Chasing Us (Dark Love 2)

The only area she can’t get right is her love life. We’re talking failure of epic proportions. She dated randomly throughout college, but something or someone always held her back. I didn’t push, I wasn’t the type of person to make her open up if she didn’t want to. Yet, I did work hard to organize blind dates with the hottest guys in college. I mean, the ones that if Rocky weren’t my husband, I’d have ridden them faster than a rollercoaster at Disneyland. The point is no one piqued her interest until Julian Baker came along.

There is no question he’s Mr. Perfect, kind of scary because really there’s no such thing. Everyone has a flaw, but with Julian, it’s impossible to find one. When Charlie announced they were engaged, I was in shock because they had only been together a few months. It’s like one of those cheesy rom-com movies—love at first sight then a happily ever after.

Something just didn’t feel right, and as one of her best friends and business partner, I didn’t hold back my opinion on the matter. She knows I shoot them straight, and this situation warranted a warning.

That was just the tip of the iceberg until that beautiful jerk walked back into Charlie’s life.

Lex Edwards—billionaire extraordinaire.

I knew who Lex Edwards was. Rocky rambled on about him every time he was on page six. The guy had an abnormal obsession with Lex’s life, and I’m surprised Charlie never stumbled across the same articles. But then again, her priority had always been on work.

In my lifetime, I never would have figured out it was the same man—the Alex who Charlie would scream out for in her sleep. Her waking up drenched in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face was exhausting the first six months we lived together. When I pieced the puzzle together, I realized there was more to this story than Charlie let on.

Lex irked me. He completely rubbed me the wrong way. Not in the way I normally would like to be rubbed, but hey, the man’s obscenely gorgeous. I hated admitting that vital piece of information.

He had some hold over Charlie, and without a shadow of a doubt, every time he was near her, her vagina celebrated like it won the Super Bowl.

Bottom line here—I loathed him.

My best friend was fucked up royally over what he did to her, and you always got to have your girl’s back when the going gets tough. The thing is, I saw a change in him over the weekend. He wasn’t the man I thought he was. Okay, yeah, I was becoming a soft bitch, but he revealed himself this weekend, and I no longer saw him as the man who was splashed all over the tabloids. I saw a man who fell in love with a girl and did what he thought was right by everyone. Just because I saw this other side of him didn’t mean I lightened up. No, I was still a bitch—a hot bitch who gave the best head to her husband.

I roll over to my side, checking my phone quickly before hopping into the shower. There are only a few emails, nothing important needing attention today. After showering, dressing in a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, my next stop is picking up Will next door. This is going to be hard. Will hated leaving his friends, so I decide to grab a quick cup of coffee from the kitchen to muster the energy to deal with his impending tantrum.

Rocky is pacing up and down the kitchen visibly upset about something.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, pouring the freshly brewed coffee into a mug.

He throws the paper at me. It falls to the floor, my reflexes not reactive at this time of the morning. Bending down, I pick it up, my eyes darting to the article he points to.

My eyes scan over the words, each sentence burrowing inside my heart making it sink deeper and deeper. The nerve of these reporters to publish such bullshit, but Charlie won’t believe that. I know her well—she’s too emotionally invested in Lex returning to see how misconstrued the media can be, especially when it comes to billionaire tycoons and their love lives. The more money you have, the bigger target you are.

The house is eerily quiet. “Where is she?”

“She drove back to the city, asked me to take her car back.” Rocky twists his hair, still pacing the area of the kitchen.

He’s always had a soft spot for Charlie, treats her like a sister, and I love him even more for it.

“Where’s Lex?”

“Still sleeping, I guess.”

“Shit, Rocky. What did she say? Was she upset?” Clenching my jaw, I mirror Rocky’s pacing, desperately trying to think of how to fix this. “Of course, she’d be upset.”

Rocky stops me, latching onto both my arms to still my movements. “Babe, calm down.”

I grab my phone and try to dial her number—voicemail.

Leaving a brief message, I text her as well. Lex needs to wake up. As the thought leaves my mind, he walks into the kitchen looking very content. He looks different, jubilant, like a man who got laid by the woman he’s in love with.

“Morning. Have you guys seen Charlotte?”

If this

were two weeks ago, I’d have gladly thrown the paper at his face and told him he was nothing more than a selfish manwhore, but like I said, something changed. He’s different. I see this side of him that Charlie was once, and still is, in love with this happy, carefree, fun-loving guy who adores her. I wasn’t surprised they were fucking all over The Hamptons. I wondered if they did it in the hot tub after we did. I told Rocky it was gross to jizz in the water, but he said with my tits bouncing in front of him all wet, he couldn’t help himself.

Rocky and I glance at each other as Lex asks about Charlie again. With my arms folded, preparing for the worse, Rocky passes him the paper. Lex stares at it with confusion before his eyes dart back and forth. I brace myself as his skin flushes, the paper crunching into his fist as he throws it onto the floor. Grabbing his phone, he mutters the words ‘you stupid bitch,’ then he dials the number.

“Kate. Get me Victoria on the phone right now.” He hangs up abruptly, leaning on the table for support. “Where is she?”