Enjoying the Chase (36 page)
When I was done talking she blew out a big
breath, looking at me in awe as she shook her head. “Nate, it sounds to me like
you were a hero today. You saved innocent people; you did an excellent job, and
those people were lucky that you were there. You shouldn
’
t feel bad for doing your job. You had no other choice, did you?”
she asked, gripping the material of my T-shirt.
I shook my head. I knew I had no other
choice; I
’
d replayed it in my head
enough. “There was no other shot,” I admitted.
“Then you took two people off the streets
that could have hurt or killed goodness knows how many people. You did the
right thing. You should be proud of yourself,” she said sternly. “I know I
’
m proud of you,” she added as a whisper.
That was exactly what I needed to hear.
I pressed my lips to hers, letting all of
my problems disappear into thin air. She made everything better, made all the
guilt fade into the background so all that was left was me and her, and of
course her cutie of a kid that was in his room. I found myself wishing that
this was my life permanently, that this was my family, that I had this every night
of my life, this closeness, this honesty, this intimacy. I really hoped I could
make her fall in love with me.
The kiss was getting hot as I slipped my
hand up the back of her shirt, tracing the skin on her back with my fingertips.
I moved so that she was lying on her back on the sofa, and hovered above her,
just looking at her in awe.
She smiled. “So, that was one lucky lady
that you saved today. A police officer in full SWAT uniform, saves your life
and then carries you out of the building… That
’
s seriously hot,” she breathed, looking at me excitedly.
I smiled at her lustful expression.
Oh yeah, Rosie is definitely a little kinky.
I could almost see the role-play fantasy that she was envisioning.
“Is that going in the fantasy bank?” I teased.
She nodded, her eyes not leaving mine.
There wasn
’
t a single trace of
embarrassment on her face. “Definitely,” she confirmed, biting her lip.
I laughed quietly, using my fingertip to
pull her lip from her between her teeth. “I
’
ve told you before, Rose. Don
’
t bite your lip, that
’
s
my job,” I murmured, bending my head and capturing her bottom lip in my mouth,
biting on it gently. Her fingers dug into my back, forcing me closer to her.
For the next couple of hours we made out,
talked, planned our weekend, laughed and just generally had a nice time while
lying on the sofa. She had her head on my chest, and I had one arm draped around
her, the other arm bent behind my head. I was the epitome of ease.
Just after eleven she yawned, looking at me
apologetically. “You really should get going, Nate. Don
’
t you have to start work at six?” she asked, stroking her hand
across my abs gently, her fingers
stroking
the muscles
I worked hard for.
I frowned. “Can
’
t I stay a little while longer?”
She smiled and snuggled closer to me,
pressing her face into the crook of my neck. “Okay, but if I fall asleep then
don
’
t blame me, I woke up early
this morning with DJ,” she said, yawning again.
I tightened my arm around her, pulling her
impossibly closer to me. “What time did you get up?”
“Six fifteen,” she mumbled, the vibrations
of her voice tickled the skin of my neck lightly and I closed my eyes at the
feel of it.
“That
’
s not early, lightweight. I get up at four thirty every day when I
’
m on the early shift,” I teased, slipping my
hand down to cup her ass.
She laughed quietly. “Whatever. I love my
sleep, that
’
s too early in my
book.”
I laid there, just holding her for a while
before I realised she had fallen asleep. I couldn
’
t take my eyes off her. She looked extremely cute when she slept.
I held her for a few more minutes before
easing up off the sofa, being careful not to wake her. Once on my feet, I
slipped my arms under her, making her grumble in her sleep as I picked her up
and carried her into her bedroom. As I set her gently on the bed, I remembered
the last time I had done this, when she was drunk. I laughed quietly and
shifted the bed sheets, pulling them up around her.
I stood back up and just looked at her. As
I raked my eyes over every inch of her face, I felt my life changing. I felt my
priorities shifting around, and everything fell into place. My life finally
seemed like it was on track. The funny thing was, I hadn
’
t even realised that it was this girl that I
’
d been waiting and looking for all these years. All this time she
was on the outskirts of my life, just waiting for the time when I would meet
her. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was just blind
luck. Whatever it was, I was grateful.
I found a scrap of paper and a pen on her
side unit, so I quickly wrote her a note:
Stripes,
You look hot when you sleep. Don’t
worry I tried not to molest you (too much) while you were unconscious.
Thank you for letting me meet DJ,
he’s just as awesome as his mom is.
Anyway, have a great day at work,
and I’ll pick you up at seven for dinner. Wear something sexy for me. (Oh, and
just so you know, yes, I am having inappropriate thoughts about you right now!)
Thanks again for inviting me over.
Nate
Xx
I put it beside her bed so she
’
d see it when she woke up, and then I slipped
out of her apartment with a goofy grin on my face.
As I thought, the following day at work
was me being patted on the back for a job well done. I actually took it a lot
better than I normally would, probably because I was in the best mood ever. I
had even woken up with a smile on my face all because I had the most amazing
girl in the world, and her little boy seemed to like me.
