Chasing Me (2 page)

“I love when you’re rough with me, honey!” Ignoring me, she slams the door behind her. Looking over, I can’t help grin in satisfaction at Aiden. “I love that woman; her feathers are so easy to ruffle.”

“You can’t fool me bro.” Aiden huffs out a laugh. “You’ve never ruffled anything, and I doubt you ever will. Daisy has your number, just like Cam, and even…” My angry glare stops him from finishing his sentence, after a minute he just sighs in defeat. “Look,”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Aiden.” I snap, ending the conversation. No, there is no way I want to discuss my motives for ending my regular fuck-feasting or how I feel about Chase with my brother. He would only try to explain to me how I can change, that I can fix this.
Oh, please, someone gag me with my mic stand.
I have no desire to sit and wallow in things I can’t change, while Aiden holds me and I cry in my drink. It’s a subject best left alone once I explain to Chase that it isn’t her fault, of course. How many times is the phrase ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ really believable?

Hey, if you have something better than that, ante up.
I do know I can’t leave it the way I did. There is no way I can let her believe that I thought of her as ‘just another piece of ass’, because she was always so much more than that. Pasting on my best ‘front man smile’, I wrap an arm around his shoulder and walk through the door. “It’s time to hitch a bitch.”

In the elevator, Aiden is a jumble of nerves. I’m loving the hell out of it. My completely cool, calm and collected brother, who schedules and controls everything, is nearly climbing the damn walls. The door opens with a loud ping, making him nearly jump out of his skin. I can’t help laughing, causing Henry and Gray to spot us immediately. “Dead man walkin’.” I shout, following behind him. “Shall we go around the corner for your last pussy platter before you’re given your last rights?”

“Sometimes, a familiar snatch is a good thing.” Henry pipes up in Aiden’s defense. “I mean, hell, we’ve all seen some of the scary shit you’ve laid pipe in. You’re going to end up on ‘
1000 Ways To Die’.
Hunter Chesterfield, his dick curled up and died after rowin’ down the tainted cooch river.”

Gray and Aiden laugh, earning them both the middle finger from me. “We’ve all played a round of whack a hooch, and yes, some were on the questionable side. I’ll admit that, but can we please not bring up some of those scary bitches, I don’t think my dick can take it.” I shudder because, damn, some of them had me almost swearing off alcohol. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t go peggin’ every loose groupie. Not sure I even want to.”

I regret the words just as quickly as I said them. Gray’s eyes widen in amusement, “You wanna elaborate on that?”

“I’d love to, but we are running late for something, aren’t we?” I ask, trying to change the subject before this is the next thing I can’t live down. They have been dying to get more about Chase out of me. “I mean, we could stand here all day long; but, honestly, if Aiden isn’t gettin’ hitched, I’d rather hit a strip club.” I waggle my brows. “Yes, party of Chesterfield, I’ll be dining in this evening. Gimmie two double D’s in my face, hold the bra please.”

“I’m not backing out.” Aiden says defensively, shoving out the doors toward the parking lot, allowing me to put the front back in place and evade interrogation. “Let’s go, I don’t want to keep Luke waiting.”

***

The entire ride I try to focus on what Daisy and I secretly planned for the ceremony and not my need to pound Mitch the Bitch into the concrete when I see him. This is the man who has what I want, what I can’t have. The only thing that saves me from being completely selfish and taking what I want is the fact that I am sure he can make her happier than I ever could. He wouldn’t cheat on her, be a complete asshole and make her cry. I already did the latter, to save her from the first.

After scoping the place out, I push open the door to
Artistic Pricks Ink.
Luke’s eyes immediately fly up from the paperwork on the counter, “Aiden, Gray.” Luke says nodding his chin in greeting, “Aiden I’ll take you to the back and get working on the piece we talked about.” Turning to me, his face hardens. “Take a seat somewhere out of my way, pretty boy.”

“Pretty boy?” I snap out. Henry clasps my shoulder in warning. “I’ll show you pretty, fucker.”

