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I knew exactly what it was like to be in the middle of a crowd and still feel alone.
But I didn’t feel that way anymore and probably wouldn’t as long as Chase and I were together.
Hewas that something that had been missing, and I finally felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
For the first time, I wanted to stay in one place because I’d finally found that absent part of my soul.
Was it a risk because caring about this man was as elemental as breathing for me?
Yes.
It was terrifying.
But I was addicted to being whole and dizzy with excitement about staying here with him.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been, too,” I confessed breathlessly.
I watched as something that resembled relief crossed his face. “Thank fuck!” He took my hand. “I’ll do everything humanly possible to make you so damn happy that you’ll never want to leave.”
His vow made tears fill my eyes, but I blinked them back. “I want you to be happy, too.”
Chase had spent enough time serving his country and other people. Somebody needed to work on pleasing him for a change.
He squeezed my hand. “Just looking at you makes me fucking ecstatic. I’ve never wanted you to go, but I couldn’t make you stay if that wasn’t what you wanted, too.”
I sighed. I couldn’t say he was a flowery romantic, but everything he said came from the heart, which was even better.
“I want that, Chase. I want to be with you, too. It might take a while, but I’m going to apply to be a freelance writer for the paper here and maybe a few other bigger publications. I just need to make sure there won’t be any conflict withDeadline Americaif I try to sell my article on the Darien Gap crisis before I seriously try to sell it,” I shared. “I have a ton of other written stories from previous episodes I’d love to update and sell, too, if there’s no conflict.”
He grinned. “Sweetheart, I have a whole legal department that isn’t all that busy with Durand issues. And as far as newspapers go, I know a guy—”
“I’m sure you do,” I interrupted. “You know a lot of guys who could probably solve every one of my problems, but I’d like to do this on my own merit. I’m perfectly capable of putting a portfolio together and submitting. But I might take you up on that legal advice. I’m sure you have the best attorneys on the planet.”
His eyes sparked with humor as he answered, “You bet your beautiful ass I do. Quality is important, baby, and Durand employs only the best.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think it might take a while to get used to your idea of quality,” I said drily. “I’m not used to consuming a bottle of wine that costs more than my automobile.”
“Not all of them are that expensive. Only the rarer ones. And I’m not really a collector. Everything in my cellar is meant to be consumed and enjoyed. I buy them because I like them. When it comes to wine, quality isn’t always synonymous with being pricy,” he explained.
“Well, thank God,” I teased as I held up my wine glass. “This one is delicious by the way. I probably don’t need to know if I’m drinking thousands of dollars’ worth of alcohol for a late-night snack.”
I took a sip of wine and rolled it around in my mouth.
He lifted a brow. “Then maybe you shouldn’t ask. I consider this a very special occasion.”
I nearly choked on my wine before I swallowed.
“Then I really don’t want to know,” I said in a rush.
He shrugged, unconcerned. “If you like it, then it was money well spent. I’m a very wealthy man, Vanna, but don’t get hung up on that. It’s only money. I work hard for our company, and I buy what I can afford, just like anyone else.”
It’s only money? How many billionaires say that?
I eyed him contemplatively, suddenly thinking about the comment Torie had made about Chase leaving his dirty underwear on the floor as a teenager. “There are instances where I have a hard time reconciling the Chase Durand that I know with the powerful billionaire that I know you are.”
Truthfully, maybe that’s what made him an enigma sometimes. He was so down-to-earth most of the time, but there was also a part of him that wielded a lot of power in an ultrawealthy world I knew very little about.
Torie was a billionaire, but she didn’t work or spend much time in that world.