Now all we had to do was get him to meet me
a few more times and then we
’
d be
able to break it to him that we were more than just friends. DJ was going to
his dad
’
s this weekend, and I was
making the most of the private time for sure. It had taken me pulling a few
strings to enable me to get a reservation at the restaurant, but Rosie was
worth it.
At just after four, I was in the cafeteria
with the boys. We
’
d just got back
from a call out but the other snipers and I were just there for backup today,
no actual action. As I plucked my phone from my pocket, I noticed a text from
Rosie sitting there, received just before lunch. I couldn
’
t stop the stupid smile that stretched across my face.
Russell noticed straight away. “What
’
s up with you, Peters? Got some porn on your
phone or something?” he joked, laughing.
I shrugged. “Nah, not today. It
’
s just a text from Rosie,” I replied, sipping
my coffee as I opened the message.
‘Nate, I’m so sorry, but I can’t make it tonight. Josh has let me
down again. Talk to you later. Sorry x’
I frowned at the thought of not being able
to see her. Fucking Josh! Now I couldn
’
t see her tonight, and possibly the whole weekend. Well, unless she
let me go over and spend time with her and DJ again.
“Not a good text? Did she dump your ass
when she found out how many girls you
’
ve slept with?” Russell teased, punching me in the arm lightly.
“Her kid
’
s dad let her down again. I can
’
t take her out tonight,” I grumbled. I was so pissed off that I
literally wanted to go find this Josh guy and punch him in his sorry face.
“You really like this girl, huh?”
I sighed and debated what to do
.
“Yeah, she
’
s
incredible. I met her kid last night; he
’
s great too.” I pulled up her number on my cell. I didn
’
t want to come across as a needy prick, but I
really wanted to see her. I looked up to Russell for his advice. He was a wise
man, he was married, he
’
d know
about women… “Rus, do you think it
’
d be coming on too strong if I asked to see her tonight, with her
kid? I don
’
t want to put too much
pressure on her or anything.”
He frowned, obviously thinking about it. “I
think that she
’
d like that you
’
re making an effort with her child. How you
interact with her son is what she would base the relationship on more than
anything else. For you, it
’
s
probably looks and sex. For her, she
’
s looking at what type of dad you
’
d be to her child.” He shrugged, looking at me apologetically.
I flinched at the word ‘Dad
’
, I was only just coming to terms with the
fact that I might be ‘
Uncle Nate’
.
I decided to give her a call and sound her
out a little. The other guys at the table were watching me, making me feel a
little self-conscious. “Good afternoon, hottie
girlfriend,
” I greeted when she answered, trying not to
laugh at the ridiculous feelings that were rushing through my body. How had I
let this little girl put her spell on me like this? Me, Nate Peters, the player
who didn
’
t want to settle down,
was completely and utterly at this girl
’
s mercy. She had me hanging around, wanting to spend time with her
and her son, and I wasn
’
t even
getting my dick wet. This was a serious first for me!
“Hey, did you get my text? I
’
m really sorry, but I can
’
t make it tonight. Josh is working so he can
’
t have DJ. I
’
ve called
my sister but she
’
s busy. The
sitter that someone recommended is already on another job tonight. Anna is out
with Ashton for date night. My parents are two hours on a train away, and my
usual babysitter has dinner plans with her new boyfriend. I
’
ve tried everyone, but I can
’
t find anyone to watch DJ,” she said
apologetically, taking a big breath at the end where she spoken so fast.
I smiled at her ramblings
; I loved it when she did that. It was like she couldn
’
t speak fast enough or get enough things into
one conversation. “It
’
s okay, don
’
t worry about it, we
’
ll go another time. So, Josh cancelled for the whole weekend?” I
asked, praying she
’
d say no
because we were planning on hanging out all day tomorrow as well as the night
time.
She sighed.
“
I don’
t know. He
’
s working tonight, and there
’
s a possibility he
’
s
working tomorrow but he never commits to anything. He
’
s gonna call me in the morning. I haven
’
t mentioned anything to DJ about the Z.O.O,” she said, spelling out
the word so he wouldn
’
t know what
she was talking about. “I
’
m just
praying he doesn
’
t cancel that
too, because a certain someone would be crushed.” She
gave a hard laugh
, full of years of frustration and anguish all because of that same
asshole.
I bit the inside of my mouth to stop myself
from cussing the guy out. “Okay. So can I see you after DJ goes to bed? Or
maybe, if it
’
s alright with you, I
could come earlier and bring takeout?” I mentally crossed my fingers for the
last one, because then I would get precious extra hours with her. Maybe DJ and
I could finish the war from last night.
“Umm… Sure. Whichever you want.”
I smiled.
“Rose, if
the choice is up to me, then I
’
d
like to come early. I could bring a pizza. Does DJ eat pizza?”
