Page 56 of Worth the Chase

“Because I already have feelings for you. So, while you might still be a virgin, this would be new territory for me too. I’ve never made love before. I’ve never wanted to.”

“But you want to with me?”

“I wouldn’t know how not to.”

Oh, good Lord.

If I didn’t know this man as well as I did, I’d think he was feeding me lines just to get me in the sack. But with one look into Matthew’s eyes, I knew he was telling me the truth.

“Are we done with this topic?” I asked because it was a little uncomfortable, if I was being honest.

“For now.” He grinned before putting up a single finger. “One more question.”

I leaned my head back and blew out a long breath toward the ceiling. “What?”

“Your brother,” he said.

My brother, Leo, was the last person I wanted to be thinking about in this moment.

“What about him?”

“How pissed is he going to be that we’re dating?”

“Who cares? And are we? Dating, I mean?” I secretly enjoyed asking Matthew questions like this. Forcing him to say the things that I’d been so anxious to hear was like music to my ears.

“This is our first date. It’s going pretty well, I think. After it ends, I’m going to ask you on another one, so, yeah, I’d say we’re dating because I assume you’re going to say yes.”

“You hope I say yes,” I teased.

He gave a quick shake of his head. “I know you’ll say yes. You’re tired of fighting this. You’ve never been able to be with another guy because it’s always been me, Bells. It’s okay if you don’t admit it. I know the truth.”

“Arrogant,” I snapped.

“Confident,” he snapped back, but, God, he wasn’t wrong.

Every time I’d gotten close to going all the way with a guy, I thought about Matthew. I never knew what it meant, but it always gave me pause. He wasn’t the reason I’d never done it before, but I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t played some kind of role, even if I wasn’t sure exactly what.

It was probably that stupid kiss.

If it didn’t feel like that, I didn’t want it.

And nothing had ever felt the way it had when Matthew kissed me.

“Anyway,” I groaned, “why don’t you call Leo and ask for his permission, like you did with my parents?” I still couldn’t get over the fact that he’d done that.

“I don’t need his permission.”

“But he’s your best friend.”

“He was. He is. I don’t know. We literally talk twice a year, Bells. We text on birthdays and Christmases, but I haven’t had a real conversation with him in years.”

I hadn’t known that. For whatever reason, I’d always assumed they kept in touch. Or at least more often than not.

“Do you think he’ll care?” Matthew asked before laughing. “Don’t answer that. He’ll be pissed.”

“Would that stop you?” I wondered, knowing all about the promises guys made to other guys when it came to their sisters. There seemed to be some rule about not dating them… or else.

“No. It already stopped me years ago. But we’re adults now. I’m not letting anyone tell me how to live my life or with who.”

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