Page 41 of The Chase

Kissing her after being apart for a week felt like coming home. I didn’t know what I was doing with her, I didn’t know if I could be enough for her, but I knew I didn’t want to be the lonely guy who tried to fill the hole in his heart with casual sex. At least not anymore.

She pulled back but had a smile that lit up the entire room. “There are so many puck bunnies glaring at me.”

I smirked at her. “Let them stare.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not doing the bunny circuit anymore.”

“No?”

“Nope. Now hush, and let me kiss you properly.”

I think she was going to laugh again, but I swallowed it with another kiss.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

MAXINE

“Kei! Help!” I cried from my defeated position on my bed.

It was Friday night, and I was preparing for another date with TJ since he was finally back in town.

My bestie bursted into my room only to see me lying on my bed still wearing my work clothes. My work clothes weren’t bad, but I didn’t think dress pants screamed ‘sexy’ to a guy like TJ. I wanted to impress him tonight. After a few stolen kisses the other night, I needed more from him.

She gave me a pitying look. “What are you doing?”

Keiana was in her scrubs since she was on shift again tonight and would be leaving for work soon. Which meant I had the house to myself tonight. I was definitely going to ask TJ to come in after our date. I wanted him in my bed tonight. That explained my current freak out.

“I don’t know what to wear!” I cried.

She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you freaking out? Isn’t TJ your man already?”

“No! We’ve only gone on a couple of dates,” I argued.

“Okay, but...he called you after every game when he was on the road last week. He’s so your boyfriend.”

I shook my head.

TJ and I never put a label on what we were doing. He said he wasn’t doing the ‘bunny circuit’ anymore, but I still had some insecurities that whatever we were wasn’t serious.

Keiana rolled her eyes at me. “Max, he wouldn’t call you while he was away if he was sleeping around. Stop worrying.”

I bit my lip. “You know why I’m freaking out.”

I sat up against my bed and wrapped my arms around myself. Keiana understood why sex made me feel shameful, despite her best efforts to help me normalize my feelings. In the end, sex made me feel dirty and awkward, and it made it harder for me to form relationships. I never told men what I liked or initiated sex, and I was nervous that the last time with TJ had been a fluke. He made me let go. But what if that old shame came back tonight?

Keiana put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you afraid you’re gonna have sex with him again?”

“Yes,” I sputtered. “No! I don’t know. But the last time I didn’t feel guilty about it, and I guess I’m scared about what that means.”

“Wait, last time you faked it. I’m confused.”

I put my hand over my face. I hadn’t told Keiana TJ went down on me because I knew how she’d react. I pulled my hand off my face, and she gave me the stink eye.

“Explain yourself!” she demanded.

“We hooked up the night Rox invited me over to his condo,” I said and looked down at my hands.