Page 65 of The Chase

“Please, what?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re insufferable.”

I grinned and cupped her face. “You want me to take you home?”

She snapped her eyes open and nodded.

“And then what?”

Her cheeks were bright red now. “I want to have loud marathon sex with you.”

The corners of my lips tipped up into a grin. “Oh, really?”

“TJ!”

I held up my bottle of beer. “Hold on, baby, I gotta finish my beer.”

She groaned. “T!”

I set my beer on the bar behind her. “Just kidding, baby. I want to fuck you all night long. Let’s go.”

Her face was still bright red, but I didn’t miss the shy smile that curled up on her lips. My girl was still timid, but I could get her out of her shell, and I loved that about us.

CHAPTER TWENTY

MAXINE

I felt someone calling my name, but my mind was a blur. In front of me, smoke billowed from the engine of the car, and I was stuck in my seat. Beside me, Charlie had a huge gash on his forehead, but he wasn’t moving when I tried to shake him awake. My parents were upfront, and they weren’t responding, either.

Oh my god, my parents!

And then I was screaming.

“What’s going on? Are you guys okay?” came a voice I couldn’t quite place. A deep rumbling voice that wasn’t TJ’s. What the heck?

TJ whispered soft, comforting words into my ear as he cradled me in his arms. I clung to him and nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck. Crap, this was embarrassing. Why couldn’t I stop these dreams from happening?

“Sorry, man. It’s fine. Maxine just had a bad dream,” TJ said while he rocked me in his arms and held me against his chest.

I slid my eyes open and saw Benny standing in the doorway of TJ’s bedroom. His towering figure framed the door as he stood there, only wearing a pair of boxers. He obviously jumped out of bed at the sounds of my screams. I spied Rox peering behind him to see what was going on, her brow furrowed in concern.

I hated this. I didn’t want to be this broken shell of a person anymore. I thought things were getting better; I hadn’t even had a nightmare in a couple of weeks. TJ kept pressing me about going to therapy, but I kept telling him I’d ‘think about it,’ hoping he’d eventually drop it. I didn’t see the point of rehashing the worst night of my life. What was even the point? They were all dead. Why did I get to live when they died?

I slid off of TJ’s lap and started searching for my jeans. Rox and Benny shared a confused look but backed away out of the doorway.

“What are you doing?” TJ asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m gonna go,” I mumbled.

I still couldn’t find my jeans. Where were they?

“C’mere,” he ordered.

I shook my head and dove to get my jeans, but TJ got to me first. He pulled me back onto the bed and into his lap. My face was stained with tears, but he wiped them away. I hated that he got to see me at my worst, that he saw all the damage I carried.

It was then I realized I had to set him free. He didn’t want something complicated. He needed someone who could give themselves over to him, who would love him without bringing their emotional baggage into the relationship.

“Hey, look at me,” he said and stroked the back of his finger across my cheek. “Talk to me, please.”