Page 20 of Worth the Chase

“Well, you don’t get to know. I bet you can’t even name all the women you’ve screwed since you left. You probably don’t even know your number, do you?” She started pacing back and forth, her small body all wound up, and I realized that she was mad at me. “Don’t answer that. If you do know how many women you’ve been with, please don’t say it out loud. I don’t want to know. I’ll never be able to unhear you say it.”

I truly had no idea how many women I’d slept with. I never cared to count.

“How many guys have you been with?” I ground out. “No. Don’t tell me because if they still live here, I’ll want to kill them.”

“Why?”

“Because they’ve touched you and I haven’t,” I admitted.

She stopped pacing. “I don’t know why you’re doing this. Acting like I’mitfor you when this is the most we’ve talked in years. You might be attracted to me, but so what? Attraction fades. It doesn’t last. I’m not looking for someone who thinks I’m hot and that’s it.”

This woman was going to absolutely be the damn death of me. “You think I want you because you’re hot, Bells? You think I follow you around like some fucking puppy because you’re pretty? I’ve known you since you were a kid, and I’ll tell you one thing. Your heart hasn’t changed. You’re kind. You care about people. You care about me. You always have. When everyone else was too scared to talk to me about my mom, you never were. You asked me if I was okay. You knew I was lying when I told you I was fine. You refused to leave my side if you even sensed that Iwas sad. And now, when I look at you… you make me feel good when nothing and no one else does.”

She blew out a long breath that sounded like a mixture of annoyance and understanding. “I’m not even nice to you half the time.”

A loud laugh escaped me. “I know you don’t mean it.”

She laughed, too, and her whole body relaxed. “I mean it.”

“You do not,” I argued, and her eyes twinkled with mischief instead of disdain.

“You really like this house?” she asked as she looked around.

This woman was a master at changing the subject.

“I do. I want it. You really like it too?” I circled us right back to where we’d started.

“It’s perfect.”

“For us, right? That’s what you meant?” I grinned and walked right to where she stood. “You will be living here with me, babe. Start getting used to the idea.”

Then, I turned my back to her and walked out the front door, leaving her to chase after me for once.

HEARTBREAK RIDGE

BELLA

This man was something else. Dropping all kinds of love bombs on me before running away. The hopeless romantic in me wanted to believe everything he’d said, but how could I? This was the most time we’d spent together since he’d been back in town, and here he was, claiming me like I belonged to him.

I couldn’t help but question every single thing that came out of his mouth. Matthew O’Grady could quite literally have any woman he wanted. Why was he chasing me? Because I was a challenge? Because I was ornery? Because Icentered him? What a laugh.

We drove in the car in absolute silence, except for the radio. He didn’t try to touch my thigh again or lean his body in my direction, which I both appreciated and hated. A part of me liked that he wanted me. I felt vindicated for all my years of wanting him.

When I glanced over at him, he was looking straight ahead. I had no idea what was going on in that head of his. I punched in the code for the gate at his complex and pulled to a stop in front of his building.

A long sigh escaped his lips before I saw him turn to face me out of the corner of my eye. “If you have ex-boyfriends in town, I need to know, Bells.”

I swallowed hard before meeting his gaze. “And why would you need to know that?”

“For my own peace of mind. Plus, I need to know who I’m up against.” He smirked from the passenger seat.

“Up against? They’d be an ex for a reason, don’t you think?”

The last thing I wanted to admit to Matthew was that there were no real ex-boyfriends. That I hadn’t officially dated anyone since he’d been gone.

“What if they try to get you back? I can’t be caught off guard.”

“No one is trying to do anything, except for you. Now, go away so I can write up your offer and get you a house.”

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