I shake my head and try to pry myself from his grip, but he grunts and holds me closer. “It was nothing, Chance. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Bullshit,” he growls, still refusing to let me go. I swear, as he looks down at me, I can feel him breaking down my walls piece by piece and I’m desperately trying to reconstruct them before he worms his way into my heart but he’s making it difficult.
“Don’t y’all know what time it is?” someone hisses behind him and I peek over his shoulder at Ms. Cheryl standing at her doorway with a stern look on her face.
“I’m so sorry. He was just leaving.”
His mouth hovers by my ear and I shiver when he lets out a small growl. “I’m not going anywhere, Princess.”
“Well, I don’t care if he leaves or not but shut the hell up. Some of us are actually trying to sleep.”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
She huffs before turning back into her apartment and slamming the door. Turning to Chance, I give him a determined look that he just grins at. “You can leave now.”
“That’s not going to fucking happen.” He grabs my keys out of my hand and tucks his arm around my waist before leading me to my door and unlocking it. After ushering me inside, he locks the deadbolt and tosses my keys on the entry table.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He arches a brow. “That’s funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“Meaning?”
Smirking, he steps toward me slowly, almost like an animal stalking its prey and it takes every ounce of restraint I have to not back up. “Meaning Tuesday was one of the best nights of my life and you’ve been avoiding me ever since.”
“Well, I’m glad it was so good for you but maybe it wasn’t for me.”
He presses his body against mine as his arms wrap around my back, keeping me from escaping as his eyes burn. “New rule. Stop lying to me.”
“I don’t agree to that.”
“Tough shit. Not that it matters much if you agree or not. Every time a lie slips past these gorgeous lips,” he says, trailing his finger over my bottom lip. “I know it. Maybe you can hide from the rest of the world, but I see you.”
My heart pounds and tears burn my eyes as I stare up into his and in a moment, from one simple look, I know he’s telling the truth. He can see me, all the broken misshaped parts I hide from everyone else are visible to him. It’s fucking terrifying. Looking away, I try to pull back and while he loosens his hold, he doesn’t release me. After sucking in a few breaths, I feel more in control and meet his eyes again.
“You need to leave.”
His eyes soften and he shakes his head, stroking his thumb over my cheek. “I’m not leaving you. Now, why don’t you tell me what happened tonight?”
“You know what? I’m really exhausted and I just want to crawl into bed right now.”
He nods and spins me in his arms so my back is pressed to his front and his arm is securely around my belly. “Sounds good. Let’s go.”
“You’re not invited,” I huff and he presses a kiss just behind my ear but says nothing else as he guides me to my bedroom. As soon as we walk in, a sense of calm descends over me and my king-sized bed calls my name. The lights of Baton Rouge twinkle from the large windows and I sigh as Chance releases me.
I turn to face him and he smiles, his dimple popping out. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to get in bed,” he whispers as he leans back against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest.
“And where are you going to be?”
He looks down to his boots before looking back up at me. “Right here.”
“All night?”
He nods and I roll my eyes with a dramatic sigh.
“For fuck’s sake, get in bed.”
“Naw, baby. I’m good here.”
I shake my head as I push my jeans down my legs and kick off my heels. “Don’t act like this wasn’t your plan all along. Just get in bed.”
“I have no plan,” he says, pushing off the wall. “Just can’t stand the thought of leaving you right now so if you don’t want me in your bed, I’ll stay right here.”
Another brick in my wall is demolished and tears sting my eyes for a second time tonight. “Please sleep with me, Chance.”
He studies me for a second before approaching me slowly and sliding his hand into my hair. My eyes flutter closed and I take a deep breath as a feeling of calm overtakes me again.
“Look at me, Princess,” he whispers and I open my eyes, immediately swallowed up by the warm glow in his gaze. One corner of his mouth ticks up in a soft smile as he slowly lowers his head to mine and kisses me. It’s a soft sweet kiss that melts me to the core and as he pulls me into his body, I wonder how I’m even still standing. When he pulls back, his smile is even bigger and he brushes his thumb over my cheek once before pulling away from me and kicking his boots off.
“You gonna finish getting ready for bed or you gonna stare at me all night?” he asks, teasing me, and I shake my head as I reach down and pull my shirt over my head. He does the same and I barely hold back a grin. It almost feels like a game as I let my bra slide down my arms and he pushes his jeans down his legs. When we’re both in our underwear, we just stare at each other for a second before he marches over to me and lifts me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I squeal, gripping his shoulders and he grins.
“Taking you to bed.”
I shiver and he turns out the lights before carrying me to bed, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I bury my face in his neck and let out a contented sigh. I may never admit it out loud as long as I live but I’m glad he’s here with me tonight.
“So,” he prompts, pulling back to look me in the eye as he trails his thumb down my cheek. “You going to tell me what happened tonight?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Wrong answer.”
I lift my chin in defiance and meet his stern look. “Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s the wrong answer. It was stupid and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Fine. Tell me something about you, then.”
I grimace and his lips pull back into a grin. “Can’t we just go to bed?”
“Nope. I’m wide awake.”
I groan, trying to roll away from him but he keeps me locked securely in his arms. “You’re so annoying.”
“Aw, you don’t mean that, Princess.”
“Yes, actually, I do,” I say, turning back to him and he pouts at me. “Okay, fine. I don’t mean it.”
“See? Now, what are we going to do? It’s barely eleven on a Friday and I refuse to let you become an old lady at twenty-eight.”
I watch him for a moment, losing myself in the eager look on his face, before sighing and sitting up in bed.
“All right. I have something we can do. Wait here.”
His eyes flash with excitement and I laugh under my breath as I slip out of bed and walk into the kitchen. Slipping the bag of popcorn into the microwave, I press cook before going to the cupboard and uncovering my secret stash of sweets I keep for occasions like this one. I sort through some of it before deciding to just take everything back with me and the microwave beeps as the smell of popcorn fills the kitchen. After grabbing the bag of popcorn and scooping my candy up in my arms, I slowly walk back to the bedroom, trying not to drop anything.