Page 49 of Chase

I’m cleaning up the kitchen when Kade’s phone rings.

“Hello!” he answers merrily.

“Big bro! How are you? Yes, we may have had a few drinks. No Layla is fine. Such a good woman, that’s why I call her princess, you know” He frowns; I think Chase is yelling at him. “No, she didn’t come to the party. Although she’s made friends with Derek. Yeah I know he wants her. Too bad you’re not here.” He laughs. Oh boy. “Bye bro!”

He looks at me and grins. “Goodnight, princess.”

“Night, Kade.” I wonder why James has been so quiet. I look over and see he is already asleep, with his head on the table.

“James?” I shake him. He gets up and walks like a zombie into his room.

My phone rings and I answer half distracted. “Yeah?”

“What did I tell you about walking around the house practically naked?” he growls.

“Who is this?” Ha!

“Don’t fuck around, Layla.”

“What do you want Chase? Already done with your new toy that answered this morning? Looks like I made the right choice breaking up with you.” I hang up.

The phone rings again, once, twice, thrice. I put it on silent and go back to bed.

Chapter Twenty One

I wake up when I feel someone creeping into bed next to me.

“What the..”

“Calm down, Layla, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here, Chase?”

“You wouldn’t answer your phone.”

“Yeah, because I didn’t want to talk to you, so take the hint!”

“I wasn’t with another woman, baby. You rang when I was at work, an employee answered because I left my phone in the office.”

“Where have you been?”

“Work, or at my apartment.”

“You have an apartment? See this is what I’m talking about, Chase. You keep everything hidden like it’s a huge secret, even small details like this. I was worried about you.”

“Baby..”

“Who was the ‘employee’ that answered your phone?”

No answer, but I could feel his body tighten.

“That’s what I thought, Chase. Get out.”

“No, I want to hold you.”

He pins me under him and I struggle for a while, until eventually I just give in and fall asleep.

*****

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