Page 85 of Keep Me Never
There’s a soft knock on my dorm door, and I blink away the tears, pulling in a deep breath as I move for the handle and pull it open.
Chase stands smiling on the other side. “Ready?”
I nod, grabbing my carry-on suitcase, but he quickly peels it from my fingers. I close and lock my room, following him into the hall and onto the elevator.
“Are the others outside, or are we meeting them at Mason’s?”
“Mase decided to leave earlier, hoping D would sleep for most of the drive.”
“Earlier?” I smile. “It’s five thirty.”
“Yeah, they left at four.”
My mouth drops open, and he chuckles, kissing my temple as he takes my hand, leading me out the door.
I’m greeted by a lively Brady and a glaring, grumpy Cam.
“Don’t mind her. She’s got her coffee already so just give her, I don’t know, three or four hours.” He laughs, dodging her when she thrusts her torso out of the passenger window and tries to punch him.
“Come on,” Chase says after setting my suitcase in the back and opening the door to Mason’s Tahoe. “You’re with me.” He grins, his eyes staying on mine as I slide in, and then he’s seated beside me.
“Ari went with the others?”
“She stayed the night over there last night, so it was just easier, I guess.”
She’s been over there a lot more lately, hanging out with the baby every spare minute she has, and I can’t help but wonder if there is a reason for that.
“We could have taken my car if we needed to.”
“Nah, Mase’s buddy is gonna change his brakes on this bad boy while we’re in town, so he wanted to bring it.”
I nod, settling into the comfy seats, and Chase reaches between the front ones, coming back with a small paper cup, a familiar green tag hanging out of the side of the lid.
“A little honey and a lot of sugar.” He offers it to me.
“You brought me tea?”
“I hope a small is okay.” His cheeks actually pinken a little, and it’s so endearing.
I nod, holding it between my hands to warm them up, my eyes on his as I take a small sip.
He watches, and when I smile around the lid, his shoulders relax and he sits back, his palm resting on my thigh.
And I really, really like the feel of it. Strong and warm. Protective.Possessive.
Oh my, I think I alreadydolove this man.
For the first part of the drive, we’re all pretty quiet, speaking a little but mostly enjoying the morning and comfortable silence, the music on low in the background. When we’re about an hour from Oceanside, we stop at the gas station so Brady can run in and use the restrooms, and Cam climbs out with him, following him inside.
The moment they’re out of the car, Chase squeezes between the seats again and turns the music down completely before facing me.
“I wanted to ask something, but I didn’t want to put you on the spot. I mean I did ask, but I don’t know if you really know what you said yes to, so I want to make sure we’re on the same page, and if we’re not, it’s fine. I just?—”
“Chase, breathe,” I tease.
He freezes, then a low laugh leaves him. He glances out the window a moment before facing me. “We all planned this weekend together, right? Like every year since the rest of us started here—spend our bye week at the beach house, no matter what.”
I nod, having been part of their weekend getaway on the one or two Saturdays a season that they don’t have a game for the last couple years now.
