Page 17 of A Touch of Heaven

CHASE

How she smiles up at me and holds my hand down the beach makes me nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach. I know that’s not a very manly thing to say, but it’s true. But the way she smiles at me sometimes is strange.

It’s like I’m the only one she sees, the only guy that exists in her life, and I love it…I love her.

I swallow hard just thinking about it but I am wondering if there really is something between us, whether she might have feelings for me, too. It would explain why she was so hurt earlier.

When I said she was like my sister, I saw her reaction. It was as if I had sucked all the air out of the room. She seems to be more upset about that than anything else.

Is that why she was hurt when I kissed Harper?

Or am I imagining it all?

For fuck’s sake, Chase, it doesn’t matter. You’re forgetting two little things.

Your brother!

Or how about the fact that you can’t pull her into your world?

I can’t let her see that side of me or the guys. She’s too pure, too innocent. It will break her, and I’ve broken her enough. I won’t let her see the blood on my hands, too.

We spend the day in town shopping a little. She loves all the markets and independent shops, but I knew she would. She hates mass-produced items but adores anything handmade or one-of-a-kind. I always bring her stuff back when traveling; she has quite the collection now.

We’re sitting outside, grabbing something to eat in the main square, and I can feel her leg touching mine as she reads the menu, deciding what to order for lunch. Curls of her hair have fallen out of her ponytail, framing her face. She looks beautiful like this, like my perfect angel.

She has her concentrating face on, the one where she’s biting her lip, and my god, what I want to do to that lip. I imagine grabbing her, placingher on my lap, then nibbling on it before pulling her into an all-consuming kiss. Imagine pulling her hair down loose over her shoulders as I run my hand through it and her moaning for me as my hands wander.

I clear my throat, rearranging myself under the table as these thoughts shoot straight to my dick. She smiles coyly over her menu at me, unaware of the thoughts plaguing my mind.

“Okay, I’ve decided.”

I laugh. “Let me guess. A strawberry milkshake with a classic bacon cheeseburger and fries combo that you always order whenever we eat?”

She frowns. “Am I that predictable?”

My hand reaches out to her, and I stroke my thumb along the back of her hand.

“No, Princess, you’re just that adorable, and I notice everything about you.”

This only intensifies her frown, her eyes drifting away from me, so I pull my hand back as I realize she thinks I’m playing with her again.

“I’m sorry. I think I need to say it again. I don’t want you to second-guess everything I say. I promise I’m not intending to play with you.”

“It’s just sometimes…the things you say…I don’t think you should say to me if you think of me as just a friend…sorry, yoursister. They’re not things you say to someone you’re just friends with. It’s confusing for me. I never thought about it before like that, but after what you said this morning, it’s hard not to. It makes me feel…” she trails off, and I realize she’s right. I’ve never really watched what I said to her before. I’ve just stopped it before it got too far. I have to ask her why it bothers her because this is becoming harder and harder by the day.

“Brooke?” She looks up at me, those beautiful eyes on mine. I take a breath and decide to risk it. I need to know what she feels for me in her own words. “Do you have feelings for me?”

Her face flushes, and she laughs softly. “You’re Nate’s brother. Best friend code, you know.”

I notice she doesn’t deny it, and for a second, my heart feels lighter than it has in years, and butterflies return to my stomach. “That’s not a no?”

I grin as she rolls her eyes, blushing before opening her mouth to say something, and then the server appears to take our order. Worst timing or best timing? I’m not sure at this point. I order the same as her since I was too distracted by her to even check the menu once I realized it had her favorite.

“So, what’s the best friend code? I feel like I should know it for Jax and Asher.” She scowls at the mention of Asher, and I chuckle. “Yes, I know… He’s an idiot for hurting Harper, but there’s a lot you don’t know about him, about his past and why he does what he does.”

“So, tell me.” She looks at me, determined to find out more and change the subject completely.

“It’s not my story to tell Brooke. If he tells her or you, then that’s up to him, but Brooke, don’t ask him. It’s painful for him, and he doesn’t like people knowing. You need to leave it alone. There’s dark stuff there you shouldn’t be involved in.”

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