* * *
Chase arrived at The Lucky Strike early that night just in case Reagan was already there. It was no surprise to him how eager he was to see her again, he just hoped she was as excited. Even though less than two days had passed since they had woken up together in her bed, he missed her. He missed the feel of her body against his, the smell of her shampoo, and the heat of her kiss. Now that their friends knew they were together at last, Chase looked forward to being open with his affection. No more avoiding her to hide his attraction. He could hold her and kiss her without holding back.
After he dropped off his jacket and guitar case in the back office, Chase wandered out to the front bar area. A quick glance around told him Reagan wasn’t there yet, but he saw Jake behind the bar putting glasses away and Callie sitting on a stool, Mel beside her. He sat down next to Callie and nudged her with his shoulder.
“Hey, Mel. Hey, Cal. How was the honeymoon?”
“Chase! Hi. It was amazing,” Callie replied. Then she swiveled on her stool to look him directly in the eyes. “I hear you’re finally making my best friend happy. Took you long enough.”
“Cheers to that!” Mel raised her glass and clinked with Callie.
“Yeah well, what can I say? I had to wait for the right time.” Chase shrugged then took a sip of the beer Jake had placed in front of him. He nodded his thanks to his friend then turned back to Callie and Mel. “It’s good to hear I make her happy. For the record, she makes me happy too.”
Callie’s eyes softened and she smiled at Chase. “Aww that is just so sweet. Who knew there was such a romantic guy hidden beneath the strong and silent vibe you give off?”
Jake rolled his eyes from behind the bar. “Gorgeous, haven’t you figured it out yet? He was only silent because he was afraid to make a fool of himself in front of our girl.”
Chase chuckled ruefully. “You’ve got that right, dude. I’m ashamed to admit I kept my distance only because I wasn’t confident she was into me. Thanks to Ryan for making her say it out loud, now I know how blind I’ve been.”
Melanie laughed. “Yeah, we’ve all seen it since day one. Both of you were too busy avoiding each other to realize you wanted the same damn thing.”
Just then the front door of the pub opened, and in walked the woman who had occupied his thoughts constantly for the past thirty-six hours. Chase felt a grin stretch across his face and was rewarded with an answering smile on hers. He stood up and walked swiftly over to her, meeting halfway across the bar. He bent down and pulled her into his arms, using one hand to hold her in place so he could pour his desires into a kiss.
“I missed these lips, Red,” he murmured against her mouth.
He felt her smile underneath his kiss. “They missed you too.”
After a few moments, they pulled apart and Chase turned them toward the bar, keeping his arm around Reagan’s waist.
“Hi, guys,” Reagan said sheepishly, a blush coloring her cheeks.
Callie walked up and grabbed Reagan by the hand with a giggle. “Well, hello to you too! Get over here, you hussy.”
Reagan laughed and sat down at the bar with their friends, glancing back at Chase with a smile. He watched her for a moment and felt the rush of heat that he always felt when he saw her luscious hips sway. Damn, she was one sexy woman and she didn’t even know it.
With a grin, Chase turned and went to the office to grab his guitar. It was almost time for him to perform and he suddenly felt oddly nervous. He had performed in front of Reagan many times, but this would be the first time that he would know her attention would be on him for reasons other than just his music. He had considered performing one of the songs he had written the day before, but they weren’t quite ready. Someday, however, he would sing them for the woman who had inspired them.
When he took the stage a few minutes later, Chase settled himself on a stool and looked out at the crowd that had quickly gathered. Tonight was an acoustic night, meaning it was just him and his guitar, no band to back him up. He usually preferred having the session musicians who often joined him up on stage, but tonight it felt special to be by himself in the spotlight.
His eyes focused on Reagan and when he began to sing, he poured his heart out into the lyrics of every song, singing straight to her.
* * *
After Chase finished his set, Reagan stayed frozen on her stool. In all the times that she had heard Chase perform, she had never truly appreciated his talent and the intense emotion that was captured in his voice. The rest of the bar and all the other people faded away, making her feel as if it was just her and Chase alone in the dark room.
When he walked off the stage and gave her a wink as he headed to the back office, Reagan turned to Callie.
“So, I think I’m going to leave now.”
Callie winked at her best friend knowingly. “Leaving with Chase I presume?”
Reagan nodded with a wide grin, already standing and ready to go and find her rock star. “Have a good night, Cal. I’ll talk to you later. I mean tomorrow.”
As she walked quickly toward the hallway leading to the office, Reagan heard Callie’s laughing reply, “Be good, Reags!”
“Not going to happen,” she whispered to herself with a smile, as she stopped in the office doorway and watched Chase put away his guitar.
When he turned around and saw her standing there, his eyes flashed with heat. Desire came over his face and he strode toward her, grabbed her by the hip, and pulled her against his body. She shivered as she felt the rigid length of his cock pressing against her.
