Page 59 of The Chad Next Door
“I don’t think easy is a bad thing,” Chad says. He takes a step closer that feels like crossing the ocean that’s been between us all week. “And in case you were wondering, nothing about being with you is easy. You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever known.”
“Thank you.”
He growls. “I’m sorry for not letting you talk. Todd had me scared out of my mind, but that’s no excuse to treat you like…”
“Like a child,” I throw out, if only because I know he won’t like it. “I’m sorry I was too stubborn to tell you that the police told me I should get the kids somewhere safe, just in case Todd wasn’t working alone. Plus…” I laugh a little, shaking my head. “I didn’t want to slap you while I was feeling really slappy. Leaving felt safer.”
A smile plays on his lips, and suddenly it’s my one and only goal to make it truly appear instead of letting it remain just a hint of happiness. There’s nothing I like more than Chad when he’s happy. “For the record,” he says, “you’re allowed to slap me when I’m being a total idiot.”
I take a step closer to him, the first one I’ve taken since he opened the door. I know he notices because his eyes slip down to my feet before resting on my mouth for a moment on their way back up. “Good to know,” I say with a grin. “Are you prepared for that much slapping, though?” Also for the record, I don’t intend toeverslap him, but he doesn’t need to know that.
His smile is closer but not quite here yet, and I wonder what it will take to bring it out of him. It took a while after I first met him, but I’m hoping it’s easier now that I know what makes him tick.
Leaning in, he gets so close that I can almost feel his warmth despite him not touching me. With the way he keeps his hands in his pockets, it’s like he’s afraid to make that first connection. “I can think of better things than slapping, though I may not learn my lesson if we follow my plan.” He nearly winks, everything about him so subtle that I might miss it if I weren’t completely riveted on him. “I might just make the same mistake over and over to get the punishment.”
What a flirt! “Is that so? That doesn’t sound very helpful to me.”
“Depends on where you’re standing.” Then he sobers, his expression turning sad. “Can you forgive me for being stupid and self-centered? I’ve missed you, Hope.”
I can’t keep myself from touching him anymore, and my fingers find his arm, pulling one hand from his pocket so I can slip my fingers between his. “You were trying to protect me. That’s not self-centered at all. But, like I tried to tell you, I didn’t need your protection. I needed your support. I just neededyou, Chad. I’ve felt so lost without you with me.”
I expect that to bring back his smile, but instead his eyebrows pull downward. “I can’t have you need me,” he mutters, which feels like an awful thing to say until he adds, “I’ve been needed my whole life, and I’m still figuring out who I am outside of that. But…” He leans down, forehead resting against mine. “You canwantme.”
I let out a little laugh. “Oh, wanting you is okay?”
“Preferable. I’m as far from perfect as it gets, but I hope you can—”
“I’ve never wanted perfect,” I say, hating that this is making me cry again. They’re good tears, though. “I just want you, Chad.”
I rise up on my toes, and our mouths collide in a kiss that I’ve been craving for days. As always, Chad takes the lead, but things feel different now. He leaves room for me to step in if I want, though that means it feels like he’s holding back. That’s the last thing I want at this moment.
“Two things,” I say, breaking away slightly. “One, why is Houston wearing a tutu?”
Chad chuckles. “I have no idea. And the second thing?”
“Are you going to kiss me, or what? I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
“Thank goodness for that. Are…” He frowns again, tugging at the ends of my hair. “Are you sure you want to put up with me? I know I’m not easy to deal with.”
I laugh, and my heart feels so much stronger than it has all week. “Thank goodness for that,” I say, rubbing my hand along his scruffy jaw. Mm, I’ve missed that. “Chad, if you haven’t figured out yet that I’m stubborn and do what I want, then you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were. Life would be boring if you made it too easy for me. Kiss me, old man.”
There’sthat smile, the one that brings him to life. I love that smile, though he doesn’t give me a chance to enjoy it for long because he pulls me in for a kiss. And oh, does he kiss me. All of his restraint vanishes as he dives into what will be written down in the history books as the best kiss of all time.
His hands lock around my waist and guide me back until I’m pressed against one of the large columns holding up the roof overhang, subsequently hiding us from the street, and then he captures my mouth with the desperation of a starving man. It’s been almost a week since he last kissed me, and I feel each and every one of those days as he works hard to remind me how much I love this.
He puts everything into that kiss, and when it feels like he has nothing left, it’s my turn, and suddenly it’s a battle of wills, like we’re both fighting to be the one in charge. It’s hands grabbing arms and hair and faces, and mouths moving together in a desperate battle until we break apart in unison, like we both know neither one of us is going to win and that’s totally okay. I’ve never in my life experienced a kiss like that, and with the way my heart pounds in my chest, like it’s trying to escape, I know there’s no going back.
This guy is it for me. And that’s terrifying.
“Do you want to come inside?” Chad asks, the words coming out light and airy as he fights to breathe.
I let out a shaky laugh, tucking myself into his broad chest and letting his rapid heartbeat validate my complete lack of strength. At least I wasn’t the only one affected by that madness. After a kiss like that, I’m not sure I want anything except more of that. I amdesperateto experience that again. But I do want to meet his siblings, and we need to take things slow where we can. I have a feeling we can only go so slow before this changes into something we can’t take back. Before this budding relationship is something permanent.
At this point, I can’t imagine a world without Chad Briggs, but I don’t know if that’s what he wants. So we need to sit down and have a conversation about where this is going. I know where I want it to go, but what does he want?
“Okay,” I say, still breathless. I’m still reeling from that kiss, but now I’m also imagining Zelda as the flower girl at our wedding and Link holding the rings, so I feel like this lightheadedness is justified.
Chad grips my hand as he opens the door, like he’s afraid to let go of me now that he has me. Let’s hope. “Don’t let them overwhelm you,” he says as he leads me inside. “My sisters proved with Houston’s date tonight that they have no sense of boundaries.”
