped my phone tightly as Harper’s laugh reached me from the other end of the hall.
Chapter Four
I HEARD SOMEONE saying my name and lifted my head slowly from Natalie’s neck. Normally, I didn’t spend so much time with one person, and this was the fifth time in two weeks I’d spent time with her. But we still had our agreement. She still had a boyfriend, and she knew there were too many girls wanting to see if they could tie me down since school had just started. It was just easier when the girl already knew all the rules.
“What?” Harper’s voice broke into my already too-tipsy mind, and my eyes easily found and narrowed in on her and Brandon. I’d told him to back off.
He leaned slightly toward her and spoke softly. She looked shocked, and her eyes flashed to mine and briefly reduced to slits. I winked and saw her cheeks redden as Natalie looked over her shoulder at my princess before claiming my mouth with her own. She bit down softly on my bottom lip, and I leaned farther into her.
“So that’s her, huh?”
Just as I started to ask, who? her tongue met mine, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Harper laughed, and my fingers dug into Natalie’s hips. What the hell was he saying that was so damn funny? I started to pull away, but Natalie kept me close, only removing her lips enough to whisper against mine.
“She’s driving you crazy, Chase; might as well give her some of her own medicine.”
I leaned away and looked at her like she was insane. Is she a damn mind reader? “Natalie, what the hell are you talking about?”
She batted her blue eyes like there was something in them and spoke in a sugar-sweet voice, making her sound like Kristen had that afternoon. “Little miss thing over there with your boy. You’ve been acting all kinds of weird these last two weeks, and it’s starting to make sense.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Chase”—Drew nudged me, and I let go of Natalie with a shake of my head to start looking for my gray-eyed princess again—“table’s set up, you ready for beer pong?”
“Yeah sure—” I instantly took off toward the living room and saw Harper and Brandon sitting on one of the couches. They were close, too damn close. They both started leaning in toward each other, and I was glad she’d sat on this side of the couch. I leaned over the arm, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her away from him and over my shoulder. “LET’S GET THIS BEER PONG TOURNAMENT STARTED!”
“CHASE! Put me down!”
“No way! The princess needs her throne!” And besides, I was enjoying having her ass directly next to my face and my hands high up on her thighs.
I swear she growled, and I couldn’t help but laugh, especially when her tiny fists started pounding on my back and her whole body wiggled as she tried to get down. I couldn’t resist anymore, it was right there and shaking; I smacked her butt, and she froze for all of two seconds before pounding both fists at the same time, all the while yelling, “If you don’t put me down, I will make good on my previous threat!”
Brandon walked into my line of sight and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched us, and my laughter died as I set Harper down. I hated seeing that possessive and concerned look in his eye when he looked at her. I hated that he was looking at her at all. I pulled her away from everyone in the kitchen and waited until we were in the entryway before turning around and pulling her close to me. “I don’t want you with him.”
“What is your deal with him? Is there something he did that you’d like to share?”
He looked at you! “He’s not good enough for you.”
“How do you know what is and isn’t good for me? You don’t even know me!”
All of a sudden, Brandon’s hands were on her shoulders, and I realized I’d been holding her against me. I dropped her arm and took a step away as my eyes burned holes in his hands, which were by then going up and down her arms.
“I thought I told you to back off, man?”
“I don’t really think that’s up to you.”
No, but God I wish it were. I glanced up at Harper’s innocent face as I fought with myself over what I wanted and what I knew she needed. “You hurt her, I swear to God, I’ll break your neck.”
I stalked past them and into the kitchen, grabbing a new bottle of Patron and walking over to one of the many hallways off the main room. I didn’t bother with a glass; there wasn’t much of a need at this point. That girl in the entryway with one of my best friends was driving me absolutely insane, and I hated it.
“You don’t know what I’m talking about, huh?”
Glaring up at Natalie, I kept my eyes on her as I took another swig out of the short bottle. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the heat as it made its way through my chest. “Shut up, Natalie.”
“I’m just saying—”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
People started cheering in the kitchen, and I rolled my eyes as I took another large gulp before wiping my mouth on my forearm.
“Do you want me to help you relax?” she asked huskily, and began pulling at the buttons on the top of her shirt.