“Really? You
’
re not annoyed with me for cancelling?”
“I
’
ll be annoyed if I don
’
t
get to see you at all,” I teased, only half joking.
She laughed. “
Well, we
can
’
t have that.” There was a
couple of seconds of silence, where she obviously was thinking through the
options. “We both like pizza,” she said finally.
I trapped the phone between my ear and
shoulder, freeing my hands and drummed on the table excitedly. “
Okay
great. I
’
ll come over in
about an hour then? Pepperoni okay?” I offered, trying to sound cool and aloof,
but the laughter and the fake whipping noises coming from the guys I was
sitting with clearly told me that I hadn
’
t pulled it off.
“Sure, see you then.” She disconnected the
call, and I
smirked
in Russell
’
s direction, not even caring that him and the
other boys were about to tease the shit out of me.
I practically ran to the locker room,
had the quickest shower ever and then dressed and ran to my car with my hair
still dripping on the back of my T-shirt. I needed to hurry if I was to get
everything and not be late.
When I finally got to her door, I was
nervous again. Rosie opened the door wearing a black, high waisted pencil
skirt, and a white shirt that she
’
d
tucked into it. I gulped as I looked her over.
Did she wear that to school
today? Man, I seriously needed to go to this school! Lucky damn kids get to
look and listen to that all day long!
“Where are the sexy glasses?” I asked,
raising one eyebrow teasingly.
“I didn
’
t think you could handle those on top of the skirt,” she answered,
smirking
at me and crossing one ankle over the
other as she leant on the door frame.
I nodded. “You
’
re probably right, I mean, I might have to jump you in front of your
son if you get any hotter.”
“And I may have to let you if you get any
sweeter
,” she answered, biting her lip,
smiling.
I definitely liked the sound of where this
conversation was going! I beckoned her forward with one finger, wanting her to
close the distance so I could kiss her. Her tongue made a tantalisingly slow
sweep of her bottom lip as she stepped closer. Balancing the pizza and grocery
bag in one hand, I snaked my other arm around her and pulled her flush against
me. Her chest crashed against mine, her hands going to my hips, barely touching
me but still managing to make my skin feel like it was on fire. I traced my
free hand up her back and tangled it into the back of her hair, moving my face
forward so my lips were almost touching hers. Her hot, sweet breath blew across
my lips making them part unconsciously.
“You
’
re a damn tease,
” I whispered, our lips
brushing as I spoke.
Her hands tightened on my T-shirt. “Mmm
hmm, but you love it,” she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed.
She looked like a dream – a beautiful girl
in my arms, completely at my mercy, waiting for me to kiss her. She looked so
vulnerable and open to me that it made my heart crash in my chest. I was almost
proud of myself for getting her to have feelings for me, but mostly I was just
proud that I got to call this girl my own.
“I
do
love it,” I admitted, my voice
almost coming out as a growl. My whole body was alight with desire; I could
feel my jeans tightening around the groin area as I started to get excited. The
effect she had on my body was almost embarrassing. I had barely even touched
her, yet I was at the point of begging her for sex. I was pretty sure that
another girl would never be able to get me this excited, this quickly.
She made a sound that was a cross between a
whimper and a moan, and I couldn
’
t
hold it anymore. I crashed my lips to hers, kissing her fiercely, possessively,
showing her with that one kiss that I was her man and that I wasn
’
t going to let her forget it. She moaned into
my mouth as I pushed her against the wall gently, pressing my whole body to
hers tightly. How I managed to hold onto the food and grocery bag, I wasn
’
t sure. I was barely even aware of anything
else other than the feel of her lips on mine and her taste on my tongue.
By the time I pulled away and pressed my
forehead to hers, we were both a little breathless. The corners of her mouth
twitched with a smile as her eyes met mine. She looked a little bewildered,
like she had no idea what was going on around us.
“Did that kiss make you forget your own
name, or do I need to keep working on it?” I whispered, smirking at her.
“I know it begins with R,” she joked,
playing along. “Maybe you could work on it some more later.”
I moaned breathlessly. “Definitely. Anyway,
let
’
s go eat, I
’
m starving.” I pushed away from her and watched
as she took a few deep breaths before straightening her shirt and pushing her
hair behind her ear, like she was trying to calm herself down too.
I followed her into the apartment and into
the lounge. DJ was lying on his stomach, toy cars scattered everywhere, a
little garage off to one side. His eyes lit up when he spotted me. “Nate! I
saved you the red one. Momma wanted it, but I told her it was yours.”
“You did? Awesome. Red is my favourite
colour,” I answered, handing Rosie the pizza and taking the car that DJ was
offering to me. I smiled and looked at Rosie, noticing her expression of
disbelief and wonder. “What?” I asked, curiously.
She closed her mouth and shook her head
lightly as if trying to shake a thought away. “I…
I just
… nothing. I
’
ll just
get some plates.” She turned to DJ. “Nate brought pizza for dinner.”
