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“Melanie, it’s not the type of place you should be going to with all you’ve been dealing with.”
“Dammit, Jason, tell me where he is.”
“He hangs out at Maggie’s, but you can’t go there alone. I know you canceled the security detail, and Chase is going to be pissed I told you, but he’s been paying for Joey to keep tabs on you secretly. Joey’s outside the apartment. Take him with you.”
“What?” Gabby asks with wide eyes after I hang up the phone.
“We’re going out tonight.”
***
Walking into Maggie’s with my arm looped around Gabby, I immediately feel out of my element. It’s a rough part of town, and I’m out of place in my fancy dark jeans and dressy black cardigan.
“This was a stupid idea,” I whisper in Gabby’s ear.
Why did I let her talk me into this?
“Let’s just find him, and then we can go,” she mutters.
I turn to Joey who’s standing close enough to be my shadow. “Can you wait over there, we’ll only be a few minutes.” He nods, then makes his way over to an unoccupied corner of the bar, never taking his eyes off us.
I scour the room, and it doesn’t take me long to find him. Chase is sitting by himself in a booth at the back of the bar, looking all broody and handsome, wearing his usual jeans and black t-shirt. He’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.
He’s staring intently at the glass of amber liquid in front of him, his mind obviously working a million thoughts right now. I wish I knew what they were. He looks miserable, and it’s hurting my heart.
“Go talk to him, Whitney. I’m gonna go to the bar and get me my own hunky bodyguard.”
Gabby unlocks our arms with poor Joey in her sights, and I can’t help chuckling. She gives me a tiny nudge, and I take a few small steps closer to Chase. He doesn’t notice me right away, which surprises me since I’m sure I stick out like a sore thumb.
When our eyes finally lock my stomach flips. God, I’m crazy about him.
Chase blinks a few times then stares at me curiously for a moment like he’s not entirely sure he’s seeing me.
I want nothing more than to run into his arms, but as I take a few steps closer, a tall blonde woman appears out of nowhere. She leans in and pushes her ginormous tits square in his face. When she bends down her skirt hikes up so high, I can tell there’s nothing covering her heart-shaped ass. When she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him on the lips, I clench my fists as a wave of jealousy rushes through me.
He doesn’t seem impressed.
He removes her arms from around his neck and pushes backward, but seeing him with another girl is causing a horrible ache in my chest. She plops down in the booth next to him, and I squeeze my eyes shut, considering turning and leaving.
No, I came here for a reason, and if he rejects me then at least I’ll know I tried.
His eyes lock onto mine, and his glare is stone-faced. A wounding smug grin cuts across his face, making me feel two feet tall and irrelevant. I still want to kiss it off his face. My breathing increases with every step I take toward him. I’m doing my best to ignore Street-Walker-Barbie. I’m not a jealous person by nature, but the way she’s all over him is making me very stabby. My heart is pounding, and I’m sweating like a whore in church.
Un-clenching my fists, I walk to the table trying to act casual. I straighten my posture and tilt my chin up attempting to look confident as I stand in front of them, even though my knees feel a lot wobbly. They both stare up at me, and I swallow hard thinking about what to say. I open my mouth to speak, when suddenly Gabby appears at my side. Seeing my frustration with the situation, she steps over to Slutty-Barbie and whispers something into her ear. Barbie’s eyes grow wide in horror, and she slides from the booth, darting away before I can even blink.
“I told her he gave me crabs,” Gabby whispers in my ear before walking off. I can’t help it when I let out a giggle.
I take a seat across from him and reach for his glass. With shaking hands, I gulp down the remainder of his fiery liquid and slam the glass down on the table. When our eyes meet it hits me like a swift blow to the head, how alone I’ve been all these years, merely existing. How much I need this man sitting in front of me.
How much I love him.
I thought pushing him away was protecting my foolish heart, but all I was doing was shredding it to pieces. I love this man, and I don’t want to live another day without him in it.
“Thirsty?” Chase shoots me an adorable, playful grin, and I roll my eyes, trying to pretend I’m not a sucker for his ass-hole antics. “You shouldn’t be here,” he says grabbing my wrist sending a charged bolt of electricity through my body.
“You shouldn’t be here either.”
“Oh yeah, where should I be?” Our eyes lock in some quick draw standoff, and my stomach churns from the anger on his face.
