Page 40 of Worth the Chase

My mouth fell right open in shock. “You asked my parents for permission todate me? What is this, the 1950s?” I shook my head like he’d done the most ridiculous thing on the planet, but it was actually kind of sweet, and my heart was thumping in response. “What’d you guys say? Do we have to give him a dowry? Pay him with livestock when he takes me out?”

“I think we should let them talk, dear.” My mom wrapped her arm around my dad’s, and they headed toward the rest of the O’Grady men, who were all still gathered around the food, gesturing wildly.

“Are you mad at me?” Matthew asked as soon as my parents were out of earshot and we were alone.

“I’m annoyed with you,” I admitted.

“Look at me, Bells,” he begged.

I did as he’d asked because… of course I did.

“I’m serious about dating you. And I wanted to make sure your parents were okay with it.”

“Did they give you their blessing?” I rolled my eyes as I asked because I couldn’t imagine my parents telling him no for anything—not even their daughter’s heart.

He threw his head back and laughed. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re used to getting whatever you want.”

I watched as he leaned down to get even nearer to me. He always seemed to be doing that.

“I don’t know, Bells. You sure are making me work for it.”

“I think the best things are worth fighting for, don’t you?” I asked before taking a step back, putting some space between our bodies.

Whenever he was that close, it was a struggle for me to even think straight.

“Couldn’t agree more.” He grinned, and I wasn’t sure if he was just trying to mess with my head or not. “Want to know what I think?”

I shifted my weight to the other leg and jutted out my hip in response. “Can’t wait to hear it.”

“I think you like the fact that I’m chasing you. That I’m the one doing the pursuing instead of vice versa, like when we were both kids. You want me to work for it, and I’ll tell you, Bells, I’m not afraid to do it. I’m not afraid to put myself out there—”

“I don’t think you’re afraid of anything,” I interrupted.

His grin fell slightly, leaving a crooked smile in its wake. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m afraid I might go my whole life without touching you, or making love to you, or knowing how it feels to have your naked body in my arms while I make you scream my name.”

I started coughing as my cheeks heated. “You can’t just walk around, saying things like that.”

“Why not?” He closed the space I’d put between us just moments before. “Oh, right. Because we’re just friends? We’re notjustfriends, Bells. We never have been, but I’ll let you keep up the lie for a little bit longer if that’s what it takes. Don’t get too comfortable with it though.”

He dropped the words on me like little bombs before walking away and making a beeline straight for my parents, who welcomed him with open arms, literally. I felt like I wasin some sort of alternate universe, where Matthew O’Grady was singularly focused on me and had the full support of my family to do it.

But in all the things that he’d just said to me, he had been right about one—I did like that he was chasing me. It felt good, even if it was confusing and a little intimidating. I enjoyed being the center of his attention and him pursuing me.

So, what kind of monster did that make me?

ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT

MATTHEW

Isauntered into the barbeque restaurant like I owned the place. I didn’t, but my future sister-in-law did, so…semantics. When I headed right toward the bar to see my girl, I stopped dead in my tracks. Bells wasn’t there. Anna was working instead.

Pulling out my phone, I glanced at it, thinking I might have the day wrong. It was a Thursday. Bells always worked Thursdays. She worked pretty much every day, with the exception of Mondays, when the restaurant was closed.

“Surprise, surprise. If it isn’t Matthew O’Grady, former hockey superstar,” Anna announced to the handful of people sitting at the bar.

“Anna.” I said her name in the most disappointed tone that I could muster, even though she’d always been nice enough to me in the past.

---