“His suit is designer?”
“Yes. I might have taken a minute or two to check out his ass and saw the label. His ass is very fine, but I’m sure you’re aware.”
“It is,” I say and force a smile. I have asked Chase about his previous line of work, and he’s declined to comment. In fact, he told me it was a long story. My mind races and I can’t come up with anything rational. He said he moved around a lot. He could be a traveling nurse for all I know.
“So,” Lisa goes on. “You guys came together. Does that mean you spent the night together?”
That brings a smile to my face. “Yes. And before you ask, yes. Twice and it was fan-fucking-tastic.”
Lisa beams. “I’m honestly feeling a tad jealous you got to hit that.”
I laugh at her and turn my head to look at Chase. He’s crouched down, smiling as he talks to his niece.
“And everything went okay?” Lisa asks, and she doesn’t have to explain for me to know she meant emotionally, not physically.
“Yeah. It felt right, and we were very much caught up in the moment both times. He’s easy to be around, as lame as that sounds. We haven’t known each other long, but it’s like I can just relax and be myself around him. It’s hard, sometimes, not to compare him to…to Jake though.”
“I bet that’s normal.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s a little weird. It’s not like we broke up and I have negative feelings toward him. It’d be easier if that were the case. Chase has been really understanding. I think that’s the biggest part of why this feels so right.”
“Is this more than just a fling?”
“I think so. It feels like it’s more.” I shake my head. “If it doesn’t come up, I’ll ask him.”
“No, you won’t,” Lisa says point-blank, raising an eyebrow.
“Fine. I probably won’t because that’s one awkward conversation waiting to happen. But…” I trail off and look back at Chase. “I think he feels it too. He’s coming back over today. We don’t have plans other than to lounge around until dinner.”
“Fucking, you mean.”
“Oh, for sure. I probably want it just as bad as he does.”
Lisa laughs. “He’s into you. More so than a fling. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”
I can’t hide my smile. “Good,” I say shortly, not comfortable with gushing over Chase like a teenage girl.
“Are you bringing him to family dinner tonight?”
“No, not yet. Mostly for his sake, though. Having your sister, my sister, and all of our parents in one room is overwhelming even when you’re part of the family.”
“That is the truest thing you can say about our family.”
“How was your date?” Mom asks as soon as I’m through the door that evening. They just got back into town a few hours ago, but since my mom doesn’t actually do the cooking—or the setting of the table, or the cleaning up after dinner—having us all over for dinner isn’t an issue.
“You went on a date?” Sam asks, turning around so fast she almost bumps into me.
“Didn’t you see them together at church this morning?” Vanessa, Lisa’s older sister asks, handing off her sleeping toddler to her husband. “I thought Lisa said you went out with that Henson guy.”
“That is him,” I tell her.
Vanessa makes a face of surprise. “Really? He looked so…so…”
“Not like a Henson?” Lisa supplies and her sister agrees. “You’re such an asshole, Nessa.”
“Lisa,” Gran scolds, voice coming from across the foyer. I swear she has better hearing than I do. I take off my shoes and take my phone from my purse before the housekeeper takes it to hang up. I look through the sea of my family members for my mother, whose hair and makeup are perfectly done. You’d never guess she stepped off a plane hours ago. Her eyes, more blue than green like mine, sparkle and she’s trying not to smile. My mother might be ridiculously posh at times, concerning herself with more than what others think than with what’s going on in the world, but I know she cares.
“It was fine,” I say simply, but my smile gives it away.
Chapter 16
Chase
I fall into bed at three am Friday morning. I smell like alcohol and smoke, but I’m too damn tired to shower. This week passed in a blur, and thanks to Sierra, it was a beautiful fucking blur.
I stayed at her house the rest of Sunday after church until she had to go to her parents’ for dinner. Monday, she came over after work and stayed the night. The next day, I brought lunch to her at work and stayed for the remainder of her break before I had to come back here and work at the bar. She had me over Wednesday night and since she didn’t have to be at work until the afternoon Thursday, we spend the morning in bed together, reading, fucking, and cuddling.
It’s the last thing I’d thought I’d do. Lying in bed with my arm tucked under Sierra, holding a book with my other free hand, having to put it down every time I needed to turn a page because I didn’t want to disturb Sierra. It sounds so lame to say we spent the morning in bed together reading, but when Sierra got to a sex scene in her book, she read part of it out loud to me, turning us both on enough to recreate the scene ourselves.
Being close to someone like that isn’t something I do often. Or ever. Things are different with Sierra and all that bullshit about finding that one person out of millions who you’re meant to be with doesn’t sound so shitty anymore.
The more time I spend with Sierra, the easier she is to read. She’s scared. Keeps her heart guarded. Sometimes, when she gets too close or acts too comfortable, it’s like she catches herself and pulls back.
With Sierra on my mind, I pass out and dream of her, waking four hours later with enough energy to get up and shower. Regretting going another day without grocery shopping, I grumble when I look inside my fridge for something to eat. Settling for stale cereal with the rest of the milk, I drag a chair over to the large window and eat while watching the river.
I move to the couch, flipping through channels when Sierra calls. My heart skips a beat when I see her familiar number on my screen.
“Hey, babe,” I answer.
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” she asks.
“No, I was up already.”
“Oh good. I was planning on leaving a message for you to listen to when you got up. Why are you up so early? You worked late last night.”
“Couldn’t sleep. I’ll go back to sleep later, though. Are you on your way to work?”
“Yeah. And that shipment of books I ordered Monday is supposed to come in. I’m pretty excited about it.”
I can tell she’s smiling as she talks. It’s fucking adorable.
“While I have you on the phone, I might as well ask you if you’d be interesting in going to a bonfire tonight at Rob’s house.”
“Do you want to go?” I ask her.
“Kind of,” she says after a moment’s hesitation. “I haven’t been to anything like that in a long time.”