Page 106 of Prey Tell
I study the way he’s looking anywhere but my eyes. The way he seems to almost bein pain.
“Chase, I’m falling foryou,” I admit, taking a step closer. “I don’t want Dylan. I’m really sorry I missed our lunch date.”
His jaw tics, but he doesn’t look up at me. Instead, he runs a hand through his messy hair. How long was he pacing in front of my house, running a hand through his hair just like this?
My phone chimes.
“You should get that,” he mumbles, sitting down in the chair by the door.
I nod as I check my text messages.
Seriously, Jules? You and Chase? Wow. I truly thought that my best friend and my fucking sister would’ve had the balls to tell me about their secret affair. How long has this been going on?? You know what? I don’t want to know. And I don’t want to see either of you right now, so please leave me alone.
The blood drains from my face. My heart is pounding when I look up at Chase. “Fuck. Jackson knows about us,” I say softly, holding my phone out.
Chase doesn’t take my phone. He watches me as his next words spill out. “I know. We talked about it earlier.”
The room spins. “You—what?” I hiss. “I thought we agreed we would tell him together? Why would you do that?”
Chase stands abruptly, walking over to me and pressing the backs of my thighs against the ledge of my desk.
“Because you are driving mefuckingcrazy, Parker. Because I couldn’t keep something this monumental from my best friend.”
I see red. “You hadnoright to tell him,” I retort, my voice breaking.
“He’s my best friend,” Chase says, looking slightly more unsure than he did a few seconds ago.
“And he’s my brother,” I grit out, curling my lips.
“He’ll come around,” Chase says, his voice low. Ashamed. Something in his expression tells me that perhaps he doesn’t quite believe it.
Fuck.
Tears spring to my eyes. He reaches out for my face, but I push his hands away. “He’s all I have left,” I tell him, full-on sobbing. “In this instance, you were wrong.”
His eyes flash, softening when they track a tear down my cheek. “Juliet—”
I shove him away, wiping my cheeks and opening my office door. “Please, just go. I need to talk to Jackson.”
Chase stiffens. “Parker, please, let’s talk—”
“You can’t storm into my place of work and piss all over any man that tries to talk to me. This isn’t going to work if you keep underestimating me.” My eyes sting with unshed tears as I look at him. “I don’t know how else to tell you that I am falling in love with you. And that maybe I always have been in love with you. But you need totrust me,just like I proved that I trust you.I’ve let you take over seventy-five percent of my life already in the last week. The last ten years, if I’m being honest. But I’m not giving you the other twenty-five percent because it’s forme. My work is forme. And my brother? Telling him about us? That was formeto do, not you. You can’t keep making these calls aboutmylife, Ravage.”
Chase nods once, gripping the open door with his hand. “Got it. Thanks for clarifying.” He’s halfway out when he turns to face me. “I warned you. I told you I would be too much. That this? It would betoomuch for us to handle. I warned you that I would break you. That I’d consume you until there was nothing else left. I don’t know how else to be, because I’ve never fucking felt like this before,” he adds, his voicesosoft. “Your brother was right. I’m not good enough for you, and I never will be.”
“Chase—”
“I have a business trip this week, so I’ll see you when I get back next weekend.”
He turns and walks away before I can fully digest his words.
I clean myself up and glance at my phone again, seeing several texts from Chase—one of which includes what looks to be a picture of a romantic picnic lunch.
I groan as I sit, rubbing my face with both hands.
Jackson is mad at me.
Chase has every right to be mad at me, too—especially the way I berated him. But maybe it’s good that we take some space. It started so quickly—we ignited like a match to a flame. Maybe taking a tentative step back is what we need. Besides, I have so much work, and I have to talk to Jackson…