I let my eyes fall over Natalie’s tall, slender frame. “Later,” I said as I made my way back to the kitchen to make sure they weren’t letting my princess play. Of course they were, and Brandon was playing against her. How is this protecting her? I watched her laugh outrageously with everyone and flirt way more than was necessary with Brandon. Who taught her to look up from under those insanely long eyelashes? And who gave her those shorts? I would kill Bree for taking her to the mall if this is what came from it. No one else needed to be looking at her. I thought about Natalie’s barely there skirt and thanked God that at least she wasn’t wearing one of those.
I took another long gulp of the liquor and almost choked on it as Brandon walked right up to my princess and kissed her, picked her up, and took her into the living room. What the hell was this and where was the pure-as-snow Harper? Her legs had instantly wrapped around his waist, and when he sat them down, she arched her body into his. I pushed off the counter too quickly and had to grab onto the pantry door to steady myself as the alcohol really started to catch up with me.
“Easy there, tiger.” Natalie wrapped an arm around my waist and started pulling me toward the living room. “I saw them, too. You ready to relax now?”
With Natalie? For once, no. I wasn’t. But with the way Harper was acting, I sure as hell was going to act like it. Two can play this game, Princess. I let my arm fall around her shoulders and nodded once. “Let’s go.”
“Calm down,” Natalie whispered, and grabbed at my hand.
My hand had curled into a fist as I watched Brandon kiss down Harper’s neck. I knew this would happen. He had no idea because she was acting like a fucking slut, and all too soon one of the best traits about Harper would be gone. Time to throw on Brandon’s emergency brake. If it weren’t for the fact that I was sure she was about to hate me, I wouldn’t have been able to stop smiling. “So much for the PG rating.”
Princess’s eyes snapped open and widened as she took in her surroundings and scrambled off Brandon’s lap. Good.
Brandon shot a quick glare at me, and I could actually see my words click in his brain, and he looked at Harper, confused. “Wait, ‘PG’ is a rating they gave you?”
That’s right, brother. My rating for my girl. “What, she didn’t tell you? Princess over here was as virgin as someone could possibly get until she met you. Now she’s just simply a virgin, I guess we can raise it to PG-13 until later. I’m sure she’s ready to get rid of it altogether. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.” I ground my teeth and tried not to finish with, But I’ll kill you if you touch her more than you have.
Natalie laughed softly and shook her head but otherwise kept quiet until we were outside. “Oh my God. I seriously can’t believe this right now.”
I withdrew from her and couldn’t help but look back into the living room in time to see Brandon facing the sliding glass doors and Bree talking animatedly to him. He looked pissed. I didn’t blame him, but I didn’t care either.
“Chase Grayson is whipped.”
“Not whipped, Natalie.”
“So I’m guessing you don’t want to relax the way I had in mind?”
Bree took off for the hallway that led to my room. Had Harper gone in there? Brandon looked up and met my stare, and he looked ready to murder someone. I smirked, and his head snapped in the direction of my hall seconds before he took off for it. Shit, she must be in there. Oh God, did I make her cry? I took two steps toward the door before Natalie caught my arm.
“That’s probably not the best idea right now.”
“I have to—”
“No, what you need to do is calm the eff down before you make that situation worse. Don’t get me wrong”—she laughed and dug around in her purse before pulling out a metal container—“that was priceless to watch; especially since it involved you. But I’ve seen your boy fight, and he looked pissed, so you might want to stay away.”
I looked up in time to see Brandon stalk off in the direction of his room, and Bree came our way with a look on her face that would make me proud if it weren’t directed at me.
She flung the door open and held her hand out as she continued to punch me in her mind. “Key, asshole. Now.”
Ouch. Guess I deserved that one. I dug it out of my pocket and dropped it in her hand, “Love you, too, sis.”
“Go to hell, Chase.” She huffed and slammed the door shut. I really wanted to go in her place.
“Huh, sweet girl,” Natalie said from behind me.
I heard the click of a lighter and turned to watch Natalie light up a joint. “Seriously, Natalie? Put that shit away. No drugs in or around my house.” Legalized or not. Too much changed and could go wrong if you put that into the mix. The couches inside the house were already tilting up as it was from the liquor; I really didn’t need any secondhand benefits from her right now. System of a Down started playing, and I reached for my phone. “It’s the shop, I gotta take this.”
“God, you got boring over the summer.”
“Then feel free to leave. You already figured out why I needed to keep you around these past couple weeks, and obviously I’m done with you now, so go.” I watched her walk away and had to really focus on the screen, so I would hit the green button instead of the red. “Yeah?”
