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Never mind my brother, who looks like he wants to jump off the stage and put me in a headlock like he used to when we fought as kids. Too bad he's stuck up there waiting for Riley to make her big purchase. The auction starts, and so does the bidding. I watch in horror as the bidding rises over ten-thousand dollars. This is going to be an expensive night for my brother's credit card. Luke glares at Riley, urging her on. Poor guy looks desperate for her to spend all his hard-earned money. Finally, Riley wins the bid, and I glance at Holly, who looks slightly ill.
I quickly make my way to the registry table and hand over Luke's credit card with a smile.
"Well played," Avery grins, sneaking up behind me. "You definitely have the killer instinct."
"Thanks. I think." I give a nervous laugh and gaze around the room. Chase is beelining his way toward us, and Luke is collecting Riley at her seat. I need to get out here before my brother murders me. "Can you do me a favour? Give this to Riley," I hand Avery the credit card. "She's the redhead with Luke."
Avery takes Luke’s card. She knew I was planning on abusing my brother’s credit card, but she didn’t know Luke had instructed us to buy him too.
"That sly devil."
I smile back. As if my brother would allow himself to be bought by anyone other than Holly.
"Can I have a word with you?" Chase moves into my space, linking arms with me, dragging me off before I can answer. He pulls me out into the hallway without another word, searching for somewhere private. His eyes dart around, taking in all the happy Christmas couples and charity goers like he's looking for a place to hide.
I'm steered down another hall and then another until we come to a door that opens into an empty room full of spare chairs and linens. I couldn't have picked a more unromantic setting if I tried.
"What the hell are you doing, Lily?" Chase demands as soon as the door shuts behind us.
"I thought it was obvious." Well, I did until now. Maybe this was a huge mistake, and Chase will always see me as his friend's sister and nothing more.
"Do you want your brother to castrate me? You're his little sister." The words hit me like a slap in the face. Ihatebeing Luke's 'little sister.' As if I am not my own person and only exist as an extension of my brother.
"I'm not twelve anymore, Chase. I haven't been for a long time." Something primal flashes in Chase's eyes, and whatever it is sends a thrill rioting through me. "I'm twenty-four-fucking-years-old. I'm a woman, and if you can't see that, then maybe I bought the wrong bachelor."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means I'm sick and tired of being Luke's little sister. I have needs and wants like any other woman. It means I'm done having you ignore me like I don't exist. We used to talk all the time, Chase." The words come out pained. We used to be close until Chase decided he was too cool to humour me anymore. Does he have any idea how pathetic I feel always being the one to message him or call when he doesn't ever make an effort to do the same? Chase was always Luke's best friend, but he was my friend too. "I thought we were friends, but now you avoid me like I'm the plague."
"I don't avoid you," Chase counters, but we both know it's a lie.
"Yes, you do! And I'm sick of it. I'm not going to be the pathetic girl who dresses up in the prettiest gown she can find, hoping the dumbest boy on the planet will finally look at her."
I stare at him, his blue-green eyes boring into me. The expression on his face is strained, like he's trying to battle something inside himself and losing. Something is bothering him because his hair is askew from running his hands through it too many times tonight. It's one of his tells.
"You don't want me, Lily," he says in a low voice, breaking the silence between us.
"You don't get to choose what I want. I do." His pained expression deepens, and I'm beginning to think Avery is wrong. Chase doesn't want me, and now he's trying to let me down easy.
My cheeks burn so hot with embarrassment that I’ll be shocked if my shame isn’t tattooed there for the rest of my life. I need to get out of this room before the itch at the back of my throat worsens and tears start to cloud my eyes.
"I'm sorry," I say in a rush, pulling away from him and moving toward the door to make my inglorious exit. "Oh my god, I get it now. I'm such an idiot. Forget this ever happened. I'm going to the bar where I can drink myself into temporary amnesia and hopefully be taken home by someone who doesn't know I'm Luke Valentine's sister."
I turn quickly and reach for the door handle until, suddenly, Chase's hand grabs onto mine and yanks me back to him. Balance lost, I crash into his very hard, very solid chest. I inhale on instinct, curling my hands into his jacket. He smells like mint and rain and the ocean all at once. I don't know who decided this man should smell so good, but fuck, it makes me want to wrap myself in him and live there for a while.
When I look up into his face, I suck in a breath. Is this the look Avery saw? Dark and smouldering, like he wants to eat me alive?Please, god, yes. Tell me I'm not hallucinating.
"You are not going back to the bar. And you're definitely not going home with someone else."
"Why not?" I challenge.
"Because you're mine."
My brain doesn't even have time to register Chase's words before his lips crash onto mine. Shock freezes my body for one moment, but then my frontal lobe starts working again, my endorphins kick in, and I kiss him right back. Oh god, am I ever kissing him back. His tongue parts my lips, I moan into his mouth as I let him taste me, and I do the same. He's all white wine and the flavour of the spearmint gum he chews incessantly. Chase pulls my lower lip into his mouth, nipping it with his teeth before soothing the sting with his tongue.
I've never been kissed like this.Never.Like he wants to consume me, possess me, and absolutely ruin me for kisses from anyone but him. And I love it. I want to live in this kiss, bathe in it. My hands twine around his neck and into his hair while he grips my lower back and pulls me closer. He backs me into a wall, the hardness between his thighs pressing into my stomach. Heat floods my core, and I can't stop the wanting whimper that escapes me.
I know it's wrong to compare, but the difference between kissing Chase and Derrick is like the difference between getting a tiny shock of electricity from static and being struck by lightning. Being with Derrick was pleasant. He was nice, kind, courteous, and always gentle with me, even when I wanted more.
