Bending slightly, Chase wraps his arms behind my knees and waist as he lifts me and cradles me with care. His head lowers and he nuzzles my neck before he turns us to lock the door. Then, without any second thoughts or delay, he takes us to his bedroom.
Once there, Chase sets me on my feet and moves the rumpled sheets and blankets away. Before long I'm blanketed by Chase's strong body and feeling the one part of him I've never had. Chase possesses my body, etching himself into my heart and imprinting his soul to mine. He gives me something I never imagined I could have.
His hands explore my body, his tongue memorizing every place he feels my reaction. His lips soothe each ache and each longing with grace and care.
This is passion.
This is desire.
This is us.
As our bodies shudder with lasting release, Chase looks down and in the light from the hallway I catch his small smile.
"I knew you were perfect," he murmurs quietly, leaning down to chastely kiss my now well-kissed lips. "Perfect," he repeats as he rolls to the side, taking me with him.
"You didn't know that. You probably say that to all your girls."
His body tenses again. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, I only wanted to lighten the mood.
"Take a compliment, Ry. I meant it."
"Okay," I concede, but say nothing more.
"Where's Myles?"
"In Everton," I answer simply, not wanting to confess that's exactly what brought me here.
Chase moves his hand from behind his head and reaches for mine, lying against his chest. He entwines our fingers and carelessly massages the ring that forever promises me to his brother. He twists it around twice before breaking the thick silence. "I don't know how to do this," he says. "I still don't know why you're here."
"I came here because it's what I chose to do."
"That's it?" he asks, his tone falsely jovial. "You let me have you, Ryleigh. And you did that as his fiancée. I want to know what happened tonight."
"Why?"
Sitting up, taking me with him, he scoots back and rests his back against the headboard. He reaches over before I'm fully covered with the sheet and tugs at my hand. He looks down, runs his thumb over the top of my ring, as if seeing it for the first time, and says, "Because you owe me that explanation. After what just happened, are you still his?"
"Yes," I blurt. And I am. Until I can talk to Myles and break things off, technically I'm still with him.
Chase doesn't say anything. He drops my hand and sighs. "Thank you for coming," he tells me first. "This…" He hesitates briefly then places his hands in his lap. "I'll always remember how much this meant to me."
Not getting a good feeling at all, I straighten and lean in his direction. "Chase?"
"Now I need you to go and don't ever say my name again."
Chapter Eleven
RYLEIGH
"You've kept yourself cooped up in here for two days now, Ryleigh Ann. Dad's losing patience and now even your sister is threatening an intervention," my mother informs me. When I keep quiet and don't offer a comedic response as I normally would, she lowers her voice to gentle and asks, "Please, baby. Won't you talk to me?"
When I turn over in bed enough to see her, I find her standing just inside the door with her arms crossed over her chest. Her look of concern is alarming, considering I haven't even told her all that's happened.
"I just need some time, Mom," I vaguely explain. "I just… tell Dad to have some patience."
"Ryleigh Ann, I'm your mother," she says tersely. I turn my head back and stare at the wall of my old room. A few minutes pass before I hear her stepping in closer. I know she's picking up random things to put into different places. Mom cleans when she's nervous. "You're my daughter. I think I know you better than you give me credit for."
"It's not that," I voice through a raw throat and stuffy nose. My eyes hurt from constant tears and my body aches from wretched sobs. "Mom, I'm sad."
For the last two days, I've led myself through a gambit of emotions. Denial, anger, sadness, bitterness… you name it, I've felt it.
As I brokenly stood outside Chase's front door, waiting for Kate to arrive, the events of the evening started to take a toll. By the time she pulled up in the driveway, I was pissed. Being made a fool of by my fiancé, then being rejected by the man I thought I was safe in going to, stung like nothing I've ever felt. Not only was Myles's betrayal a hit to my ego, Chase completely broke my heart and he did it out of self-preservation. I hurt him.
By the time Kate and I made our way back to the bar in Everton, Myles had his hands not only on the same blonde's ass, but they were on it skin to skin. Not a patron in the bar made a sound after I barged in, threw my ring in his face, and told him we were over. It was done.
I was done.
And I didn't even care.
I feel the bed dip, then Mom's hand touches my hip and as she did when I was a child, she pats it softly for reassurance. I start to cry again, feeling physical contact for the first time in days.
"God, Mom," I sob. "What have I done?"