“No need for a fight today, Hunter.” Henry scolds. “You hurt the man’s sister; he has every right to be upset.”

Luke growls at the mention of Chase. “Upset isn’t the word I would use, Big Man.” Walking up to me, his stare goes ice cold. The man looks like a damn bull ready to charge, his nostrils flare and I would laugh at his big broody ass if it weren’t for the fear that he would kill me if I did. “Stay the hell away from my sister and we’ll be aces. Chase has been through enough shit and the last thing she needs is you
upsetting
her further. You feel me?”

“You don’t know shit about me, man.” I bite out, angrily. “If you have beef with me, I say we take it outside and hash it out.” I shrug. “Otherwise, I suggest you get to tattin’ up my brother. I didn’t come here to talk to you about something that is none of your fuckin’ business.”

Wrong move Hunter…

Luke shoves me to the wall, grabbing me by the collar, so that my eyes meet his. Everyone, even Henry, is stock still. “Too bad, because I’m talkin’ and you’re gonna listen. I think she fell for you, hard. So you better get this through your head. I don’t give a shit about stroking your ‘I’m a Rock God’ over-inflated ego. I honestly want nothing more than to rip your throat out… Chase
is
my business. All day, every day, she’s my business. You. Don’t. Deserve. Her.” His free hand clenches into a fist, so knowing where this is headed; I prepare to get knocked the fuck out.

I consider telling him I agree and that’s why I’m letting her go, as if that would help the situation. This isn’t news to me; I already know I can never be what she deserves. I don’t belong with her, because I would just hurt her worse than I already have. Letting her go gives her the chance to be happy with someone else. Someone who can be all the things that I will never be, give her the things that I can’t.

“Oh, Shit.” A loud voice echoes from the hallway making Luke freeze instead of punching me in the face. “Yo, Chase doesn’t want this, man.” A guy with black hair runs up, grabbing Luke’s arm. “We promised to let this play out, remember? You promised Chase you wouldn’t touch him.”

Luke blows out a breath, then releases me before disappearing down the hall. I take a deep breath turning to meet the guy who saved my ass. “Thanks bro, I owe you one.” I say on an exhale, reaching out to shake his hand.

His dark eyes meet mine, refusing to shake my hand. I can feel the anger radiating off of him, as he stares at me. No doubt that he wants to get a few punches in too. “I didn’t do it for you.” He admits. “I did it for Chase.” I nod while he instructs for Aiden to go on back to where Luke has already set up for him.

“Hold his hand extra tight, Gray. Pussy’s gettin’ flowers inked on his ‘rocker ass’. We all can’t wait to see if they match your new bikini.” I tease Aiden. Ever since he explained his plan to surprise Cam with a flower over his heart to match the ones she has on her side, I’ve been busting his balls.
Flowers! Can you believe the shit Gray and Aiden are doing? Flower tattoos on their skin all because of some regular pussy and a ring. I’ll never tattoo flowers on this hot bod. That’s one sign you are a total pussy whipped topped anal cake.

“Next time let him get his ass beat, Big Man.” Aiden says flipping me off behind his back.

Once Aiden and Gray disappear toward the back, I shake my head at Henry. “I should’ve brought Mack. You suck at protecting me, Big Man.”

Henry’s crosses his arms over his chest, his brow arching above his sunglasses. “You deserved that, I think. Let’s just say it was a judgment call. Besides, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have let him rip your throat out.” He says with a grin.

“What the hell man? This isn’t friendship.” Walking over, I attempt to make conversation to pass the time. “So, man, you lay ink too?” I ask the guy who saved my sexy face from getting bashed in.

Looking up from his phone, he nods with disinterest. “Yeah, man, I do. Why, you want something?”

I shrug, “Yeah, been thinking about a piece. Since it’s pretty clear that it fits my life right now, there’s no time like the present right?”

“Alright, let’s get to it then.” Walking over to a dry erase board, he writes ‘Occupied’ under Luke’s name and Mitch’s.

