Page 27 of Spar
Travis and Charlie whooped and laughed, a welcome noise, even if it was directed at him.
Claire studied him carefully but remained silent. She was going to be tougher to convince than he’d thought.
“Seems as if you’re all going through some big life changes. Could be nice to have one another during these tough times,” she said, smiling at them as she stood and walked to the door.
The White brothers weren’t good at talking through their feelings or asking for support from one another. If they were, they probably would have bonded over their parents’ death instead of each dealing with it on their own and forging their own way.
“Chris, can I see you outside for a minute?” Claire asked sweetly.
Too sweetly.
Shit. He was going to get his ass handed to him for sure.
Chris shut the door behind him, sealing himself outside of the warm and comfortable house and into the cold night with who he assumed was a pissed-off Claire.
He shoved his hands into his pockets for warmth and walked to her car where she stood waiting for him. He forced his eyes from the ground to meet hers. He needed to make sure she understood he was serious, even if she didn’t believe or like him.
Claire threw her arms around him, catching him by surprise and nearly taking them both to the ground, as Chris stumbled to catch his balance.
“Finally!” she said, stepping back and smiling up at him. “I wasn’t sure if the two of you were ever going to stop fighting long enough to see how much the other cared.”
Chris was shocked. He’d always assumed Tori had filled Claire in on the details of their past, and in doing so, probably hadn’t put Chris in the best light. But Claire had never let on that she knew anything. Certainly, she’d never indicated that she was rooting for them.
“You knew all along?” Chris asked.
Claire rolled her eyes. “I’ve known you two were crazy about one another since the eighth grade. I didn’t know that you’ve had many,manychances and kept screwing it up.”
Chris held his hands up, blocking the punches Claire was throwing his direction.
“Ow, I’m sorry. I know… I was an idiot.”
“Biggest. Idiot. Ever.” Claire continued her onslaught of punches to his arm.
Chris grabbed her wrists to stop her. He wasn’t sure if he’d get this chance again, and he wanted to make sure she knew he was serious before she left.
“I was an idiot, but I will never hurt Tori again. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to her. And you.”
Claire stopped resisting and dropped her hands to her side. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Take care of her, and don’t screw it up again. Or I’ll kill you.” Claire said with a wink and got into her car.
Chris headed back inside the house, a smile plastered on his face. He had Ryan and Claire’s blessings. Now for the fun part, winning over Tori once and for all.
Tori stripped outof her dress and walked into the massive master bedroom. Hopeful that a shower would calm her and help put out the heat that Chris had left her feeling, she stepped into the white marble shower in the attached bathroom. She cursed under her breath as she fiddled with the controls.No shower should be this complicated.But when the jets and dual showerheads sprayed her body from every direction, the effect was heavenly.
She let the water massage her body, relieving tension she hadn’t noticed she was holding. She relaxed her shoulders, closed her eyes, and let the steady stream wash away all the doubts she had for getting involved with him again.
Maybe she’d always known it would come to this. It had always been Chris against the rest of the male population, and the latter was found severely lacking in every way.
She reached out and grabbed the familiar bottle of body wash before it occurred to her that he’d stocked his shower with all her favorites — right down to her favorite type of razors with a stock of extra blades. She was beginning to expect this from him. He hadn’t been content with just placing her used items in the shower. Oh no, he’d gone out and bought new stuff in mass quantities.
As far as character flaws went, it wasn’t the worst one she could think of.
Tori reluctantly dragged herself out of the shower and wrapped a big, plush towel around her. She was coming down from her tequila high and needing another shot of something strong. Like Chris.
She dressed quickly, eager to see him. Hesitating only a second at the door to reconsider, she slipped down the stairs to the sound of SportsCenter and the faint clanking of metal.
“Where’s Chris and Charlie?” she asked, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
