Page 64 of Stay for Me

“Then, I got to know you, and our friendship grew…” He trailed off.

“What? Was I too weird for you?” I teased.

He stared at me for a long time before he answered. “You didn’t make me feel anything.”

I had the sudden urge to laugh. “I didn’t make you—what?

“You ground me, sure. But you didn’t—I didn’t—”

“—there was nothing there,” I finished for him on a whisper.

He inhaled deeply and gave me a single nod. “There was nothing there.”

“Just so you know,” I began, “you’re hot.”

Chase blinked.

“Like really, really hot,” I whispered. “There were times, years ago, I wondered if something was wrong with me because my body didn’t have the slightest reaction you, even that one time I walked in on you working out in your garage.”

He blinked again.

“You were in gray sweatpants sans shirt, for crying out loud, and it didn’t phase me. To me you were just Chase.”

“And what does your body do when Mags is around?” he asked carefully. Heat bloomed in my cheeks as his blue eyes scanned my face. “Fuck, but you love him, don’t you?”

My eyes dropped to my lap. “I’d never thought I’d be here,” I confessed.

“Having this conversation with me?” he guessed.

“No, loving someone who doesn’t love me back.”

When I looked back up, his eyes were cold again. “Want me to kick his ass?”

A chill went down my spine then, knowing the truth. “He’d kill you,” I murmured.

“Probably, but I’d still give it my all.” He tipped his head to me. “For you.”

My bottom lip trembled. “Don’t make me cry again,” I pushed out.

“Look, Mags is a mystery. You and I both know that, but as a man—he has feelings for you. For fuck’s sake, heleftHallow Ranchfor you,” Chase assured.

Something tugged at me. “Last night, you didn’t look surprised to see him. Was that because he left—”

“—Mags has never left Hallow Ranch, never crossed the property line, never gone into town. Not once, Di. I wasn’t surprised to see him there because of how he feels for you,” he stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.

“I asked him,” I rasped, “after you hauled Lucas away. I asked him if it was ever going to happen for us.”

Chase was silent, waiting.

Another round of tears formed, falling down my cheeks. “He said no,” I croaked.

My friend moved around his desk again, and, in a flash, his hands were on either side of my head, tipping it back to look up at him as he vowed, “He’s going to regret that moment for the rest of his life, Diana Harper.”

Chapter Twelve

Diana

Two weeks later. Hayden, CO.

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