Taking Chances
Page 49
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Mom and Dad went to Lake Tahoe with a few of their friends yesterday, and Bree begged me to go to LA with everyone for the weekend, but I faked being sick. A bunch of them were going clubbing tonight and tomorrow and planned on splitting hotel rooms both nights. I would have wanted to go, but everyone was going with a boyfriend or girlfriend except Drew, and I didn't want to be left to deal with him. All I really wanted to do was sit at Bree's house and mope. When I moved here, I wasn't planning on falling in love with the first two guys that came along. Hell, I wasn't planning on falling in love during college at all. I wanted to have dysfunctional relationships and flings, but did that happen? Nope. I felt like Elena from Vampire Diaries. She has two insanely hot men who are in love with her and would do anything for her. One of which, she would give almost everything to be with, and the other she continues to push away, even though she can't ever actually stay away, so she won't have to admit she was in love with him too. At least my guys weren't brothers. Thank God for that.
Chase walked into the house an hour after Breanna left and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. “I thought you were going to LA?” His voice was gruff, and his face was still guarded.
“No, I told Bree I was sick.”
“Are you?” He started to move towards me but stopped himself.
“I'm fine, I just wanted to be alone.”
“Well I'll be gone in a few minutes. I just need to grab a few things. How's the uh – how's the tattoo?”
“Beautiful.” I breathed, “Can we talk about that night?”
“There's nothing to talk about.” He called over his shoulder, heading for the stairs.
I jumped off the couch and raced behind him. “Yes there is, you completely shut down and you've been avoiding me ever since!”
“I'm not avoiding you, I just have nothing to say.”
“Why are you treating me like this? What did I do?”
“Nothing!”
“So this is what you do then? You make girls feel like they're special for a few days, then treat them like they're nothing?”
He turned on me right before he got to his room, “You're really gonna put this on me? One minute you're kissing me, the next you're talking to your boyfriend and telling him you love him!”
“What did you want me to do, not answer it?”
“It doesn't even matter Harper,” He laughed humorlessly, “drop it.”
“It does to me! I'm so tired of this roller coaster with you. I never know which Chase I'm going to meet up with that day. Is it going to be the cold or the funny and caring Chase? Will it be the one that's with four girls in one night, or the one that tells me how beautiful I am, does amazingly sweet things for me and notices stuff about me that no one else does?” Okay so Brandon noticed, but that wouldn't help my argument right now.
He just continued to glare at me.
“You're all over the place, I don't know how to act around you, I don't know what you want!”
“I want you! All I've ever wanted is you.”
“Then why are you trying to hurt me again?”
“Because it's easier that way.” His voice was soft now, and I could see the pain in his eyes, “You're with Brandon. Do you know what it's like watching you with him? Wanting you so bad, but knowing he's who you should be with?”
“But what if I want you?”
“Harper, don't.”
“I'm so in love with Brandon, but I can't help what I feel for you, and I know you know what I'm talking about. Whatever this is between us...it's been there since we met. It's like I can't get enough of you, but all you do is push me away. It's all you've ever done!”
“Because I'm not what you need Harper!”
I stepped closer towards him, “Then why did you kiss me Chase? You knew it would change everything, and it did. So tell me, why did you do it?”
He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath, “I needed to.” He closed the distance between us, “You're all I can think about and it drives me crazy! I would have given anything for that kiss, and I knew I wouldn't get that chance again, so I had to. I had to know if you felt something too.”
I threw out my hands in exasperation, “Was that not obvious? Is it not obvious that I'm in love with you?”
His mouth was on mine then and my surprised gasp turned into a moan. He wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed me into the wall, his lips moving fiercely against mine. “Say it again.” His breaths were coming hard and fast as he kissed me again.
“Chase,” I grasped his face so he would look at me, “I love you.”
A huge smile spread across his face before I pressed my lips to his, “God Harper I love you too, so much.” He growled against my mouth.
