“Yes, Carter. And what the hell was that with him, anyway?” I gave him a little shove. He stumbled back, clearly not expecting it.
Regaining his footing, he shot me a look. “What are you talking about?”
“Hitting Chase from behind.” I threw my arms up. “That was dirty.”
“Refs didn’t seem to think so.” Derek shrugged, but he couldn’t hide his guilty expression. He knew he’d been wrong.
“You and I both know they miss stuff all the time,” I said.
“Why are you so upset about the other team?”
Other team? I didn’t play for the freaking Bulldogs, but okay.
“Why are you starting shit with Chase to impress Luke?”
“I’m not,” he said. “Hitting is part of the game.”
I stamped my foot. “Bullshit, Derek. You never make hits like that.” I could count the number of times Derek had made an overly aggressive check on one hand. This was definitely personal.
“I still don’t understand why you’re hanging out with Carter.” Derek shook his head. “Are you cheering against us now too?”
“Maybe I am.” I drew in a breath and exhaled heavily. “Just don’t, okay? If you’re not going to support me in this, the least you could do is stay the hell out of it.”
Spinning on my heel, I turned and walked away. I navigated around the throngs of people crowding the arena lobby, impatiently side-stepping anyone in my way. The confrontation with Derek had soured my mood; now the noise and bustle of the crowd was wearing on my last nerve, and I was eager to get out of here.
In the distance, Chase stood with a group of people. I couldn’t make out who he was with, but he was grinning, appearing largely unfazed by their loss.
My stomach fluttered, emotions softening at the sight of him. Other, more primal parts of me came to life as I drank in his broad shoulders and tall frame, clad in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. Six feet and three inches of beautiful, muscular male, and he was all mine. I was more than a little happy to be going home with him. Though I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen when we got there. I had been mulling that one over for a few days now, torn between brain and body and heart.
But my mood tanked again as I emerged into a small clearing to discover a pretty brunette to Chase’s right, hanging off him. Or trying to, anyway. She laughed, tilting her head back to showcase dazzlingly white teeth framed by bright red lips. Don’t get me wrong, Chase was funny, but she was clearly playing it up. Then she tilted in, placing her hand on his forearm. I stiffened. Whoever this girl was, she was way too comfortable with touching him. Chase withdrew his arm and took a step back, looking about as uncomfortable as I felt.
She wasn’t taking the hint. At all.
My chest tightened, my heart picking up speed. I tamped down on a movie reel of flashbacks from my former life that cued up inside my head. This was not the same. He was not the same. I trusted him.
Despite that, I had the nearly overwhelming urge to turn and walk the other way.
With no small amount of trepidation, I straightened my shoulders and continued forward. Finally, I came to stand beside Chase, gently touching his firm shoulder.
“Hi,” I said.
He swiveled to face me, and his eyes lit up. “Hey, baby.” Ducking down, he gave me a quick peck on the lips and put his arm around my waist, pulling me against him. His familiar scent enveloped me, firm body warming mine, and the turmoil within me receded.
Chase nodded to the girl. “This is Kristen. Kristen, this is James. My Bailey. I mean, Bailey, my”—he faltered, brow creasing—“girlfriend?”
His sheepish stumbling was so adorable, I couldn’t hide my ridiculous, goofy grin. I probably looked like I belonged in a toothpaste commercial. Chase was rarely anything other than confident and completely self-assured, which made his slip especially endearing.
Not to mention, girlfriend did have a nice ring to it.
As I turned my attention to Kristen, my smile went from real to fake. But I could pretend to be polite, at least. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She smiled back at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes either. I had a feeling I was going to have to get used to that.
As we walked up to Chase’s truck, he reached past me and opened the passenger-side door. Then his hands landed on my waist, and my entire body thrummed in response to the contact, warmth flooding my veins. He moved in closer, his mouth finding mine, and I closed my eyes as my lips parted against his. The kiss was soft and brief but loaded with promises about later.
We pulled apart, and I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows teasingly.
“Did you give yourself a promotion back there?”
He froze on the spot and opened his mouth, but shut it again quickly, his brow furrowed. It may have been a first for Chase. Immediately, I felt bad. I had thought he would banter back.
“I didn’t—”
“I’m messing with you, Carter,” I said softly. “I like it. I mean…if you like it.”
He grinned, squeezing my waist. “I definitely like it.”
A rush ran through me, excitement mingled with desire. We stood in silence for a moment, both smiling.
“Movie night?” I asked.
“Sounds perfect.”
We both knew we wouldn’t be watching a movie. At least, not first.
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 31
OceanofPDF.com
ALL YOURS
Chase
The bad news was we’d lost to Callingwood.
The good news was James hadn’t run for the hills after my not-so-smooth slip of the tongue in front of everyone. And the best news of all was we’d slapped a label on things, and I could actually, officially, call her my girlfriend.
Oh, she was stuck with me now.
I eased my truck out of the space and navigated through Northview’s parking lot, then turned onto the main road. Home was only a ten-minute drive away, but right now, that seemed like a lifetime. My mind was firmly locked in one-track mode.
All I wanted to do was get James into my bed, get her naked, and have a little repeat of the other night. Or a big repeat, as the case may be. Maybe multiple repeats? Hmm…
“What did Luke say to you earlier?” Bailey asked, snapping me out of my happy, horny daze.
“Nothing important.” My grip on the steering wheel tightened a notch. “Just shooting off his mouth when he shouldn’t be.”
Brutal honesty was my default setting, intentionally or not. But in this case, she already knew Morrison was an asshole. I had nothing to gain by upsetting her with those details.
“You sure laid him out,” she said.
Satisfaction washed over me like a warm, fuzzy hug. I really did. According to my insider sources, I fucked up Morrison’s knee nicely. Pity it wasn’t his smug face, but a knee injury would keep him out longer, so I would call it a win.
I shrugged, stealing a glance at Bailey. “It was a clean hit.”
“Kinda gray when you factor in the charging.” A smile played on her lips, and she made a so-so gesture with her hand. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Maybe he’ll learn to keep his head up.” Despite my best efforts otherwise, the words came out clipped.
Bailey caught it immediately. “Are you sure he didn’t say something?” Her brows pulled together, hazel eyes scanning my face.
“Nah, I just prefer not to lose to Callingwood.” Even if I did take him out of the game in the process, losing to Morrison’s team annoyed me. Especially in front of James.
“You still played well tonight,” she said, as if reading my mind. “No one can carry a game alone. Even with Dallas’s help, it was virtually impossible.”
Yes and no. I should have done more to move the needle. Another assist or goal would have gone a long way in generating momentum for our side. But I’d let someone take my head out of the game for a good portion of it, and that was on me.