Page 70 of Hard To Love

Sure enough, there were a dozen messages from Cassie, some even threatening to call Brad if I didn’t respond. Before I even had a chance to put my phone down, a new message popped up.

I already know what happened. I spoke to Chase this morning. Looks like you have some explaining to do!

My head snapped to Chase who was peering over my shoulder. “You talked to Cassie today?”

“I sure did, we had an interesting conversation. She was worried about you. Plus, I had to thank her for letting me know where your date was taking you last night.”

“I knew you ambushed me. There was no way it was just a coincidence.”

He rolled his tongue around in his cheek knowing damned well I wouldn’t be happy about that. “Sorry, but I was a desperate man. And besides, it got you back in my bed. You’re not complaining about the outcome, are you?”

I placed my hand on my hip and glared at him “The outcome, no. The method, yes.” I shook my head, “besides you have no idea what kind of interrogation I’m in for when I go home tonight.”

“Speaking of home, I have a present for you.” He walked around me and into the kitchen. His back was to me, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see him reach into the top cupboard. Once he found what he was looking for, he made his way back over to me holding a small gift bag. There was a look of nervousness flickering over his face.

“Open it…” He nodded, holding out the bag for me to take, then he shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants like a shy child. He swallowed hard and started to shift back and forth on his feet.

Curiosity got the better of me, so my fingers dug in and pulled out the tissue paper first. When I reached inside and found a small flat box, about the size of a deck of cards I felt my eyebrows pull together.It definitely wasn’t a ring box and my heart was still trying to decide if I was relieved or disappointed by that fact.

I shook it lightly and heard a small rattle. He kept his eyes on me, studying my reaction. The suspense was killing me so my fingers tore open the box and my eyes landed on a key.

“What is this?” I asked in a sing-song sort of way that indicated that I knew very well what it was.

“What do you think it is?” He asked, pressing me to answer my own question.

“Well, obviously, it’s a key to your apartment.”

He was growing more anxious by the second, and by the look he was shooting me it was obviously a big step for him. After a long stretch of silence, he dragged his thumb along his bottom lip before he finally said. “Sweetheart, you don’t understand. That key is hopefully to ‘our’ apartment.”

In a split second the nervousness shot from his body landing directly into mine. Were we even at that point yet? We still had a lot to discuss and had our fair share of issues to work through. With that being said, my brain started to ponder all the possibilities.

The truth was that it freaked me out, not because I didn’t want to accept the key but because I really wanted to, and that scared the living daylights out of me.

Everything I had ever wanted in a man was standing right in front of me, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t have to try to be happy, it just happened. I knew what it was like to have him and I knew what it was like to lose him and I wasn’t sure my heart could take another blow like the last time. It nearly broke me. But wasn’t that what being in love wasall about? Taking chances, and trusting the other person?

It would be so much easier if I could shut my brain off and stop thinking so much, and just go where my heart led me. Sometimes that person was right and wrong for you at the same time. Sometimes, you loved that person so much even when they drove you completely insane, no one could explain it. The reason why I was so sure of the decision I was about to make was because, as confusing as everything was, I loved him and he loved me.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been debating with myself, but when I looked up it was obvious Chase was waiting for some kind of verbal answer. “Sorry for the freak out, but I’ve been having a private conversation with myself and lost track of time.”

He smirked at me and folded his arms across his chest. “So, I can tell. You want to tell me out loud what you’ve decided? What’s the verdict? You ready to shack up with me?”

My stomach dropped with a rush of excitement. “How about a compromise?” His confident smile slipped from his face, causing me to instantly regret my choice of words. Before he could say anything, I held my hand up to stop him from speaking. “Look Chase, we still have some things to sort through. I’m willing to take this next step with you, but only if we think of this as a transition. Meaning, I’ll move some of my things in here and I’ll spend most of my time here, but I’ll also still keep my apartment with Cassie, for now.”

I held my finger to his lips before he could reply. “Shh… Consider this a trial run before we make it permanent. If you’re being honest with yourself, you know we still have to deal with your family and figure a few things out. Once you’ve had the time to think it through, I think you’ll agree with me.”

Silently, he moved in and slid his hands possessively over my hip. A rush of excitement shot down my spine. He was playing dirty.

He pressed himself tight against me so I could feel his hardness rubbing against my stomach. “You sure?” I detected a slight plea in his voice, “I can’t change your mind?”

My breathing became rapid, as he began to trail light kisses down my neck. When his hands reached my breasts, my nipples greeted him stiffly as they were anticipating his touch.

“You’re not fighting very fairly,” I said rather breathlessly. Feeling his hands move further south, I started to grow wet with expectations. He pulled me closer so I could feel his growing erection as it pressed further into me. It was practically begging me to come out to play. His hands found their way under my boxers and his fingers slipped inside.

“You’re so ready for me sweetheart. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t want this every day?” He asked as he continued to work his fingers inside of me. “Wherever you want to do it, like here in the kitchen…” He placed my legs around his waist, shoving me hard against the wall as he eagerly pushed his mouth to mine. The way our tongues worked together in sync made me feel like I belonged to him in every way possible. “On the table…” He stated as he carried me over and laid me down removing my boxers and continued to finger me into a frenzy “on my desk, in the shower, on the floor, in front of the fireplace.” I arched my back and rested my elbows on the table as he removed his pants and his erection sprung free. He pulled my legs to the edge of the table and slowly inserted himself inside. Living with him was starting to sound pretty damned good.

---