Page 13 of Hard To Love

Without missing a beat, he reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine.

“Where are we going?” I asked, looking around, trying to ignore the excitement that was fluttering in my stomach.

“I’m taking you home before you change your mind,” he said, leading me towards what appeared to be the valet stand.

Chase signaled to the dark suit standing behind the stand. After a few short minutes, a shiny 800 series BMW came rolling around the corner.

“A BMW, huh?” I said, trying to bite back my grin. “It’s exactly the kind of car I would have expected from a big-time player. I’m glad to see my instincts are still intact.”

I silently thought to myself that I would have been very disappointed if he had drove a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry because anything less than the chick magnet BMW really wouldn’t fit the sexy as hell, dream man package!

“What do you have against a BMW?” he asked, acting offended by my comment. “I thought that most women liked men who drove a nice car. In fact, I’ll have you know that most women find my little girl here very appealing.”

“Seriously?” I just stood there and shook my head. “Well, I guess I should be flattered that I’m nothing like most of girls that you know.”

The smile on his face widened so much that I thought it might crack. “No Emily, you are nothing like what I’m used to. Trust me. That is a good thing because if you were like the other women, I would not be offering you a ride home. I would have already taken you, upstairs in my office tonight.”

My body tightened and I wasn’t sure if I was pissed at myself for the missed opportunity or relieved.

“For the record, I find you refreshing. I like being challenged by a woman and it doesn’t happen to me very often.”

My face colored with pride as the heat in my belly rose then filled with warmth. His words had my head spinning. I needed to keep my wits about myself and say something clever before he could see how much he was affecting me.

“So, tell me Chase, how do I know that I can trust you? For all I know, you could be into sex trafficking, working for the Russian mafia, or a serial killer who’s on America’s most wanted?”

He shook his head with a faint laugh while he placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding my hips into the passenger seat of the car.

When I was seated, he reached over, letting his hands glide slowly across my lap as he fastened the seatbelt. He leaned in with his breath brushing against my face. “If I were into trafficking, the only sex slave you would be is mine. And trust me you would never want to leave.”

I gulped, feeling a slight tingle down below. “Okay.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “How about the whole serial killer thing?”

“Guess you will just have to trust me, won’t you?” He gave me a knowing wink before he walked to the other side of the car.

I looked over to the driver’s seat and saw a devilish grin cross his face. He secured his seatbelt and looked left, then right, adjusting his mirrors. I could see his foot move, matching the revving of the engine. “Ready?” he asked.

I watched him drop the car in gear and I heard the tires squeal against the pavement. The acceleration pulled my head back and quickened my pulse. When I looked back at him, all I noticed was the smile plastered on his face. I thought to myself,No, I’m not ready, but there’s no turning back now.

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