Page 36 of Chasin’s Surrender

“I am not stupid. That’s not to say, I don’t make mistakes and act like a dick, but I don’t ever make the same one twice. I let you go once. Was a total dick. I know I was wrong and you know I was wrong. Being as I’m not a dumbfuck, I won’t be making that mistake again. And, Evie, right now you gotta get I’m not letting you go again. And I’m resourceful, which means I’m gonna get creative. I’m not giving you time to build more walls. I’m not giving you time to find new ways to keep me out.”

“Just so you know, I’m resourceful, too,” Genevieve snapped.

“Yeah, baby, that’s not lost on me. That’s why I’m not giving you the time you want so you can get creative and find new ways to lock me out. Just so we’re clear, every time you do something that takes you from me, and make it so I can’t reach you, I’m tearing it down. I don’t care how much it pisses you off. I’d rather see you pissed at me than dead and vacant.”

Both of them stood in silence, staring at each other. Genevieve’s face was set to frozen but even still, she couldn’t hide the panic. Chasin would bet that not a single person in her life forced her to face her demons. Bobby sure as hell hadn’t and he figured it was because Bobby knew her, therefore she understood the pain Genevieve carried and didn’t want to make her friend relive the past. But Bobby also allowed Genevieve to retreat and pull away from her. Chasin didn’t understand that.

“This isn’t cool,” she muttered. “I have a lot going on and I don’t need you to add—”

“I’m exactly what you need,” he cut her off.

“Chasin—”

“You wanna think about something, hark back to the weekend we spent together. Think about that. Think about how you felt standing in this kitchen in my tee making waffles. Think about how you felt when it was just me and you, smiling, laughing, and teasing. And while you’re there, think about how you felt when my hands were on you, my mouth was between your legs, and my cock was buried deep. Lastly, think about how you felt when you fell asleep wrapped around me. Then you think real hard, Evie, and tell me if all of that, all we had that weekend, isn’t worth taking a chance on. Seeing where it will go and what we could have.”

“I know where it will go.”

“Jesus. You don’t know. You don’t have the first clue because if you did, you’d know the time we shared meant something. It was good, and we’d be crazy not to see where it could go. You’d also know that the way we clicked, the chemistry we’ve got, how we both felt after only a few days together, is not normal. That itself tells me it’s worth the chance.”

“You’re wrong,” she whispered, and Chasin felt something unpleasant curl in his gut. It wasn’t her denial, it was the tortured murmur. And when she went on, unpleasant turned to foul. “I know what our time together meant to me, therefore I know it meant too much. I also know where that feeling leads. And it leads to one place and one place only—disappointment. You had your say, I get the feeling you’re used to getting your way. You’re used to being large and in charge and I’m sure most women bow down to your commands. But I am not most women. I’ve been screwed over so many times I’ve learned to nip that shit in the ass before it starts. So you got a choice, Chasin. Back the fuck off and let me think, or keep pushing, guaranteeing I lock down so tight you’ll never get through.”

Chasin did his best to tamp down his anger but the fury built. Not at her, but at all the assholes that had come before him, all the people who’d screwed her over. He also thought about the anguish he heard in her voice, and the pain in her eyes.

There was no chance he was backing down. But he would give her a reprieve. They had a house full of people and he had work he needed to see to. Work that would hopefully bring them a step closer to identifying the man who was terrorizing her.

His hand came up, curled around the back of her neck. His fingers dug in, putting just enough pressure there to bring her closer. Then he said, “While you’re taking your time, think about this, Evie. You got one life, baby, just one. Don’t let all the beauty you have to give go to waste by hiding. That’d be totally fucking sad. Doing that would mean you’d miss out on getting it in return, a life full of the goodness you deserve. That wouldn’t be sad, that’d be a goddamned travesty.”

Before she could respond, Chasin gave her one last squeeze and stepped away.

“Let’s get back in there. Bobby’s had enough time to find a rope and tie Jonny to a chair,” Chasin teased.

Genevieve’s lips tipped up and there was that hint of a smile. He knew it wasn’t real, but at least it was something.

She followed as Chasin walked back into the sunroom, pissed as fuck. There was no reason for a woman as beautiful and talented as Genevieve Ellison to live in a self-imposed prison.

Haunted eyes.

Jaded.

Broken.

12

You got one life, baby.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Chasin had said. Of course, he was correct, I only had one life and I wasn’t living it. Not really. I was drifting. I had been before my first record deal and I was still doing it now. The only difference was the number of zeroes in my checking account and I now had something to hide behind—my career.

I could hide and blame it on fame.

I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized so no one questioned me when I stayed home. I had a whole host of excuses for why I behaved the way I did. I could blame my celebrity on my emotional disconnect and no one dared to say anything. Not Leslie, not Melissa, not even Bobby.

I was sitting at the kitchen table with a notebook in front of me, tapping the tip of my pen on the blank page, when Bobby walked in. We’d had our talk with Jonny, whom I’d learned was competent, smart, and very kind. Thankfully, Bobby was a professional, so the moment Jonny started to ask about my stalker, all flirting and swooning had stopped. That didn’t mean I hadn’t caught her sneaking a peek at his tush when he was walking out to his SUV, but she hadn’t made anymore inappropriate comments.

I still hadn’t gathered the courage to talk to Bobby about her quitting and me making amends. I told myself it was because she’d been busy rearranging her schedule since she’d now be staying in Kent County. But it was because I was afraid I’d broken us irrevocably.

“You got a minute?” I asked, and Bobby’s gaze went from me down to the paper. “Grocery list,” I answered her unasked question.

“Are you havin’ trouble writing a grocery list?” She smiled and I nodded.