CHASE - Volume Two (The CHASE Series Book Two) (3 page)

Chapter Five

Alexis

I couldn’t believe I was here, in his house, sitting at his table, overlooking the beautiful downtown views that only money and luxury could afford. Not only that, not only was I here, but it was enjoyable…more than enjoyable, actually. It was like Chase was a different person entirely. The arrogant ways he had shown so many times to not only me, but likely crowds of other women as well, were gone. He seemed joyous, not like a prick at all, and I liked it, a lot.

These changes, the ones that changed not only him, but us, made me second-guess my plan. I had wanted to play with him a little bit, stringing him along to make him know what it felt like to be used and hurt. I wanted him to suffer, not permanently, but just for the taste of it. But after being here, after seeing all he’d done for me and hearing what he had to say, I didn’t know that I could do that to him. I would feel like an utter bitch, like I was vindictive, like I was using him all along. Did I really want to risk that? To risk having him get so mad, sad, and fed up with me that he left for good, all because I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine? That wasn’t worth it.

He listened to everything I had to say, showing an interest in my schoolwork, which was odd because even I didn’t have an interest in it. We talked about how sometimes he wished he had gone to school, and that the idea of parties and being social were lost upon him because he hadn’t gotten the chance to do it. I told him we could go to a party sometime, but he turned it down. He thought he was too old to do that kind of stuff and he’d just look pathetic. I understood.

“How’s your dinner? Am I a good cook?” he asked, midway through our meal.

“You’re an excellent cook. The best I’ve ever known,” I replied.

“Good,” he replied with a smile. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I’m glad we did this.”

“Me too,” I replied, smiling, feeling my cheeks get warm.

“It’s just weird to me, you know? That we could’ve lost all of this because of something stupid. Something that I did, that was my fault. It’s amazing that you haven’t been snatched up yet,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, on our first date you said it was weird I hadn’t been taken yet with a family and all that. You said I’d be a good husband and father. I feel the same about you, as a wife and mother. It’s strange to me that some guy in one of your classes hasn’t asked you out and gotten serious with you,” he said.

“Guys in my classes are only interested in one thing, and that’s getting laid. Nobody there wants to have anything even semi-serious. It’s annoying, but I got used to it a long time ago when I moved here,” I said.

“That’s too bad. They’re really losing out,” he said.

“Oh yeah, I bet,” I said sarcastically.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Alexis. You’re a great catch.”

“Yeah? How so?” I asked, before stuffing a piece of honey chicken in my mouth.

“You’re sweet, kind, nice, ambitious, sexy, cute, beautiful, and incredibly smart. Oh yeah, and you smell nice.
Really nice
,” Chase said.

“Stop,” I said, looking down, smiling just slightly.

“Nope. Not going to happen. I call it like I see it. You’re definitely a catch. Hopefully somebody won’t be too stupid to scoop you up,” he said.

“I hope not,” I replied, biting my lower lip.

We continued with our meal, trading little stories and getting to know one another better, which was nice, as I felt like I didn’t really know him at all. That was the most exciting part of meeting someone new, someone you think you might be able to see yourself with, even if it wasn’t for the rest of your life or anything close to that. To know about their history, trials, tribulations, and everything bad and good that shaped them into the person they are today, the person who can make your stomach tickle with the faintest stare or smile.

“How often do you go back?” I asked, as he told me about his home, where he grew up.

“I try for once a year, unless I’m doing business close enough nearby. There isn’t much to do out there, though,” he said.

“Do you visit any old friends or anything? Do they all still live out there?” I asked.

“Not all of them, but most. It seems as though most of them settled into everyday blue-collar life. They all married one another, had some kids, some did some prison time, and others have fallen on very hard times. It’s difficult, though, going to visit them. I only have one or two people who I know like me the way they did back then. Most of them just see me now as a walking check who can get their car fixed or pay their electricity bill,” he said.

“That must be rough, knowing that people only want you because of what you can do for them, and not because you’re their true friend. Is that why you don’t go out there more often?”

“I think so. I love seeing family and close friends, the ones I actually have, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. My family also doesn’t like coming out here. They think I live in a museum and are afraid to even be here. It’s like they think everything is made of glass and they’ll break it. It’s a far cry from old farmhouses and cracking, pothole-ridden roads.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t care about what you have. I just like being around you,” I said.

“Thank you. That means a lot,” he said, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand.

Our bowls of food were half eaten, a little bit of everything sampled, both of our stomachs full, mine near capacity. With all of the talking we did, I ended up grazing for over an hour, slowly eating different types of food, not realizing that it was more than I would ever usually eat. I guess getting wrapped up in a good conversation with somebody can do that to you.