“Hey, man, sorry; I know you have the night off, but we’re slammed, and some people are requesting you. Can you come in?”
Bree came back out and went straight to whoever this guy she brought for the night was. Where was Harper? “Uh, no, Brian. Sorry, but I can’t swing it tonight.”
“There’s a couple really hot chicks asking for you.”
“That’s great, man, but I can already barely stay standing as it is, there’s no way in hell I could drive or hold up my gun long enough to ink anyone—not to mention make it what they want.”
He laughed loudly away from the phone and brought it back. “God, I miss college. All right, man, see you tomorrow. Do everything I wouldn’t do; I need to live through you since I’m tied down.”
“Nice. I’m telling Marissa that next time I see her.”
“Do, and I’ll deny it.”
I looked back through the glass doors and realized Harper still wasn’t there. Had I upset her that bad? I looked again, and Brandon wasn’t there either. I swore to God that if they were in my bed together, I wasn’t threatening anymore, I was doing. “Yeah, yeah; look, man, I gotta go. See you tomorrow.”
“Later.”
I was through the door and storming down the hall before I could hit the END button. Thank God she hadn’t locked the door because I slammed right into it as I threw it open. I almost sighed in relief when I wasn’t met with yells to get out from Brandon, but wanted to curse myself for making her want to be alone like this.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?”
That was almost laughable. No. “Once again, Princess, you’re in my room.”
“Fine, then I’ll go.” She got off the bed and tried to walk around me, but I held her in front of me. “Chase, let me go!”
“Not until you talk to me.”
“We have nothing to talk about!”
We have everything to talk about. “I’m sorry I hurt you, but I was just so damn mad!”
“Do you know how immature you sound right now? You decided to hurt me because you were mad? What did I ever do to you, Chase? And why do I always end up with your hands on me? Let. Me. Go.”
Maybe because I want to touch you, and you’re always running away? “Because you won’t stop and talk to me for five minutes!”
“Then you should understand that I don’t want to talk to you. Answer me! What did I do to make you mad?”
She thought she was making me mad? SHE WAS! But she wasn’t. Hell, I was confusing myself! I was making me mad, Brandon was making me mad even though he’d asked me too many times if there was anything going on between me and Harper. I didn’t want them together, I wanted her for myself, but I couldn’t be with her. Wait, what? Why the hell did I drink so much tonight? The way I feel for this girl is confusing enough on a normal, sober day; but tonight I feel like I need someone to put me in a straightjacket and a padded room. “Nothing! You did nothing; I’m not mad at you!”
“Seriously, you’re hurting me! Get off me and leave me alone!”
Hurting her? How am I hurting her? I ’m trying to protect her!
“What the hell, Chase!”
Oh my God, what now? I turned and had barely made out Brandon, Bree, Brad, and Derek all in the doorway before Brandon’s fist was flying toward me. Aw hell, this is going to hurt like a bitch.
WHY IS IT so bright?Did I leavethe light on in my room? I groaned and rolled over as I smashed my face into my pillow. What the hell? My eyes snapped open to see green underneath me, and I leaned up quickly to see grass. Who the hell put me outside? With another groan, my arms gave out, and I face-planted into the wet grass. “Ow.” Turning my head to the side, I rubbed at my jaw, and last night came rushing back to me just as I heard someone yell my name from inside the house.
Pushing off the grass, I stumbled to get myself upright, then stayed still for a moment to make sure I was steady. God, I still feel drunk.
“Chase, open the damn door!”
And that would be Brandon. I looked toward the house, and sighed. “Gladly,” I mumbled and sauntered over to the sliding glass doors. Ugh, someone needed to tell the sun to go away for a few more hours. I rubbed at my burning eyes and opened the door to see Brandon pounding on my bedroom door, “What’s with all the yelling?”
“You son of a bitch!” Brandon yelled, and started stomping toward me.
Seriously? This bastard must not have had anything to drink last night; it’sway too early for fighting.
“Brandon!” Harper hissed, and stepped in front of me.
That woke me up. Hell. No. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back before situating myself in front of her. I didn’t know what was happening that morning, but whatever it was obviously involved the three of us. And while I knew Brandon wouldn’t hit a girl, I wasn’t letting Harper get anywhere near a fight, let alone in the middle of one. I prepared myself for when Brandon hit me, and the damn girl moved back between us.
