Page 40 of Chase

“He’s not even in the police force now, you fuckwit.”

Samantha clears her throat, bringing both our attention to her. She rises from the chair. “I’ll go and let you both catch up.”

“No,” Connor says frankly. “I wanted to talk to both of you. I need to know what has been going on and where I stand in this mess.”

“I’m not sure what…” Samantha begins, but I hold up my hand to cut her off.

“I’m in love with your girlfriend,” I tell my brother. “Completely and utterly besotted since the night we met her last year.” I pause for a moment, allowing the honesty to sink into everyone in the room. “When I couldn’t have her, I did the next best thing.”

“And went bat-shit stalker crazy?” he says, rolling his eyes.

“Pretty much. One night at the club led to another, then the next thing I know, I was following her.”

“Have you slept together?” he asks, bluntly.

“No!” Samantha shrieks, shocked by the question. “Nothing ever happened. I promise. It was just a silly infatuation.”

“Yours or his?” Connor continues, and her mouth drops open a fraction. “Yours or his?” he repeats, his dark eyes locked on hers and not letting go. She stands frozen to the spot under his stare.

“Both of us,” she whispers, and the embarrassment at her truth coats her cheeks immediately.

“I thought so,” Connor says, his voice low but firm. “Are you interested in pursuing a relationship with him?” Samantha shakes her head, but my brother’s face tells me he doesn’t believe her.

“Have you slept together?” he asks again. I recognize his tactics in his queries as he tries to extract the truth from the person he’s speaking to. For once, I sit quietly and let the scenario play out before me. I’m unsure where he’s going with this.

“No,” she says again. “I told you that. The only person I’m sleeping with is you.”

“I think you should,” Connor says, shocking us both.

“What?” Samantha snaps. “You think I should sleep with your brother?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Now you’re finished with me, he can have your cast-offs? Is that what the plan is?” She turns to walk toward the door. My brother walks after her and reaches to place a hand on her shoulder. She stops under his touch but keeps her eyes facing forward. Her whole body is tense as she waits for him to speak.

“I’ll never willingly be done with you,” he says tenderly. “But I can’t move forward in our relationship unless I am sure there’s nothing between you two. I want you both to investigate what’s there, but I want you to come back to me, Sam. Then I want to make you my wife.”

His suggestion sits in the air, suspended in a haze of shock. No one speaks, all of us contemplating what this may look like. Connor turns to face me.

“We’ve dated the same girl before,” he says, and I nod.

“It’s not the same thing, and you know it. Before it was the fun of the chase, this is different,” I have to point out.

“It is,” he says. “And that’s why I need to be sure she wants me.” He speaks as though she isn’t in the room with us. “I couldn’t live with myself if I walked away from the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But I also don’t want to move forward wondering if she’s going to leave me for you.”

“I stalked her,” I admit, and my brother smirks.

“You’ve always been an unhinged maniac, Russ.” He lifts a hand and rubs his forehead. “But the fact Sam never told me, and she enjoyed it, tells me that perhaps she’s unhinged in her own way too.”

Samantha steps up beside him, reaching for his hand then withdrawing, uncertain of his reaction. Her eyes run over his face then flit to me. “Can I still see you?” she asks him. He lifts a hand to her chin, running his thumb over her bottom lip.

“This is the only way I’ll allow you to,” he says. “If you don’t agree to this, we’re finished. I can’t live my life worrying about a desire you have. I want you to see both of us, then decide who it is you want.”

“Like a competition,” I shout. “And the winner gets all the pussy.”

Connor laughs, then kisses Samantha in front of me. My hackles rise with his open affection. Game on, brother.

“And if that’s my competitor,” he says, gesturing in my direction. “I’ve got this won hands down. But you need to sample the bacon to know when it’s the prime meat between your thighs.”

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