We got up, Chase insisting we just leave the dishes on the table and he’d get to them later. With the giant folding doors still open, we walked over to his couch overlooking the giant patio, the light breeze drifting into the room, causing us to grab a large, slate gray blanket he had draped over the couch to keep ourselves warm. I got closer and he put his arm around me, my head drifting to his shoulder, cuddling up to him with no plans to go away.

It was magical, sitting here with him, not saying a word and yet having a thousand of them said at the same time. We didn’t always need to talk to have a good time together. We were on the same page. I knew it.

My hand found his under the blanket, our fingers lacing together. I felt my breathing get shallow and my heart rate increase as I bit my lower lip, wondering how I got so lucky to be here right now. I wanted to kick for myself for almost not even allowing this to happen. I could’ve lost out on this moment, on his couch, looking out at that view with him.

As the night seemed to not be able to get any more spectacular, he looked over at me, my head coming up and looking into his eyes. They looked calm, cool, and collected. They were soft, his old glares and piercing stares gone like they were never even there in the first place.

He leaned in, his eyes closing as he got closer, before his lips pressed against mine, and my eyes closed, my night now complete. One second turned into two, into three, and so on. Our lips didn’t lose their grip on another, though slightly parting every so often to allow us to gasp for air like we were aboard a quickly sinking ship. His tongue drifted into my mouth, meeting mine, dancing with it like they were front and center in an elegant ballroom. His left hand brushed back my falling hair, pushing it behind my ear, his hand lingering on the back of my jaw.

My hand, under the blanket, drifted onto his thigh, his dress pants seemingly painted onto his muscular thighs. I wanted him, even if I knew it was a bad idea. We had just gotten back to a good spot, a great spot, and now we were going to have sex, the thing that caused us so many problems in the beginning. I couldn’t, we couldn’t, do that to one another and ourselves. There was too much on the line.

“I can’t,” I said, pulling away.

“What? Did I do something wrong?” he asked, with a nervous tone and look on his face.

“No, you were great. This is all great. I just know where this will lead. I don’t think we should go there. I don’t think we should have sex,” I said.

“Oh, that’s it?” he said, wiping away his sweat like he was relieved.

“What?” I asked, in shock.

“I just thought I had done something wrong or you didn’t like it or me. I’m fine with waiting on having sex again, Alexis. I wasn’t even going to go there unless you wanted me to. We can wait,” he said.

“Really?” I asked, almost in disbelief.

“Of course. There’s no rush,” he said, a small yet powerful smile on his face.

“Thank you,” I said, leaning back in, giving him a small kiss before cozying back up into his arms.

Chapter Six

Alexis

I hadn’t been this happy and infatuated in the longest time. Here I was, in Chase’s arms, snuggling up to him, not a care in the world, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. Our time together tonight wasn’t about anything sexual, but just spending time with each other, enjoying each other’s company. It was like I was in a different place, a complete one-eighty from our previous time together.

Just hearing him say we didn’t need to have sex, or that he wasn’t going to push it, made me actually feel special for once. I knew not every guy out there was after getting laid, and there were
great
guys out there waiting, but they were few and far between, especially in college. Nobody went into school saying they’d love to get married and settle down with kids. They all wanted to experiment with as many people as they could. It wasn’t that those wants or ideas were horrible, but they weren’t right for me, not at all.

I had thought Chase was like that, and I admitted I did like hooking up with him, even if I didn’t normally do that, but he had proven to me one-hundred-percent that his old life was behind him, and he was ready to try something possibly a little more serious, with only one woman, not twelve. Maybe trying to date someone in my age range was a mistake. Maybe I needed a guy a few years older, one with his head on his shoulders and a career instead of keg parties, instead of the college-aged guys my parents would want me to date.

I looked at the clock on his wall, seeing that it was getting late, already past ten, and I needed to get home if I was going home at all. As much as I’d love to stay here with him, cuddling all night, being close to one another, I knew it wouldn’t be the greatest idea if we were going to keep things slower. After all, I needed to keep some mystique about myself, even if we had already had sex and seen one another naked.

“It’s getting late. I should probably call a cab or something to get home,” I said, looking up at him.

“Don’t be silly. I’ll take you home. It’s not a problem,” he said.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you or anything,” I replied.

“Inconvenience me? Not at all. I insist,” he said, flashing a smile.

“Okay,” I replied, smiling.

I was excited for him to take me home, not because I was leaving, but because I’d get to spend more time with him. It didn’t hurt that he had an amazing car, either. Maybe my neighbors would see and wonder how I rode home in a car like that.

