Page 23 of Chance
“That’s the prettiest sound I’ve ever heard, peaches.”
Opening the passenger door, I carefully placed her in the seat.The cab wasn’t overly messy.A few utility belts had been tossed in the back, as well as a hard hat.My work gloves were on the floorboard, along with a small toolbox that I’d needed earlier in the day.
Leaning over, I strapped her in with the seat belt, taking my time, breathing in her intoxicating scent.Her warm exhale brushed over my cheek, our eyes colliding.
With the overhead light illuminating the interior of the truck, I saw how the pink in her cheeks deepened, her pupils going wide.Unable to stop myself, refusing to even try, I wrapped my hand around her neck, tipping her chin up.
One small taste.That was all I wanted, all I would take.For now.Touching my lips to hers, I didn’t deepen the kiss, just lightly brushed my mouth against hers.She didn’t try to kiss me back, and instinct told me that was because she didn’t know how.
Ahfuck.She was completely untouched.Not just a virgin.I would bet everything I owned that she’d never been kissed before.That knowledge made me want to beat on my chest.I was her first.In every way, I was going to be her one and only.
“Chance,” she moaned, licking her bottom lip with just the tip of her tempting little tongue.
Tenderly, I stroked my thumb over her glistening lip and stepped back.
Evie was quiet beside me, her hand slightly trembling in mine as I held on to her while steering one-handed.I needed the contact, the constant connection that reminded me she was really there, that I hadn’t dreamed her.Her shy glances made my cock so hard it was already leaking.
Careful, I reminded myself, trying to cool the heat pulsing through me, causing my balls to draw up in search of relief.I had to be so fucking careful with my precious little peach.
Scaring her would kill me.
So would not tasting her.
What I needed to do was calm my ass down and take care of my girl.She was nervous, and I had to fix that, quick.Small talk wasn’t something I excelled at, but I’d try.For her.
Lifting her hand to my lips, I kissed her palm then pointed to the old oak tree that had five solar lights in front of it.I slowed down, so she could get a good look at it.“I broke my collarbone climbing that damn thing.Spent an entire summer in a sling, pissed at the world, all because Max had dared Elias, Kingston, and me that we couldn’t climb higher than him.”
“What?”Her eyes were a mixture of concern, awe, and amusement as she stared from me to the tree.With all the solar lights around it, it was a dramatic sight.Powering down her window, she folded her arms so she could rest her head on them to get a better look.“How far did you get?”
“Fifty-eight branches up.That’s when I lost my grip.I tried to catch myself about halfway down, but that didn’t work the way I thought it would.Gravity and velocity weren’t factors I gave much consideration to back then.”
“How old were you?”
“Eight.”
“Oh my gosh!”Wide-eyed, she covered her mouth with both hands for a moment.“Chance, you could have died.”
That was what my mom had been screaming when she’d found out about what I’d done.I was being wheeled into the emergency room, and Raven had followed her in.Dad was at work, so Raven had had to drive her to the hospital.
While she attempted to console my mother, Raven looked at me, shook her head, and asked, “So what did you learn?”
Not my lesson, that was for sure.Because I was back climbing that damn oak tree as soon as I was out of the sling.Because Max had dared me again.But I didn’t fall again, and I climbed higher than him or anyone else.
I was still telling Evie about the second time I’d climbed the tree when I pulled into the apartment parking lot.She sat with her body half turned to me, a relaxed smile tilting her lips that I wanted to kiss so fucking badly.
“You were a little daredevil.I bet you were always getting into trouble.”She laughed, her hand automatically going back to mine, as if she needed to constantly touch me as badly as I did her.
“What about you, peaches?Did you give your parents hell?”I turned my hand over, entwining our fingers, in no rush to leave the truck.
“No,” she murmured.“No, I was a good girl.”Her smile dropped, replaced by something so profoundly sad I felt it grab hold of my heart and squeeze.
“Peaches.”
She shook off her melancholy, her smile returning.Christ, she was beautiful, but when she smiled at me like that, I forgot how to breathe.“Growing up here must have been so much fun.Being close to your family, making all those friends.”
“They’re all family.Even the ones who don’t share blood.”Turning on the overhead light, I grasped her chin to ensure she was looking at me, so she knewIsawher.“You don’t want to be a good girl anymore.”
She blinked a few times, holding back the tears that filled her pretty eyes.“I don’t want to be a lot of things, but no matter how much distance I put between then and now, I can’t outrun a ghost.”
