Page 51 of Confusing Hearts

I groaned. The woman was going to be the death of me.

We got in the Jeep and drove mostly in silence. I held her hand, not ready to let her go. When we pulled up to the lot closest to her house, I parked.

“Promise you’ll call me tonight when you’re settled. I know Tessa will drill you hard before then and I get you need time with your sisters, too, but call me before bed, regardless of how late it is.”

“I will. I promise.” She looked out the window sadly, then, sighing, she leaned over and chanced one last kiss before leaving the Jeep. At the edge of the woods and the path that led to her house, she turned and waved before disappearing.

The moment Jenna was out of sight I felt an emptiness that I hadn’t expected. My chest ached at her loss. “Pull it together, Westin,” I scolded myself aloud. “She’s been gone less than a minute.”

Still, I knew that even that short of time was too much. How was I going to survive most of the week? I was already counting down the seconds until calculus class when I could see her again.

I parked the Jeep in my usual spot as close to the house as possible and walked the short distance. Opening the door and entering, I saw some of the guys were strewn out across the living room couches playing Call of Duty. I didn’t see Matt, and felt bad for being grateful for it. I knew he’d be the one to make a big deal of my disappearance.

“Hey, Chase is back. Missed you this weekend, man. Epic party with the panthers!” Damon said.

I just nodded and quickly headed for my room. Opening and closing the door behind me, I moved to collapse on my bed when I heard rustling to my right.

“What the hell?” I yelled, seeing a chubby new kid on my roommate’s bed quickly shoving bags of chips into the nightstand drawer.

“Hey,” he said when the drawer was closed, though he kept looking at it and then back at me like he thought I’d make a move for his chips or something. “You must be Chase. I’m Chad. I just transferred here. I’m your new little brother. We’re going to be roommates!”

Jenna

Chapter 16

I was struggling to keep the smile off my face even though nerves were fluttering in my stomach as I approached the house. I had this vision of being ambushed and questioned the second I walked in. Could I keep it to myself?

Bonding with Chase made me feel like an entirely different person. Still me, just more. I was stronger, more alive and confident than ever. Would they notice? Did it show on the outside as much as that change felt on the inside?

My heart was pounding in my chest as I reached the front door and slowly turned the knob to enter. To my relief, or maybe even a little disappointment, no one was around in the main living areas. Realizing I could just slip into my room undetected, I quickly made my way down the hall. As I opened my bedroom door I was grateful I didn’t have to deal with it all just yet.

I had taken a shower that morning, but Chase and I had made love three times since then and I was certain to be covered in his scent. I didn’t want to wash his scent off, but I knew it was the prudent thing to do. I threw my backpack on the bed and started to head for the bathroom.

“Where have you been, Jenna? I’ve been worried sick.” Tessa said as I screamed. I hadn’t seen her sitting at my desk when I walked in. My heart was suddenly pounding even harder in my chest than it was before I entered the house. I didn’t know that was even possible.

“Tessa, you scared me half to death!”

She looked slightly remorseful, but she still radiated irritation.

“It’s not like you to just disappear like that. You’re supposed to be the responsible one here.”

I snorted. “Me? The responsible one? Tessa, no one cares what I’m doing. I’m not up to something devious or bad. I just wanted to get away from this place for a few days. And look, I’m really tired, I still have some homework to finish up and I desperately want a hot shower first.”

She crinkled her nose as I passed. “You do need a shower, but we will be talking about this more. Daddy is video calling at six. Please don’t miss it. You’ve been skipping them a lot lately. He always worries about you so much. And truthfully, Jen, I like it here. I don’t want him relocating us again if he feels he can’t trust you. Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing about this weekend. Next time you want to just go off by yourself, please just at least tell me first. I really do worry about you.”

As Tessa exited my room it dawned on me that my sister assumed I had been alone all weekend. She had not even thought to question that. I had always been a loner and needed my downtime to recover in solitude. Maybe getting away with Chase on the weekends wouldn’t be that hard. I’d just let Tessa know I needed some alone time.

I quickly showered, feeling refreshed. As I dried off I noticed a few faint bruises on the inside of my thighs. My muscles ached, but the heated water had helped. I knew I was coming down from my Chase Westin high and I realized I was sore all over. I had gotten the workout of my life and knew I’d be paying for it over the next few days, but I couldn’t help but smile back at the memories we’d created. Yeah, it was worth it. He was worth it.

Chase’s optimism about our future was contagious. For now, he was going to remain my little secret, yet a part of me wanted to scream from the rooftops, “Chase is my mate, so back off, ladies!”

I glanced at my clock as I dressed. Five thirty. I didn’t have long before Daddy would be calling in. I grabbed my backpack and pulled my books out to get to work. By the time Tessa knocked on my door I was feeling back to my normal self and two questions away from finishing the last of my calculus assignment.

“Hey, is it time?” I asked.

“Yeah. Can we take it in here?” she asked. “My room’s a mess and I don’t want to hear about it.”

I laughed. “Sure.”

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