Chase walked us into his room and fell with me to the bed. I pulled the bottom of his shirt up, and realizing what I was doing he let go of me long enough to rip it off and throw it aside. Our mouths slammed back together and he shivered when I ran my fingertips over his chiseled chest and stomach. My shirt ended up on the ground next to his, and my entire body felt like it was on fire when he kissed a trail from my lips to the tattoo he gave me. Slow enough to make me think I'd lose my mind, he took off my pants and added them to the growing pile of clothes. He pressed his body into mine, but it still wasn't enough. I didn’t know if I could ever get close enough to him.
Chase walked into the house an hour after Breanna left and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. “I thought you were going to LA?” His voice was gruff, and his face was still guarded.
“No, I told Bree I was sick.”
“Are you?” He started to move towards me but stopped himself.
“I'm fine, I just wanted to be alone.”
“Well I'll be gone in a few minutes. I just need to grab a few things. How's the uh – how's the tattoo?”
“Beautiful.” I breathed, “Can we talk about that night?”
“There's nothing to talk about.” He called over his shoulder, heading for the stairs.
I jumped off the couch and raced behind him. “Yes there is, you completely shut down and you've been avoiding me ever since!”
“I'm not avoiding you, I just have nothing to say.”
“Why are you treating me like this? What did I do?”
“Nothing!”
“So this is what you do then? You make girls feel like they're special for a few days, then treat them like they're nothing?”
He turned on me right before he got to his room, “You're really gonna put this on me? One minute you're kissing me, the next you're talking to your boyfriend and telling him you love him!”
“What did you want me to do, not answer it?”
“It doesn't even matter Harper,” He laughed humorlessly, “drop it.”
“It does to me! I'm so tired of this roller coaster with you. I never know which Chase I'm going to meet up with that day. Is it going to be the cold or the funny and caring Chase? Will it be the one that's with four girls in one night, or the one that tells me how beautiful I am, does amazingly sweet things for me and notices stuff about me that no one else does?” Okay so Brandon noticed, but that wouldn't help my argument right now.
He just continued to glare at me.
“You're all over the place, I don't know how to act around you, I don't know what you want!”
“I want you! All I've ever wanted is you.”
“Then why are you trying to hurt me again?”
“Because it's easier that way.” His voice was soft now, and I could see the pain in his eyes, “You're with Brandon. Do you know what it's like watching you with him? Wanting you so bad, but knowing he's who you should be with?”
“But what if I want you?”
“Harper, don't.”
“I'm so in love with Brandon, but I can't help what I feel for you, and I know you know what I'm talking about. Whatever this is between us...it's been there since we met. It's like I can't get enough of you, but all you do is push me away. It's all you've ever done!”
“Because I'm not what you need Harper!”
I stepped closer towards him, “Then why did you kiss me Chase? You knew it would change everything, and it did. So tell me, why did you do it?”
He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath, “I needed to.” He closed the distance between us, “You're all I can think about and it drives me crazy! I would have given anything for that kiss, and I knew I wouldn't get that chance again, so I had to. I had to know if you felt something too.”
I threw out my hands in exasperation, “Was that not obvious? Is it not obvious that I'm in love with you?”
His mouth was on mine then and my surprised gasp turned into a moan. He wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed me into the wall, his lips moving fiercely against mine. “Say it again.” His breaths were coming hard and fast as he kissed me again.
“Chase,” I grasped his face so he would look at me, “I love you.”
A huge smile spread across his face before I pressed my lips to his, “God Harper I love you too, so much.” He growled against my mouth.
Chase walked us into his room and fell with me to the bed. I pulled the bottom of his shirt up, and realizing what I was doing he let go of me long enough to rip it off and throw it aside. Our mouths slammed back together and he shivered when I ran my fingertips over his chiseled chest and stomach. My shirt ended up on the ground next to his, and my entire body felt like it was on fire when he kissed a trail from my lips to the tattoo he gave me. Slow enough to make me think I'd lose my mind, he took off my pants and added them to the growing pile of clothes. He pressed his body into mine, but it still wasn't enough. I didn’t know if I could ever get close enough to him.