“Well, we better get going then. I don’t want to keep you,” he said, getting up.

“You’re never keeping me from anything. I like spending time with you,” I said, leaning in and giving him a soft, gentle kiss on the lips.

I pulled away, my back arched, my hands holding his, as he subtly licked his lips, almost like he was begging for more. He let go of my hands, put his arm around me, and we walked around the couch to leave.

“Wait,” I said, stopping. “I almost forgot my bag.”

I walked over to my bag, Chase behind me. Just before I grabbed my bag, he squeezed my sides, causing me to jump from being tickled. I hit my bag, knocking it to the ground behind his couch.

“Oh no,” I said, as some of my belongings spilled out of the open bag.

I picked them up hurriedly, stuffing them into the bag, so I wouldn’t look like an idiot. I stood up quickly, pushed my hair back, and let out a happy sigh.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” I replied.

He chose his SUV to drive, saying he didn’t like driving the sports car super late at night because it made too much noise and he didn’t care much for the headlights. I was a little disappointed, wanting to ride in style, but I saw that the SUV was a great choice once I got inside and saw the luxurious leather and dashboard, which was lit up like a Christmas tree with buttons and screens. We pulled out of his driveway, his gate closing behind us as we got out into the street, and set course for my apartment, which I was a little embarrassed for him to see, even though he wasn’t coming inside.

The ride was nice, though we still hit some traffic. The lights, sounds, and crowds of Friday night Los Angeles were in full effect as scantily dressed women and douchey looking guys were all out and on the prowl. I always hated that about living out here. It wasn’t like back home. People didn’t just stay in, or at least it seemed like they didn’t. They always had to be out, spray tans on, flashy clothes draped around their bodies, with bottle service running all night long. Seeing how drunk one could get was the national pastime, and you were a loser if you didn’t get hammered. I liked that Chase wasn’t like that. I wasn’t sure if he had that phase years ago and grew out of it or what, but all I knew was that he had no interest in going to clubs, getting wasted, and not remembering anything the next morning. At least when he woke up to a woman the next morning he could remember fucking her. Not so much with these other guys.

“Are you going to miss me?” I asked as we got close to my block.

“Of course. I had a really nice time tonight,” he said.

“Me too,” I replied, smiling, as I looked out the window.

We pulled up to my apartment building, a few couples and groups of friends walking nearby, all of them looking wasted and quite a bit out of control. They didn’t look aggressive, but I knew they wouldn’t remember anything in the morning. They had that look to them.

“Well, here we are,” I said.

Chase turned off his car, his navigation going off with it, but he didn’t unlock the doors right away.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

“You might miss me too much,” he replied.

“Oh, I think I’ll manage to get by,” I said playfully.

“Can I walk you to your door at least?” he asked.

“I’d love that,” I said.

We got out of the car and closed the doors before Chase locked it, a faint chirping sound startling me.

“That’s an interesting sound,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s a little different than the normal car horn that goes off when most people lock their cars. I like it.”

We walked up to the front door of my building before I fumbled around with my keys, the overhead light dying and the luminescence from the light bulb barely enough to see your own hand in front of your face, let alone pick the right key from your overdone key ring. After ten seconds of panic and looking like an idiot, I found the right key, got it inside the lock, and opened the door, before Chase grabbed hold of it and opened it up, screeching. The hinges needed grease and it was incredibly hard to prop open.

I walked him to my apartment, using the stairs instead of the elevator, which I almost got stuck in once. I’d never trust that thing, especially at night on a weekend. It’d probably break down and we wouldn’t get out until Monday morning at best. The landlord wasn’t known for handling emergencies well. Cashing rent checks was all she knew how to do.

“Well, here we are,” I said, as we got to my door.

“Well, don’t you want to go in?” he asked, smiling.

“It’s kind of messy. I don’t want you to think I’m a slob. Besides, it’d probably best you didn’t come inside. You know, with us taking things slow and all. I’m afraid we’d end up doing something we’d really regret later on. I hope you’re not mad,” I said.

“I’m not mad at all, Alexis. You’re right, we did agree to go slower, and besides, we both know what would happen if I came in,” he said.

I was relieved to hear him say that. Most guys would insist on coming in, even trying to get you in the mood outside the door just so they could come inside. They knew that once they got in, it was inevitable that you’d have sex, especially this late at night. The last thing we needed was another mistake. Not that last time was a
mistake
per se, but it sure didn’t help things much either.

