Page 12 of Mine Forever
Moments later, I open the door to the house and sigh in relief. The cool air surrounds me and chills my overheated skin.
After toeing off my boots at the door, I wander into the kitchen in search of a cold beer.
My stomach growls at the lack of contents in my big-ass fridge. My housekeeper, Louise, usually keeps the fridge stocked, but she’s been gone for two weeks visiting her grandkids in North Carolina. And with the impending storm, I told her to wait until it passed before she heads back.
But there’s still beer left, which is just what I need.
I plop down on the couch and crack open the bottle, taking a long, deep drink, relishing the bite of the cold carbonation on my throat.
Closing my eyes, I lean my head back on the cushion. With each sip, my body relaxes little by little.
But my mind is a jumble of images, the past and present mixing together, most of them with Eden Mitchell front and center.
The first day we met.
All the times we spent at the beach on spring break.
All of the times my body sank into hers and the little sighs she made when I moved inside her.
Leaving her for the big leagues and promising I’d be back.
A promise I wanted to keep but didn’t.
After that it all went black.
Except for the screams and the smell of burning rubber among other things. The ass over teakettle motion that made me feel like I was flying through the air…
“Hey, man. Wake up.”
I swing at the motion, at the feel of being held down and flying at the same time.
“Chase, wake up!”
My eyes spring open to find Nate Gentry in front of me, holding my arms down.
Son of a bitch, the fucker’s strong.
I blink, trying to clear the cobwebs and the bad memories out of my mind. I swallow hard against the desert in my throat. “Uh, sorry.”
I attempt to move out of his grip on my shoulders, but he doesn’t budge. He lifts a brow. “You good?”
“I’m good.”
He releases me and picks up one of the beers he’d set on the coffee table. “I see you already started.”
I lift my bottle to my lips to drink away the bitterness on my tongue. “Yeah.”
“What’s going on, man?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were a bit more hostile than normal with Eden. Which is saying something for you.”
“I have my reasons.” I tip the bottle back only to find itempty.
He settles back into the couch, eyeing me. “I’ve got all day. So, go on. Tell me your reasons.”
I start peeling the label off the beer bottle. “Let’s not and say we did.”