“No. Brandon, just stop!” she said, exasperated, and I reached out to grab her and pull her into me; but she put a hand on my chest.
“Harper,” he snarled, “please move.”
“No.”
Oh my stubborn princess. I got ready to pull her into me again when she moved away and went to Brandon, placing both hands on him. That hurt worse than face-planting on my already sore jaw.
“You have got to be kidding me! He—”
She cut him off, but I wish she hadn’t since I really wanted to know what I’d done this time.
“Will someone tell us what’s going on?” Brad asked from somewhere on my side.
I almost said I wanted to know the same thing when Harper pulled Brandon’s head down toward hers and kissed him. Screw being partly still drunk and partly hungover. I’m ready for this fight.
Brandon’s gaze glanced up to meet mine quickly before looking back at my princess and exhaling loudly. He whispered something to her and picked her up, walking her out of the living room and toward the hall that led to his room. She wasn’t a child! She could walk just fine.
“Chase, what did you do to her now?” Bree asked accusingly.
I didn’t respond because not only did I not know, but I was still itching to have my fight with Brandon, and anyone who got in my way wasn’t going to enjoy being around me until then. I walked up to Brandon’s room and heard low murmurs as I knocked and opened the door. Brandon was sitting on the bed but shot up off it when he saw me, and for a split second, I got excited that we were going to get our round. But then my gray-eyed princess put her hand on his chest, and the bastard stopped walking.
“Well, you just woke everyone in the house. Care to clue me in?”
On the one hand, Brandon looked ready to kill me; on the other, he looked like he wanted to take Harper away from me. I knew exactly how he felt.
Harper sighed and broke the silence, “Chase, how drunk were you last night?”
Enough to still be slightly drunk now. “Not drunk enough to forget why my jaw hurts.”
“Well, you deserved that one, you were being rude.”
Apparently that’s all I knew how to be around her! My arms flew out to the side in exasperation. “I was just talking to you!”
Brandon pulled my princess toward his body. Before I could curl my lip at him, he lifted up the sleeves of what had to be his shirt on Harper, and asked harshly, “This is just talking to her?”
What is just talk—oh holy shit. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. No, no. No way I did that, I wouldn’t do that to any girl but never to Harper. When would I have even done something like that to her? Parts of last night flashed through my mind again. Seriously, you’re hurting me. Oh my God. No. I shook my head and looked up at her understanding face. Why did she have to look at me like that? If any time was a good time for her to look at me like she hated me, this was it!
“Oh God, Harper. I di—I.” What the hell is wrong with me? “Harper, I’m so sorry. I had no idea, I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.” God, I would never have hurt her, not like that. I would have tried to keep her from me, but I wouldn’t have done this!
I stepped closer to her and ignored the warning growl Brandon sent my way as I placed my fingers on the large bruise on her arm. I’d done that, I’d hurt this perfect, innocent, frustrating-as-hell girl.
“Harper”—my voice gave out, and I had to clear it a couple times before I could talk again—“can I please talk to you alone?”
I couldn’t even care when Brandon kissed her and spoke softly to her. All I could see were the bruises on Harper’s arms. He kissed her, and though a part of me felt like it died again, I couldn’t find it in me to do anything about it. As soon as he left, and I heard the front door shut, I exhaled roughly and couldn’t keep quiet anymore. “Are you okay? God, that’s a stupid question, of course you’re not.”
“No, I am. I’m fine.”
“How can you even say that?”
“Because I am. They don’t hurt, and I didn’t even know they were there until Brandon saw them.”
So stubborn and frustrating! Yell at me, please! Tell me you hate me and never want to see me again, anything; just don’t act like this is nothing. “I just—I never meant to hurt you, I swear.”
Her hands found their way around my neck, and she pulled down until my forehead was resting against hers. I was so shocked by what she was doing, I couldn’t even try to push her away like I knew I should. I took in a shaky breath. God, what is it about this girl? “I know you didn’t, Chase. It really is okay; you were drunk, and I was being stubborn.”
There she went again! “Don’t do that. Don’t act like it’s okay when it’s not. You do this with everyone. And please don’t make excuses for me. Yes, I was drunk, and I don’t always realize what I’m doing after I’ve been drinking, but that’s no excuse, Princess.”
