Page 75 of Stealing Chances

“Then I’m taking you to bed tonight and every night that you’ll let me,” I informed her. My voice dropping when I added, “And I’m about to show you how wrong you are.”

I stood from the couch with her in my arms and began stalking to the main bedroom as a shocked gasp tore from her.

“Chase!” she cried out as she hurried to wrap her legs around me even as she scolded, “You need to put me down. You can’t—”

I stopped her with a firm kiss and felt my blood begin to pound all over again at the frustrated sound that got caught in her throat and turned into a pleading whimper. “I’m taking that bet now.”

“You’re going to make your injuries worse,” she reprimanded, but a laugh still bubbled free when I dropped her onto the bed.

Climbing onto the bed after her, I situated myself between her legs and held myself just above her. Watching as all that light and excitement in her eyes began mixing with an endless need when I ground my hardening length against her.

“Ask me if I give a fuck,” I muttered as I dipped down to capture her lips, my mouth twitching into a smirk. “After I’m done with you.”

“Ihave to pee!” Litany called out as soon as our workout session ended a few days later.

“Oh my God, what a surprise,” Anna said dryly, eyes rolling as she moved her head exaggeratedly to watch LT escape into my house.

“You’re always so annoyed with her,” I said to Anna as I began gathering weights to clean and put away.

“Because I always have to deal with her before coffee,” Anna said irritably, then gave Samantha an apologetic look. “No offense.”

Samantha lifted her hands. “I know how she can be. But she’s really great too—she’s always been there for me.”

“She’s great because she feeds us,” Anna countered, then laughed. “On second thought, maybe not. Bitch is keeping me from dropping a pant size.”

“You love her,” I chided gently, and Anna rolled her eyes.

“Obviously,” she conceded as she dramatically flipped open her sunglasses before putting them on. “I’m not outwardly mean to just anyone. They have to be one of my people and be able to handle it.”

“How sweet,” I muttered, a laugh bursting from me when Anna swung at me with her purse.

“Hey, are we getting new keys to your place?” she asked as she began walking out of the garage. “And what do I do with the old one?”

“Throw it away?” I said, making it sound like a question, then turned to continue my after-session routine as I went on. “And, yeah, we plan on having copies made for everyone. We just haven’t yet.”

I held my breath, waiting for either of them to call me out on the lie, but Anna just shrugged and said, “No rush. Obviously. But I have to run; love you both.”

We called out our goodbyes, and I waited until she was far enough away before saying, “Hey, Sam, can you hang back until after LT leaves too?”

Her eyebrows lifted as she fixed her blonde hair into another messy bun. “Of course. Everything okay?” When all I could offer her was an unconvincing hum, she nodded in understanding and asked, “Can I help you while we wait for her to pretend she isn’t making coffee?”

A laugh danced across my lips, but I just shook my head. “No, I’ve got it.”

Besides, I needed the distraction of this. Of the repetitive back and forth throughout the garage and mindless cleaning. Of letting my mind drift as I thought of what to say to my best friend.

Because Chase and I’d had copies made when we’d gotten the locks changed on our doors last week. But after everything Chase had revealed that night, what memories he’d had, I hadn’t been able to give my friends their copies when I’d seen them at brunch the next day. Not when I’d spent the entire meal picking apart every word that had left LT’s mouth.

I’d told myself at least a dozen times over the weekend that I was being ridiculous. That it so obviously couldn’t have been one of my friends who’d come in, stealing and replacing a picture of us, and who was the potential missing piece in Chase’s memories.

But then the girls came over this morning, and I’d found myself watching LT all over again. Overanalyzing what she was saying and feeling this deep pit of anger growing inside me whenever she so much as hinted at Chase.

Ridiculous because, as I kept telling Chase, we didn’t know.

Still...

“Bye!” Litany called out from the street as she hurried to get into her car.

I didn’t even bother waving that time.

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