“What about Chase?”
“He came to the bank yesterday.”
“I know. He brought you the coffee and the muffin, right?”
“Yeah, but he stayed and had a meeting with Melissa to set up an account.”
I slowly shake my head. “I don’t see why that’s reason to sound the alarm. He’s living here, so it makes sense to have his bank account here.”
“It’s not just that though…and I don’t know all the details since Melissa handled it. He put a lot of money into his account. And I mean a lot. I saw the paperwork at the end of the day. He had cash, Si. Two hundred grand in cash.”
Yeah, that’s weird, but I don’t want to say it out loud. “Maybe he took all his money from his other bank?”
“You don’t have to literally take it out in cash like that. It’s just weird and gave me a bad feeling. So I…I got his info and asked Rob to run a background check on him.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, and you should be glad I did.” Lisa’s eyes cloud over with guilt and worry. “He’s been arrested before. Many times. And the most recent was three months ago for breaking and entering.”
I don’t say anything. My heart is in my throat.
“That’s not all.” Lisa swallows hard before going on. “Rob said some of the charges were dropped but couldn’t figure out why. And the same judge wrote them off. He said it seemed suspicious as fuck, so he had his lieutenant look at it, and he thinks Chase might have ties to the mafia or something.”
“Chase is not in the mafia,” I say, trying to sound like I believe it. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Think about it, Sierra. He came to the bank with a duffle bag full of money. He’s been arrested a million times with the charges suddenly dropped, and you saw him fight those guys at the party! Plus, he has that suped up Mustang that had to cost at least fifty grand and he was wearing designer clothes.”
“Maybe he likes nice things. That doesn’t make him a mobster.”
“Sierra, use your head. Something is off about him and he could be dangerous!”
“Nothing is off about him,” I hiss, anger rising. “You don’t know him like I do. And are you forgetting you were the one who told me to go for him?”
“That was before I knew.”
“Maybe you should have run a background check on him first.” I let out a huff, shaking my head.
“Sierra, be logical.”
“Oh, I am logical. I’m not the one running unwarranted background checks and creeping on someone’s bank information. I like Chase. He makes me happy. Oh, right. You said it’s weird seeing us together.”
“What?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Right. Act like you don’t remember telling me it’s weird seeing me with someone other than Jake. You remember Chase fighting, but don’t remember what you said.”
“I said that? Fuck, I’m an asshole.”
“Yeah, you are.” I spin on my heel, giving Rob a look on my way out. I grab my shoes and head out, pissed because it feels like they betrayed me, going behind my back to get dirt on Chase.
And because I’m struggling to not believe it all to be true.
“You should really lock your doors.”
Chase’s voice comes from behind me, and I jump, heart going a million miles an hour. I’m upstairs in my reading room, lost in thought and grumbling at myself for thinking it would be a good idea to reorganize my bookshelves at nine at night. Or ever. Because I have a lot of books, and now I have a huge mess. But after dinner, I needed to stay busy. It was the only way to keep Lisa’s words out of my head. She’s called me twice and texted a few times to say she was sorry for saying it was weird to see me with anyone other than Jake. I believe her, and know she does feel bad. Lisa’s always been one to spout off when she’s drunk. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last time.
“Chase,” I say, voice all breathy. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Exactly. Anyone could have walked in. And up the stairs.”
I grip my copy of Harry Potter and stand, eyeballing Chase. He’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, looking sexy as hell. His wavy brown hair is a tad messy, adding to his sex appeal, and the stubble on his face accentuates his good looks.
“I texted you,” he goes on, stepping over a pile of books.
“Oh, I heard my phone but thought it was Lisa. She’s been texting me all night.”
“Dakota wanted me to read her a bedtime story, that’s what took so long.”
He comes closer and my heart skips a beat. “That’s sweet of you to do.”
He gives me his trademark shrug. “She’s a cute kid. Actually makes me a bit sad I didn’t get to know her sooner.”
The knot in my chest loosens and Chase takes me in his arms, greeting me like usual. I let the book drop and hold him tight. We kiss and in that moment, one thing becomes abundantly clear to me: I don’t care if Chase is dangerous. Who he is…what we have…I don’t want to change a thing.
“What are you doing?” Chase asks, looking at the books on the floor.
“Rearranging my bookshelves. I was thinking about doing it by color.”
His eyebrows go up. “You’re going to split apart your series?”
I laugh at the horror in his voice. “No. I had a plan for that. The bottom shelf will be for series. Most of my books are standalones. I think. Shit. I really don’t know and now I have a huge mess.”
“I would think working in a bookstore would make you want to organize them by author name.”
“That’s too logical. And I do that all day at the store. Arranging by color is prettier. Have you seen pictures of rainbow bookshelves? The aesthetic is amazing.”
“I haven’t but I’ll take your word for it. And there is something pleasing about seeing colors gradually change into each other. Though I’m personally a minimalist and prefer whites and grays.”
“I noticed. I like color.”
Chase smiles. “You do? I had no idea.” He pokes me in the ribs, making me laugh. And now that he knows I’m ticklish, he doesn’t stop until we’re both on the floor. Chase is over top of me, and I drag my hands down his back and grip his waist, moving him between my legs. We haven’t had sex since Friday after the party, and it feels like it’s been so fucking long.
Chase must be thinking the same thing, and we kiss and rip off each other’s clothing in a matter of seconds. We’re both lying naked on the floor, surrounded by books. Chase kisses his way down my body, not stopping until his head is between my legs. I gasp, reaching down and taking a tangle of his hair as his tongue slowly rolls over my clit. He licks and sucks, then slips a finger inside me, pressing on my inner walls until I come. Wiping his mouth, he looks up with a devilish glint in his eye.
He stands up, helps me to my feet, and guides me over to the yoga ball. With his hands on my waist, he sits, legs spread and feet planted on the ground. Facing him, I carefully move on top and guide his cock inside. He starts out slow, making sure I’m okay and that we can keep our balance. The ball is up against the wall, sandwiched between that and Chase’s legs. I wrap my arms around Chase and arch my back. The movement causes us to bounce on the ball, and I feel every inch of him inside me.