Just Getting Started (Fair Lakes 2)

“I wanted you.”

I must blink a dozen times before my mouth finally works. “But you hated me.”

Chase snorts. “Hated you? Hardly. I loved to torment you. Still do, actually. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.” My eyes narrow a little as I watch him slowly bringing my palms up to his mouth. “I was infatuated with you and I had no clue what to do about it. I tried to work you out of my mind and forget you, but it never worked.

“No one was you.”

My mind is reeling from his confession. I can’t believe he just told me he’s wanted me for years. Freaking years. While my sister may have repeatedly told me what Chase and I had was a form of foreplay, I didn’t actually think she was right.

“Wow,” I whisper, not really sure what else to say.

“So, now you know all about the real Chase Callahan. When I told you I hadn’t been the playboy you accused me of being, I meant it. Yes, I may have been that man in the past, but I haven’t been recently.”

“Why did you keep up that façade?” I ask, the question tumbling from my lips.

“Habit, I think, and because that’s what everyone expected from me. I went to the bars and stuff, but I always went home alone, Gabs. Always. Even when it may have looked like I hadn’t.”

His words ring loud in my ears. So many times I watched him flirt with someone and just assumed he went home for a night of mattress Olympics. Even after he swore to me that what I saw wasn’t always reality, I still questioned his validity. But now, looking at him in the eyes, I can see that everything I may have known about Chase Callahan wasn’t correct. It was a disguise, something comfortable and familiar he kept in place so no one would ask him questions or expect more from him. The revelation is somewhat startling, to be honest.

Everything I’ve known about him is wrong.

And I hate that I’ve always thought the worst of him.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?” he asks.

“For always assuming you were this carefree playboy.”

“Like I said, Gabs, for a while, I was. I partied and slept with my share of girls, but not recently. Not in a while.” He brings my hands up to his mouth, my palms still faceup. His lips dance along the sensitive skin, sending shivers of desire shooting through my body and goose bumps tickling my arms.

“Thank you for telling me all of that,” I say as he tucks my hands back into his bigger, rougher ones.

Again, he shifts until he’s sitting beside me on the blanket. The sun is almost to the horizon and we have the perfect view to watch it fall behind the trees. I’m very much aware of his presence beside me, my body humming with anticipation. For what, I’m not sure, but I can feel it nonetheless.

“Gabby?” he whispers as the last bit of fiery orange dips behind the trees.

“Yeah?” I ask, my voice hoarse and shallow.

He turns, his nose a whisper away from my own. I can feel the tickle of his breath against my lips. “I really want to kiss you.”

My heart dances in my chest, my fingers twitching with the need to touch his skin. “I really want you to kiss me,” I reply, knowing it’s one thousand percent fact.

“Are you sure?” His eyes search mine, looking for validation.

“Definitely.” There’s no blurred friends line anywhere near us. I’m pretty sure we passed it a long time ago, but I wasn’t ready to see it or admit the truth. I do want Chase and probably always have. Yes, there are unanswered questions, and yes, there are valid concerns, but at the end of the day, I just want to feel this man’s lips against mine and not care about what comes next.

Day by day.

That’s how we’ll take it.

He moves a fraction of an inch closer. If I were to just lift my mouth a hair, we’d be touching, but I don’t move. I wait for him. “Gabrielle, if I kiss you, I don’t think I can go back to the friend zone,” he warns.

“Chase, I don’t want to be in the friend zone either. I want to see where this leads,” I confess. He stares back at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “You took a chance on me and told me all about your past, so I’m ready to take a chance on you too.”

His eyes close as if he’s savoring the words I said. When they open, there’s a little happiness mixed with desire. “I promise not to hurt you.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can, and I do. I promise, baby. You’re safe with me.” Chase lets go of my hands and brings his up to cup my face. His thumb is gentle as he caresses my jaw and turns his head ever so slightly. “I’m going to enjoy the hell out of kissing you,” he adds just before his lips graze gently across mine.