Then it hits me, “Mitch?” I ask in shock. Now, of course, I’m analyzing everything about the son of a bitch.

Turning around he nods. “Yeah, so?” He asks walking over to his station. A picture of him with Chase taped proudly to the mirror. “Are we doin’ this or not?”

Ignoring Henry’s chuckle, I shove my shirt over my head. After shoving my jeans down my thighs, I hop up onto the table. Mitch’s eyes widen, his throat working hard to swallow. “What the hell are you doing? I’m not tatting your dick, man. I don’t have any desire to give my gun anything radioactive or fatal to everything except cockroaches.”

“You aren’t inking my deep depth finder. Why the hell would I want to prick my prick?” I explain, pointing to the center of my lower abdomen, just above my boxers. “I want a lightning bolt, right here.”

“The fuck?” Henry says, laughing outright now.

Looking over at Big Man, I flip him the bird. “Because, lightning is electrifying and exciting, oh, and it’s always followed by the less interesting thunder.” I say pointing toward the photo before winking at Mitch. His jaw ticks angrily and I wait for him to say something or beat my ass into this table. Instead, he grabs a pad and begins sketching my idea. No doubt, after all he has probably heard about me from Chase and Luke, he won’t be signing up to join my fan club any time before hell freezes over. He may have won my girl’s heart, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

While Mitch the lucky bitch tattoos my bolt, I stare at the photo on his mirror of him wrapping his arm around my girl. Her smiling face as they sit in a booth of some restaurant, would take my knees out from under me if I wasn’t already lying here. There aren’t any pictures of us together, which is yet another thing that is mostly my fault.
I
didn’t want to make things public.
I
wanted privacy and no strings.
Well, you’ve got that now man, and he’s got your girl.

Closing my eyes, I absorb the buzzing and the numbing burn of the gun, permanently marking me. I ignore Henry and Mitch making small talk and do what I have done every day since she left; replay memories of her in my head. I may have made the low blow joke about this piece of ink as a dig at Mitch, but it has more meaning than that. Lightning is supposed to only strike the same place once then it’s gone, leaving the place it touched forever changed. Very fitting, since the most electrifying thing I have ever felt hit me, shaking me for all I was worth, then vanished, taking all the sparks along with her.

Five Foot Tall and Shatterproof

Chase

When you look at me, of course, you see a tiny red head with a smart mouth; I am a tiny red head with a smart mouth. What you shouldn’t see is fragile, or easily broken. That, I am not. I don’t break, I don’t crack, and I most definitely do not let someone railroad my heart. Never did I want commitment, or strings. Hunter Chesterfield was supposed to be a good time. A sexy lead singer that I wanted to knock boots with and walk away. Did I expect Grayson and Daisy to walk in to Luke’s shop and pull me back in? No. Did I expect him to repeat all the amazing things he did to me over and over again, every chance we got? No.

But it happened.

What also happened were texts and phone calls that made my heart beat faster. Finding out little things that made me believe that there is so much more behind that damn mask he puts on. Things he shares with no one. Hunter comes across one way, but when he held me in Nashville that last night, something changed between us. Something earth shattering; and it made me whisper the three words I have never said to anyone other than family or Cam and Daisy. ‘I love you’ came out so fast I couldn’t take it back even if I had wanted to.

For a minute I watched the shutters go up on his face. He opened up and I almost thought he would say it back. After he asked me to go on the bus with them, I fell asleep on his chest. When I woke up, everything came crashing down around me.

“
I made a mistake. You’re not going with us on the bus, Tiger Lily, it’s a bad idea. Wouldn’t want anyone thinkin’ we’re together or anything. Best thing for you to do is to go back to Vegas; it’s not going to work out.”

“What do you mean ‘it’s not going to work out’ Hunter?”

Turning away from me, he slides from the bed slowly before tossing me my clothes. “Look it was fun, but did you really think it was gonna last Tiger Lily? Go find you someone who wants forever, babe; you know me, I just want my dick wet.”