Page 4 of Running Winter

Uh oh, that couldn’t be good, his cop father asking if he was with me.

Chase held the phone out to me, and I made a face at him before answering it.

“It wasn’t me, Uncle C,” I said immediately.

“I’m quite sure it wasn’t, Rafe. I’ve got you in for your ink on Saturday at two if you think you’ll be awake by then.”

“Yes, I’ll be up. Maybe just rolling home, but either way, I’ll be awake,” I smirked as Uncle Caleb chuckled on the other end of the phone. “Can you convince your boring ass son to come to a party with me tonight? I swear this boy—he is the most boring creature I’ve ever met.”

“What is he doing instead?” Uncle Caleb asked with amusement as Chase glared at me.

“Being a dick.”

“Rayna?”

“Yup. Watching films with a girl who isn’t even letting him in her panties, man—”

Chase tugged the phone away from me then, shaking his head as he muttered into the phone.

I knew Uncle Caleb had been a fucker in his day, despite what he said now. Aunt Jade had told me enough tales.

“You’re a fucking knob,” Chase growled, pushing me hard on the chest.

I reached up, dragging him into a headlock as we fell to the floor, shouting like when we were kids.

“Settle it the usual way then!” I snorted as Chase peeled my arms from his throat with difficulty.

“Can’t you just accept the word no? My dad thinks I’m shagging Rayna now!” Chase swore, standing up and dusting his jeans down.

I grinned, standing up in front of him as he held his fist out.

I did the same, and we played Rock, Paper, Scissors.

“Best of three. I win; you’re coming.”

“I win; you’re doing my homework for a month,” warned Chase.

It was a fair game, and none of us could argue. Zane had suggested it when we had fallen out as kids, and it had worked ever since.

In the first round I won, the second he won, then I won again.

“God!” cursed Chase, pulling his phone out to text Rayna no doubt. “If you get fucked up, you can sleep in your vomit. But, I swear to God, Rafe, I’m not backing you up if you end up getting into a fight again over some girl.”

I crossed my heart, nodding in agreement. I knew Chase would, though, because he was a fucking diamond. He was right, though. I seemed to attract trouble or be attracted to it. But a little high school party wouldn’t be a problem, surely?

“Bud, you will be ball deep in Nina by midnight if you can just sort your life out for one evening,” I pointed out as he nodded with a smile on his face.

“Fuck it, maybe I will.”

“Feeling generous, Fallon?”

We walked out of the fairground, heading towards my sleek black pickup truck. I slid my sunglasses on while Chase grabbed his hat from under my seat, tugging it on over his eyes.

“I can’t wait to leave this shitty little town,” Chase muttered, and I nodded in agreement, reversing swiftly out of the parking spot.

My mind was still on the petite blonde from earlier. I knew it was because I was annoyed that she wasn’t easy to get. If I felt horny tonight, I was pretty confident I could get laid; it was just that I wanted to know what noises she would make as I fucked her.

I couldn’t help it.

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