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He gave a short laugh and drove his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d like Beth, Chase.” He slid off the chair some and placed his elbows on his knees, studying me. “It’s not because she’s my cousin, if you’re wondering. Beth’s a great girl.” He combed back strands of his blond hair that fell in front of his face, narrowing his azure eyes. “When Darcy told me that nothing happened between you two, I thought she was pulling my leg.”
“Darcy wasn’t the thank-you I was looking for because I drove Beth here.”
Pierce blew out breath. “Obviously not, I see,” he said. “Understand that Beth isn’t some fast piece of ass.”
“That’s not how I see her. We’ve been talking…and she likes me too.”
“Beth doesn’t deserve to be your yo-yo while you work on yourself.”
If any other dude talked to me so bluntly, I’d be hard pressed not to get in his face, but Pierce wasn’t trying to make me feel like shit. I’d question the kind of cousin he was to Beth if he hadn’t told me what he was thinking. In the short time that Pierce had been reunited with Beth, I could see that he loved her like she was his sister. Family came first to him. He knew that I didn’t want to be fucked up forever. I was making strides the only way I knew how, by trying to respect my body and not denying myself who I wanted to get to know: Beth.
“True, but don’t discount that I am thinking with the right head. I am not gonna stop talking to her no matter how you feel about it.”
Pierce shot me an intense look before we hauled ourselves from the chair and put them away.
***
Bethany
“Here’s your morir soñado,” Chase said with a half-grin as I accepted the tall glass of my favorite beverage.
Holding his own morir soñado in his hand, he walked inside my room and sat by the sofa in the corner of the room. At the precise moment that I changed from my nightgown into a shirt, a hoodie, and slim-fitting sweats, I heard Chase announce that he was here from behind the door. I decided that he shouldn’t catch me in my sheer nightgown again. Around him, my body betrayed me at every turn. The more layers I wore to disguise that truth, the better.
An hour ago, he’d texted me and told me that he’d visit me. I’d been braiding Cassidy’s long hair for her. Uncle Anton and Aunt Deborah had come to my room to speak with Cassidy privately. She hadn’t seemed worried about it at all.
The drink tasted like it was made with fresh oranges with a trace of caramel in it.
“Like it?” he asked confidently.
“I love it.”
He nodded and patted his thigh. “You’re too far away for my liking, Beth. Sit next to me,” he said coolly, and I closed the distance between us and felt the muscles in my stomach clench tightly.
“Thanks for bringing this to me. Did y
ou make it?”
Chase brought his arm around me, bringing me closer to him. My skin prickled when I rested my head on the crook of his neck.
“Yeah, I did. I saw you drinking it at the Paloma. When you and Cassidy left, I asked Nico what drink you had and he told me just how you like it. I added a little lime to mine to give mine more of a sour flavor.”
“This is really good.” I looked at the telltale signs that he’d have a five o’clock shadow very soon.
“I was gonna make you a morir soñado during breakfast, but time was running out. Thought it best I make it for you when I had ample time.” I squirmed as he massaged my shoulder with his strong and big hand. He didn’t add too much pressure or dig into my skin with his fingers like I assumed he would. His touch was a combination of strength and gentleness. “This is now my favorite summer drink.”
I raised my head and gazed at him. “And what was your favorite drink before?”
“Club soda with lime.” Chase didn’t strike me as the kind of person who would allow himself to get tipsy, even if he was with his friends.
“You’re not gonna believe who I saw perform live tonight.” Moving back a little, he eyed me with a slight smile.
“Here?”
He nodded and sipped his drink. “Tainted Virtue did a surprise performance at La Floridita.”
I’d been listening to them when Cassidy had come in and asked me to comb and braid her hair for her. Mariska and I loved all of their songs, and they were my therapy when Gregory and I had parted ways.
“Ahh, man.” I paced around the room and then I sat back down next to Chase, whose face creased with a grin. “They were awesome, weren’t they?”