“You’re so good to me. Thank you for agreeing to wait longer. I know it isn’t easy, for either of us, but I think it will really make a difference later on,” I said.

“You’re right on both ends. It isn’t easy, far from it, especially since we’ve done it before, but it’s for the best. We’ll get to it again, one day,” Chase said.

“Well, I better get inside and get ready for bed. Thank you again for a wonderful night. I can’t wait until we can have another amazing date,” I said.

“It’s my pleasure, sweetheart. I’m glad you had a good time, and we’ll definitely be having another date
very
soon,” he said.

We gazed into each other’s eyes, the urge to kiss one another goodnight strong, before he decided to ditch the gaze and come towards me, our eyes closing, the air sucked out of my lungs. I never stopped having insane butterflies when he kissed me, just like each kiss was our first all over again. It was amazing, like I was being struck repeatedly with cupid’s arrow, the shot never missing, not even once.

“Goodnight, Alexis,” he said, pulling away, the electric touch of his lips against mine fading.

“Goodnight,” I replied, smiling, before he turned around and went back the way we came in.

I watched him disappear, turning around the corner, before turning around myself and unlocking my door, walking inside, and tossing my purse on the table, a smile glued to my face with no indication of ever going away.

I got ready for bed, splashing warm water on my face and wiping my makeup off, as I checked my phone periodically, hoping I would have a text goodnight from him, even though I had just seen him. I guessed I just couldn’t help myself.

I got dressed for bed, wearing my pajamas instead of shorts, the night air a little chillier tonight than it normally was. My apartment wasn’t muggy, which was a first, and my air conditioner was actually working. I put it on low, as I slept best in a cool environment, and plugged my phone in next to my bed, the screen lighting up, though nothing waiting for me on the screen, not even a text goodnight. Oh, well, he was busy and probably still driving or something.

I yawned, crawled under the blankets, and wrapped them tightly around me, like I was a caterpillar wrapping itself in a silk cocoon before waking up as a beautiful butterfly.

As I lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing night Chase and I shared. We laughed, smiled, held hands, and shared a few perfect, little kisses. There wasn’t a dull moment between us, the atmosphere just right from start to finish. It almost hurt to think that I was so close to missing out on all of this. That I could be out on another date with another weird guy. I dodged a bullet, and I knew it. There was nothing that could go wrong with Chase and me. I was sure of it.

I let out a happy sigh and took a deep breath, feeling the chilled air pierce my lungs and shock my system, before letting it out, my eyes closing as the air escaped my frazzled lungs.

Goodnight, Chase. I hope I have some very sweet dreams about you tonight.

•••

I woke up the next morning refreshed and happy, a smile on my face as I stretched my muscles as far as they would go. I checked my phone first, like I did most mornings, but nothing was there. It was early anyway, nine in the morning, and I guessed I shouldn’t expect anything already.

I had a class this morning, a Saturday one, that went for two hours, which was horrible. It started at noon, so I knew I needed to get myself going if I was going to make it on time.

I took my time getting ready, singing in the shower with my bottle of face wash as the suds and lather from my shampoo dripped down my back.

I had a small breakfast, yogurt and some frozen strawberries that I had bought on sale a month ago but never got around to using. I didn’t cook much, and when I did, it usually didn’t involve fruit. I knew my mom was somewhere scolding me because of that.

I still had my clutch purse from last night filled with my things, which I knew I couldn’t take to class. That would look a little odd, slightly trashy, not a look I wanted to convey to the rest of my class, which was comprised mostly of horny frat boys who only wanted that one thing.

I opened my clutch and started to shift my belonging to my normal purse, taking an inventory of each item to make sure I had everything I needed. I usually didn’t have much to bring, so it wasn’t hard to keep an inventory, albeit a small one.

I had my phone, my lip-gloss, my wallet, and some aspirin I always kept with me. One thing I couldn’t find, though, was my school ID. I had it on a lanyard, like it was when I got it, and it wasn’t anywhere in here. I knew I had it in here. I had put it in there last night in case of an emergency. When I had orientation they said to always carry it with you if you could so that college police could easily identify you if something happened. It also helped with discounts at local stores only given to college students.  Not only that, but I can’t take the bus without it.  It also acted as my bus pass, and I wasn’t rich enough to take taxis everywhere.

“Wait,” I said aloud, my eyes wide open.

My purse. It fell last night on Chase’s floor. The top zipper on this one had been broken almost since I got it, and I constantly had to shove things back inside. I thought I had everything, I didn’t see it fall out, but it must’ve. My ID was in his house. I needed to get it before I got to class. I knew it was early, but I had to go over there. I had to get it.