AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After a few seconds, Chase finally broke the silence. “I thought you said you could kick my ass?” he teased, as he slowly released my hands.
Lifting off of me, he turned toward the wall mirror and watched me as I slowly stood. “I wasn’t ready,” I began.
Laughing, Chase threw his head back. “Of course, you weren’t. And, you won’t be ready for an attacker. That is why you need to pay attention to what I am teaching you. Let’s go through a couple of moves that you could easily do to make sure what I just didn't do, doesn't happen again,” Chase said.
Nodding my head, I decided to keep my smart-ass comments to myself for now. I paid close attention as he went through a few more moves in slow motion. He gave me time to fight back as he showed me each move and how to get myself out of a secured restraint. After an hour, we were both exhausted.
“Thanks, I guess that lesson was helpful,” I said, as Chase handed me a cold bottle of water.
Taking a sip, he nodded. “You need more lessons. I can help you anytime,” he stated.
“Sure, I would like that,” I said, with a genuine smile. “You know, you are really good at teaching self-defense.”
“Thanks. I admired my trainers and I always thought that maybe one day I might get into the fighting world again…” Chase trailed off and didn’t finish his sentence.
I knew it was best not to push him, I had a feeling he would share the rest when he was ready.
“Well, if I am going to meet you for drinks, I need to go take a shower,” I said, noticing it was almost five-thirty. “I mean, if you still want to go, that is. You might be sick of hanging out with me by now,” I tried to laugh but I really hoped he didn’t bail on our semi-date.
“Are you kidding? You owe me a drink after that lesson,” he said, before leading us to the exit.
With a silly grin on my face, I rushed back to my room and took a quick shower. I dressed in a cute denim skirt and a purple tank top. I pulled my hair back and rolled some lip gloss over my lips. I didn’t want Chase to get the wrong idea. I was still telling myself he just wanted to apologize. This was not a date. I had to make Avery swear that she wouldn't try to eavesdrop. Angrily she agreed. In fact, she had been flirting with one of the security guards named Jax and I was pretty sure she was going to be sexting tonight while I was gone. Ugh.
When I finally ventured my way down to the bar, I spotted Chase sitting at a table by himself. He looked amazing in a gray t-shirt that clung to his biceps and a pair of dark jeans and black boots. His short hair was gelled in the front and he had an intense and worried look on his face. As I approached the table, I cleared my throat to let him know I had arrived.
“Hey, Lizzie. I am glad you made it,” Chase said nervously.
“Yeah, well you invited me,” I said, as I sat down across from him.
Nodding his head, Chase attempted a smile again. “Well, I am glad you made it. I thought for a moment you would try to cancel on me. I mean, you did have a pretty rough session today,” he kidded.
“Yeah right, you just caught me off guard, I am much tougher than I appear,” I laughed, too.
His smile fading, he looked at me more intently. “I haven't had dinner or drinks with anyone in a long time,” he admitted, with a smirk.
“Other than Avery, I haven't either,” I added. “Maybe it will be nice for us to have someone new to talk to.”
I could feel the air around us begin to lighten. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
“I ordered you a drink if that’s ok. I noticed you were drinking a peach margarita the other night,” Chase said.
My heart did a little jump as butterflies began to dance around in my stomach. That was really sweet. “Thanks,” I said.
Relief washed over his face. “I know I can be a little intense at times. I don’t want you to be afraid of me,” Chase stated.
“I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t understand you,” I admitted.
If we were going to talk and be honest, I might as well as just lay it all out there.
“To be honest, I kind of like it that way. I like to be private. When too many people know what’s going on in your life, it can get complicated,” Chase said.
Those words spoke straight to my heart. I knew better than most what complicated was and how important my privacy was. Noticing my expression, Chase tilted his head and watched me.
“You agree?” he asked, as the waitress brought us our drinks.
Nodding my head, yes, I took a sip of my drink. “More than you know. I left my home when I was young. I can appreciate wanting to remain private.”
“I had a rough upbringing. Most people that come to Vegas come either to escape reality or are on some weird long-term vacation. I guess it’s nice to know someone else can understand how I feel. Most of the staff hates me. I come on strong, but that’s just me. When I first saw you that day in the casino, my first instinct was to grab you and tell you to get the hell out of here. But not for the reasons I am sure you are thinking. This is why I needed to explain myself to you, I think you have everything all wrong,” he sighed before continuing. “I can tell you are damaged. You have been hurt and it’s none of my business unless you want to tell me, but I can recognize that type of hurt in another person. The only thing that I have found that is safe for me is control. I want to control my life, my privacy, my job, and after the other day- I want to control you. I know that sounds creepy and please don’t leave now, but you need someone to watch out for you. To control the things you can’t around here,” Chase finished. I could tell he was worried about how I was going to react, and honestly, I was, too. But his words hit me hard.
