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Chase picks up his coffee, watching me expectantly over the rim of his mug. “Are you sure about this, Numbers? He’s not here yet. We could leave.”
After we had our little heart-to-heart regarding Chase doing right by me, I felt it best to do right by him. This morning’s conversation was enlightening. Listening to Chase admit he’d rather put up with Trent’s advances toward me than risk losing me for acting out upset my soul. I don’t want Chase to feel he has to deal with another man competing for me. If our situations were reversed, I wouldn’t appreciate tolerating another woman coming on to my man for the sake of a case. I’m ashamed I haven’t seen how unfair this scenario is for Chase until this morning.
It’s time I show Trent his attempts are futile—he and I will never be together again. My words have done little to repel him. Perhaps embarrassment will dig deeper into his ego.
I dab the corners of my mouth with my napkin, unfazed. “I’m not tucking tail, Chase. Trent needs to get it through his thick skull. I’m not interested. He chose Cynthia, and I chose you.”
“You have nothing to prove to me, Simone,” Chase assures me, sliding his hand across the table to encompass mine. “Don’t feel you have to do this for me because I was being an insecure twat waffle. Contrary to my past behavior, I’m okay. I know you’re mine and you’re not going back to him.”
“Yes, I’m doing this for you, but I’m also doing it for me. I screwed up by not blocking his number, giving him the opportunity to communicate. Doesn’t matter if I never responded to his texts or returned his calls—he saw an opening and took advantage of it. I can’t block him while we work this case, but I will shut down all forms of contact once we conclude the assignment. His advances end now.”
My possessive biker bites at his lip ring as a giant smile threatens to crack his face in half. “Have I told you how sexy you are when you set your mind on something?”
“Only half a dozen times this morning,” I tease, with a wink.
The tap of expensive loafers grows louder the closer they approach, stopping at our table.
“Simone, love. You’re here early,” Trent says in slight annoyance, coloring his tone. He pulls out a chair at our table to have a seat. Ticcing his jaw, he picks up a menu, scanning his options. “And I see you’ve brought your co-worker. How thoughtful of you. Though I had wished to spend some one-on-one time with you. Perhaps tonight, over dinner.”
I have yet to look at Trent. My eyes are preoccupied, held captive in Chase’s gaze. My biker smiles softly. A gleam of pride swirls in his warm brown eyes as he stares back at me. There’s no hint of jealousy, no doubt in his expression. He squeezes my hand, letting me know he’ll follow my lead.
With one last sip of my coffee, I address my ex. “Good morning, Trent. Yes, I thought it would be nice to bring Chase to one of my favorite breakfast joints while we’re staying in Sacramento. I enjoy sharing everythingwith my newboyfriend.”
Chase chokes on his coffee, sputtering all over himself. He coughs slightly as he runs a hand over his face to wipe it clean. His eyes are wide with disbelief as he assesses me. It’s amusing, catching Chase off guard. Normally, he’s the one taking me by surprise.
Trent’s lips pucker as he glances at me over the menu. He sets it down in front of him, folding his hands on the table, all prim and proper. “Boyfriend? Last you spoke of your relationship, you were dating.”
I shrug, turning my attention back to Chase. “Things have progressed in the last couple of days. We were already exclusive. Now we’re official. Dating seemed…‘arbitrary,’ I believe that’s what you called it. Right, hun?”
My biker has recovered from my boyfriend bomb. Chase leans back in his seat, his lips turned up in one corner of his lips. He levels me with an intense stare, full of scorching heat. “Never liked the dating phase of our relationship. I wanted you—all of you—from the start. Whenever you’re ready for the next tier, I’m game.”
Typical Chase—I give him an inch, and he takes the whole ruler. Not surprising. Though I have to fight from smiling, I give him a pointed look, warning him not to push his luck. He seems to get the hint, covering his smile with his hand.
Trent stares at the table, his jaw ticcing back and forth. His face looks flushed, but it’s hard to tell with his deep, orange tan.
“Any-who…sorry to eat and dash. We can’t stay,” I say breezily, setting my napkin on the table. “Chase and I have to get a decent head start on the investigation if we plan on cutting out early to enjoy a night out on the town. We stayed long enough to share our special news.”
Yanking out his wallet, Chase throws down more than enough money to cover our tab. He stands, holding his hand out to me. I slip mine into his, relishing the rough texture of his calluses on my softer skin. It’s weathered, warm, and comforting—like my biker.
“Enjoy breakfast on us,” Chase digs in a wry voice, patting Trent on the shoulder. Trent looks like he wants to rip Chase’s hand off him but remains still as stone, saying nothing.
We head toward the exit, but I turn back. I’m not done driving home my point.
Chase is hesitant to release me, but he does. I feel his eyes on me the entire way back to the table. Trent’s eyes widen with a sliver of hope as he watches me approach.
Too bad for him, I’m about to burst his bubble.
“I forgot to mention I’ll be declining any requests for time alone in the future. I don’t spend quality time with any man other than my partner. You should do the same. I’m sure Cynthia would appreciate a faithful boyfriend.”
“Simone,” Trent whispers in a pained voice. “You have it all wrong—I did what I did for us.”
“Don’t insult me, Trent. You did what you did for yourself. There’s no way I would have agreed for you to sleep with anyone outside of our relationship.”
“If you gave me a moment, I could make you see reason, make you want me again.”
Having heard enough, I shake my head. I dodge Trent’s hand as he reaches out to take mine, sidestepping him to head back toward my future, standing at the exit with his arms across his broad chest.
My steps are a little lighter, having dropped a lot of dead weight. I can’t help feeling giddy, enjoying the freedom of this moment.
