Page 36 of Running Winter

I hated how beautiful her name sounded whenever I said it. It rolled off my tongue, and I reminded myself I needed to get laid.

Chase stared at me for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

"Rayna wouldn't fall for your tricks, my man. So I'm not worried." He shrugged, sinking back into his chair.

"My tricks?" I echoed, wondering what the fuck he was implying. "I'll have you know I behaved reasonably well considering how tired I was."

"Yeah, I know. Rayna told me."

Oh, shit.

So Chase had already spoken to her?

Chase nodded at his phone, which lay on the arm of the sofa beside him.

Pops walked back in, still smiling with disbelief from the eventful kitchen.

"Your sister is something else," Pops chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

Raven could set the fucking house alight, and no one would think badly of her. "I'd avoid the veg."

"So, what happened with Heather?" I asked, fixing Chase with my full attention.

Chase colored slightly, then shrugged.

I exchanged a look with Pops, and we had the silent battle of who would address it.

"I didn’t want to just fuck her, and she was, you know, too up for it," Chase mumbled as Pops raised his eyebrows.

"Too up for it? Chase, enlighten an old man."

"You're not old, Pops.” I laughed as he flexed his biceps at me proudly.

"I know, son. I'm being sarcastic."

"I thought it was going alright, but then something changed. I dunno, I just wasn't feeling it."

I was even more confused now, and slightly envious to boot.

Heather Herrod offered herself on a plate to Chase, and he said no?

"We are talking about the dynamite blonde I gave the teddy to—" I began, as Pops interrupted.

"Are you two fucking mad? With all the girls in the world, why am I only hearing two names, Heather and Rayna? Who likes who?"

"Rayna is my best friend," Chase said defensively, glancing at me. "Who Rafe got up at six am to go sketching with—"

"Oh, and Heather is a girl I met at a fair, and Chase ended up making out with her at a party—" I interjected.

"But that was only because some assholes were giving her shit," Chase protested, earning an amused grin from Pops. "Then she wanted me to take her out as a way of apology for me suggesting she made it all up just to come between us—"

"This Heather," Pops drawled, leaning back in his chair. "She's the sister of the quarterback you guys don't like?"

"Yes." We said in unison, smiling at one another as we do. We used to do that all of the time, but it still made me remember how close we were when we did it as adults.

"Maybe Chase acted on instinct," Pops suggested, "what if it was a setup?"

"She's a college girl. I doubt she would do that," Chase sighed. "But her cousin was there, which was odd."

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