Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

“Yeah,” I say, but he doesn’t move. His fingers stroke along my bare ass as his eyes burn into mine. “I’m so dead.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I want to stay right here with you.”

I giggle and then press my lips to his before pushing him away. “Bye.”

He shakes his head. “Bye, Shelli.”

He grabs his bag and then quickly leaves while he answers the phone, telling whomever that he’s in the car. I want to say I’m smiling so big because of the lie, but it has nothing to do with the lie and everything to do with the fact that I am completely smitten with him.

When my phone sounds, I look down to see a text from Aiden. I fall onto the bed, stomach first, and grab my phone from the nightstand. I open his text, and my face hurts from smiling so hard.

Aiden: Keep the shirt. It looks better on you.

I close my eyes as I hold my phone to my chest. I’ve wanted this for so long, and while I want to believe we’re good, I know he’s not where I am. I have to remember that. I have to take this slowly, help him through this, or I might lose him. On an exhale, I dial Amelia’s number.

“Hey.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Growing a baby. You know, nothing important.”

I smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Sick. All the time. But my man is being good to me.”

“Good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“You sound like something’s wrong. I have a feeling it has to do with Aiden since I watched him fight Nico.”

I shake my head. “I gotta call that asshole.”

“Why? What happened?”

“He told Aiden he was fucking me, and Aiden lost his shit.”

“Oh, how very jealous of him.”

“Right?” I say with a grin.

“So, things are happening.”

“Yeah,” I say as I cuddle with Aiden’s pillow. “I told him I didn’t want to tell anyone.”

“Well, that’s for the best since from everything you tell me, it seems he’s terrified of commitment.”

“He is,” I agree, and I bite my lip. “Am I stupid?”

“What do you mean?”

“Am I wasting my time?”

“Do you feel like you are?”

“No, not at all.”

“Then you’re not. You’re not a dumb girl, Shelli. You know what you want. He’s obviously important to you, and you believe in this. So, do you.”

“You don’t feel the same, do you?”

She clears her throat. “I want you to be happy, but no, I don’t think it will work.”

I thought she’d say that. “Why not?”

“Because someone like him doesn’t settle down. He’s set in his ways. But then, you never know. He may change for you, and if so, that’s awesome. I’m just being honest in saying it doesn’t happen often.”

“I hear you.” And I do. I just wish she were saying something else. I wish she believed in him the way I do, but then, she wasn’t here with him last night or this morning. She wasn’t under his gaze. I was. I feel good about this, but I’m not being naïve. I know there is a good chance of failure, which is why I need to proceed cautiously. “I’m gonna take it slow. I don’t expect him to profess his love for me and marry me tomorrow.”

“Well, that’s good to hear, because after you unpacked his place, I thought you did.”

“I may have jumped the gun on that.”

“Just a bit,” she teases. “But hey, that’s you. You do what you want, and everyone either gets on board or they get left behind.”

I smile. “Yeah.”

“You sound happy, though.”

“I am.”

“Good. That’s all I want.”

“When will I see you?”

“Next month. We’re coming in for the weekend since the IceCats have three days off. I gotta tell everyone I’m growing a child.”

“I can’t wait. It’s gonna be awesome.”

“Or a shitshow. So, we’ll see.”

I snort as I shake my head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”

“Thank God.” We both laugh together, until my laughter falls off. I bite my lip as I inhale thoughtfully, getting drunk off Aiden’s scent.

“Hey, Amelia.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think he will love me?”

“Oh, Shelli,” she says softly. “If he’s smart, he’ll fall head over heels for you. You’re perfection in my eyes.”

I smile. “Same here. I love you.”

“I love you.”

After we hang up, I cuddle deeper into his pillow, and I remind myself to be patient.

I’ve waited ten years for him to notice me.

I just hope I don’t have to wait that long for him to love me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aiden

I lean on the bathroom counter, looking down at the note Shelli put in my bag for me.

Go kick some ass. I’ll be thinking of you.

Love,

Shelli

I read it again and then again. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Every time I open my bag, I read it. Every time, the warning bells go nuts in my head, but the weird thing is, the note makes me feel good. It makes me smile. She didn’t have to leave me a note or even let me know she’d be thinking of me, but she did. I didn’t want to leave her, which again, should set off some warning bells, but it doesn’t. I wanted to stay. I wanted to hold her and sleep a little longer. If I’m honest, these last few days have been pretty damn lonely. It makes no sense at all since I’m surrounded by my teammates, but then, I want to be with Shelli.