Worth the Chase

Bridget

I can’t stop wiping away at my tears. That may have been the most beautiful proposal I’ve ever witnessed. It was nothing compared to the simple moment when Jax proposed to me. Us laying in the valley like we did most nights because I didn’t want to go home, staring up at the stars, sharing dreams. He held my hand and bolted up, straddling me. His grin was so infectious, I couldn’t fathom how lucky I had been knowing I got to spend the rest of eternity staring at that smile. My smile.

“Stop looking so happy.”

He tries to hide his smile, but it’s impossible. “I can’t. I am happy. I’m always happy with you.” His lips dip and press against mine. “Do you see yourself happy for a long time?”

My brow raises, intrigued by his question. “In my story, I live happily ever after. So, I would say a long, long time.”

“Hmmm.” He makes a curious sound, debating my answer.

I slap him on the side. “What? It’s true. My happiness is defined by the way my heart feels. And when I’m with you, it feels whole. Content. Loved. That’s how I want to feel forever.”

Emotion spreads across his beautiful face. He bites down on his lower lip and takes in a slow breath. His hand disappears inside the front pocket of his jeans, retrieving a small diamond ring. “Good, because my forever is you, and I want to make that shit official.”

I take a tissue and dab under my eyes. I can’t believe my beautiful cousin is getting married. A memory of us as kids resurfaces. During holidays when our parents would gather for after-dinner drinks and we would hide in her closet, flipping through the pages of her wedding album. Crazy to think after all these years of seeing Levi’s name written all over her notebooks, she’s finally getting her happily ever after.

“Crying because you feel bad you tricked me is a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

I turn to Chase, who’s still wearing his scowl. “Do you ever stop thinking about yourself? Your best friend just got engaged. Maybe you should spend less time sulking and more time celebrating his happiness.”

His hands prop against his hips as his lips open and close. “I am not sulking. I don’t sulk. I’m a man.” My eyes fall to his hips as he taps his foot like a diva. “Oh, for the love!” I yelp as he snatches up my arm and pulls me behind a big oak tree without making a scene. “I swear to god, woman, if you refer to me as anything but a fierce, attractive, unbelievably sexy, manly man who didn’t talk and made you moan my name in three different languages, I’m going to have to remind you who I am.”

His head is dipped so low, the warmth of his breath skates across my cheeks. My body trembles under his hold. His grip becomes heated against my skin. Flashes of last night assault my brain. His mouth devouring mine. His tongue inside me. The way he held me close, molding my body to fit perfectly around him.

My lips part. My eyes become heavy. It would be reckless, but the urge to have his lips on me again is outweighing the risk. He made me feel alive, and I ache to feel it again. Lust pumps through my veins. Excitement for the unknown.

“That’s right, Angel. Remember what these lips feel like all over your body.” His head dips even lower. I can almost taste the beer on his breath. It makes me famished for it. For him. I raise my chin to close the gap between us.

“Bridget, are you back here?”

My spine becomes rigid at the sound of my father’s voice. The same way I’d done a million times with Jax, I push out of his hold just as my father appears from around the large tree. “Oh, there you are. I’ve been trying to find you.” His eyes pull away from me to Chase. “Mr. Steinberg. Nice to see you again. Chase, correct?” My father sticks out his hand, and Chase accepts it.

“Yes, Reverend—I mean, sir. I mean…Mr. Matthews.” Jesus, why doesn’t he just come out and say we were about to give each other sexual favors?

“Dad, did you need something?”

His attention comes back to me. “I wanted to speak with you. What are you two doing out here”—he looks around, eyeing the distance from the party and us—“so far away from everyone?”

I open my mouth to say I was about to fall to my knees and offer him fellatio to really piss him off, but Chase beats me to it, sputtering out, “We were…we wanted to surprise the lovebirds. And were practicing. Levi, that silly guy, loves karaoke. We’re going to sing to him—right, Bridge?”

He stares at me, begging me to go along with him so my pastor father doesn’t strike him down into damnation.