Page 7 of Hard To Love

As I moved through the crowd, I felt a hand firmly grab my wrist. I stopped short, and found myself looking into the bluest, most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. My body felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. He was gorgeous. But, it wasn’t just his looks that gave me pause. It was the way his gaze shot straight through me causing an unfamiliar feeling to stir inside my chest.

“Excuse me, where do you think you’re going?”

Ignoring the eruption in my stomach, I pathetically tried to pull my hand back.

“Excuse ME, but do I know you?”

His hard gaze drank me in. “I’m Chase, and you are?”

There was something about him that caught me off guard. It wasn’t just his pretty boy face and tight muscles I could sense under his dress shirt. No. It was something about the way my heart felt like it had just been kicked back to life that left me off center.

Someone bumped into him from behind, causing him to release his hold on me. I took that as a sign.

“…Just leaving, goodbye!” I tossed over my shoulder and turned to leave again. I was hot, buzzed, and completely rattled.

I walked outside hoping for a cooling breeze, but the warm and humid air immediately overtook me. I dismissed my current crazy thoughts, and I looked around for a place to sit, because the shoes were killing my feet.

As I walked further down the sidewalk, I saw cute little tables and chairs underneath a black awning. Relief washed over me as I slid into one of the seats, immediately reaching down and unstrapping the high heels, and feeling the circulation slowly returning to my toes. I closed my eyes trying to put the background city noises behind me.

I turned at the sound of approaching footsteps. “It must be fate, we meet again.”

I slowly tilted my head up towards the face of the man that I was sure would be starring in my dreams that night.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, sliding into the seat next to me, blatantly making sure he brushed his leg alongside mine.

Unlike in the club, I took advantage of his closeness and did a slow inspection. His jet-black hair was cropped short on the sides, but longer on the top. He had the type of hair that woman would pay money to run their fingers through. In a single glance, his icy-blue eyes told me all I needed to know. He was a man of authority that carried himself with confidence. He was also one the hottest guys I had ever seen. On a scale of one to ten, he was a thousand.

Despite how forward he had been at the bar, I was very attracted to him. But then again, there wasn’t a female on the planet who wouldn’t find him stunning.

Trying to act unaffected by his charm, I bit back the smile that was forming on my lips. “I’m not sure if that seat’s available.”

He turned to look at me, rubbing his jaw playfully. “Hmm.” His lips kicked up into a smile “In law school, I’m pretty sure I learned that I was allowed to sit on public property,” he said with a playful grin. “And besides, I happen to really like the view out here.”

My eyes bounced around; there really wasn’t much to stare at, other than bright lights, big buildings, yellow taxiswhipping by, and pedestrians filling the streets.

“The view, huh?” My eyes flewback tohis face. God, he was so handsome that I found it hard to look away. My mind had a hard time accepting the fact that this gorgeous man was sitting and flirting with me. Men like him did not go after women like me. With his smoldering looks and brimming confidence, he could be with any woman he wanted. And with guys like that, it was all about the chase.

“Would you believe I own this place and you were sitting in my favorite seat?” he said, with a disarming smile. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol I had had or the humidity in the air, but my pulse had kicked up a notch and my body began to overheat.

The little exchange was making me nervous, and I shook my head trying hard not to smile.

“Hmm, well then, my apologies. I will leave you to your view,” I said, trying to put some much-needed distance between us.

His lips twitched like he was trying to suppress a grin while he actually rubbed his leg further into mine. He was close enough that the smell of his cologne started to wash over me. I swore between his heat and his scent, I could feel my insides melting on the spot.

“There looks to be enough room for both of us. Maybe we should just sit here and enjoy the view, together.” Choosing not to respond, I just sat there shaking my head. He was so darn charming; it was hard to keep a straight face with him. I saw the dimples in his smile pop out when he laughed. God, could this man get any sexier?

“Okay, I’ll admit we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. How about we try this again?” He extended his hand. “Hello, my name is Chase. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting tonight?”

I couldn’t help but think how the name Chase fit him perfectly. As much as I was enjoying this flirty banter, there was probably no sense in telling him my name because this little encounter would be over as quickly as it had started. Deciding to play it safe, I threw him a soft smile.

“My name is Brooke,” I said, lying through my teeth.

His eyes seemed to twitch in one corner and I sensed that he knew that I had lied to him. “Hello Brooke. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I instantly regretted the lie, feeling that the conversation may last longer than I’d originally thought. But he seemed interested in continuing on with me, even though I showed no interest.

His hot gaze continued to flicker across my face, making me to squirm in my seat. “If we’re going to start over, how about we go back inside and order a drink? My treat of course.”

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