Her soft laugh and the way she gently squeezed my neck tugged at my heart. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t drink then.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t.” If I had it my way, Harper and I wouldn’t be standing in this room right now, we wouldn’t be pressed against each other. I would just be her roommate’s brother who pisses her off. But when it came to this girl, I was no longer in control of anything. She consumed me in every way possible. My brain was telling me to run from her, to keep her safe, to keep her from someone like me, but she had my heart completely, and that was winning out. I wanted her, I wanted her to want me and only me. Not Brandon even though I knew he was the better choice for her. But that just didn’t matter to me at that moment; all I cared about was the fact that one of my best friends was winning over the only girl that would ever mean anything to me. “Why him, Harper?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why Brandon? You’d never been kissed, why’d you choose him to change that?”
“Why not Brandon?”
I snorted. Because I’m right freakin’ here wanting nothing more than to love you forever.
“Why does that bother you so much, Chase?”
“Because you deserve someone who realizes how amazing you are. You shouldn’t have just let the first guy who gave you the time of day kiss you.”
“You’re acting like I gave him everything, and all we’ve done is kiss! And who are you to judge who I do and do not kiss?”
She’d removed herself from my arms and went to sit on the bed; that was too far for me. I just followed her and put my hands on each side of her as I rested my forehead against hers again. “Please don’t. Don’t give him everything. He doesn’t deserve you, Harper.”
“And who does, Chase . . . you?”
God, why did she have to talk all soft and breathy like that? Why did her chest have to rise and fall so quickly; I knew I just had to say the word, and I could make her mine. Say it. Say it, you stupid bastard! I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall from hers. “No. I don’t deserve you either. You need someone who will cherish you, protect you, and take care of you. Someone that realizes they’d never be able to find another you in the world, no matter how hard they looked.” I looked back into her soft gray eyes and continued to fight with myself on taking what I needed and giving her what she needed. Without thinking about it, I leaned in close until I could feel her breath against my lips; I would have given anything to kiss her. Just as I started to close the already minimal space between us, her voice stopped me and snapped me back to my reality.
“Chase . . .”
“That first night, I did realize I would never meet another girl like you. But you deserve someone who has waited for you as long as you have waited for them. And no matter how much I wish I could be that guy, I can’t, Harper.” I leaned back, and she collapsed onto the bed with a hard sigh. I couldn’t stop myself then, and I leaned over her and kissed her soft throat. That was all I could allow myself. “You’re amazing, Harper. There will never be anyone good enough for you.”
I started to stand up again when her hands were in my hair and holding my head just inches from hers. Her breathing was heavy, and I knew mine matched it. I waited to see what she would do, but as I waited, her eyes told me everything her lips weren’t. Her indecision, her worry. Good girl. Smart girl. She’d kiss Brandon without a second thought but couldn’t bring herself to kiss me without already feeling the fear of what a guy like me would do to her. Though she was making the better decision for her, it didn’t crush me any less; and I knew if she rejected me, it would kill me. So I stopped it before she could. I let my nose trail up the inside of her forearm as I took in her subtle vanilla scent and kissed her wrist before removing her hands and walking out the door. I rubbed at the ache in my chest and shook my head as I went to crash on Brad’s floor for a couple hours before work. That guy Bree had brought with her last night had been standing with her when I walked in, which meant I’d have to buy new sheets a-freakin’-gain before I could sleep on my bed. If I didn’t bring girls in my room, she had to stop bringing guys.
“CHASE”—MY BODY ROCKED to the side once, and I groaned as it flopped back down—“get up. Your phone’s going off.”
“Breanna. Go. Away.”
A tiny foot jammed into my ribs, and I grunted hard. Bitch. “Fine, miss work, but don’t act like I didn’t try to help you out.”
Aw hell. I rolled over and yawned as she dropped my phone on my stomach. “I’m up. How’d you have my phone?”
“Fell out of your pocket when Brandon punched you in your room. I turned the alarm off, but you better get up.”
“Okay, Mom.” I snickered as I stood and hugged her loosely. “Gonna take a shower before I head out. If anything happens to you or Harper tonight, you call me, and I’ll come back.”
“Pft. I can handle myself, and Harper’s got a date tonight.”
My body went rigid.
“Oh, and Harper’s just about to get in your shower to get ready for it, so use Brad’s,” she called over her shoulder as she left Brad’s room.
