When we make it back to the party, I spot Chase talking to Jax, which is surprising. My phone rings just as I’m walking over to them.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lee. It’s Buddy, down at the station. I uhh… your pa was just brought in. Thought I’d let you know. They’re bookin’ him now.”
I lift my head to the sky. What else could possibly happen tonight? “What’s he there for, Bud?”
“He crashed into another vehicle goin’ down the wrong way on Main Street.”
I suck in a breath, stumbling over my feet just as I reach Chase. I grab his arm to stay steady. Visions of getting a call about Mama flashes behind my eyes. “Is everyone okay?”
“They’re banged up, but nothin’ life threatenin’. There was a two-year-old and a pregnant woman in the car. He’s lucky, it coulda been a lot worse. But, off the record? Your pa’s gonna need to get himself a lawyer. You can come pick him up in a few hours. Let him sober up a bit and get through his bond arraignment.”
The urge to run to Daddy’s side is strong. But I straighten my spine and remember what I just told Eli. “Naw, Bud. Thanks for the call. I think a night in jail will do him some good.”
I hang up my phone and turn it off.
51
Alina
Chase and I are on the way back to his place. I begged him to stay, but he wasn’t hearing it. I feel like a jerk for bailing on Sam’s party before it was even halfway over, but I needed to get out of there.
His folks were extremely understanding. Sam hugged me as I apologized for Daddy, and he clapped Chase on the shoulder, saying “take care of your girl.” It warms my heart to see a family that supports each other the way they do—the way mine hasn’t in a long time.
I am mentally and physically drained by the time I plop down on Chase’s couch. The fight with him seems like it happened light-years ago, instead of just three hours prior. How can so much happen in so little time?
Guilt spikes in my gut when I let myself think of Daddy sleepin’ off his booze in a jail cell, but what else can I do? He wouldn’t be grateful if I picked him up anyway.
Becca and Eli are something I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of. The kicker is, I’m not even mad about the fact something is going on. I couldn’t care less who they’re with, as long as they’re both happy. But Becca lied to me, and that hurts worse than any secret ever could. Still, as mad as I am, my heart hurts thinking about her planning Eli’s wedding to someone else. I imagine what it would be like if that were Chase and my stomach revolts at the thought. I wish she had chosen to confide in me. I know how it feels to be collapsing under the weight of heavy secrets.
“You okay, baby? What a fucking night, right? Jesus.” Chase rubs my shoulders.
I groan, the tension melting away under his skilled fingers. “Yeah, you ain’t lyin’. But I don’t really wanna talk about any of that.”
“What do you want to do then?”
“I want you to make me forget. Just for tonight. Can you do that?”
He stops rubbing my shoulders, coming around to sit next to me. “I can. You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“I’m sure. Tonight should have been a celebration. Sam retiring. You becoming CEO.”
“You telling me you loved me,” he adds.
“And that.” I smile, kissing his lips.
“We still can, you know.”
“Can what?”
“Celebrate.” His hand travels up my leg.
“I like that idea very much.”
He leans in, parting my lips with his tongue, pushing me back on the couch. His body presses into mine, grinding, his hips hitting just the right spot even through our clothes.
I want him to push harder.
Press deeper.
He licks and sucks his way along my neck, pulling down my shirt and leaving a line of kisses on my collarbone. Every touch makes my body quiver. After everything that’s happened tonight, all I want is this. I want to sink into his touch and forget the world around us.
I grip his hair, pulling his face up to mine. “Take me to bed, Chase. Show me how much you love me.”
His eyes darken, lust rolling off him in waves and crashing into my skin, drowning me in his desire. He backs away, grabbing my hand and moving us down the hall.
Once we’re in his room, he spins me around, his arms wrapping around my waist. We strip each other’s clothes until we’re bare. His hand touches the center of my chest, his palm resting against my speeding heart. He pushes slightly, the back of my knees buckling against the bed frame until I fall onto the mattress. His body follows mine, every inch of his chiseled body pressed against me.
I feel needy.
Desperate.
His touch slides down my arm and he picks up my hand, bringing it to his mouth. He kisses each fingertip. Slowly, lovingly.
His mouth meets mine again, his tongue plunging, tasting, licking. My fingers tangle with his as he raises my arms above my head. His length is pressed against my center and it pulses on top of me, making the ache between my legs unbearable. He slides deep inside me in one solid thrust. His eyes burn so deep into mine, I swear our souls can touch.
My fingers tighten around his as he pulls back out, then goes deep. Over and over. The friction between our bodies creates a buzz of energy that crackles and pops, weaving its way around us and infusing every pore with the way we’re loving each other.
I could stay like this forever.
My hips rise to meet his, grinding my clit against his pubic bone on each pass. I’m delirious with pleasure, every nerve