She was going on a date with him?Not like I expected anything else—okay, that’s a lie, yes I did.I still half expected her to realize she felt the same way for me that I felt for her and leave Brandon to find someone else. Anyone else. I hurried through my shower, got dressed, and paced the floor of my room for all of two minutes before I couldn’t wait any longer. I found the key sitting on my desk and went to my bathroom. The shower was still running, and I swear, my pants got smaller. I went over to sit on top of the toilet seat as her shaky voice filled the small bathroom.
“Uh . . . Bree?”
“Nope, just me.”
“Chase! What the heck are you doing in here?”
Um, good question. What am I doing in here? Right now, all I can think about is the water running all over her naked body. I groaned and ran my hands over my face. “Calm down, Princess, I won’t peek.” I don’t know if I was trying to reassure her or force myself to stay sitting.
“I could’ve sworn I locked that door.”
“You do realize how easy it is to unlock my bathroom door when I have the key, right?”
“Can you please leave so I can get out of here?”
As soon as the water turned off, I grabbed a towel and shoved it through the side of the curtain, forcing myself not to look in that direction. “Answer one thing first, and I’ll leave.” She didn’t say anything, so I took that as confirmation she would answer. “Are you going out with him tonight?”
“Yes, Chase, I am.”
“Is that what you want to do, or are you trying to get back at me for telling you not to?”
“I thought I only had to answer one question?”
Snarky brat! God, she drove me crazy. “Harper.”
“Ugh, no, I’m not doing it to get back at you. Yes, I really want to go out with Brandon tonight. And if he asks me out again after tonight, I’m telling you right now I will say yes. I don’t see why I shouldn’t go out with him, and since you clearly don’t want me, I don’t think you’re allowed to have a say in the matter.”
Whoa, what?How the hell did she get anything I’d said as not wanting her? I grabbed the side of the curtain and hoped for her sake she’d put the damn towel on as I slid the curtain across the bar. “I didn’t say I don’t want you. I said I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s practically the same thing. We both know how you are, Chase. You screw every female you come in contact with. I don’t want to be just another girl to someone, and when it comes to Brandon, I won’t be. If you can convince me right now that I have a reason to not be with him, then start talking. Otherwise, you and your confusing words need to stop.”
She really thought she was just another girl to me? Sure, I told everyone that, but she had to know that wasn’t true. And it’s not like I’d told her that—I told her the opposite! I’d never felt anything like this for anyone, and she thought she was just another girl for me? I thought about all the girls she’d seen me with since meeting her and wanted to curse myself for ever trying to push her away; I’d done this to myself. Until I showed her differently, she’d always think she didn’t matter to me. And other than wanting her to be with me, I didn’t have a legitimate thing to say against Brandon. He was the best guy I knew, the only guy I’d trust her with. “As long as he is what you want, I’ll stop bothering you.”
I thought about the way he’d come after me that morning because I’d bruised her. Yeah, he was in just as deep as I was. I let my fingers trail across the biggest bruise on her arm and wanted to kill myself. I leaned over the tub and kissed that bruise, moved up to kiss the smaller one on her shoulder, then across to kiss the identical one on her right shoulder. If only that could make them go away. “I’m so sorry, Harper,” I whispered, just before kissing the corner of her mouth. She’d never know how sorry I was for everything that I’d done to her in just two weeks of knowing her. “Get my number from Bree. I have to go in to work tonight, but if anything happens, call me, and I’ll be there.”
Before I could do anything else, like take her in my arms and never let her leave, I made myself turn and walk out of the room. I was already running late getting to the shop—not like anyone would care—but I needed to get there and clear my mind of my princess. I snorted as I cranked the engine of my truck. Yeah, like that was possible.
“HEY, MY MAN! Wasn’t sure if we’d be expecting you or not after our convo last night!”
I laughed and slapped Brian on the back as I went to my station. “Yeah, well, you got me tonight, so stop your bitching.”
“I’m so serious, bro, you missed some crazy hotties last night, and all they wanted was a piece of Chase.”
“Yeah—about that. I’m pretty sure I’m done with other women.”
His back straightened, and he spun around in his chair to face me, “Uh, ’scuse me?”
“You ever have a problem with someone else wanting your wife? Not just wanting her, because, Marissa’s hot, and we all know that. But I mean someone really wanting her, and her wanting him? Before you guys got married or anything like that?”
“Swear, bro, you should have started with that, because I thought you were going to start batting for the other team.”
